There has been a parallel sharpening of differences within the category. In 1998 the five largest groups headed by banche popolari ran an average of 526 branches, while banche popolari not belonging to groups had 16 each; today those figures are respectively 1,340 and 23.
The average value of the top five groups’ total assets was ten times that of the other banche popolari, a ratio that is now close to 25:1. Of the 16 banking groups headed by banche popolari, two are among the top five in Italy in terms of total assets and eight are listed on the stock exchange or have at least one listed member.