Italian Credit Cooperative Banks

Ivana Catturani () and Maria Lucia Stefani ()
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Ivana Catturani: University of Trento and Euricse
Maria Lucia Stefani: Bank of Italy

A chapter in Credit Cooperative Institutions in European Countries, 2016, pp 149-167 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Italian Credit Cooperative Banks (Banche di credito cooperativo, from here after CCBs) represent a significant part of the Italian banking system. Born in the second half of the nineteenth century, they have been able to grow and to adapt to new social, economic and legal environment. The Banking Law, which entered into force in 1993, has weakened the differences between CCBs and commercial banks with respect to the previous legislation, while preserving mutualism, democracy, localism and not-for profit goals. In this context CCBs, from being banks aimed at lending small credits to local farmers and handcrafts in rural areas where they were in most case the only banking institution, have become able to compete with commercial banks on wider areas. One of the main contribution to this evolution has been given by the second level networks—i.e. the banking and the association networks that help single cooperative banks to increase efficiency and to be competitive on the banking market. With respect to other European cooperative banks, however, the Italian system is at present among the least integrated. During the financial turmoil started in 2007, Italian CCBs kept on financing local economies, not without relevant costs, particularly in terms of non-performing loans; the number of CCBs under default procedure has increased. Today a debate is in place for a reform of the network, to give rise to a more integrated system, based on membership of banking groups.

Keywords: Mutual Fund; Limited Company; Banking Group; Competence Area; Cooperative Bank (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28784-3_8

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