Nitrianska všeobecná banka, Nitra

Nitrianska všeobecná banka, účastinná spoločnosť (Nitra General Bank, joint-stock company) was established as Nitrianska sporiteľňa (Savings Bank of Nitra) in 1862. Company registration became possible in Austria-Hungary in the years 1875 – 1876 after a new constitution was promulgated that provided a framework for corporate entities. This explains why Nitrianska sporiteľňa only has an official registration from 16 July 1876 despite having existed since 2 December 1862. Its founders included Martin Babothy, Ján Burányi, Ján Behunka and Štefan Czernyak amongst others.

A general meeting was held on 23 February 1876 to approve the bank’s Articles of Association. It defined its main activity as taking deposits for interest, to encourage saving and obtain funds for subsequent loans to the public. Even at the inaugural general meeting the management was considering merging with another financial institution.

The share capital was 62,000 Austro-Hungarian guldens and the reserve fund 20,000 guldens. A thousand shares were issued with a nominal value of 100 guldens and the general meeting of 23 February 1876 decided that 10% of every year’s net profit would be used to pay down the share capital. In 1895 Nitrianska sporiteľňa established a branch in Sereď and when registering the branch, it stated that it had raised its share capital to 110,000 guldens.

Another existing financial institution that entered the Companies Register in 1876 was Veľkotopoľčianska sporiteľňa, účastinná spoločnosť (Savings Bank of Topoľčany- officially registered under the Hungarian name Nagytapolcsányi takarékpénztár, r. t.). This institution was taken over by Nitrianska sporiteľňa by prior agreement. Other banks were taken over in 1919. An extraordinary general meeting of Nitrianska sporiteľňa approved mergers with two other Nitra banks:
Nitrianska obchodná a úverová banka and Nitrianska priemyselná banka.

In view of the political situation, this financial institution was placed under a supervisory commissioner, František Kovařík, the county vice-notary for Nitra, based on Decision No. 22470/1154/21-II of 29 March 1921, and it was ordered that new deposits should be segregated to protect the interests of new depositors. An extraordinary general meeting on 8 July 1921 approved changing the bank’s name to Nitrianska sporiteľná banka, účastinná spoločnosť, Nitra and two years later,
based on a decision of an extraordinary meeting of 25 April 1923, it became Nitrianska všeobecná banka, účastinná spoločnosť (Nitra General Bank, joint-stock company), Nitra, with branches in Topoľčany and Sereď.

An extraordinary meeting on 13 January 1924 approved the bank’s merger with Sereďská všeobecná banka, which became
a branch. As of 31 December 1928, the bank had a turnover of nearly 100 million Czechoslovak crowns (Kč), Kč 45 million in deposits and loans amounting to Kč 40 million, on which it made a profit of Kč 301,000. It paid out dividends at a rate of 9%. In 1929 turnover increased to Kč 120 million. Despite the economic crisis in 1930, the bank added a further Kč 3 million in deposits and Kč 2 million in promissory notes. On the other hand, its stock of mortgages decreased. The bank reported
a profit of Kč 400,000 and paid out dividends at a rate of 12%.

As part of the consolidation of the Slovak banking sector in 1941, Nitrianska všeobecná banka was placed in liquidation on 26 July 1941 in accordance with Order No. 22.116/41-VI/16 of the Ministry of Finance of 28 June 1941. Tatra banka was put in charge of the liquidation. The liquidation process ended only in 1950 when Nitrianska všeobecná banka was merged
by universal succession with Slovenská všeobecná úverná banka in Bratislava based on Decree No. 265/50
of the Ministry of Finance.

Nitrianska všeobecná banka, formerly Nitrianska sporiteľňa, operated from 1862, which makes it one of the oldest financial institutions in Slovakia and the first financial institution in the Nitra region. It represented the interests of the Hungarian nationality until the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic. It provided its services mainly to large landowners and industrialists but also supported small farmers and entrepreneurs.

The material provides only a sparse overview of the bank’s development as very few documents have been preserved. They are mainly accounting ledgers and documentation of the bank’s claims. The bank’s archival material was entered in the corporate archives of Štátna banka československá in the former monastery in Marianka. In the period 1975 – 1977, it was transferred to the bank’s archival building at 27 Krajná Street and in 2003 it was moved to the  Národná banka Slovenska archives building at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava. A preliminary temporary inventory of the fonds was prepared in the archives
of Štátna banka československá in Marianka and this was expanded and revised in the Archives of Národná banka Slovenska in 2016.