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Kráľovskochlmecká hospodárska a obchodná banka, Kráľovský Chlmec
Kráľovskochlmecká hospodárska a obchodná banka (Kráľovský Chlmec Farm and Commercial Bank) was established in 1904 under the official names Királyhelmeczi gazdasági és kereskedelmi bank, r. t. in Hungarian and Királyhelmeczer landwirtschaftliche und Handelsbank A.G. in German. It had share capital of 150,000 Austro-Hungarian crowns (K) represented by 1,500 registered shares with a nominal value of K 100. For many years, the bank’s managing director was Emil Fuchs. The chief accountant was Nándor Lichtig and the treasurer Alexander Fuchs. In 1913 the bank had a turnover of K 1.65 million with loans amounting to more than K 1.1 million and deposits of K 830,000. Its profit was K 72,000.
The turnover and deposits were almost unchanged in 1922. Provided loans amounted to around 500,000 Czechoslovak crowns (Kč), with doubtful claims amounting to Kč 224,000. Two years earlier, the value of the shares had been raised to Kč 400 by drawing on the reserve fund. At this time Emil Fuchs had a deputy Vojtech Bencsik and there was a junior manager, Armin Deutsch. The chief accountant was Andor Lukács.
According to the Compass year book for 1926, the bank had a turnover of Kč 2.4 million, deposits of Kč 1.7 million and provided around Kč 1.6 million in loans. The net profit was Kč 13,708. Ten years later, passbook deposits amounted to Kč 239,000 and there was Kč 1.3 million on accounts, provided loans amounted to Kč 1.3 million in promissory notes and Kč 1.3 million in overdrafts. The turnover was almost Kč 3 million. The net profit was Kč 19,000 with a return on interest of Kč 97,000. The bank’s management included Vojtech and Viliam Fuchs. The Fuchs family owned large property in the local area.
The Vienna Arbitration of 1938 assigned Kráľovský Chlmec to Hungary. The Hungarian Commercial Code applied in the area from summer 1939. Branches of foreign financial institutions had to adapt to the new situation, otherwise they would be liquidated. Czecho-Slovak legislation on finance remained temporarily in force for branches and offices of foreign financial institutions that received and paid out deposits and held securities in safekeeping. A register was made of the deposits held by financial institutions in 1939.
The Hungarian government ordered financial institutions and industrial, commercial and other companies established in the annexed territories to balance their claims by 15 December 1938 and communicate this information to the Hungarian National Bank. This obligation included the registration of paper money, securities (shares, mortgage bonds, government bonds and the like), real estate, ownership rights, related enterprises and share capital. The central bank would take over the claims of foreign deposits and current accounts, the right to transfer deposits and their safekeeping. Lending processes were tightened. It was prohibited to send money or make loans to the accounts of private persons and companies domiciled abroad without the permission of the national bank. Domestic financial institutions could extend credit packages upon notification, but only if they were no more than six months old. The government appointed supervisors of domestic and foreign economic entities to ensure the economic, financial and other interests of the country by monitoring such entities’ activities and transactions.
The Central Office of Financial Institutions also extended its activities to Slovak territories from 18 January 1939. It ascertained the ownership structure, capital strength, degree of mobility and liquidity, structure of loans and claims, affiliate relationships and branches and potential foreign ties of individual financial institutions. Sixteen institutions in southern Slovakia became its members in 1939, including one cooperative. It is likely that Kráľovskochlmecká hospodárska a obchodná banka was one of them.
After the liberation of Kráľovský Chlmec on 26 November 1944, it was found that the bank’s documentation had been totally destroyed. The legal representatives of the institution had been of Jewish origin so it was likely that they were amongst those deported to concentration camps at the start of that year. The handwritten notes on the arrival of the liquidator in 1947 refer to bank officers Eugen Hoczmann (a former managing director of the bank), Zoltán Pollák and Vojtech Bencsik. Nearly all the trading books, loan files and archives had been destroyed when the front passed through the area. The trading books were later reconstructed. It was found that the bank had shares in the Trade Association in Kráľovský Chlmec. In 1945 the bank carried out no exchange of currency and applications to register deposits were not submitted in the prescribed manner. The war damage was estimated at 260,000 Czechoslovak crowns (Kčs).
Under Decree No 108/1945 of the President of the Republic of 25 October 1945 on the confiscation of enemy property, financial institutions belonging to Hungarian and German legal entities were to be liquidated. They were included in the confiscated assets subject to liquidation. The Executive Authority for Finance appointed the liquidators for these banks. Until 2 February 1946, the bank was under the administration of Vojtech Bencsik, Mikuláš Horváth and Jozef Huba, with Viliam Fuchs and Zoltán Pollák as authorised signatories. From then until 12 July 1946, it was under national administration whereafter liquidators were assigned. From 27 October 1947 to 30 June 1949, it was under the control of the general liquidation administration, which included Elo Šándor, the managing director of Slovenská hypotečná a komunálna banka, Bratislava. The liquidation was overseen by the Local Liquidation Office in Košice. Later, Slovenská Tatra banka, Bratislava, took over the liquidation.
In the end, the bank was merged by universal succession with Slovenská všeobecná úverná banka, Bratislava, with retroactive effect from 1949. The decision was issued in 1950.
The bank’s archival material was deposited in the corporate archive of Štátna banka československá in the former monastery in Marianka. In the period 1975 – 1977, it was transferred to the bank’s archives building at 27 Krajná Street and in 2003 it was moved to the archives building of Národná banka Slovenska at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava.
The fonds consists of a single archival box. It contains a fraction of the liquidators’ documentation, balance sheets and final accounts, and statistical reports for the period 1947 – 1950. The only documents from an earlier date are the final accounts from 1934. An inventory of the fonds was prepared at the Archives of Národná banka Slovenska in 2016. Its introduction draws on data from documents in the fonds, data from the Compass year books and the publication Central Banking in Central Europe, which was published by Národná banka Slovenska in 2014.
Last updated: Thursday, December 28, 2023