 The original aim was to encourage thrift among the very poor, but they evolved to compete with and rival commercial banks.Over time, most cajas colluded with regional political establishments to create a self-serving system of unscrupulous financing for regional governments provided by politically stuffed savings banks' boards which, in turn, thrived in what has been defined as "a culture of greed, cronyism and political meddling".This system was exposed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.