Banks

Banks have been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. They function as the heart of an economy by pumping money throughout various sectors of an economy. Mortgages, auto loans, student loans, savings bonds, and stocks wouldn't be possible with a proper banking system put into place. Banks make money by charging interest on money they lend to individuals and businesses.

The United States has by far the most banks in the world, reaching over 7,500 (and 75,000 branches) in 2005. Since the advent of the Internet, online banking has become a popular choice for many people looking for a convenient way to handle their banking activities via the Internet. Most banks now offer online services for their customers.

Banks are tightly regulated by government agencies, such as the FDIC, FFIEC, OCC, and OTS – all of which monitor banking activities to ensure proper utilization of customer funds. This information is readily available across the Internet thanks to blogs dedicated to the banking industry and consumer protection.

by HealthyDose Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “Banks”

• Report on Inquiry Faults Handling of A.I.G. Bailout

  
  NYT > Theater — Authority: 914
  Treasury Inspector General Neil Barofsky testified during a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in October.
  58 minutes ago

• The Banks are killing the economy

  
  Florida Real Estate — Authority: 131
  Now, here’s some news about reality amongst our banks: In a report direct from the OCC (Office of the Currency Comptroller) it has been reported that: U.S. commercial banks generated record revenues of $9.8 billion trading cash and derivative instruments in the first quarter of 2009, compared to a $9.2 billion loss ...
  2 hours ago

• Best SF of the Noughties

  
  . . . Damien G. Walter . . . — Authority: 118
  Sarah Crown over at The Guardian book blog today asks readers for their top books of the noughties . Unsurprisingly my picks are quite speculative in nature, and there are so many that I eventually gave up trying to list them all. It was also complicated by the fact that many of my favourite books read this decade ...
  3 hours ago

• Article Title Unknown

  
  Bildungblog — Authority: 155
  Remember when kiting checks was Americas second most popular national pastime?
  3 hours ago

• Fed Likely to Keep Rates Low Despite Dollars Fall: Bernanke

  
  Stupidica — Authority: 166
  The U.S. central bank is monitoring the declining value of the dollar closely as part of its commitment to both jobs growth and price stability, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday. AP In a rare commentary on the value of the dollar, Bernanke drew a link between its current weakness and inflation risks. ...
  3 hours ago

• Meredith Whitney on CNBC – Liquidity Problems and Double Dip Ahead

  
  Square Feet — Authority: 553
  We’ve posted some of Meredith Whitney’s comments before. She’s been way in front of the banking problems, and called the liquidity problems that ended up plaguing Citibank and other financials.She was on CNBC back in April and started to warm up to equities and financials again. She was right. Now she’s back ...
  3 hours ago

• DJ Kay Slay feat. Tony Yayo, Papoose, Lloyd Banks, Jim Jones & Rell – Men Of Respect

  
  DEF PEN RADIO 71.8 — Authority: 156
  this is off DJ Kay Slay album, full version on the way 03 – Dj Kayslay Feat Yayo_Papoose_ Lloyd Banks_ Jim Jones _ Rell – Men Of Respect Snippet Follow @defpenradio on Twitter For All The Breaking News, New Music Leaks, & More!!!!
  3 hours ago

• TeamDNR releases Xenos Dubstep/D+B Volume 2

  
  rekkerd.org — Authority: 448
  TeamDNR has announced the release of Xenos Dubstep/D+B Volume 2 , a collection of sounds for Rob Papen’s Predator. TeamDNR Collaborative Designs announces the release of Xenos Dubstep/D+B Volume 2 for Rob Papen’s Predator, continuing on with more hard hitting drum and bass / dubstep sounds. This bank contains ...
  4 hours ago

• Visual Recap: DC Goldman Sachs Protest

  
  — Authority:
  One of our favorite images from todays protest was a fabulous visual representation of Goldman Sachs, depicted as writer Matt Taibbi so richly described in Rolling Stone: "The worlds most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into ...
  4 hours ago

