Functions of Commercial Banks
Banks which
finance trade and commerce are called Commercial banks.
Modern commercial
banks perform mainly two types of functions.
I.
Primary functions
II.
Secondary functions.
I.
Primary functions:
a)
Accepting deposits is the most
important function of commercial banks.
They accept the following types of deposits from the public.
1.
Current account deposits: These deposits are maintained by businessmen
and deposits are payable on demand.
Money can be withdrawn any number of times by the depositors and no
interest is paid on these deposits.
2.
Savings Account Deposits: People with low income, salary earners etc,
open these accounts. Certain restrictions are imposed regarding the number of
withdrawals. Rate of interest paid is
low.
3.
Fixed Deposits:
refer to deposits made for a fixed period of time normally between
46days to 5years. The rate of interest is higher compared to savings bank
deposits and the longer the period, the higher is the rate of interest. These deposits are also called time deposits.
4.
Recurring Deposits:
refer to a specified sum of money deposited every month for a period of
one year or more. On maturity, the total
amount accumulated is paid to the depositor along with interest, which is
nearly the same as on fixed deposits.
b)
Advancing loans: After keeping certain portions of cash
reserves, banks lend remaining portion of deposits to the borrowers through the
following ways.
1.
Overdraft: It is a facility provided by a
bank to its customers to overdraw their accounts up to a certain limit. Interest is charged on the amount actually
overdrawn by the customer.
2.
Cash Credit:
It is a type of loan given to the borrower against eligible
securities. The bank opens the account
in the name of the borrower and allows him to withdraw the money from time to
time up to a certain limit. Interest is
charged only on the amount actually withdrawn from the account.
3.
Loans:
It is a financial arrangement through which the bank provides credit to
a borrower against collateral security.
The bank opens a separate account called loan account in the name of the
borrower and the interest is charged on the entire amount sanctioned by the
bank.
4.
Discounting of bills of exchange: refers to encashing the bills of exchange from
the banks by the customer before the date of maturity. The bank deducts a certain amount (interest)
from the face value of the bill and pays the balance to the person discounting
the bill.
II.
Secondary functions:
The secondary functions of the commercial banks are classified into
a)
Agency services.
b)
General Utility Services.
a) Agency services: Commercial banks perform the
following agency services for and on behalf of their customer. They are
1.
Banks helps their customers in transferring
funds from one place to another through drafts, cheques etc.
2.
Banks collect and pay various credit
instruments like cheques, bills of exchange etc.
3.
Banks undertake buying and selling of
various securities like shares, bonds etc
4.
They collect dividends on shares,
interest on bonds on behalf of customers.
5.
They help their customers by making
payments of their electricity bills etc.
6.
They preserve the Wills of their
customers and execute them after their death.
7.
They provide advice on income tax
matters to their customers.
b) General Utility services: Banks provide the following
general utility services.
1.
They provide Locker facility to the customers
to keep their valuables.
2.
They Issue travelers cheques to carry money
safely while traveling within a country or abroad.
3.
They issue Letters of credit to their
customers regarding their creditworthiness.
4.
They perform Underwriting of
securities.
5.
They provide ATM, credit card and debit card
facility.
Functions of RBI
The
RBI was established on Ist April 1935 as a private share holders bank as per
RBI act of 1934 and it was Nationalised on Ist January 1949.
The RBI is managed and controlled by a central board of Directors with 20
members and the head office is located at Mumbai.
The
functions of the RBI may be classified as follows:
A) Traditional
functions:
1. Monopoly
of Note Issue: The RBI has the sole right to issue currency notes of
denominations of Rs 10, 20, 50,100,500 and Rs 1000 under the minimum reserve
system.
2. Banker,
agent and Advisor to the Government: The RBI receives deposits and
makes payment to the government and on behalf of the government. It
transfers government funds and manages public debt.
It
represents the government in International institutions like IMF and World Bank
and advices the government on important economic matters.
3. Bankers
Bank: All the commercial Banks are regulated by the RBI with regard
to Licensing, branch expansion, liquidity of assets etc. Every commercial
bank has to maintain certain portion of its total deposits in the form of cash
reserves with the RBI.
4. Lender
of Last Resort: When commercial banks are unable to get
financial assistance from any other source, the RBI lends money by
rediscounting the bills of exchange or against government securities.
5. Clearing
house: As the RBI keeps the cash reserves of all commercial banks, it
is easy for commercial banks to settle each other’s debts through the RBI
without using cash.
6. Leader
of Money Market: The RBI is the leader of money market in India and
it controls the activities of commercial banks, financial institutions etc.
7. Controller
of Credit: To control price level and to direct the flow of credit to
essential activities, the RBI uses Bank rate policy, open market operation,
variable reserve ratio and selective credit control methods.
8. Custodian
of Foreign exchange reserves: The RBI maintains reserves in the form
of Gold, silver and foreign exchange to back the issue of currency notes and to
meet international payments. It maintains the exchange rates and enforces
exchange control and restrictions imposed by the government.
B. Developmental
functions: The RBI performs the following
developmental functions.
1. Agricultural
Finance: The RBI has been providing advice and financial assistance
to the co-operative credit institutions for the development of agriculture.
2. Industrial
Finance: The RBI provides credit facilities to both small scale and
large scale industries through SFC, IFCI, etc.
C. Other functions:
1. Research
Functions: The RBI collects and publishes information relating to
agriculture, industries, finance etc to help the government formulate and
implement its economic and monetary policies. It also issues special
bulletins, journals and research papers.
2. Special
functions: The RBI conducts special debates and seminars, provides
training facilities to bank staff, suggests remedies to solve poverty,
inflation etc.