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Origin, Types, and Functions of BankingBy admin on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
The origin of banking can be traced back to about 12,000 years ago to the Assyrian Empire, whose business and investments were managed by the clan of Engadi, a family that was highly connected to the rulers of the empire. During the Babylonian Empire from 1728 – 1686 BC, the laws of financial transactions and standardized procedures were carved on six feet high tablets of stone. These inscriptions set out the details of the operations of loans, interest, and guarantees.
The ancient Greeks and the Romans also established their own banking systems, using credit notes and a universal currency. Very soon, the need for cross-border banking was felt and a resolute the system was established to enable foreigners to trade with Romans confidently. Even the Greeks had introduced a credit-based banking system for trading with the Egyptians, but the Roman system was more organized having proper regulatory systems and practices. With the fall of the Roman Empire, these systems collapsed, and it was not until the 16th century that the systems were revived with the opening of the London Royal Exchange in 1565. In the US, commercial banking was introduced in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The British system laid the foundation of modern bank in most other countries of the world.
Basic Functions
Banks collect funds from the general public and keep them safely. The depositor can withdraw either a part or the whole amount of money whenever he needs to do it, subject to certain rules and regulations of the bank. Moreover, the depositor can also issue a check to another person, and the bank will transfer the amount of the check into the account of the recipient. This can also be done through automatic transfer through the banking system and through online banking. There are various types of deposits that can be made, and the bank pays interest on the deposits. If a person or an organization is in need of funds, the bank extends loans and charges interest from the borrower. The profit of the bank emanates from the difference in the interest rate that they charge the borrower and the interest that they pay to the depositors.Types Of Banks
The banking activities of commercial banks concentrate on creating revenue from various sources such as foreign exchange, granting of loans, payment of interest, operating savings and current accounts, providing safe deposit boxes, and trust services.The apex bank of any country controls the activities of the other banks, and it fixes the rates of interest that the other banks can charge. It also regulates the amount of loan that the banks can give and the amount of wealth that they can hold. It ensures transparency and safeguards the interests of the citizens.
Investment banking is done by commercial banks for the benefit of its clients. The bank makes prudent investments of the resources of their clients in order to generate more profit for them as compared to the interest that the bank would be paying merely for keeping the money in the bank. Even companies are advised regarding profitable business transactions.
For the economy of any country to have a sustained growth, the banking system has to be dynamic, vibrant, and effective.
Popularity: 16%
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Learning from the Banking IndustryBy admin on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
Almost all of us use the banking industry in one form or another throughout our lives. We may have a savings bank account to keep our money, a fixed deposit for long term needs or may be using any one of the various investment options that a bank has to offer. We may have taken a loan to buy a house or car or may have a debit or a credit card so that we do not have to carry around cash all the time. The banking industry also offers lockers for safekeeping and automatic teller machines for round the clock cash availability. In short, it is a very useful institution with varied services for all kinds of customers. But the single most important service that banking renders is to keep our cash safe and even allow it grow with time. Much like the self storage business where you can entrust your possessions and items when not in need and get them back safe and sound.
While the storage business was not always this sophisticated, lately it has begun to function more like the banking industry. It is no longer just about keeping your furniture and art safe in a temperature controlled unit. It is about greater value add on services. Better security, better access and better care of what you are entrusting. There are highly specialized services for recreational vehicles, wine, cheese that go beyond storage and actually look after your things better than you ever can. There are gifting services, paint and repair services as well as maintenance packages. Similar to the banking industry, the storage companies have diversified their offerings.
One of the biggest things that the banking industry relies on is customer trust. People will put their live savings into a bank that they believe will look after their money. Banks have to be seen as reliable and only then can they attract and keep their customers. Self storage companies too need to focus on this aspect as they too expect people to leave their belongings with them for long and indefinite periods. The banking industry is also one of the few industries that have redefined customer orientation. They realize like no other that the customer is very reason for their existence. With increasing commoditization of banking products and services it is these differentiators which will separate winners from losers.
From the customers point of view both these companies banking or storage needs to offer or provide easy accessibility to their money or possessions respectively. Nobody chooses a bank or storage outfit that is located in a different city. Nobody also chooses a bank or storage outfit that is not open to them when they need to make a withdrawal. Both these industries are centered on a customers need to have somebody else take care of his things due to security and space constraints. So both the banking and the storage industries can grow even bigger and better by focusing on how best to deliver this trust.
