then on, the bank grew by opening new branches and acquiring other institutions. In 1934, under the first Getulio Vargas government, the Lavoura bought Banco Comercial de Bom Sucesso. Two years later, while the economy signalled the shrinking importance of coffee exports for the Brazilian trade balance, Banco da Lavoura crossed the borders of Minas Gerais and opened its first branch outside the state, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In 1937, already with 25 branches and 14 offices, Banco da Lavoura became the 25th largest financial institution in Brazil. The policy of expansion through the acquisition of other banks consolidated itself in 1937 with the purchase of Banco J. O. Resende and received a strong impulse in 1938. That year, Banco de Lavoura also acquired Banco Comercial de Alfenas, Banco de Pouso Alegre, Banco de Campanha and Banco Santaritense. Banco da Lavoura continued to consolidate its position as an active participant on the Brazilian financial market, counting on significant capital increases and the opening of new branches and offices in important locations, in addition to continuing its policy of acquiring other institutions. The bank arrived in São Paulo, Brazil's financial centre, in 1945, when it opened its first branches in the capital of São Paulo state. At that time, Brazil was going through considerable political turmoil, which led to the removal of Getulio Vargas and the end of the Estado Novo, established by Vargas in 1937. In 1948, the bank came to the north-east of Brazil, opening branches in the cities of Recife, Pernambuco state and Salvador in Bahia. At the same time, Banco da Lavoura set up business in Amapá, thus helping with the integration of the then federal territory through the provision of credit for a company created to extract manganese, the mineral wealth of that region. In the same year, Dr. Aloyisio de Andrade Faria succeeded his father, who had died in October 1948 at the age of 57. Aloyisio Faria managed the bank by closely following his father's project and policies. Only 28 years at the time, he accomplished the goal of transforming Banco da Lavoura into a financial institution present all over Brazil. From 1948 until 1955, Banco da Lavouras expanded its network of branches in São Paulo state and in the north-east of the country. It installed a branch in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul and acquired Banco do Norte do