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Universal Banking - Answer For The Best Banking Design?

1.1 INTRODUCTION
In recent years, universal banking has been growing its popularity in Indonesia. Mandiri Bank, for example, has taken strategy to become Indonesia's universal bank; this bank has also initiated to develop an integrated financial risk system in terms of sounding financial performance and increasing shareholder value. In Germany, and most developed countries in Europe, universal banks have initiated its operations since nineteen century. There is mounting evidence that in those countries, universal banks have taken an important part in the development of real sectors and the financial system. In those countries, the growing numbers of universal banking practices are really supported by the regulation of central of bank.
Despite, in The United States, they are strict to regulate universal banks by blocking commercial banks from engaging in securities and stock markets practices. They argued that the practice of universal banking might be harmful for the financial system. ((Boyd et.al, 1998) cited in Cheang, 2004) The "risk" might be the key reason why the central bank of The U.S is worried about the universal banking system. Since, if the central of bank allowed banks to adjust their operation to be universal banks, the relationship among, banks, financial and stock markets would be closer. Consequently, this would give an uncertainty to the banks condition and performance. For example, if there were a disaster in stock market, banks would get problems in their financial positions. Thus, they would tend to be insolvent.
In addition universal banks would also threaten the market share of other specialized institutions, because more customers would choose universal banks that offer more option to their investment. Hence, more specialized institutions are likely to be ruined in the U.S financial industry.
One majoring factor, which is triggering a bank to be universal bank, is to increase the profit by enlarging their market share. According to João A. C. Santos (1998) universal bank itself can be defined as the financial institution, which enlarges its service range in terms of offering a variety of financial products and services in one site. Thus, by operating universal banking, banks could get a greater opportunity to expand to another financial area, such as : financial securities, insurance, hedge funds and etc.
Although the trend of banks has recently tended to universal banks, it is undoubtedly true that universal banks would also face further risks because a wide range of financial services is strongly associated with increasing risks and escalating monitoring costs. These are the major concerns why banks have to implement more advance technology in terms of financial risk management. Moreover, the practices of universal banks would cause significant risks to economy's payment system. Since, the operation of universal banks connects closely to the financial and stock markets that are very fluctuate in a short term.
To win in the tight competition among financial institutions, banks have to alter their maneuver to lead in the market. Universal bank could be the wise choice for the bank manager, because they can attract more customers with a wide range of services. Furthermore, by altering their operation to the universal banking system, banks would get benefits from the efficiency and economies of scale.
In order to understand about the universal banking practices, this paper would examine the exclusive matters, which related to the risks and benefits in a universal bank. Moreover, this paper would also focus the whole impact of this institution to the financial system and the economy as a whole.
1.2 PROFITS AND COSTS IN UNIVERSAL BANKING: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL BANKS
General problem related to financial intermediation, include universal banks and another type of banks, is about asymmetric information . It is the main problem that causes costs to increase and influence the performance of financial institutions. In Universal banks, the problems that would increase are slightly different with specialized banks; they are similar in that they should cope the risks problem associated with their financial position. Although, in universal banks, the risks are more bigger due to the wide range of financial instruments that they organized. Therefore, banks have to increase their spending on monitoring costs that are more complicated than specialized institutions or conventional banks.
Possible answer why more banks sacrifice to the escalating risks and transform it operation into the universal banking is that they want to compete and expand their market share, in order to seek a greater opportunity profits by serving more choices to their customers. Many banks has experienced a great performance after they alter their operation, the main concerns are that they could reach better economies of scale which can reduce the amount of spending in operational costs and also a greater opportunity to get more profits. The research finding which was conducted by Vender, R. (2002, cited in Cheang, 2004) about the efficiency of revenue in financial conglomerates and the level of both profit and cost in universal banking, has proved that both financial conglomerates and universal banking contain good performance in several indicators of bank profitability. His finding also suggests that the sustained expansion of financial conglomerates and universal banking practices may increase efficiency in the financial system.
This opinion is strengthen by another experts, like : George Rich and Christian Walter (1993). They state that universal banks which posse benefits over specialized institutions, are able to take advantage of reduction in the average cost of production and scope in banking. It is essential for banks that operate on a international level and in order to fulfill customer needs with a variety of financial services. They also mention a classic example how universal banks in some countries, such as : Switzerland, Germany and more European countries has experienced benefits by operating universal banking. In addition, they also state that the fear if universal bank would threaten specialized institutions has not proven. In Switzerland and Germany, for example, specialized institutions could achieve a better improvement in terms of cooperating with big banks. Universal banks are one of potential market channel which can sell their products directly to the customers, so specialized institutions also get additional return due to the increases in the number of universal banks. Therefore, this proves that universal banks do not threat other institutions; in fact, they support specialized institutions to market their products.
According to Fohlin, universal banking would lead to a bank's concentration due to the increases the number of branch. Based on Germany's experience, such branching-based expansion has led to the efficiency in banking because it could increase economies of scale in advertising and marketing, and open an enormous opportunity to enhance diversification and steadiness for banks.
A universal bank has unique position to tackle asymmetric information. As stated by Joao A. C. Santos (1998), that a universal bank has potential benefits on the reduction of agency cost and acquires profits due to information advantages. Although in other sides, universal banking also face problems related to the cost, conflict of interest and safety and soundness. But the default risk, which is generally happened in financial intermediation, would decrease substantially because universal banks are easier to control over their customers. Most of lenders in universal banks are their customers, so they can understand about the capacity of the customers from the information that they gather.

