The Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks’ Association was established in the year 1939 in the name of Bombay Co-op Bank Association. Later on in the year 1961, this association was renamed as Maharashtra State Co-op Banks’ Association Ltd. During this period Bombay Provincial Co-op Bank in Maharashtra was working as an apex bank in the state of Bombay. At the same time some District Central Co-operative Banks and Urban Co-operative Banks were also established. Each bank was working in its own way in its own field. The Bombay Provincial Bank started the Mutual Arrangement Scheme in the year 1930 from Business view. Due to this scheme, the member banks were able to draw drafts and deposit bills on each other. Later, after the establishment of the association, the association took over the work of MA scheme. In the said scheme along with Maharashtra, some banks in the states of Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa were also included. This scheme was proved as an unprecedented scheme for co-operative banks. Due to this scheme, a large amount of deposits of money started in the current account of the State Co-operative Bank. This proved as an unprecedented decision of keeping the money belonging to co-operatives in the co-operatives. Banks from all corners of Maharashtra participated in this business and names of these banks reached to every nook and cranny of Maharashtra. With the nationalization of commercial banks in July, 1969 branches of these nationalised banks were opened in villages and another option was available to the traders. The above scheme received setback consequently. Considering this, some changes were also made in the above scheme. A scheme like 'No Advice' was also implemented. In the year 1992-93, free economy was implemented in India and the network of private banks started spreading in India. These private banks contacted the urban cooperative banks and provided the facility of demand draft and remittance of money free of cost. Many Urban Co-op. Banks have opened their accounts with these private banks and started operations. The funds of Urban Co-op. Banks diverted to private banks. As private banks started using modern technology, this transaction started happening at a very fast pace. Unfortunately, the State Co-op. Banks did not recognize the seriousness of the scheme. Many Urban Co-op. Banks started to withdraw from the MA scheme and now with the availability of modern facilities like RTGS, NFT, this historical scheme of the association has been discontinued.

After the establishment of the Maharashtra Urban Co-operative Banks Federation, an unannounced decision was spread among the urban co-operative banks that the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association existed only to implement the MA scheme. However this was not taken very seriously by anyone at the senior level. The Reserve Bank had constituted a State Level Review Committee for Urban Co-operative Banks with Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd. acting as the convenor. It included members of the Reserve Bank, the Government and the Federation. As per the circular of Reserve Bank, both federations and associations were to be given representation in this committee. But the association was not given opportunity to represent. After bringing this fact to the notice of Reserve Bank and State Co-op. Bank, the association was given permanent membership in this committee. This had certainly benefited the urban co-operative banks and the role of the association was not restricted only to MA scheme but inclusive of other functions. Similarly, at the same time, Reserve Bank in the year 2005 established Task Force. An organization within the cooperative opposed to get the membership of Task force to Association and the Association was denied membership by the Reserve Bank. In fact The Maharashtra State Cooperative Banks Association Ltd had contributed significantly to the implementation of the Vision Document 2005 in Maharashtra. But it is unfortunate that the association has been hit by the stroke of ill fate by the destiny.

Under the leadership of Late Shri. Vishnu Anna Patil, The Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association started to expand its scope of work. Mr. D. L. Creado was appointed as the Executive Director of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank and was elected as the Honorary Secretary of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association. Late Vishnu Anna Patil and Mr. D. L. Creado trusted the officers and office-bearers of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association and allowed them to do their work independently and to a large extent the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association Ltd was freed from the bonds of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd. Basically, Mr. D. L. Creado had experience in imparting training in the Reserve Bank, he entrusted the responsibility of training of Co-operative Banks on to the Association. The Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association Ltd started its training programme. The association started imparting training to the employees of the co-operative banks either region wise directly or while visiting the banks. This benefited the cooperative banks in a good way. The training program of the association was approved by the government. Keeping in mind the need of modern technology for the employees of the cooperative banks, the association had started a government approved IT course under the guidance of Mrs. Swati Pande along with this training. This also benefited the employees of cooperative banks.

