Swedbank's miljardhärva splashing on the banks

The grass-roots sparbanksrörelsen is it that the birth of the now penningtvättsanklagade and international storspelaren Swedbank. The distance between them now-a-days is perhaps greater than ever – still associated they are still with each other.

Usually it is, perhaps, not so dangerous for the small and often local savings banks. But when the storms around Swedbank as it does now, it could be a problem for some of them.

We have received some concerns from customers who are wondering what is happening with their savings now and if they have to act in any way. It is a common misconception, " says Ola Möllberg, ceo at Bjursås Sparbank.

" It is precisely when such things occur it is a matter of concern. It is our common brand that is nedfläckat, " says Mats Larsson, ceo of Norrbärke Sparbank.

He's referring to what's been going on the past two–three weeks, the alleged miljardpenningtvätten found.

– It is always a long förklaringssträcka when you'll find out why we are not the same bank as them and you see how the question of the grows in the face of the people when you start, " says Mats Larsson.

Even in Ski outside of Falun, in Sweden's ninth smallest savings bank, pop the questions up.

" We have received some concerns from customers who are wondering what is happening with their savings now and if they have to act in any way. It is a common misconception, " says Ola Möllberg, ceo at Bjursås Sparbank.

– We would not succeed without the support we have from Swedbank in our agreement of it services and development. But the actual banking activities, we are driving on your own, " he explains.

between banks makes it after all not so surprising that the link is made.

Photo: Pernilla Wahlman

The several hundred year old folkrörelseidén of the savings banks is based on local presence and the idea of a bank where even the poorest can save and get interest on their money. The first appeared in Gothenburg in the 1800s and over the years, the hundreds.

the Savings banks have no private profit, but the surplus should remain locally to benefit the community it serves, rather than to go to the bonuses and large dividends.

to protect the idea, the banks have a number of principals rather than for the shareholders of the board of directors. The idea is that they should represent the people and pursue the interests of their clients.

Half of them are elected by the municipality or landstingsfullmäktige and the rest are picked in turn by the other principals. Often it is people from the local business community or people who for other reasons have an ear to the rails in the local area.

We did not have the same view on it. Especially not me who had worked in Latvia in the past and knew the culture. But so was the environment at that time, they could best and knew how everything would be done, " says Mats Larsson, ceo of Norrbärke Sparbank, if Swedbank's expansion in the east.

It is from the world bank has emerged. After the financial crisis in the 90's went to several of the savings banks joined together and formed Sparbanken Sverige AB, which after a further merger a few years later became Föreningssparbanken.

In connection with it they were also one of the country's largest banks. But a bit into the 2000's but more and began to look to the east. The name change to Swedbank in 2006 was a clear sign of the international nature of the project.

Among other things, it was the then chairman of the board Carl Eric Ståhlberg, who saw great possibilities in the baltic countries. The first step was to buy baltic Hansabank with branches in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

"It was never a criticism that was public, but it was found among the savings banks at the time that the bank thought the grass was greener on the other side," says Mats Larsson, who worked over 30 years in the sparbankssfären.

– We had not the same views on it. Especially not me who had worked in Latvia in the past and knew the culture. But so was the environment at that time, they could best and knew how everything would be done, " says Mats Larsson.

. Ten years later, Swedbank has around 3.5 million customers in the Baltic countries and the one closest to the dominant position together with the other major Swedish banks.

But it is also where the suspicions of large scale money laundering bubblat up the last few weeks. It has not just made to the savings banks in Norrbärke, and the Poet had to explain the connection to Swedbank customers. The phones have also begun to call.

" It relates to whether it is Swedbank or any other bank that has done something. When calling customers who want to be with us rather than they think we feel safer and, above all, local, " says Ola Möllberg.

Bjursås Sparbank has 15 employees and about 8,000 customers, all from the local area. Similarly, Norrbärke Sparbank only local customers, around 15.000 pieces. Swedbank has 15,000 employees and seven million customers in Sweden and the Baltic countries.

– Norrbärkes savings bank is the flugskitar in the financial sky. At the same time, we would not be able to exist if not, we had this historically established cooperation with Swedbank, where we jointly built up mortgage company, kortbolag, it operations, " says Mats Larsson.

But despite the size and the help the savings banks received ”flugskiten” Norrbärkes savings bank a monitoring tool that Swedbank's computers has difficult to measure with – lokalkännedomen.

two years ago, was thrown out of the savings bank in Norrbärke. They had not washed the money, but several customers in the bank were identified as representative for the organization.

" I can't specifically go into it but you used the banking services in the wrong way. There we discovered based on our local knowledge. There was no help of any system but it is a hard work only we of the staff could do, " says Mats Larsson.

Ewa Andersen, ceo of the Swedish savings banks association, does not want to talk about the events around Swedbank. But in a text message to the DN she writes:

”Each bank has their own brands. The statement that the blacken down, the brand name ”savings bank” is not something I can stand behind. Each savings bank has its own brand, to safeguard and work on the basis of it, and stands strong in its areas of activity.”

Read also: The Swedish banks ' ill-fated adventure in the east

see also: Browder notify Swedbank for the purpose of money laundering