Popularity: 9%
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Banking and Self Storage Working TogetherBy admin on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
With self storing becoming more popular now that ever, it comes as no surprise that the banking industry has started looking closely at it as a new business opportunity. This refers to the loan schemes now available both to clients looking to purchase or lease warehousing, as well as providing capital for entrepreneurs looking to set up store facilities.
For Warehousing Companies
An individual looking to set up a warehousing facility needs a significantly large amount of capital to start off. Banking industry has the investors and the capital that the entrepreneur needs and therefore both benefit from the venture. It has only been recently that banks have started to look towards self storing as an investment opportunity and this has provided the entire banking industry with much needed impetus. By receiving the sanction of the banking industry, entrepreneurs in the field of self storing can now go on to envision and create better facilities that generate more business and pay off the investments made into the warehousing infrastructure. Thus this benefits all the parties involved.Clients
Many individuals looking to rent storeroom units do not have the banking investment required to pay for the lease as well as the indemnity premiums that are usually quite large. They therefore need outside financing which is where banking comes into the picture. Not only do these institutions offer short term loan to investment the rentals, but they also offer attractive rates of interest as well. Especially in the time just after the recession, banks are now making it a point to generously reward investments that their clients make. Anything that gets the money rolling is well encouraged.Along with the rent a client pays for leasing a unit at a warehouse, he also needs to spend a significant amount on getting an insurance policy into place. Without indemnity, the warehousing company will not allow him to start using the space. This is therefore something he needs to work out right at the beginning. Insurance policies require for recurrent payments to be made, for which he needs to have funds. And add this to the fact that he also needs to make arrangements for the rent which can be paid monthly, six monthly or yearly. Depending on the kind of payment plan he chooses, a client would need to spend a tidy sum of money on the rental for which he might not have all the arrangements in place.
This is expressly where banking comes into play by making good quality warehousing affordable and within easy reach. Now while only a few banks have started offering financing opportunities for clients and entrepreneurs looking at self storing, research shows that more of them are looking towards it with significant interest. It will not be long before all banking institutions start offering low cost funding for the same. This will encourage not only the establishment of new warehousing companies, but also an increase in clients of these warehouses which benefits everyone.
With the support from recognized banking institutions, self storing has now become the norm throughout the United States and Canada. And the banking industry needs to be commended for the support that it offers to one of the most flourishing enterprises the continent has seen.
Popularity: 9%
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Tips for Financing Self Storage Through Banking InstitutionsBy admin on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
The sub-prime crisis has left deep scars. Banking and financial institutions have become quite selective in financing reality businesses therefore, if you are planning to construct or acquire a warehouse, then getting a loan might not be an easy task.
Here are a few tips for getting the loan for your self-storing quickly:
Prepare A Strong Business Plan
The banking institution should be convinced that you have a good business plan. Only then they will give serious thought to your loan application. You should be ready with each and every detail of your business, starting from the construction or acquisition of the warehouse to the marketing and pricing of the store units. Preparing a business plan might sound easy, but it is not. You have to do a great deal of planning and give attention to every little detail. Only then you can prove your mettle to the banking institution and can convince it to lend you money. The plan should also have room for any exigencies.Down Payment
Getting 100 percent financing for your warehousing business is difficult. You should make arrangements for the down payment, which is usually around 20 percent of the total cost of acquiring or setting up the business. The banking institution might ask you to provide the details of all the sources from which you would be raising the funds for the down payment. It could be your savings or a loan from acquaintances.Knowledge And Experience
If you have no prior experience or knowledge about the warehousing business, then it might be difficult for you to get the loan. Banking institutions prefer to give advances to people whom they can trust or, in other words, they prefer financing businesses that are expected to bring in positive returns. If you are new to this industry but are keen to start a warehouse business, then getting yourself trained through a short-term course is a good idea. There are several organizations that conduct training programs on starting a self-storing business. These training programs acquaint the participants with every aspect of the business of storing goods, including how to manage a warehouse and how to overcome the challenges. If you are trained, banking institutions will be more willing to endowment your business than otherwise.Documentation
You should be ready with all the documents for getting the loan. The banking institution may require a documented business plan, bank statements, credit reports and other financial statements required for proving your financial stability. If you are buying an existing business, then the banking institution might be interested in checking the business history of that facility, for instance, the details of the existing owner, annual financial statements of the past few years and the equity of the owner in the self-storing.Talk To Multiple Banking Institutions
Applying for a loan from multiple lenders would improve your chances of getting the funds for purchasing or building the warehouse business.Every banking institution has its rules and policies. Therefore, even if one bank refuses you the loan, it is not necessarily true that your business plan is not attractive enough to get you the loan. You can try your luck with other lending institutions.
