[Rezension: Annuario delle Banche e Banchieri d’Italia, 3. Jahrgang 1925/26]

Helene Lieser’s 1927 review of the Annuario delle Banche e Banchieri d’Italia, third annual issue (1925/26), evaluates the Italian Banking Association’s directory through its coverage, organization, and practical usefulness. She begins with its institutional purpose:

Der italienische Bankenverband hat sich bei Herausgabe dieses Werkes das Ziel gesetzt, ein Verzeichnis aller italienischen Bankinstitute zu schaffen.

English translation: In publishing this work, the Italian Banking Association set itself the goal of creating a directory of all Italian banking institutions.

The review moves from this ambition to the means of making the information accessible: geographical arrangement supplemented by alphabetical indexes of banks and places. Comparing its selection of data with the Kompaß, Lieser identifies a familiar reference format encompassing founding dates, contact details, management, principal balance-sheet figures, and branches. Her assessment thus concerns how readily institutional information can serve banking practice.

The concluding emphasis is on the directory’s usefulness beyond Italy:

Eine wertvolle Ergänzung, die insbesondere für den Ausländer wichtig ist, bildet eine Zusammenstellung der italienischen Bankfilialen im Auslande sowie ein Überblick über für den Bankverkehr wichtige Steuer- und Gebührensätze.

English translation: A valuable supplement, particularly important for foreigners, consists of a compilation of Italian bank branches abroad together with an overview of tax and fee rates important for banking transactions.

For Lieser, the directory’s value extends beyond locating institutions: it connects their international reach with the fiscal information needed to transact with them.