Nicholas Cheang (2004) also points out how universal banks could reduce a crucial problem in financial institution, asymmetric information. He argued that they could preserve a close relationship with their borrowers, by gathering more relevant information to make an important decision for investment. Their advantageous positions also vital to optimize the distribution of fund allocation, because banks have already known which investment that would give more margins to them. So, they don't need to worry too much about the risk.

When an Offshore Bank Fails

Introduction - What we are going to do is describe the legal and mechanical process relating to offshore bank failures. We will discuss what leads up to them, what happens if they fail, and how do the depositors get their money back. The terms and scenarios we depict are generally what happens in the world of offshore banking. In some jurisdictions the terminology and procedures may be slightly different but the general way things proceed will be in line with the scenarios depicted in this article.
Offshore Banks - A brief definition of this term is in order. These are banks that are located in various countries around the world many being in Caribbean Island Nations. These banks have a license that enables them to only do business with people and entities (trusts and corporations) that are not from that country. The offshore jurisdiction does not trust the offshore bank to accept deposits from its citizens or corporation filed in that country. This right away should tell a moderately astute investor that he or she is perhaps not exercising the correct amount of caution when it comes to selecting a bank and an offshore jurisdiction. So the first warning sign is be careful of offshore banking licenses. A bank can be in an offshore jurisdiction and not have an offshore banking license, instead be a regularly licensed bank. Offshore bank licenses can be had in some jurisdictions with as little as a $50,000 deposit with the country issuing the license. Usually this amount is never more than $500,000 and many countries require less. As a point of comparison a regular bank operating in Panama is required to post $10,000,000 cash deposit and the owners go through a rigorous background investigation.
Bank Failure - This is a term relating to the offshore bank being unable to fulfill the demand for funds from their depositors. This can occur for a number of reasons, some bad and some not so bad. The offshore bank may have been found to be below its protective ratios and the government bank auditors or financial ministry may decide to shut the bank down in terms of money going out for a limited period of time to see if the bank can return their ratios quickly to an acceptable level. In the event the ratios return to an acceptable level the bank operation resumes normally and the depositors may not even know anything occurred.

Complaints - The way offshore bank failures generally start is with complaints to the licensing authority of the country where the bank is located stating that requests to withdraw funds are not being met by the bank. To document this the account holder generally retains legal counsel in the country where the offshore bank is located and files a formal demand for the funds to bank with a very short deadline. When this demand is not met the law firm will file a formal complaint to the offshore bank licensing authority who will generally conduct an investigation. They may have their own auditors or hire an independent team of auditors to go through the offshore bank records. They will look to see if there are any loans on the books that do not meet the guidelines for lending such as writing uncollateralized loans is usually considered an offense. Loans to the principals of the bank are another red flag. Real estate acquisitions like mansions on the island where the offshore bank is located for the bank executives to live in is another red flag as well. Usually without loans the bank would not fail to meet its ratios. When these loans go bad and there is no collateral to go after then the banks get into trouble. The complaint process is possibly the only way the government is going to know their offshore bank is in trouble and by then it may be too late, but it may not be too late. Remember we are talking about offshore banks here, not regularly licensed regular banks which are audited and watched way more closely by the government and usually by a different government agency than the agency supervising offshore banks. We as a Panama Law firm do not introduce clients to offshore banks which should tell you something.
Loss of Correspondent Bank - Sometimes the offshore bank has just lost one or more of its correspondent banks and can not execute wire transfers until it replaces the correspondent with another correspondent bank which may take several weeks. When the complaints hit the government they will investigate, see that the funds are in place and allow the offshore bank a reasonable period of time to secure another correspondent bank, checking with them for progress reports. This is a not so bad problem that will only serve to scare and inconvenience the depositors.
Offshore Bank Receivership - This is a process whereby the government agency that licenses the offshore bank takes over the offshore bank to control its operation with an eye towards saving the bank. Sometimes they are successful and well sometimes not. Often a team of professionals from a large auditing or accounting firm are brought in. Receivership practices can frequently mean that a percentage of your funds will be unavailable for withdrawal for sometime. This is to prevent a run on the offshore bank which would for sure topple it and thus cost the depositors substantial losses. You may be only able to take out say 25% of your funds. What can often happen is the depositors lose faith and take as much money out as they can and avoid putting in any more money. This usually results in the offshore bank failing totally and being shut down.

Suing the Offshore Bank - What often happens in these offshore bank receivership scenarios is some depositors get scared and act jumpy and sue the bank. The lawsuits generally involve having the court encumber or tie up an amount equal to their deposit. To accomplish this the depositors generally have to resort to deceit or twisting the truth minimally, to make the court think they were not ordinary depositors or the amount in question consisted of funds to be handled in a special exceptional manner. The way the depositors are playing their hand is get the court to hold my money before the bank goes down completely and then my funds get mixed in with all the depositors in the fracas. If one files such a lawsuit they are generally excluded from filing claims as regular creditors (depositors) of the bank in the event of a liquidation and if they lose their lawsuit (an expected occurrence if based on fraud or deceit) they can lose all. Usually several depositors will file such lawsuits if there is any official action taken against the offshore bank and this could push the offshore bank into greater difficulty and if there is a bank liquidation it will be a most complex one with a lot of depositors funds eaten up in legal fees.

