http://www.theunjustmedia.com/Banking%20&%20Federal%20Reserve/How%20Banks%20Work.htm
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How Banks Work
The funny thing about how a bank works is that it functions
because of our trust. We give a bank our money to keep it safe for us, and then
the bank turns around and gives it to someone else in order to make money for
itself. Banks can legally extend considerably more credit than they have cash.
Still, most of us have total trust in the bank's ability to protect our money
and give it to us when we ask for it.
Why do we feel better about having our money in a bank than
we do having it under a mattress? Is it just the fact that they pay interest on
some of our accounts? Is it because we know that if we have the cash in our
pockets we'll spend it? Or, is it simply the convenience of being able to write
checks and use debit cards rather than carrying cash? Any and all of these may
be the answer, particularly with the conveniences of electronic banking today.
Now, we don't even have to manually write that check -- we can just swipe a
debit card or click the "pay" button on the bank's Web site.
Let us look into the world of banking and see how these
institutions work, what you would have to do to start your own bank, and why we
should (or shouldn't) trust them with our hard earned cash.
What is a bank?
According to Britannica, a bank is: an institution that deals
in money and its substitutes and provides other financial services. Banks accept
deposits and make loans and derive a profit from the difference in the interest
rates paid and charged, respectively.
Banks are critical to our economy. The primary function of
banks is to put their account holders' money to use by lending it out to others
who can then use it to buy homes, businesses, send kids to college...
When you deposit your money in the bank, your money goes into
a big pool of money along with everyone else's, and your account is credited
with the amount of your deposit. When you write checks or make withdrawals, that
amount is deducted from your account balance. Interest you earn on your balance
is also added to your account.
Banks
create money in the economy by making loans. The amount of money that
banks can lend is directly affected by the reserve requirement set by the
Federal Reserve. The reserve requirement is currently 3 percent to 10 percent of
a bank's total deposits. This amount can be held either in cash on hand or in
the bank's reserve account with the Fed. To see how this affects the economy,
think about it like this. When a bank gets a deposit of $100, assuming a reserve
requirement of 10 percent, the bank can then lend out $90. That $90 goes back
into the economy, purchasing goods or services, and usually ends up deposited in
another bank. That bank can then lend out $81 of that $90 deposit, and that $81
goes into the economy to purchase goods or services and ultimately is deposited
into another bank that proceeds to lend out a percentage of it.
In this way, money grows and flows throughout the community
in a much greater amount than physically exists. That $100 makes a much larger
ripple in the economy than you may realize!
Why does it work?
Banking is all about trust. We trust that the bank
will have our money for us when we go to get it. We trust that it will honor the
checks we write to pay our bills. The thing that's hard to grasp is the fact
that while people are putting money into the bank every day, the bank is
lending that same money and more to other people every day. Banks
consistently extend more credit than they have cash. That's a little scary; but
if you go to the bank and demand your money, you'll get it. However, if everyone
goes to the bank at the same time and demands their money (a run on the bank),
there might be problem.
Even though the Federal Reserve Act requires that banks keep
a certain percentage of their money in reserve, if everyone came to
withdraw their money at the same time, there wouldn't be enough. In the event of
a bank failure, your money is protected as long as the bank is insured by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The key to the success of
banking, however, still lies in the confidence that consumers have in the bank's
ability to grow and protect their money. Because banks rely so heavily on
consumer trust, and trust depends on the perception of integrity, the banking
industry is highly regulated by the government.
Types of Banks
There are several types of banking institutions, and
initially they were quite distinct. Commercial banks were
originally set up to provide services for businesses. Now, most commercial
banks offer accounts to everyone.
Savings banks, savings and loans, cooperative banks and
credit unions are actually classified as thrift institutions. Each
originally concentrated on meeting specific needs of people who were not
covered by commercial banks. Savings banks were originally founded
in order to provide a place for lower-income workers to save their money.
Savings and loan associations and cooperative banks were
established during the 1800s to make it possible for factory workers and
other lower-income workers to buy homes. Credit unions were usually
started by people who shared a common bond, like working at the same
company (usually a factory) or living in the same community. The credit
union's main function was to provide emergency loans for people who
couldn't get loans from traditional lenders. These loans might be for
things like medical costs or home repairs.
