Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of political presence on profitability in Spanish savings banks. Together with political connections, the paper analyzes the effects of chairmen’s banking experience on the efficiency of the savings banks. Design/methodology/approach Information was collected from all the savings banks in the sample for the period 2002-2009. The database used combines time series with cross-section data to give a panel of data to be estimated with this methodology. Findings After differentiating between municipal and regional participation, the results show that regional participation causes lower efficiency in a savings bank. There is no evidence that the financial experience of the chairman is an aspect that improves savings banks’ profitability. Originality/value The analyses undertaken in this paper help to detect whether certain corporate governance practices affect stakeholders' interests and the economy as a whole, through their effects on economic and financial interests, like the efficiency of savings banks. The paper lends support to the recent legal reforms aimed at reducing political presence on the boards of savings banks.