Facultad de Económicas y CC Empresariales

En 1962 se aprobaba la Ley de Bases para la Ordenación del Crédito y de la Banca. La finalidad de la nueva ley era acabar con el statu quo bancario, liberalizando el sector y forzando su especialización. Desde un punto de vista de la historia bancaria este período se ha investigado muy profusamente. Sin embargo, estos estudios se han centrado fundamentalmente en el comportamiento del mercado nacional, sin tener en cuenta que el mer cado relevante en el que compiten los bancos privados es el regional y/o el local. La casi inexistencia de datos desagregados por provincias de los balances de la banca privada española para ese período explicaría este hecho. La presente investigación analiza la evolución de la concentración bancaria entre 1963 y 1975 en todas las provincias españolas, con el objetivo de determinar en qué medida el cambio institucional del año 1962 modificó la estructura de estos mercados.

Since their creation in the mid-19th century, savings banks have played a crucial role in the Spanish economy, not only at the national level but also regionally and locally. These centuries-old institutions have deep roots in the municipalities and provinces where they offered their services. From the beginning of the 20th century, they became significant competitors to private banks. Recognizing that the working classes, traditional customers of the savings banks, would be key to their development in the medium term, private banks established their own savings sections. In this context, the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Madrid, during Franco's regime—a period financially dominated by private banks—managed to capture a large portion of the savings resources in the province of Madrid and positioned itself alongside the major national banks of the era. What strategy did it employ during a period characterized by significant legislative changes aimed at increasing competition in the sector? How did a savings bank manage to compete on an equal footing with the powerful national banks of Franco's regime? These are the main questions this article aims to answer.