The solvency ratio is in line with that of the banking system as a whole; it is higher for the smaller banche popolari than for the larger, listed ones. Profitability reflects these institutions’ retail specialization, involving broad territorial coverage through a dense branch network.
The ratio of operating costs to gross income, which can serve as a proxy for operating efficiency, was 63.8 per cent in June 2008, about one percentage point higher than for banks incorporated as public limited companies. This indicator improves with the size of the bank: it is better for the listed than for the minor banks (63.1 as against 67.9 per cent).