Is My Money Safe? On The Soundness Of Our Banks

Banks are institutions wherein miracles happen regularly. We rarely entrust our money to anyone but ourselves - and our banks. Despite a very chequered history of mismanagement, corruption, false promises and representations, delusions and behavioural inconsistency - banks still succeed to motivate us to give them our money. Partly it is the feeling that there is safety in numbers. The fashionable term today is "moral hazard". The implicit guarantees of the state and of other financial institutions moves us to take risks which we would, otherwise, have avoided. Partly it is the sophistication of the banks in marketing and promoting themselves and their products. Glossy brochures, professional computer and video presentations and vast, shrine-like, real estate complexes all serve to enhance the image of the banks as the temples of the new religion of money.
But what is behind all this? How can we judge the soundness of our banks? In other words, how can we tell if our money is safely tucked away in a safe haven?
The reflex is to go to the bank's balance sheets. Banks and balance sheets have been both invented in their modern form in the 15th century. A balance sheet, coupled with other financial statements is supposed to provide us with a true and full picture of the health of the bank, its past and its long-term prospects. The surprising thing is that - despite common opinion - it does. The less surprising element is that it is rather useless unless you know how to read it.
Financial Statements (Income - aka Profit and Loss - Statement, Cash Flow Statement and Balance Sheet) come in many forms. Sometimes they conform to Western accounting standards (the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, GAAP, or the less rigorous and more fuzzily worded International Accounting Standards, IAS). Otherwise, they conform to local accounting standards, which often leave a lot to be desired. Still, you should look for banks, which make their updated financial reports available to you. The best choice would be a bank that is audited by one of the Big Six Western accounting firms and makes its audit reports publicly available. Such audited financial statements should consolidate the financial results of the bank with the financial results of its subsidiaries or associated companies. A lot often hides in those corners of corporate ownership.

Banks are rated by independent agencies. The most famous and most reliable of the lot is Fitch-IBCA. Another one is Thomson BankWatch-BREE. These agencies assign letter and number combinations to the banks, that reflect their stability. Most agencies differentiate the short term from the long term prospects of the banking institution rated. Some of them even study (and rate) issues, such as the legality of the operations of the bank (legal rating). Ostensibly, all a concerned person has to do, therefore, is to step up to the bank manager, muster courage and ask for the bank's rating. Unfortunately, life is more complicated than rating agencies would like us to believe. They base themselves mostly on the financial results of the bank rated, as a reliable gauge of its financial strength or financial profile. Nothing is further from the truth.
Admittedly, the financial results do contain a few important facts. But one has to look beyond the naked figures to get the real - often much less encouraging - picture.
Consider the thorny issue of exchange rates. Financial statements are calculated (sometimes stated in USD in addition to the local currency) using the exchange rate prevailing on the 31st of December of the fiscal year (to which the statements refer). In a country with a volatile domestic currency this would tend to completely distort the true picture. This is especially true if a big chunk of the activity preceded this arbitrary date. The same applies to financial statements, which were not inflation-adjusted in high inflation countries. The statements will look inflated and even reflect profits where heavy losses were incurred. "Average amounts" accounting (which makes use of average exchange rates throughout the year) is even more misleading. The only way to truly reflect reality is if the bank were to keep two sets of accounts: one in the local currency and one in USD (or in some other currency of reference). Otherwise, fictitious growth in the asset base (due to inflation or currency fluctuations) could result.
Another example: in many countries, changes in regulations can greatly effect the financial statements of a bank. In 1996, in Russia, to take an example, the Bank of Russia changed the algorithm for calculating an important banking ratio (the capital to risk weighted assets ratio). Unless a Russian bank restated its previous financial statements accordingly, a sharp change in profitability appeared from nowhere.

The net assets themselves are always misstated: the figure refers to the situation on 31/12. A 48-hour loan given to a collaborating firm can inflate the asset base on the crucial date. This misrepresentation is only mildly ameliorated by the introduction of an "average assets" calculus. Moreover, some of the assets can be interest earning and performing - others, non-performing. The maturity distribution of the assets is also of prime importance. If most of the bank's assets can be withdrawn by its clients on a very short notice (on demand) - it can swiftly find itself in trouble with a run on its assets leading to insolvency.
Another oft-used figure is the net income of the bank. It is important to distinguish interest income from non-interest income. In an open, sophisticated credit market, the income from interest differentials should be minimal and reflect the risk plus a reasonable component of income to the bank. But in many countries (Japan, Russia) the government subsidizes banks by lending to them money cheaply (through the Central Bank or through bonds). The banks then proceed to lend the cheap funds at exorbitant rates to their customers, thus reaping enormous interest income. In many countries the income from government securities is tax free, which represents another form of subsidy. A high income from interest is a sign of weakness, not of health, here today, there tomorrow. The preferred indicator should be income from operations (fees, commissions and other charges).