Now, even though there is still a differentiation
between banks and thrifts, they offer many of the same services.
Commercial banks can offer car loans, thrift institutions can make
commercial loans, and credit unions offer mortgages!
How do banks make money?
Banks
are just like other businesses. Their product just happens to be money. Other
businesses sell widgets or services; banks sell money -- in the form of loans,
certificates of deposit (CDs) and other financial products. They make money on
the interest they charge on loans because that interest is higher than the
interest they pay on depositors' accounts.
The interest rate a bank charges its borrowers depends
on both the number of people who want to borrow and the amount of money the bank
has available to lend. As we mentioned in the previous section, the amount
available to lend also depends upon the reserve requirement the Federal Reserve
Board has set. At the same time, it may also be affected by the funds rate,
which is the interest rate that banks charge each other for short-term loans to
meet their reserve requirements. Check out How the Fed Works for more on how the
Fed influences the economy.
Loaning money is also inherently risky. A bank never really
knows if it'll get that money back. Therefore, the riskier the loan the higher
the interest rate the bank charges. While paying interest may not seem to be a
great financial move in some respects, it really is a small price to pay for
using someone else's money. Imagine having to save all of the money you needed
in order to buy a house. We wouldn't be able to buy houses until we retired!
Banks also charge fees for services like checking, ATM
access and overdraft protection. Loans have their own set of fees that go along
with them. Another source of income for banks is investments and
securities.
How do you start your own bank?
What if you wanted to start your own bank? Do you just rent
some space, put out a sign and started taking deposits? Not exactly. Let's look
at the steps you have to go through in order to start your own bank. The rules
and requirements vary from state to state, so in this article we'll use the
requirements from the state of Florida.
The organizing group
Just as with any business, you'll first have to make some
pre-planning decisions -- like who your partners (called the organizing group)
will be. You'll also have to write a business plan. All of these things will be
taken into consideration when you apply for a state or federal charter.
A charter is an agreement that governs the manner in
which the bank is regulated and operates. It authorizes the organization of the
bank by either the state or federal agency. The agency that charters the bank is
primarily responsible for protecting the public from unsafe banking practices.
It conducts on-site examinations to make sure the bank's financial condition is
good and that the bank is complying with banking laws. State charters and
federal charters typically do not differ too much in the way the bank conducts
business. They do, however, differ in other areas. For example, in Florida, a
state bank is not required to be a member of the Federal Reserve System, while
federally chartered banks are. Also, state-chartered banks are regulated by
state agencies, while federally chartered banks are regulated by federal
agencies.
The organizing group has to identify directors, a chief
executive officer (who usually has to have past experience running a bank) and
other executives. The integrity, past business histories and credit histories of
these people will greatly affect the acceptance or denial of the bank's charter.
The important thing is to carefully select these partners and make sure they are
team players, have the experience and know-how to help you make the bank work,
and can withstand (both professionally and personally) the close scrutiny of the
regulatory investigation.
The number of directors you must have varies from state to
state. In Florida, you must have at least five, and there is no maximum number.
These partners have to put up money as an initial offering that shows their
level of commitment and helps get the bank going. The required amount in Florida
is 25 percent. In other states it may be as low as 10 percent to 15 percent of
the total capital needed to start the bank. This group then becomes
shareholders in the bank. In most cases, there is a limit of 24.9 percent to
how much stock an individual or company may have, unless the company is a
holding company.
The bank's market and location
The location of your bank is also a very important decision.
You have to do some market research to determine how well a new bank will do in
a particular area, or where the best spot in a large geographic region might be.
This information is also required for your application for a charter. You may be
competing against others who are also trying to charter a bank in that area!
Even though competition is healthy for business and consumers, there is still
the need to make sure a stable and safe financial environment is maintained. The
economy will also be taken into consideration in locations where there are lots
of competing banks.
The specific physical location of your bank is chosen by the
organizing group and is just as important as finding the right market. You want
the bank's location to be convenient for customers and in a heavily trafficked
area. You also need to decide whether to buy or lease a building.
Raising money to start your bank
The
capital requirements to start a bank often vary greatly from state to state. In
Florida, the suggested capital requirement is $6 million for a bank in a
metropolitan area and $4 million for a bank in a rural area. In other states,
such as New York, that amount might be $10 million or more for metropolitan
areas. Those capital requirements are usually determined by your strategic plan
and pro forma financial statements for the market you've selected.
