BANK AND BANKING HOURS

Philippine banking hours open at 9:00 in the morning and closes at 3:00 in the afternoon from Monday- Friday.  Other banks are open on Saturday except for public holidays.  Most of the banks here in the Philippines are member of PDIC or Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation.  A government corporation that is responsible to protect insured deposits in the event of bank closures, to contribute security of banking system and to encourage public to trust in the banking system.  PDIC also provide assistance to banks that is in danger of closing.  For more information about PDIC, visit www.pdic.gov.ph.  If you are a foreigner and wish to apply for a bank account in the Philippines, it is advisable to bring your valid passport for identification.  The list below are some examples of the largest and biggest bank in the Philippines.

		Equitable PCI Bank - the third largest bank in Philippine archipelago in terms of assets.  Earlier this year, it merged with Banco De Oro Universal Bank.  This first commercial bank in the Philippines was founded by Go Kim Pah on June 17, 1950.  “Your bank of choice” is their slogan and without a doubt, the slogan speaks for itself.
		Metrobank - dubbed as the largest bank in the Philippines.  It is trying to fend off competition to stay as the largest bank in the country.  Among its main competitors are Bank of the Philippine Island, Banco De Oro, Land Bank of the Philippines and Philippine National Bank.   Last June 2007, it is named as the largest bank in terms of overseas presence.
		Bank of the Philippine Island - commonly known as BPI.  It is one of the oldest banks in the country as well as in Southeast Asia and still operating up to now.  At this time, BPI still holds the record as the largest bank in terms of market capitalization in the country.
		Land Bank of the Philippines - it is owned by the Philippine government with a special focus to provide the needs of anglers and farmers.  It is the fourth largest bank in terms of assets in the Philippines and the largest government owned bank.  Their slogan is “the bank with national sentiment”, they want to prove to their clients that the slogan definitely describes the bank.
		Philippine National Bank - during the American colonial period PNB was established as a government owned bank on July 22, 1916 and later privatized in 1989.   Recently, Philippine National Bank or simply called as PNB has won several recognitions and awards.   It also became the first universal bank in the country on 1980.

All banks in the Philippines either private or government-owned always make sure that your deposits are safe and secure.