Popularity: 10%
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Dealing with Internet Banking FraudBy admin on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
The best way to deal with Internet banking fraud is to be proactive or practical. The worse thing to come about to the victims of such frauds is their banks and credit unions refusing to make available information to them. Things can really be very difficult especially for those who are not computer savvy. Still, following these simple proactive steps can help you deal with banking frauds effectively.
Change The Password And Personally Visit Your Bank
The moment you log into your online bank account and see that a fraud has occurred, the first thing that you should do is change your password. Give a phone call to your bank and inform them about the Internet banking fraud. It is even better if you personally visit the bank or credit union.Explain The Fraud
While you are talking to the bank representative, you will have to explain the fraud. However, just verbal explanation is not going to do any good. You had better ask for the dispute form and fill out the same. For every fraudulent transaction that has taken place on your Internet banking account, you should submit a separate dispute form. Do not forget to keep a copy of these forms with you.Make A Request To Deactivate Your Account
Withdraw all of your money from your account and place a request to the bank to freeze your banking account. Now, you can either take your business to a different bank or open a brand new account in the same bank to safe and sound deposit your money.Ask The Bank To Send An Email To You
For better or enhanced protection, you are strongly recommended to ask the bank representative to send you an email, explaining all the actions they have taken against the banking fraud that occurred in your account. The electronic mail must consist of a tracking number so that you can follow up the course of action through phone, electronic mail, or Internet.Get Email Access To The eBanking Manager
The information technology department in the United States of America is commonly referred to as eBanking Department. Make sure or ensure that the bank representative gives a phone call to this department and tell them about the Internet banking fraud you have faced. For better protection, you should also ask the representative to send an email to that IT department with all the details about the fraud and send a copy to your email address as well. This way, you get access to both the phone number as well as the email address of the Internet banking manager.Do not just sit back after submitting your dispute forms. If you would like your money to return fast, you must keep a track of the progress. Since you have the phone number and email address of the Internet banking manager, you can call them directly. They will give you the true picture of progress on your case. Your bank representative will only give you assurance, not accurate or correct information about the entire or whole developments. In consequence, just by being a little proactive, you can effectively deal with online banking fraud and get back your money quickly and speedily.
Popularity: 12%
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Finance for Self Storing BusinessesBy admin on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
There has not been a steep fall in the demand for self storing facilities under the present monetary scenario. People still need self storing facilities for various reasons. Today, self storing facilities are used by businesses, students, and home owners.
Because of such reasons, one can also plan to start a self storing business, and when it comes to getting finance one can go for short term, long term, or permanent finance options.
It is simple to talk about the financial concerns and one actually needs to know about how is and whys related to finance . Let us here discuss the type of loan available and who can avail them.
Short Term Loan
This kind of loan scheme is available for those who require finance for very short time period. One can borrow this sum for various purposes like shortage in working capital, business expansion plans, and so on. A short term loan gives time to improve the market conditions of business and thereby improves the net operating income as well.Long Term Loan
The long term loan, on the other hand, is usually available for a time period of 5, 10, or 15 years. A long term loan is the best option when you want to finance a facility that has more than 80 percent occupancy and is in good condition.Conduit Loan
For seeking long term finance one usually has two options – conduit lender and bank loan. If seeking for long term loan of more than 1 million dollar, it is best to opt for conduit lender and not a bank loan. Borrowers can enjoy various advantages with conduit lender.• Conduit rates are usually lower than bank rates.
• Conduit lenders offer amortization periods of 20, 25, and 30 years. The banks, on the other hand, are only able to offer maximum amortization period of 20 years.
• The finance offered by conduit lenders is nonrecourse, which means that the property owner and the collateral are not liable for the loan.
• Lower rates and longer amortization periods translate into increase cash flow for the owner of the self storing facility.Documents Required
If you are interested in a conduit finance loan, you would need to provide the lender with the following items.• Present rent roll of the property
• Monthly income statements of the past 12 months
• Personal finance statement
• Income tax returns of the past three years
• Indemnity and tax billsWhile opting for any kind of finance from bank or any other financial providers, one has to actually plan and organize all the documents required. One has to be clear about the plans and why she or he requires a loan. As a matter of fact, applying for loan involves critical procedures and one has to be clear cut about the requirement.
