Banca Lombarda e Piemontese

Banca Lombarda e Piemontese was an Italian banking group that emerged from the consolidation of regional banks in northern Italy. It was established in 1998 under the name Banca Lombarda following the merger of Banca San Paolo di Brescia and Credito Agrario Bresciano. The transaction also brought together their respective banking relationships and subsidiaries, including Banca di Valle Camonica and Banco di San Giorgio. The new group used the parent bank to coordinate governance and strategic functions, while operating activities were distributed among the group’s banking subsidiaries and specialist companies. The group’s initial identity was strongly associated with Brescia and the wider Lombardy region. Banco di Brescia began operating from 1 January 1999 after the transfer of Banca Lombarda’s branches, giving the group a more clearly organized commercial-banking platform. The group also incorporated Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona in its structure in 1999, following the transfer of a 60 percent interest from Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona. This broadened the group’s presence beyond its original Lombard base. A further strategic step occurred in 2000, when Banca Lombarda merged with Banca Regionale Europea. Banca Regionale Europea had itself been created in 1995 through the merger of Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo and Banca del Monte di Lombardia. The combination extended the group’s regional scope into Piedmont and led to the adoption of the name Banca Lombarda e Piemontese. The enlarged group included commercial banks serving different local markets, as well as Banca Lombarda Private Investment, which operated in private banking. It also held minority interests in Banca della Valle d’Aosta. The group was involved in the Italian banking-sector consolidation of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was a minority shareholder of Banca Intesa, with that position linked partly to the disposal of shares in Cariparma to Banca Intesa and partly to warrants issued to Banca San Paolo di Brescia. These holdings reflected the complex cross-shareholdings and restructuring arrangements characteristic of Italian banking at the time. Banca Lombarda e Piemontese remained a multi-bank regional group rather than a globally oriented financial brand. Its activities centered on retail and commercial banking through its subsidiary network, regional savings and credit institutions, and private-banking services. The group ceased to exist as an independent organization in 2007, when it merged with Banche Popolari Unite to create UBI Banca. Its former banks and businesses consequently became part of the successor group’s organizational history.

Banca Lombarda e Piemontese was the product of a series of mergers among regional Italian banks. Its immediate predecessor, Banca Lombarda, was established in 1998 through the merger of Banca San Paolo di Brescia and Credito Agrario Bresciano. The transaction connected the new parent institution with Banca di Valle Camonica, a bank established in 1872, and Banco di San Giorgio, incorporated in 1987 and previously associated with the Credito Agrario Bresciano banking group. The group reorganized its operating network in 1999. Banco di Brescia began operating on 1 January of that year after Banca Lombarda’s branches were transferred to it. In the same year, Banca Lombarda obtained a 60 percent interest in Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona from Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona. These changes gave the group a structure in which the parent bank handled governance and coordination while subsidiary banks conducted local banking operations. The decisive expansion came in 2000 with the merger of Banca Regionale Europea. That institution had been created in 1995 through the combination of Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo and Banca del Monte di Lombardia. Its incorporation into the Lombard group extended the organization into Piedmont and prompted the name Banca Lombarda e Piemontese. The enlarged group combined regional banks, a private-banking company known as Banca Lombarda Private Investment, and minority interests including Banca della Valle d’Aosta. The group also participated in the ownership and restructuring patterns of Italian banking during this period. It was a minority shareholder of Banca Intesa. The position was associated in part with the sale of Cariparma shares to Banca Intesa and in part with warrants issued to Banca San Paolo di Brescia. Such arrangements linked the group to broader consolidation in the Italian financial sector without making it a controlling shareholder of Banca Intesa. Banca Lombarda e Piemontese operated primarily as a regional banking group. Its constituent institutions served local retail, commercial, savings, and credit needs, while the private-investment subsidiary addressed private-banking activities. Rather than maintaining a single undifferentiated operating brand, the group preserved several local banking identities under a centralized governance structure. In 2007, Banca Lombarda e Piemontese merged with Banche Popolari Unite. The transaction created UBI Banca and brought the group’s banking businesses into the successor organization. Banca Lombarda e Piemontese therefore became a historical banking group rather than an active standalone brand.

