Vranje's bank in Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Abstract

During the Customs' War with Austria-Hungary (1906-1911) in the Kingdom of Serbia favorable conditions were acquired for the appearance of a great deal of financial institutions. In the area of Vranje two financial institutions had already been operating, and beginning from 1910 Vranje's Bank commenced with its activities. The start of the Bank was distracted by the Balkan wars, and interrupted completely by the occupation of Serbia in 1915. Occupational authorities had inflicted human and material losses to Vranje's Bank so that it started operating again only in the middle of 1921. In the years immediately after the war two streams appeared in the Bank: the first one, led by Aleksandar Hristic and Tasa Stajic, and advocated the merge with other financial institutions in the town, and the second one, which wished the bank to continue with independent work, and which was led by the resident of the Board of Directors, and the biggest shareholder Rista Stajic. During the 1920-ies the Bank continued with independent work, and was scoring smaller of bigger successes. Although it gained the earnings by the operations with discount, the Bank tried several times to deal with non-banking activities, and thereby was suffering serious losses. By the time the most numerous clients of the Bank had become farmers, which led the Bank in the position of having a great deal of outstanding claims. This led to the passivity of its work, and the beginning of liquidation from 1932.