● The story of Casa Alba, one of Cluj’s brands ●

BT Private Banking in Cluj-Napoca has moved to new premises, at Casa Alba, 22 Emil Racovita Street. Dedicated to premium clients, it is a flagship location with a history of nearly 100 years.

Banca Transilvania has over 4,000 Private Banking clients nationwide, of whom almost 600 are from Cluj. Through the Private Banking Division, the bank manages assets of over 800 million euros. In 2015, compared with 2014, the number of premium clients increased by 18%, while assets rose by 20%. In Bucharest, the BT Private Banking office is also in a villa, on Jean Monnet Street.

Horia Ciorcila, Chairman of the Board of Banca Transilvania, said: “We are pleased that from now on we will welcome our premium clients in a location with interwar charm and its own story. Moving into the new BT Private Banking headquarters is part of our plan to become more sophisticated in how we serve major clients, especially as we estimate a 10% increase this year in both the number of Private Banking clients and the value of assets under management.”

• Banking with style at Casa Alba

The BT Private Banking premises meet the highest standards thanks to the upgrades made. Banca Transilvania has preserved the building’s original architectural style, as well as all the original elements: sections of terrazzo flooring; wrought-iron decorations and grilles with stylised geometric motifs, the windows and the doors. The bank has also retained the Casa Alba brand due to its local reputation. Its new visual identity suggests “banking with style”.

• Casa Alba, nearly 100 years of history

The story of the site where Casa Alba now stands began almost 100 years ago, when Mozes Farkas, a prominent lawyer and entrepreneur of the time, bought a plot in an elite district on which a house was built for his family. The owner of the house was among the leaders of Cluj’s business elite and of the local Jewish community, a partner in the Leather and Footwear Factory Fratii Renner & Co, founded in 1911, as well as its manager. The factory became Dermata and later the well-known Clujana. In 1950, his residence was nationalised, then turned into a restaurant-café, and later into a luxury hotel — Casa Alba.