The financial market crisis has clearly highlighted the structural difficulties related to the business models of the state banks. The costs incurred by the government in rescuing these institutions remain difficult to quantify due to latent risks from shielding constructions. Initial explanations for why the state banks were so severely affected by the financial market crisis are, however, insufficient or overly simplistic. Therefore, the aim of this analysis is to examine the respective significance and role of politics, management, and savings banks in the individual performance of the state banks through a comparative study.