There are a few key ratios to observe. A relevant question is whether the bank is accredited with international banking agencies. The latter issue regulatory capital requirements and other defined ratios. Compliance with these demands is a minimum in the absence of which, the bank should be regarded as positively dangerous.
The return on the bank's equity (ROE) is the net income divided by its average equity. The return on the bank's assets (ROA) is its net income divided by its average assets. The (tier 1 or total) capital divided by the bank's risk weighted assets - a measure of the bank's capital adequacy. Most banks follow the provisions of the Basel Accord as set by the Basel Committee of Bank Supervision (also known as the G10). This could be misleading because the Accord is ill equipped to deal with risks associated with emerging markets, where default rates of 33% and more are the norm. Finally, there is the common stock to total assets ratio. But ratios are not cure-alls. Inasmuch as the quantities that comprise them can be toyed with - they can be subject to manipulation and distortion. It is true that it is better to have high ratios than low ones. High ratios are indicative of a bank's underlying strength of reserves and provisions and, thereby, of its ability to expand its business. A strong bank can also participate in various programs, offerings and auctions of the Central Bank or of the Ministry of Finance. The more of the bank's earnings are retained in the bank and not distributed as profits to its shareholders - the better these ratios and the bank's resilience to credit risks. Still, these ratios should be taken with more than a grain of salt. Not even the bank's profit margin (the ratio of net income to total income) or its asset utilization coefficient (the ratio of income to average assets) should be relied upon. They could be the result of hidden subsidies by the government and management misjudgement or understatement of credit risks.

Royal Entrepreneurship - The Case of Royal Bank Zimbabwe Ltd Formation

The deregulation of the financial services in the late 1990s resulted in an explosion of entrepreneurial activity leading to the formation of banking institutions. This chapter presents a case study of Royal Bank Zimbabwe, tracing its origins, establishment, and the challenges that the founders faced on the journey. The Bank was established in 2002 but compulsorily amalgamated into another financial institution at the behest of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in January 2005.
Entrepreneurial Origins
Any entrepreneurial venture originates in the mind of the entrepreneur. As Stephen Covey states in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, all things are created twice. Royal Bank was created first in the mind of Jeffrey Mzwimbi, the founder, and was thus shaped by his experiences and philosophy.
Jeff Mzwimbi grew up in the high density suburb of Highfield, Harare. On completion of his Advanced Level he secured a place at the University of Botswana. However he decided against the academic route at that time since his family faced financial challenges in terms of his tuition. He therefore opted to join the work force. In 1977 he was offered a job in Barclays Bank as one of the first blacks to penetrate that industry. At that time the banking industry, which had been the preserve of whites, was opening up to blacks. Barclays had a new General Manager, John Mudd, who had been involved in the Africanisation of Barclays Bank Nigeria. On his secondment to Zimbabwe he embarked on the inclusion of blacks into the bank. Mzwimbi's first placement with Barclays was in the small farming town of Chegutu.
In 1981, a year after Independence, Jeff moved to Syfrets Merchant Bank. Mzwimbi, together with Simba Durajadi and Rindai Jaravaza, were the first black bankers to break into merchant banking department. He rose through the ranks until he was transferred to the head office of Zimbank - the principal shareholder of Syfrets - where he headed the international division until 1989.
The United Nations co-opted him as an advisor to the Reserve Bank in Burundi and thereafter, having been pleased by his performance, appointed him a consultant in 1990. In this capacity he advised on the launch of the PTA Bank travellers' cheques. After the consultancy project the bank appointed him to head the implementation of the programme. He once again excelled and rose to become the Director of Trade Finance with a mandate of advising the bank on ways to improve trade among member states. The member states were considering issues of a common currency and common market in line with the European model. Because the IFC and World Bank had unsuccessfully sunk gigantic sums of funds into development in the region, they were advocating a move from development finance to trade finance. Consequently PTA Bank, though predominantly a development bank, created a trade finance department. To craft a strategy for trade finance at a regional level, Mzwimbi and his team visited Panama where the Central Americans had created a trade finance institution. They studied its models and used it as a basis to craft the PTA's own strategy.
Mzwimbi returned to Zimbabwe at the conclusion of his contract. He weighed his options. He could rejoin Barclays Bank, but recent developments presented another option. At that time Nick Vingirai had just returned home after successfully launching a discount house in Ghana. Vingirai, inspired by his Ghanaian experience, established Intermarket Discount House as the first indigenous financial institution. A few years later NMB was set up with William Nyemba, Francis Zimuto and James Mushore being on the ground while one of the major forces behind the bank, Julias Makoni, was still outside the country. Makoni had just moved from IFC to Bankers' Trust, to facilitate his ownership of a financial institution. Inspired by fellow bankers, a dream took shape in Mzwimbi's mind. Why become an employee when he could become a bank owner? After all by this time he had valuable international experience.
The above experience shows how the entrepreneurial dream can originate from viewing the successes of others like you. The valuable experiences acquired by Mzwimbi would be critical on the entrepreneurial journey. An entrepreneurial idea builds on the experiences of the entrepreneur.
First Attempts
In 1990 Jeff Mzwimbi was approached by Nick Vingirai, who was then Chairman of the newly resuscitated CBZ, for the CEO position. Mzwimbi turned down the offer since he still had some contractual obligations. The post was later offered to Gideon Gono, the current RBZ governor.

