Two questions here:
I know the N.A. you see at the end of some businesses’ names (banks are all I can think of right now) stands for National Association (or, at least, that’s what a banker told me). But what does that mean in terms of the business’ organization?
And, while we’re at it, what does the S.A. you see tagging along at the end of various south-of-the-border businesses’ names signify?
I think I have this one figured out. SA stands for Sociedad Anonima. There are various spellings for different countries and languages. If I’m translating correctly it means roughly Anonymous Company.
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Oops. Forgot to say that the link also says something about the abbreviation N.A.
“My mind reels with sarcastic replies!” - Snoopy
It’s not exactly clear from the link what SA means in practice. It’s pretty much the same as US “Inc.”, British “Ltd.,” or German “GmbH”, which is to say that the shareholders normally cannot be held personally liable for the debts or wrongdoings of the company they invest in.
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Way to dispell ignorance you guys, I always thought these (NA & SA) stood for North America and South America.
Boy, do I feel silly now.
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Banks are chartered by various authorities and fall under various laws; these used to be required as part of their name. Thus the First National Bank was chartered under National banking laws, Community State Bank was under state banking laws, Southold Savings Bank was under NY Savings Bank regulations, etc. This doesn’t seem to be a requirement any more.
The N.A. indicates that the bank is chartered under the National (i.e., Federal) banking statutes. “N” is for “National.” I’m not sure what the “A” stands for, but I’d guess “Authority.”
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US: Co, Inc.
UK: Ltd, plc
South America, France: SA
Japan: KK
Germany: GmbH
… etc.
RealityChuck got the explanation right, but N.A. does stand for “National Association”. The equivalent for a Savings and Loan is FSB - Federal Savings Bank.
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Jeremy…
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US companies can also use Ltd. Inc. and Ltd. simply mean that the shareholders have limited liability. If the company goes bankrupt, they don’t lose their home and car even if the company owes lots of money to various creditors (this doesn’t apply, of course, if the shareholders used some fraudulent scheme to rip off the company).
The US and Canada are pretty much the only places that use the abbreviation “Inc.” Furthermore, in the US, we use Inc. if the company is a publicly traded company or if it’s owned by two people. However, in many foreign countries, there are different corporate structures required for big companies and small companies. For instance, in Germany, the GmbH structure is simpler than the AG structure, but can only be used for small companies. AG companies requires two boards of directors, more disclosure, etc.
SA is an abbreviation used in a variety of countries such as France, Belgium, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, etc. Basically, if they speak French, Spanish or Portuguese, but also Romanian, Greek, or other languages, SA will be used. It basically means that the company is incorporated and that the shareholders have limited liability. Of course, the words vary from country to country and so do the exact requirements. Most other countries require a minimum investment in a company before it can be incorporated. This lowers the risk, of course, but also discourages company formations. In the US, you can register a company very easily. Not so in places like Denmark or Germany. In Germany, you have to have DM 50,000 (about $25,000) invested in the company. Stops a lot of people from forming companies. Not as many go bankrupt as in the US, but in the US, we get small little companies founded in garages that grow up to be Apple Computer, Microsoft or Hewlett Packard. Germany and most other foreign countries don’t.
NA, as has been explained here before, means National Assocation. It is used by banks, but that is really an outdated moniker, since banking laws have changed.
George M. Regnery
http://www.corporateinformation.com
Thanks for that description! I always wondered why some German companies were ‘AG’ and others ‘GmbH’
As long as were building a list of wierd foreign corporate monikers, let me add that in my research, I’ve come across companies (in the Netherlands) using N.V. (which I assume doesn’t mean their incorporating in Nevada 
)
“My mind reels with sarcastic replies!” - Snoopy
For some time I was asked by B of A to write checks to it as “Bank of America, NT&SA”. Same sort of deal, as I recall.
THe ‘NT&SA’ after Bank of America stand for ‘National Trust and Savings Association’
I know because i work there.(Actually I only have a few days left)
The entrepreneurial atmosphere may be different, which could account for the difference in laws. The minimum investment doesn’t discourage company formation–it discourages incorporation.
rocks