'One of Sberbank of Russia’s strategic goals is to make banking services more accessible to the general public, which is why we kept on expanding our subsidiary network last year as well as tried to make the existing outlets more efficient,’ the spokesperson for Sberbank’s Ural branch reports.

In 2007, the bank’s Ural division set up the record number of new offices, that is, twenty-four outlets, so the total number of offices reached 1,701. These included specialized small business support centers, mortgage lending centers, centers dealing in loans to private individuals, and a financial supermarket. New offices were introduced in both large cities and small villages. In addition, special mobile terminals fitted into a number of uniquely furbished vans started cruising around remote areas. These terminals provide their customers with a wide range of nice quality banking services.

What is more, distant payments that one could use to pay off a loan, pay one’s housing bills and taxes as well as road police’s fines were made possible in 2007.

This year, the bank is planning to expand its subsidiary network in Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, and Kurgan Regions and in Bashkortostan and hopes to set up at least 21 new offices there.