As mentioned above, the organizing group may be responsible
for 10 percent to 15 percent of that amount. The remainder is sold to
shareholders. Organizing groups may shoot for 400 to 750 or more shareholders in
order to raise the money needed to start the bank. Usually, the more
shareholders a bank has, the better its chance of succeeding.
The charter application and other details
There are still some details that have to be determined
before you can submit your charter application. For instance, what are you going
to call your bank? You have to come up a with a name that is different
enough from other bank names to avoid confusion. You also need to think about
whether you want the word "bank" in the name, and whether you want the
geographic region in the name. Regardless of the name you choose, you have to
verify that the name is not being used by any other corporations -- which leads
us to the fact that you have to become incorporated.
Before you actually file your application, it is recommended
that you set up a pre-filing meeting with the state's department of
finance and banking. This will help make sure that you have all of the
information you need to file. Usually, the biggest delays come from incomplete
background and/or financial information.
Once you have all of the details ironed out, you fill out the
charter application and submit it (along with a lot of other information) to the
state's board of finance and banking -- or, if you're applying for a federal
charter, you'll send it to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Here
is the list of items you have to include in Florida:
As you can see, there is a lot of information that has
to be gathered and submitted with your charter application. Leaving out any of
this information, or having some of it incomplete, will slow down the review
process considerably. There will also be a filing fee, which in Florida is
$15,000. Most other states require a similar amount.
If your application is deemed complete, then a decision will
be given within 180 days. If your charter is granted, you will usually have up
to one year to open your bank. In all states, you are required to apply for
deposit insurance with the FDIC before you can accept deposits from the public.
How safe is your money in a bank?
The 12 regional Reserve Banks act as the service division of
the Federal Reserve -- they carry out the monetary policy set by the Federal
Reserve Board and regulate and supervise financial institutions. The agency that
charters the bank is also responsible for conducting on-site examinations to
make sure the bank is complying with banking laws. In addition to this
supervision, your money is also protected by insurance.
That
"FDIC" logo you see as you walk in the door means that you hold insurance on
your deposits. Depositors are typically protected for up to $100,000.
Deposit insurance came about because of rumors of
banking trouble that lead to panics and everyone running to the bank to withdraw
all of their money. It didn't take much to make people uneasy about the security
of their money in the bank. If they heard of the slightest hint of trouble, they
ran to the bank to withdraw. This lead to the failure of many banks and huge
losses of savings for many people. This roller coaster of personal finance
lasted for many years and throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s. Finally,
in 1934, Congress established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(FDIC), which initially provided deposit insurance coverage of $2,500 per
depositor. This greatly improved the security of banks and reduced the number of
bank failures by almost 4,000 from 1933 to 1934.
Public confidence in the banking system has improved
tremendously since the FDIC was established. The trust that depositors need in
order to make the system work is maintained, and the economy keeps humming.
Banks also carry private banking insurance --
specially designed private coverage to protect deposits in the case of
burglaries, robberies, vandalism, etc.
Loans, Checks and Savings
Banks offer lots of financial products for their depositors.
They offer checking accounts, loans, certificates of deposits and money market
accounts, not to mention traditional savings accounts. Some also allow you to
set up individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and other retirement or education
savings accounts. There are, of course, other types of accounts being offered at
banks across the country, but these are the most common ones. What are the
differences in these most common types of accounts?
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Banks
create money in the economy by making loans. The amount of money that
banks can lend is directly affected by the reserve requirement set by the
Federal Reserve. The reserve requirement is currently 3 percent to 10 percent of
a bank's total deposits. This amount can be held either in cash on hand or in
the bank's reserve account with the Fed. To see how this affects the economy,
think about it like this. When a bank gets a deposit of $100, assuming a reserve
requirement of 10 percent, the bank can then lend out $90. That $90 goes back
into the economy, purchasing goods or services, and usually ends up deposited in
another bank. That bank can then lend out $81 of that $90 deposit, and that $81
goes into the economy to purchase goods or services and ultimately is deposited
into another bank that proceeds to lend out a percentage of it. 

That
"FDIC" logo you see as you walk in the door means that you hold insurance on
your deposits. Depositors are typically protected for up to $100,000. 
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