• Volcker Criticizes Move to Change Accounting Standards

  
  NYT > Theater — Authority: 914
  A proposal that would grant bank regulators the power to sidestep accounting standards is a “terrible idea,” the former Fed chairman said.
  4 hours ago

• 
  NYT > Theater — Authority: 914
  
  4 hours ago

• State has legal right to pursue banks for cash says Paul Tucker

  
  Family: News and advice on family matters children and parents — Authority: 975
  Banks will face having chunks of their future profits seized by the state if they do not fund a deposit insurance scheme BoE deputy warns.
  5 hours ago

• Bernanke Signals Possible End of ‘Too Big to Fail’ Era

  
  Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines — Authority: 731
  Those financial institutions that took last year’s bailout as an object lesson that they can carry on as they wish so long as they’re “too big to fail” may have to adopt another approach, if Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke makes good on the words of warning to big banks that he sounded on Monday.  ...
  5 hours ago

• Bernanke Signals Possible End to ‘Too Big to Fail’ Era

  
  Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines — Authority: 731
  Those financial institutions that viewed last year’s bailout as an object lesson that they can carry on as they wish so long as they’re “too big to fail” may have to adopt another approach. At least, that was the message Monday from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, if he makes good on words of warning to ...
  5 hours ago

• Quantifying The Cost Of FAS 166 And FAS 167: At Least $450 Billion Of Onboarded "Assets" With Citi #1 At $154 Billion

  
  zero hedge — Authority: 771
  As lobbying attempts to eliminate or at least delay the implementation of FAS 166 and FAS 167 (as a reminder, these are the accounting rules that will force banks to onboard a lot of off-balance sheet assets) seem to have stalled, the next question becomes what the cost to banks will be as a result of this new change ...
  5 hours ago

• Dodds Financial Reform Proposal

  
  ataxingmatter — Authority: 121
  Im still waiting for Congress to take real action to deal with the hegemony of huge financial institutions, including the "shadow banking system" of hedge fund ownership of banks and other institutions. Last week, I noted that Dodd has come out with a bill that does not pretend to hoe the party line.  Whether that ...
  6 hours ago

• UCLA professor offers wild solution to bad bank behavior: long jail terms

  
  San Diego Education Report Blog — Authority: 125
  UCLA professor offers wild solution to bad bank behavior: Scare them straight Peter Cohan Nov 16th 2009 A UCLA professor has come up with a wild idea to help prevent the next financial meltdown. He doesnt propose expensive regulations and mechanisms of enforcement on financial actors. Instead, he suggests that swift ...
  6 hours ago

• China vs. Obama, Why Banks Aren’t Lending, One Chart Explains Q3 and More!

  
  The 5 Min. Forecast — Authority: 123
  by Addison Wiggin & Ian Mathias China and Obama square off… Dan Amoss on “the forefront of concern” for the world’s superpowers Paulson, Cramer, Greenspan occupy “Worst of 2000-2010” lists… so why are we all still listening? More banks fail, FDIC scrambles for cash… Rob Parenteau ...
  6 hours ago

• Cash, credit cards to give way to cell phones? Not tomorrow – Walletpop.com

  
  How to Get Out of Debt - Free Help — Authority: 145
  Debit Card News Alert Free range cash has several drawbacks. For the user, carrying a wad of cash can be hazardous; for banks, cash is cumbersome and offers no opportunity to charge interest; to the merchant, paying cash turns buyers annoyingly frugal; for the government … Visit source for full article: Cash, ...
  7 hours ago

• Low Interest Rates To Last Throughout 2010

  
  Fair Loan Rate! — Authority: 137
  Interest rates are expected to remain as low as of 0.5% throughout 2010 to support UK recovery, experts stated. Markets expected a rate increase in the third quarter of 2010 with borrowing costs of 1.5% or more by the end of the year. According to the forecast done by banks, this will result in the inflation ...
  7 hours ago

Comments about Banks