Swedbank AB · Stockholm Sweden ·(Pink Sheets: SWDBY)(OMX Stockholm: SWEDA)

From Scandinavia to the Baltics, one common denominator might be the institution with which people entrust their money. Swedbank serves nearly 10 million customers in Sweden and the Baltic countries, with a growing international presence in countires such as Japan, Russia, and Spain. Swedbank offers the usual banking staples -- checking, savings accounts, credit cards, electronic banking, and loans -- but also runs the gamut from investment business in the commodity, stock, and money markets to real estate brokerage and life insurance. The bank originated in 1997 when Föreningsbanken and Sparbanken Sverige merged. In 2005 it acquired Hansabank, Estonia's largest bank. To read the full description, subscribe now.