Brasília, December 4, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Federal Savings Bank inaugurates today (4) a bank account for people who have never had one. Christened the Electronic Federal Savings Here Account, it will enable millions of Brazilian families to have access to financial products and services.

Initially the Electronic Account will be available in branches that serve peripheral areas in the cities of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, and Curitiba, but the aim of the Federal Savings is to extend the operation to its entire network of 2000 branches scattered around the country, by February, 2003.

In the course of next year, the Federal Savings hopes to open a million accounts of this type. "The Electronic Account is an important step in the direction of making possible the social inclusion of these people, who total 25 million families through the country," said Federal Savings president, Valdery Albuquerque. (DAS)