The meeting of representatives of Volksbank Schermbeck is being held for the first time in writing. The 224 member representatives of the cooperative bank vote on ballot papers in particular about the dividend for 2019, strengthening the bank’s equity and the possibility of holding digital elections in the future.
“We would prefer to meet our members personally,” says bank board member Norbert Scholtholt, “but that is simply not possible because of the current restrictions.” Scholtholt and his colleague Rainer Schwarz emphasize that it is unusual to only report on the previous year in November : “2019 is already a long way off, but due to the restrictions of the Covid pandemic, it was not possible any other way.”
When looking at the current situation, the two bank executives paint a differentiated picture. Many work processes have been changed and employees have been sent to preventive quarantine several times. Consultation appointments are increasingly taking place via video chat. “We did not close any branches and did not close an hour earlier,” emphasize Schwarz and Scholtholt, “this will lead to very decent figures in the first three quarters of 2020.” The social and economic development is not foreseeable. The state subsidies have taken the pressure off the market, but “all experts are expecting the economy to deteriorate and insolvencies rising next year. Therefore, the owners of the Volksbank should benefit from the very good result in 2019 in the form of a dividend, at the same time the balance sheet equity – the piggy bank for bad times – must be fed ”, said Scholtholt.
An extension is planned on Mittelstrasse in Schermbeck, the building application has been submitted. Through the central consolidation of various departments, the board members expect shorter paths and faster decisions. “Here we are investing together in the future of Volksbank Schermbeck,” said Schwarz.
Volksbank Schermbeck eG is a cooperative credit institute in the border region of the Ruhr area, Münsterland and Lower Rhine. With 75 employees, it looks after over 17,000 customers with a total customer volume (total of all customer deposits and loans) of over 1.1 billion euros.
Source: Volksbank Schermbeck
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