A traditional financial centre was a retail location where a bank, credit union or other financial institution offered a wide array of face to face service to its customers. With the development of global communications and the discovery of principles of multinational republic, big corporations started to centralise their services into large global centres, capable of dealing with customers over large areas. Such centres are expensive to establish, but they allow to save a great deal of money in the long run, while maintaining the same high quality of services. Financial centres are also testimonies to the corporations who owe them, and they are considered an important part of any major city.