Bank supervision covers not only banks in the conventional sense of the word, but also, for example, securities trading banks and the stockbrokers who are licensed as financial services institutions. The other financial services institutions are supervised by the pillar entitled ‘Securities Supervision/Asset Management’. The legal basis for the supervision of banks is, primarily, the Banking and Credit Business Act (KWG), which, since it was passed in 1962, has been amended several times to a relatively great extent. In addition, there are some special laws such as the Mortgage Banks Act, the Act on Mortgage Bonds and related Bonds of Credit Establishments under Public Law, the Securities Deposit Act, the Building Society Act and the savings bank acts of the Federal Länder.