The state of Maharashtra has a great tradition of workers in the cooperative sector. But the work of these activists was not recorded anywhere. When this fact came to the knowledge of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association Ltd, it was decided to honor such Workers or Executives. This gave rise to the "Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar" which was unanimously named with consent of all as “Kailasvashi Vishnu Anna Patil”. Similarly, the scheme of giving awards to women activists in the name of Smt. Sushiladevi Deshmukh Women's Award, Late Babasaheb Ghuikhedkar Tarun Sahakari Karyakarta Award, Late Bapuravji Deshmukh Karmchari Award was started. Similarly, the scheme of awarding institutions named Late Vaikunthbhai Mehta District Bank Award, Late Vasantdada Patil Urban Cooperative Bank Award, Jijamata Mahila Bank Award has been going on for the last 20 years. The individuals and organisations are achieving goodwill with these awards. The individuals in whose names the award is named and given have also become immortal.

The excitement spread amongst the Directors when the leadership of Late Vishnu Anna Patil, there was made available to association. Association meetings used to end in ten or fifteen minutes. Those meetings were now started longing for an hour. The directors started coming closer to each other. This gave rise to the idea of the director's study tour. But instead of passing the entire cost of the study tour on the association, the director bore a part of that cost. The first such study tour of the association was held in Gujarat. After that, study tours were organized in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong. Due to this study tour, they were able to visit the banks in that area and another important thing is that the directors from Maharashtra came close to each other, exchanged ideas and formed a new leadership team in the cooperative. Of course, the credit of all these has to be given to Late Vishnu Anna Patil's organizational skills. Along with these study tours, a training program for directors of the association is conducted every year.

The office of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association was in a room in a separate premises of the State Co-op. Bank Ltd. Having no rightful place of its own, the association used moves its office where the state co-op. bank ltd. Used to advise. So the association had no such thing as stability. Not only this, the furniture provided by the State Co-operative Bank Ltd. was used in the office of the association. Here the question of the existence of the association was arising. The meetings of the association were also held in the auditorium of the State Co-op. Bank Ltd. So there was a feeling among the director and staff of the association that they were dependent on someone. There came a time in the year 2003-2004 when the State Co-op. Bank Ltd. received an instruction to vacate the premises in Girgaon and the association packed up its belongings and moved back to the State Co-op. Bank's office in Vashi. The board of directors seriously considered this frequent shifting and the association started looking for its own rightful, place in Mumbai. At that time, the association's chief directors Mr. Manikrao Patil, Mr. Yashwantrao Patil, Mr. Annasaheb Javanjal, Mr. Munkund Awte, Mr. Sanjay Bhende and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tarale move from Worli to Dadar and chose the place in Wadala for Association’s office. After meeting Late Shivrambhau Jadhav, who gave full confidence to the board of directors of the association by giving his approval on a simple piece of paper and on 6th September 2005, the association moved permanently to its own rightful place after the work of the new place started. It is a good thing that Association bought the place from its own funds without taking any help from anyone.

In the Board of Directors of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd, there are some Directors from the District Central Co-op. Bank Ltd who are member of Association. In fact the association was functioning as a part of Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd itself, but the directors of the association were never represented. But Late Vishnu Anna Patil first represented Mr. Madhukarrao Javanjal in the board of directors of the association. After that Hon. Directors Mr. Manikrao Patil, Mr. Yashwantrao Patil got representation in State Co-op. Bank Ltd. Apart from this, Mr. Manikrao Patil also got the honor of being the Chairman of Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd.

After the Maharashtra State Co-operative Banks Association got its rightful place, the association started expanding its scope and from the year 2005 the association started implementing different schemes. It includes courses of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, courses of Institute of Banking and Finance, IT consultancy to guide cooperative banks with modern technology, information technology system audit, IT policy, IT enabled HR policy, etc. To conduct recruitment and promotion programs for co-operative banks. In order to carry out research in cooperative banks, the association started various schemes like creation of research and planning department, guidance on topics like Ph.D., PAN card scheme for banks, ISO certification. We are proud that The Maharashtra State Cooperative Banks Association is the first organization in India to implement such various schemes. While carrying out these plans, the association has a board of directors as well as outsiders who are attached with Association and cooperative movement. If they are to be named primarily, the names of Smt. Swati Pande, Mr. D. L. Creado, Dr. Kaveri, Dr. Bhaskaran, Mr. TS Chavan will have to be taken primarily. Along with all this, the office bearers and employees of the association are always helping the association.