• 2007

  Formation of UBI Banca

  [1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  Banca Lombarda e Piemontese merges with Banche Popolari Unite, ending its existence as an independent group.

• 2000

  Merger with Banca Regionale Europea

  [1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  The merger expands the organization into Piedmont and leads to the name Banca Lombarda e Piemontese.

• 1999

  Banco di Brescia begins operations

  [1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  Banco di Brescia becomes operational after the transfer of Banca Lombarda’s branches.

• 1999

  Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona becomes part of the group

  [1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  The group receives a 60 percent interest in Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona from its foundation shareholder.

• 1998

  Banca Lombarda is established

  [1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  Banca San Paolo di Brescia and Credito Agrario Bresciano merge to form Banca Lombarda, together with their associated subsidiary structures.

A northern Italian regional banking group built through mergers, with a coordinated parent structure, a network of local commercial banks, and a specialist private-banking operation. Its geographic identity expanded from Lombardy to Piedmont after the 2000 combination with Banca Regionale Europea.

• Banking services

  Retail and commercial banking

  The group’s principal activity was regional banking conducted through its constituent banks. The network served local customers and businesses through institutions such as Banco di Brescia, Banca di Valle Camonica, Banco di San Giorgio, Banca Regionale Europea, and Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona. The available reference material identifies the group as a banking group but does not provide a detailed catalogue of individual account, lending, or payment products.

• Private banking

  Private banking

  Banca Lombarda Private Investment operated within the group’s private-banking area. It represented the group’s specialist offering for private clients, distinct from the regional commercial banks. Detailed product specifications, assets, and client figures are not identified in the available reference material.

• 2007

  Merge with Banche Popolari Unite to form UBI BancaM&A

  Background

  Further consolidation in the Italian banking sector created an opportunity to combine Banca Lombarda e Piemontese with Banche Popolari Unite.

  Action taken

  The two banking groups merged and formed UBI Banca.

  Aftermath

  Banca Lombarda e Piemontese ceased to operate as an independent group, while its constituent businesses became part of UBI Banca.

  Source

• 2000

  Expand into Piedmont through the Banca Regionale Europea mergerM&A

  Background

  Banca Lombarda sought to broaden its regional banking presence beyond Lombardy, while Banca Regionale Europea represented a banking platform built from institutions in Piedmont and neighboring areas.

  Action taken

  The groups merged, and the enlarged organization changed its name to Banca Lombarda e Piemontese.

  Aftermath

  The group operated across both Lombardy and Piedmont through a portfolio of regional banks and specialist companies.

  Source

• 1998

  Create Banca Lombarda through regional bank consolidationM&A

  Background

  Banca San Paolo di Brescia and Credito Agrario Bresciano combined amid the consolidation of Italy’s regional banking sector.

  Action taken

  The two banks merged to establish Banca Lombarda, with their associated banking subsidiaries incorporated into the wider group structure.

  Aftermath

  The transaction created the platform that later expanded into Piedmont and adopted the Banca Lombarda e Piemontese name.

  Source

• 2007

  Banca Lombarda e Piemontese merges with Banche Popolari Unite to create UBI Banca[1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  The merger ended Banca Lombarda e Piemontese as an independent banking group and formed UBI Banca.

• 2000

  Banca Lombarda merges with Banca Regionale Europea[1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The merger expanded the group into Piedmont and resulted in the name Banca Lombarda e Piemontese.

• 1999

  Banco di Brescia begins operations within the group[1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Banco di Brescia became operational on 1 January 1999 following the transfer of Banca Lombarda’s branches, strengthening the group’s commercial-banking organization.

• 1999

  Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona joins the group[1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  Banca Lombarda acquired a 60 percent interest transferred from Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona, extending the group’s regional banking footprint.

• 1998

  Banca Lombarda is formed through the merger of Banca San Paolo di Brescia and Credito Agrario Bresciano[1]Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  The merger created the Banca Lombarda banking group and brought together the two banks’ subsidiary structures, including Banca di Valle Camonica and Banco di San Giorgio.

1. 1Banca Lombarda e Piemonteseen.wikipedia.org