Banking Basics

Banking Basics

Banking Regulation Act of India, 1949 defines Banking as "accepting, for the purpose of lending or investment of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or otherwise and withdrawable by cheques, draft, order or otherwise." Most of the activities a Bank performs are derived from the above definition. In addition, Banks are allowed to perform certain activities which are ancillary to this business of accepting deposits and lending. A bank's relationship with the public, therefore, revolves around accepting deposits and lending money. Another activity which is assuming increasing importance is transfer of money - both domestic and foreign - from one place to another. This activity is generally known as "remittance business" in banking parlance. The so called forex (foreign exchange) business is largely a part of remittance albeit it involves buying and selling of foreign currencies. The law governing Banking Activities in India is called "Negotiable Instruments Act 1881". The banking activities can be classified as : Accepting Deposits from public/others (Deposits) Lending money to public (Loans) Transferring money from one place to another (Remittances) Acting as trustees Acting as intermediaries Keeping valuables in safe custody Collection Business Government business Bank Account A Bank Account is the record of financial relationship a customer has with the Bank. It contains details of all the moneys deposited with the Bank and withdrawn from it. There are many Bank accounts, but basically there are two types: DEPOSITS LOANS