The Bahamas Postal Service established a savings bank in 1936 and later a postal money order service. Many family island communities had no other financial facilities available to them and some persons were unable to meet the requirements of the commercial banks. The postal service has grown and improved tremendously over the years. Today there are ten post offices strategically located throughout New Providence, with a total of 24,750 private mailboxes. Every island in The Bahamas is equipped with postal services.