Popularity: 9%
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Manage or be managedBy admin on November 24, 2009 | No Comments
Maridith does not know how to manage her money. Plain and simple. For some reason, Maridith just never learned anything about banking and finance throughout her twenty-six years of life. Perhaps this problem stemmed from when she was a little girl. Her parents always provided her with everything she needed and wanted. They never taught her the value of a dollar. To them, banking and finance was not a problem. They understood it and took for granted that in due time Maridith would too.
Perhaps a red flag should have been raised to her parents when she never managed to save up her allowance for that pink boom box she wanted when she was eight. Even though her allowance was triple that of a typical eight-year old, she somehow found something else to spend her money on every week. No matter, her parents bought it for her anyway after she pleaded with them enough. Obviously, Maridith was sheltered from the banking and finance knowledge she should have been learning as a young child.
Maridith’s ignorance towards banking and finance continued into her teens. She never had to work for her money because her parents bought her everything she wanted. Her first car was completely paid off, she never had to worry about the sky high cell phone bill she created every month, and she regularly received money to go shopping. As soon as money went into Maridith’s pocket, it went right into the closest Aeropostale, American Eagle, or movie theatre. To Maridith, even the words banking and finance were a foreign language.
Most children are lucky enough to learn banking and finance skills when they are young. If this is the case, they grow up appreciating money and being able to make good decisions about what to do with it. If these children who do not learn banking and finance skills are lucky enough, they get their way paid through college, find a decent job, and eventually figure out how to manage their money. For poor Maridith, this was not the case.
Maridith’s parents might have spoiled her, but they were not ok with her dating before she was eighteen. So, when Maridith found out she was pregnant and had to tell her parents, things went downhill pretty quickly for her. No longer, she was told, were her parents going to support her financially. She was on her own(well she had a loser boyfriend), pregnant, with absolutely no knowledge of banking and finance.
So, Maridith knew she had to do something since she had almost no money to her name. She got a job waitressing, but found that she was living paycheck to paycheck and was unable to save. For Maridith, banking and finance skills did not just appear when she needed them to. Instead, her lack of knowledge with banking and finance had her in a slump. She found herself being swallowed alive by bills and she was slowly working her way into debt.
Unfortunately, Maridith never managed to work her way out of her poor money management. Because of this, her life is affected in multiple negative ways. She is constantly stressed about money and does not feel like she can provide like she should for her daughter. Perhaps, if Maridith would have learned about banking and finance as a young child she would not have found herself in this predicament.
Popularity: 9%
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Advice about Bank Loans
It is not uncommon in a person’s life to come across a time when some extra money is necessary. Lots of things in life are expensive and require for us to take out bank loans in order to purchase them. There are a few things one must do before taking out bank loans.
The first thing you should do is make sure to have a checking account within a bank. The bank will require quite a bit of information from you before you take out a loan and they will decide based upon that information how much interest they are going to put on your bank loans. They will be interested in what sort of job you have, how much money you make, how much money you want to take out, and how soon you want to pay it back.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when taking out bank loans or any type of loans for that matter is that loans are not free money. A lot of the time, when someone gets their hands on a loan, they will feel as if they have become rich and spend the money on things they do not need. People often take out loans so they will have enough money to live on for the time being. If this is the case, it is especially important not to blow through your bank loans. Be careful with them and only spend what you need to. If you ended up with more money from your loan than you need, then use that loan money to pay back your initial loan. The sooner you can get your bank loans paid off, the better off you will be.
It is also important to remember that all loans will charge you interest. It is best to get bank loans because there are other loan companies that will give out loans more readily but will also charge extremely high interest rates. Even though you may be able to get these loans faster than bank loans, it is smarter for you to wait for and try to get approved for bank loans. Also, make sure that you are set up on a pay back method that is going to work for you and that you will have an income to pay back the loans you took out. Without money to pay back the loans, you will end up in more financial trouble than you were in before you initially took out a loan.
If you take out bank loans and then pay them back as soon as possible, you are doing yourself a favor because you are raising your credit score. This is a great thing to do because once you have established good credit, you will be able take out loans for even bigger things such as houses and cars. It is very important to have good credit when you want to purchase these things in your life because nobody is going to trust that you are good with money and will pay back loans and make payments if you do not have good credit.
Many times in people’s lives require them to take out loans. If this happens to you, then try to take out bank loans and make sure that you will be able to pay back the loans at a low interest rate and on a payment method that works for you.
