And this is seen as a fundamental component of the lack of credit and the disproportion that was pointed out in the spread between loans and savings. A difficulty that makes doing business complex and, “the closure of bank branches in small municipalities will probably not be the main cause of depopulation, but it is certainly a factor that accelerates it”. “It is not far-fetched to say – adds Paganini – that the takeover of the large national groups, instead of the local banks that until a few years ago were at the service of the territory, has contributed in a tangible way to the escape from the most fragile areas of the province”.
Where branches are closed, “credit drops, especially to the detriment of small and medium-sized businesses”. Paganini also recalls “a recent analysis by the Fisac Cgil Studies & Research Office which highlighted a clear decline in loans to Ferrara businesses of over -28% since 2011, the worst figure both for the regional and national averages”.
Numbers that tell us that “when they cannot find bank branches in the area, small businesses are no longer able to finance themselves. What does a small business do when it can no longer obtain credit? Either it closes, or it seeks other financing channels, ending up in the hands of loan sharks.” Regarding this, Paganini points out that although for the annual ranking of the Sole 24 Ore on the provinces of Ferrara “it is not in bad shape in terms of overall crime index (17th out of 107 provinces), on the other hand it is not very virtuous in terms of extortion (89th place) and in terms of crimes reported (91st place)”.
The highlighted problem originates, explains the provincial secretary of Fisac, in four macro factors. One of a historical nature with the loss of the “strongly rooted” Savings Banks of Cento and Ferrara, purchased by national banks with the consequent shift of decision-making centers.
Throughout the province the process is well ahead of the rest of the region where mainly small branches are closed while here we have already moved on to the closure of medium-sized ones. The third reason is instead “that in the most important centres, where historic branches remain open, their staff is downsized” while the last reason is that “local politics often finds itself disarmed or in some cases even disinterested in these dynamics and the suffers passively.”
Paganini then asks what to do. First of all, fight to obtain the transfer of “central processing in our province too”. “It is also urgent – he adds – to set up a provincial Credit Observatory that can try to govern the phenomenon”. To do this, however, “a careful and far-sighted policy on these difficult issues is needed. Ferrara can no longer afford further bank closures and consequent reductions in credit granted to businesses and individuals. Otherwise the feared demographic desert of Ferrara will be accompanied by an equally disastrous economic and financial desertification”.