Around 1994, Julias Makoni (then with IFC), who was a close friend of Roger Boka, encouraged Boka to start a merchant bank. At this time Makoni was working at setting up his own NMB. It is possible that, by encouraging Boka to start, he was trying to test the waters. Then Mzwimbi was seeing out the last of his contract at PTA. Boka approached him at the recommendation of Julias Makoni and asked him to help set up United Merchant Bank (UMB). On careful consideration, the banker in Mzwimbi accepted the offer. He reasoned that it would be an interesting option and at the same time he did not want to turn down another opportunity. He worked on the project with a view to its licensing but quit three months down the line. Some of the methods used by the promoter of UMB were deemed less than ethical for the banking executive, which led to disagreement. He left and accepted an offer from Econet to help restructure its debt portfolio.

Bankers' Banks- The Role of Central Banks in Banking Crises

Central banks are relatively new inventions. An American President (Andrew Jackson) even cancelled its country's central bank in the nineteenth century because he did not think that it was very important. But things have changed since. Central banks today are the most important feature of the financial systems of most countries of the world.
Central banks are a bizarre hybrids. Some of their functions are identical to the functions of regular, commercial banks. Other functions are unique to the central bank. On certain functions it has an absolute legal monopoly.
Central banks take deposits from other banks and, in certain cases, from foreign governments which deposit their foreign exchange and gold reserves for safekeeping (for instance, with the Federal Reserve Bank of the USA). The Central Bank invests the foreign exchange reserves of the country while trying to maintain an investment portfolio similar to the trade composition of its client - the state. The Central bank also holds onto the gold reserves of the country. Most central banks have lately tried to get rid of their gold, due to its ever declining prices. Since the gold is registered in their books in historical values, central banks are showing a handsome profit on this line of activity. Central banks (especially the American one) also participate in important, international negotiations. If they do not do so directly - they exert influence behind the scenes. The German Bundesbank virtually dictated Germany's position in the negotiations leading to the Maastricht treaty. It forced the hands of its co-signatories to agree to strict terms of accession into the Euro single currency project. The Bunbdesbank demanded that a country's economy be totally stable (low debt ratios, low inflation) before it is accepted as part of the Euro. It is an irony of history that Germany itself is not eligible under these criteria and cannot be accepted as a member in the club whose rules it has assisted to formulate.
But all these constitute a secondary and marginal portion of a central banks activities.
The main function of a modern central bank is the monitoring and regulation of interest rates in the economy. The central bank does this by changing the interest rates that it charges on money that it lends to the banking system through its "discount windows". Interest rates is supposed to influence the level of economic activity in the economy. This supposed link has not unequivocally proven by economic research. Also, there usually is a delay between the alteration of interest rates and the foreseen impact on the economy. This makes assessment of the interest rate policy difficult. Still, central banks use interest rates to fine tune the economy. Higher interest rates - lower economic activity and lower inflation. The reverse is also supposed to be true. Even shifts of a quarter of a percentage point are sufficient to send the stock exchanges tumbling together with the bond markets. In 1994 a long term trend of increase in interest rate commenced in the USA, doubling interest rates from 3 to 6 percent. Investors in the bond markets lost 1 trillion (=1000 billion!) USD in 1 year. Even today, currency traders all around the world dread the decisions of the Bundesbank and sit with their eyes glued to the trading screen on days in which announcements are expected.
Interest rates is only the latest fad. Prior to this - and under the influence of the Chicago school of economics - central banks used to monitor and manipulate money supply aggregates. Simply put, they would sell bonds to the public (and, thus absorb liquid means, money) - or buy from the public (and, thus, inject liquidity). Otherwise, they would restrict the amount of printed money and limit the government's ability to borrow. Even prior to that fashion there was a widespread belief in the effectiveness of manipulating exchange rates. This was especially true where exchange controls were still being implemented and the currency was not fully convertible. Britain removed its exchange controls only as late as 1979. The USD was pegged to a (gold) standard (and, thus not really freely tradable) as late as 1971. Free flows of currencies are a relatively new thing and their long absence reflects this wide held superstition of central banks. Nowadays, exchange rates are considered to be a "soft" monetary instrument and are rarely used by central banks. The latter continue, though, to intervene in the trading of currencies in the international and domestic markets usually to no avail and while losing their credibility in the process. Ever since the ignominious failure in implementing the infamous Louvre accord in 1985 currency intervention is considered to be a somewhat rusty relic of old ways of thinking.
Central banks are heavily enmeshed in the very fabric of the commercial banking system. They perform certain indispensable services for the latter. In most countries, interbank payments pass through the central bank or through a clearing organ which is somehow linked or reports to the central bank. All major foreign exchange transactions pass through - and, in many countries, still must be approved by - the central bank. Central banks regulate banks, licence their owners, supervise their operations, keenly observes their liquidity. The central bank is the lender of last resort in cases of insolvency or illiquidity.
The frequent claims of central banks all over the world that they were surprised by a banking crisis looks, therefore, dubious at best. No central bank can say that it had no early warning signs, or no access to all the data - and keep a straight face while saying so. Impending banking crises give out signs long before they erupt. These signs ought to be detected by a reasonably managed central bank. Only major neglect could explain a surprise on behalf of a central bank.

