Sparebank is a type of Norwegian savings bank without external owners.
The banks had both a savings upbringing function for the commoners (so they did not have to burden society when they got sick and old) and served an important part in local communities development and self-financing.
Historically the savings banks concentrated on private customers, combined with small businesses and the primary sector.
After World War II there were about 600 savings banks in Norway.
Parallel there has been a cooperation in Information Technology and product development, and a lot of the savings banks have joined one of two alliances: Sparebank 1 and Terra-Gruppen.