OREANDA-NEWS. March 27, 2013. In its 10-year history, Uniastrum’s Saratov operation has won the confidence of the local community and become the first port of call for numerous companies.

In 2012, the Saratov branch upped its customer count 50%, simultaneously expanding its retail credit portfolio 36%. A conspicuous achievement was the dynamic growth of its consumer credit portfolio, which doubled over the course of the year. As of January 1, 2013, Saratov’s total credit portfolio tipped the scales at Rb 1.1 bn.

Over the years, Uniastrum has become a major player on the Saratov bank market, particularly where retail deposits are concerned. In 2012, the branch’s retail deposit portfolio grew a healthy 20%, while its total deposit portfolio expanded 30%.

In the ten years since its inception, Uniastrum’s Saratov operation has gone from strength to strength. In 2008-2013, the branch’s profit rose more than 5-fold, reaching RB 66 mn as of year-start 2013. Meantime, its credit portfolio swelled 9-fold. Small wonder, then, that the Saratov office has been named Uniastrum’s best regional branch a number of times.

In addition to serving retail customers, the Saratov branch continues to work closely with the region’s small business community. In 2012, loans issued to small and unincorporated businesses increased 13% on the prior year. The branch also works in close collaboration with the regional SME assistance fund, disbursing credit to smaller concerns under guarantees issued by the fund, with the All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Medium and Small Business, OPORA Russia, and is a member of the Saratov Oblast Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The branch’s central office is located in downtown Saratov close to Theater Square. Uniastrum also has four convenience centers operating in the city, as well as a neighborhood banking center and convenience center on Engels Street.

“Saratov’s banking market is well developed, has a high concentration of banks, which naturally makes for stiff competition,” notes Vitaly Chernev, manager of Uniastrum’s Saratov branch. “Nonetheless, over the past ten years we’ve succeeded in carving ourselves a prominent niche, and today our Saratov operation has a reputation for being a bank that can always be relied on and which offers a broad array of services to its retail and SME clientele”.