Spank the Bank! Confronting the Biggest Bully in the Neighborhood!

It is an unspoken reality that for those of us making our living in the real estate industry, we unfortunately continue to have to work in the "short sale" arena. I say unfortunately for a number of reasons, but first and foremost is the fact that as realtors we see firsthand how traumatic it is for the homeowner and the buyer when a short sale transaction becomes a casualty of disorganized corporate banking staff and understaffed bank short sale offices.
The issues of the short sale "nightmare" were, and continue to be, promulgated almost specifically by the banks themselves. It has created a growing and aggressive stealth movement towards forcing the banks to start being good neighbors with the real estate industry.
Anecdotally, in two very recent short sale transactions with major banks, (the lien-holders of the respective properties), none of the professionals on the realty side involved with the transaction, (realtors, title agents or closing coordinators), could get anyone at the bank's short sales offices to respond to communications or queries of any sort. Phone calls, emails, faxes, and even an outreach by courier... "Holy Foreclosure Batman, I smell a rat!"

In one case the short sale price had been approved by the bank, the buyer had made a full price offer, the contract was fully executed, the home was vacant, (on a very short leash for foreclosure), and we still could not get the bank to respond! For two months we could get no answer of any sort from the bank or their representatives! It is an extremely unfortunate, but well known issue, (there is no doubt that all of the realtors out there are shaking their heads with the same nightmare stories of their own)... it's got to stop!
Approaching the point at which this particular home was about to go on the chopping block at the county courthouse, the selling agent, (and myself on the buyers side), decided to take matters into our own hands and become more "proactive" at getting the bank's reps to respond. We made a very aggressive effort to reach out to the people at the bank's senior management level who COULD make a decision, while also convincing them of the need to respond.

Drafting an email to the CEO of the bank, along with a number of members of his board of Directors, VP of Short Sales, and numerous other banking officials, we started moving forward in short order to alert these officers to the shenanigans of their local office. After looking over that email with a fine tooth comb and making a number of changes, the email was sent to all of the bank officials and board members, copying the local bank short sale reps, (remember, the ones who refused to respond to our queries).
In a matter of hours, literally, after sending that email, we had numerous calls from the bank CEO's office wondering why we were having problems and what they could do to help. Due to this "re-energized" focus on this case we ended up closing the sale only days later... after two months of senseless inactivity and non-response on the part of the bank office assigned to handle the case.

This particular situation ended up working out for the buyer and seller, but unfortunately it was just one of thousands of these cases occurring daily nationwide. The big banks and their short sales offices literally BULLY everyone involved in a short sale transaction, from realtors to title and closing agents, to the homeowners themselves! Why?... well, for the same reason a dog chases its tail, because they can! They know they can just refuse to answer any queries in reference to a particular transaction, and there is very little, if anything, that anyone in the real estate industry could do about it, (up till now). Think about it. What other phone numbers would you call? What other fax number would you use? What other contact point do you have? You all know the drill, and it's not pretty.
Remember how we hated bullies in grade school? To be more specific, who do you know that doesn't hate a bully? I always have and always will. Realtors and others in industries dependent on real estate sales must come together as a group to put pressure on our elected representatives to create better legislation to force banks to behave! We cannot continue to allow the biggest bullies on the real estate block to continue making their own rules to the detriment of the rest of the country and entire industries.
Obviously, the banking industry hasn't received the message loud and clear that the citizens of this country are sick and tired of the crass, unresponsive way in which banks are handling their affairs... and specifically in this case, the administrative issues and transactions with short sales.

Short sale homeowners are certainly not happy that big corporate banks earning billions of net profit per quarter, are having their homes foreclosed on, in many cases, due to the shoddy, unprofessional work ethic, and haughty bank employees simply refusing to respond to realtors, title agents, closing coordinators and homeowners.
Obviously not all bank employees are "haughty" and / or have a poor work ethic. Unfortunately, I haven't worked a short sale yet, nor have I spoken with a realtor who doesn't agree that in almost every case at some point in the game one of those "special" bank employees ends up being an integral part of why the transaction is not moving forward.

Overview of Zimbabwean Banking Sector (Part One)