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Banking – Finance : http://www.vbankingandfinance.com/
Popularity: 11%
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Why People Use Banks
There are a number of reasons why people like to use banks. Because of this, there are a variety of different ones all over America and they offer a number of different services. Most banks serve the same basic functions, but many people are particular about which bank they decide to go to. This is pretty understandable considering the main function of banks is to protect one’s money. When you work hard for your money and need it to live, it is very important for it to be kept safe. Many people find it difficult to entrust someone else with all of their money, but most people realize that it is much safer for money to be kept in a bank than under a pillow or somewhere in a house.
Besides the fact that it is safer to keep money in the bank, there are a number of other reasons why people want and need to use banks. First of all, you have to have a bank account if you want a debit or credit card. In today’s world, it is very necessary to have a debit and credit card for a number of reasons. If you ever want to buy something expensive that you do not have all the money for at the moment, you can usually pay for it in installments but you have to prove you have money with a bank account and credit history. Also, if you ever want to buy anything online it is very necessary to have a debit and/or credit card because that is how you make all purchases online.
Another good reason to put your money in banks and have a debit or credit card is because you can always carry it with you and have access to all of your money in case you might need it in an emergency or another situation. Obviously, you are not going to carry all the money you own in your pocket. If you get robbed or lose it you are totally out of luck. However, thanks to banks, this is not the case if you have a debit or credit card. If either of these cards gets stolen or lost all you have to do is contact the bank and let them know what happened. All banks will immediately deactivate your account so nobody else can access your money. Think about how terrible it would be if all your money was stolen or lost one day. You would be in huge amounts of trouble. Keeping your money in banks will prevent this from ever happening. Plus, if someone does happen to access your bank account and use all your money, banks will compensate you for your losses as long as your report the incident immediately.
Another great reason people put their money into banks is because they can actually make money with interest over time. The more money they have in the bank and the longer it is in there, the more money they will make off of banks in interest. It is usually not going to be a huge amount of money, but it pays to keep your money in a safe place!
There are many different reasons why people use banks. But, the most important one is because banks keep money safe and protected. The last thing you want to be faced with is all of your money getting lost or stolen.
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Banking and Finance : http://www.vbankingandfinance.com/
Popularity: 10%
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Thank Goodness for BankingBy admin on November 12, 2009 | 2 Comments
With my organizational skills, it is a good thing that banking exists. I am absolutely horrible at keeping track of all my important documents. I could not imagine having to keep track of all my money. Fortunately, banking helps me keep track of my money and even save it (to an extent).
I got my first debit card when I started my first job at the age of sixteen. My parents wanted me to start having control of my expenses so I could begin keeping track of all my money and become a little more organized. No longer was it their job to do my banking for me. It is funny because, looking back on it, having 100 dollars in my bank account was a lot of money when I was sixteen. Now, it seems like nothing at all.
I came across online banking a few years after I started using banking in general. I am so happy that I can use the internet to see what my balance is and how much money I have spent in the past month or so. Before I had online banking it was not unusual for me to overdraw my account because I could not check my balance often enough to make sure I had enough money in my account to make my own purchases.
Overdrawing an account is absolutely no fun at all. Once this happens, you are charged fee after fee until you have worked your way out of the debt. Since you probably don’t have the money to pay for all of these fees you either work your way farther and farther into debt or you have to borrow money to save yourself from being completely in debt. This is one way that banking can be a little troublesome sometimes. However, if you keep track of your expenses and make sure that you never overdraw your account, banking has only positive results.
Another reason I think banking is a positive thing is because it helps you not lose all of your money. I know that if I kept all my money as cash I would spend it as soon as I got it. The money that I am paid in cash I have a hard time holding onto long enough to even deposit it into my account. Most of the time I take it right away to my bank so I can deposit it the moment I get it which keeps me from spending it. If I don’t deposit it and don’t spend it, I always have to worry about someone stealing it. If I am carrying around a lot of money it is scary because I know if someone gets a hold of it, it is gone. Banking helps protect us from people stealing our money because even if someone does get a hold of a debit or credit card you can put a hold on the account as soon as you realize it is gone. Having all of my money secure in a banking account makes me feel at ease unlike how I would feel carrying around a stash of cash.
So, if your money is not secure through banking you should consider opening up an account. This way, your money is safe and protected and you will not spend it as soon as you get it and you can work on saving it up.
Popularity: 11%

