The reasons proposed in the extant literature for the emergence of boerenleenbanken (Dutch Raiffeisen cooperative banks) at the turn of the twentieth century fall into three categories: (1) to meet untapped market demand; (2) as an organizational response to economic and technical change; and (3) as an extension of socio-religious confessional politics. I use business history case studies of boerenleenbanken established in the neighbouring villages of Loosduinen and Rijswijk to weigh the relative importance of these accounts. While all three play a part in explaining the market entry of this new type of banking business, I conclude that the third reason was probably critical; boerenleenbanken should be viewed as a component of the wider movement towards the economic confessionalization of the Netherlands