Entrepreneurs build their business within the context of an environment which they sometimes may not be able to control. The robustness of an entrepreneurial venture is tried and tested by the vicissitudes of the environment. Within the environment are forces that may serve as great opportunities or menacing threats to the survival of the entrepreneurial venture. Entrepreneurs need to understand the environment within which they operate so as to exploit emerging opportunities and mitigate against potential threats.
This article serves to create an understanding of the forces at play and their effect on banking entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe. A brief historical overview of banking in Zimbabwe is carried out. The impact of the regulatory and economic environment on the sector is assessed. An analysis of the structure of the banking sector facilitates an appreciation of the underlying forces in the industry.
Historical Background
At independence (1980) Zimbabwe had a sophisticated banking and financial market, with commercial banks mostly foreign owned. The country had a central bank inherited from the Central Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland at the winding up of the Federation.
For the first few years of independence, the government of Zimbabwe did not interfere with the banking industry. There was neither nationalisation of foreign banks nor restrictive legislative interference on which sectors to fund or the interest rates to charge, despite the socialistic national ideology. However, the government purchased some shareholding in two banks. It acquired Nedbank's 62% of Rhobank at a fair price when the bank withdrew from the country. The decision may have been motivated by the desire to stabilise the banking system. The bank was re-branded as Zimbank. The state did not interfere much in the operations of the bank. The State in 1981 also partnered with Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) as a 49% shareholder in a new commercial bank, Bank of Credit and Commerce Zimbabwe (BCCZ). This was taken over and converted to Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) when BCCI collapsed in 1991 over allegations of unethical business practices.
This should not be viewed as nationalisation but in line with state policy to prevent company closures. The shareholdings in both Zimbank and CBZ were later diluted to below 25% each.
In the first decade, no indigenous bank was licensed and there is no evidence that the government had any financial reform plan. Harvey (n.d., page 6) cites the following as evidence of lack of a coherent financial reform plan in those years:
- In 1981 the government stated that it would encourage rural banking services, but the plan was not implemented.
- In 1982 and 1983 a Money and Finance Commission was proposed but never constituted.
- By 1986 there was no mention of any financial reform agenda in the Five Year National Development Plan.
Harvey argues that the reticence of government to intervene in the financial sector could be explained by the fact that it did not want to jeopardise the interests of the white population, of which banking was an integral part. The country was vulnerable to this sector of the population as it controlled agriculture and manufacturing, which were the mainstay of the economy. The State adopted a conservative approach to indigenisation as it had learnt a lesson from other African countries, whose economies nearly collapsed due to forceful eviction of the white community without first developing a mechanism of skills transfer and capacity building into the black community. The economic cost of inappropriate intervention was deemed to be too high. Another plausible reason for the non- intervention policy was that the State, at independence, inherited a highly controlled economic policy, with tight exchange control mechanisms, from its predecessor. Since control of foreign currency affected control of credit, the government by default, had a strong control of the sector for both economic and political purposes; hence it did not need to interfere.
Financial Reforms
However, after 1987 the government, at the behest of multilateral lenders, embarked on an Economic and Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP). As part of this programme the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) started advocating financial reforms through liberalisation and deregulation. It contended that the oligopoly in banking and lack of competition, deprived the sector of choice and quality in service, innovation and efficiency. Consequently, as early as 1994 the RBZ Annual Report indicates the desire for greater competition and efficiency in the banking sector, leading to banking reforms and new legislation that would:
- allow for the conduct of prudential supervision of banks along international best practice
- allow for both off-and on-site bank inspections to increase RBZ's Banking Supervision function and
- enhance competition, innovation and improve service to the public from banks.
Subsequently the Registrar of Banks in the Ministry of Finance, in liaison with the RBZ, started issuing licences to new players as the financial sector opened up. From the mid-1990s up to December 2003, there was a flurry of entrepreneurial activity in the financial sector as indigenous owned banks were set up. The graph below depicts the trend in the numbers of financial institutions by category, operating since 1994. The trend shows an initial increase in merchant banks and discount houses, followed by decline. The increase in commercial banks was initially slow, gathering momentum around 1999. The decline in merchant banks and discount houses was due to their conversion, mostly into commercial banks.
Source: RBZ Reports
Different entrepreneurs used varied methods to penetrate the financial services sector. Some started advisory services and then upgraded into merchant banks, while others started stockbroking firms, which were elevated into discount houses.
From the beginning of the liberalisation of the financial services up to about 1997 there was a notable absence of locally owned commercial banks. Some of the reasons for this were:
- Conservative licensing policy by the Registrar of Financial Institutions since it was risky to licence indigenous owned commercial banks without an enabling legislature and banking supervision experience.
- Banking entrepreneurs opted for non-banking financial institutions as these were less costly in terms of both initial capital requirements and working capital. For example a merchant bank would require less staff, would not need banking halls, and would have no need to deal in costly small retail deposits, which would reduce overheads and reduce the time to register profits. There was thus a rapid increase in non-banking financial institutions at this time, e.g. by 1995 five of the ten merchant banks had commenced within the previous two years. This became an entry route of choice into commercial banking for some, e.g. Kingdom Bank, NMB Bank and Trust Bank.

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We are famous for being the Site Sleeper market leader; however we also provide a wide range of facility units that meet the varied needs of our customers. The current range includes: Original Sleeper Deluxe Sleeper Original Diner Deluxe Toilet Toilet Block Deluxe Shower & Toilet Twin Shower A range of optional extras for your individual needs Every Bunkabin unit is built to meet exacting standards, providing portable accommodation of the highest quality - they offer you comfort and security for complete peace of mind. All our units are manufactured and maintained at our purpose-built factory in Manchester. We genuinely believe our ability to constantly improve our products with feedback from our hire fleet gives us an unrivalled advantage. We are passionate to make hiring as easy as possible, from the first promptly answered phone call through to the collection of the units at the end of hire. Our fleet of fully equipped Site Service vehicles are ready to respond nationwide to any problems that may arise. Our fundamental principle is to "treat customers how we would want to be treated". The hire industry is quickly gaining a reputation for dishing out petty end-of-hire cleaning/damage charges. We are different, we don't expect the unit to come back spotless and understand there will be some wear and tear. We will charge for damage but I'm sure you'll agree that is only fair. Versatile and convenient are the key words that sum up all our facility units, they can be utilised wherever there is a need for temporary accommodation and are used across a diverse range of applications: Construction sites Hotel development Student accommodation Security staff accommodation Events Agriculture Bunkabin facility units are available for delivery nationwide from our two depots; Manchester and Dunstable (Near Luton, London). Most other cabin hire companies use solely sub-contract transport. Nnt us. We believe that we can only truly provide exceptional customer service if we deliver our units on our state-of-the-art vehicles with our experienced safety conscious drivers. It is becoming less acceptable for construction workers to live in a caravan. A caravan camp is not only unsightly but they pose a deadly Carbon Monoxide Risk. Bunkabins can be seen as a safe, neat caravan substitute eliminating Carbon Monoxide risk as they are powered only by electricity.

