CEC Bank

CEC Bank (prior to May 6, 2008 Casa de Economii și Consemnațiuni, but already known then as CEC),[1][2] is a state-owned Romanian banking institution.[3][4]

CEC Bank
TypeState-owned
IndustryFinance and Insurance
Founded1 December 1864
FounderAlexandru Ioan Cuza
Enric Winterhalder (first director)
Headquarters
Bucharest
,
Romania
Area served
Romania
Key people
Radu Graţian Gheţea – president
ProductsCommercial banking, Investment banking, Private banking, Asset management
Revenue 82 bln RON (18,4 bln. €) (2015)
RON 409,000 (2015)
Total assetsRON 750,000 (2015)
Websitewww.cec.ro

In 1990, shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, CEC had a 32.9% share of the Romanian market for banking; by 2006 this had fallen to 4.03%.[5] At the end of 2009, CEC Bank had 1,351 branches, more than 800 of which were in rural Romania, many with only one or two employees.[6] As of August 2009, the bank had 2.7 million customers.[7]

History

CEC was founded in 1864—five years after the union of the two Danubian Principalities, and more than a decade before the Romanian state as such—as the Casa de Depuneri și Consemnațiuni[4] (literally "Deposits and Consignments House"[8] but effectively "Deposits and Consignments Bank": the Romanian casa is used analogously to the French caisse; both are related to the English cash). In 1880, the name was changed to Casa de Depuneri, Consemnațiuni și Economie[4] ("Deposits, Consignments and Savings House").[8] In 1881, the financially independent Casa de Economie ("Savings Bank"), was set up under its aegis.[4][8]

The CEC Palace shortly after its completion

In 1887, the cornerstone of the CEC Palace was set; the building opened as the bank's headquarters in 1900.[8] As of 2012, CEC Bank is still headquartered there, although the building has been sold to the municipality of Bucharest for an eventual museum; CEC Bank is leasing the building until they build or otherwise obtain an appropriate modern headquarters.

Romania entered World War One belatedly on the Allied or Entente side, and was largely overrun by the forces of the Central Powers. A portion of the bank's management remained in occupied Bucharest, while another portion relocated to Iași, in Northeast Romania. Prime minister Ion I. C. Brătianu decided to send the Bank's treasury, as well as other assets including the treasury of the National Bank of Romania, to Iași and later to Moscow.[8]

Present building

In 1930, the Casa de Economie was spun off as an institution in its own right, the Casa Generala de Economii ("General Savings House" or "General Savings Bank"), which in 1932 became the Casa Naționala de Economii si Cecuri Postale ("Savings and Postal Cheques National House", "National Bank for Savings and Postal Cheques", etc.). The two entities were joined back together at the start of the Communist era, in 1948.[2][9]

In Communist Romania, CEC created a number of types of accounts, including passbook savings accounts with various combinations of interest and prizes, and opened branches throughout Romania. From 1970 to 1985, CEC made housing loans as well. After the 1989 revolution, CEC began activities such as granting loans to other banks and dealing in government securities. In 1996, Law No. 66 reorganized CEC as a joint-stock company with the Finance Ministry as its sole shareholder. Beginning in 2005, moves were made toward privatization.[2] A 2006 attempt at privatization was cut short when the government was dissatisfied with the bids.[10] The possibility of privatization has been in play as recently as January 2011.[11]

Notes
  1. (in Romanian) "CEC Bank a lansat un credit pentru studii postuniversitare", Wall-Street.ro, 19 April 2012. Accessed 12 June 2012.
  2. Timeline – Continuation, cec.ro (CEC Bank). Accessed 13 June 2012.
  3. (in Romanian) CEC Bank, majorare de capital de 55 mil. euro, originally published in the Romanian Business Standard, 29 July 2009. Accessed 12 June 2012 on money.ro.
  4. (in Romanian) Despre CEC Bank – Tabel cronologic Archived 2012-12-21 at Archive.today, cec.ro. Accessed 12 June 2012.
  5. (in Romanian) Radu Ghețea, CEC Bank: Solvabilitatea băncii depășește 18% Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, originally published in the Romanian Business Standard, 24 November 2009. Accessed 12 June 2012 on money.ro.
  6. (in Romanian) CEC Bank a acordat anul trecut credite cu valori cuprinse între 87 de lei și 25 milioane euro, originally from Mediafax, 7 February 2010. Accessed 12 June 2012 on money.ro.
  7. (in Romanian) Anca Toma, Profitul brut al CEC Bank scade în 2009 la 19 mil. lei, 5 August 2009, money.ro. Accessed 12 June 2012.
  8. Timeline, cec.ro (CEC Bank). Accessed 13 June 2012.
  9. (in Romanian) Despre CEC Bank – Tabel cronologic – Continuare Archived 2012-12-21 at Archive.today, cec.ro. Accessed 14 June 2012.
  10. Kelly Olsen, "Romania cancels CEC bank privatization, unhappy with bids", Associated Press, 22 December 2006
  11. CEC Bank needs funds, privatisation seen likely, financiare.ro, 11 January 2011. Accessed 14 June 2012.
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