Agile Banking - Managing the Challenge of Change

Business Agility
Business agility is the ability of a business to adapt rapidly and cost efficiently in response to changes in the business environment. Business agility can be attained by maintaining and adapting goods and services to meet customer demands, adjusting to the changes in a business environment and taking advantage of human resources.
Agility in Banking

Agility in the context of banking doesn't mean just speed in execution; it also means that the bank is nimble and flexible. Agility helps the bank to win a marathon, as opposed to a hundred meter dash.
A bank, which is agile, will be able to roll out new products at a much more rapid pace to meet the target of treating each customer as a segment of one. This rapid product development and rollout can be managed only if the bank is backed by a clear process strategy to handle product complexity and accompanying growth. This combination of product and process in an agile bank is expected to increase the quality of customer experience, which can be benchmarked using a metric of growth combined with stickiness. By growth, we mean that a bank is able to attract new customers as well as more business from existing customers. High stickiness means low customer attrition.
Hence, agility helps a bank to streamline its process such that it can roll out newer products at a rapid pace to increase the quality of customer experience, and thereby retain existing customers and attract new ones.
Types of Agility
Agility can be classified in two ways. A bank can be either Range Agile or Time Agile.

Range Agility defines the ability of the bank to broaden or shrink specific aspects of its capabilities. This also implies that the bank is able to increase or decrease the portfolio of its products and services. This can happen by simultaneously expanding or shrinking the bank's processes and the capabilities of its people. A range agile bank will also be able to tap new and emerging platforms and channels like Social Media, which can be used to crowd source the development of products that can cater to the needs of a particular segment.
Time Agility defines the speed with which a bank can roll out new products and services to take care of the varying needs of customers. For a bank to be time agile, the processes and systems that underlie operations should be capable of handling the frequent changes in the bank's offerings. The use of state-of-the-art banking solutions will enable the bank to turn around newer products quickly and manage diverse products and services as time progresses.
Challenge of Change
Hence, an agile bank is one that is on the move and constantly undergoing change. An agile bank will also have a large number of alliances with partners who contribute to various parts of the product and service offering. The way the change is managed will determine whether the bank succeeds at increasing customer satisfaction and profitability or ends up with a large number of offerings that add to the chaos, but not to customer satisfaction.
Some of the key steps on the journey towards agility, which will help in managing the challenge of change, are as follows:
Identify the Change Driver

The need for agility in a bank can arise from a change driver. This change driver can be internal or external. External change drivers arise from factors over which the bank has almost no control, like a reduction in margin because of a hike in interest rates, or an increased regulatory compliance burden on account of heightened Central Bank norms. Internal change drivers can arise from factors such as merger and acquisition or a reduction in workforce. The driver of agility needs to be identified and communicated clearly within the bank and to all its stakeholders.
Identify the Agility Enablers
After identifying the change drivers, the bank needs to identify the agility enablers against each. The current and target states need to be identified for each of these drivers as well as the enablers that will take the bank to its target. For instance, the loss of customers due to the unavailability of mobile banking, can be a change driver. The agility enabler in this case could be the adoption of a new technology solution for Mobile Banking. Another driver could be the need to reduce the waiting time at the teller window. The agility enabler in this case could be service automation through an ATM or kiosk, supported by IT infrastructure at the backend.
Strategy Formulation and People Management
The top management of the bank needs to identify the strategy for each of these enablers and communicate the same to the unit or department concerned. In each unit, a core team must be formed to manage the transition, as well as communicate with the people within. More often, the strategy formulated by the bank must encompass the change in its technology landscape. The bank might replace the legacy systems with the latest Banking system to cover its end to end operations. This might necessitate developing the skills of the bank's employees. Hence, every strategy formulated to reach the target state of an agility enabler must consider the people dimension, especially from the standpoint of minimizing chaos.

A Tale of Two Companies and Their Banks

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was... ", well, you get the picture. Over the past several months I've been consulting with two separate companies as an outsourced CFO. Both companies need bank financing to stabilize their operations and achieve growth, both companies have struggled through trying economic times, both companies know they need to invest in processes, procedures and personnel in order to grow and achieve desired returns for their owners. I want to share with you how these two companies have been working through the process of structuring bank loans, hiring personnel and investing in internal systems in order to develop companies that can deliver desired shareholder returns. But first, some background information.
Company A has been in existence for just over 4 years. The company acquired the assets of an existing business and in the first 3 years grew the operations in excess of 15% per year. Coupled with a strategic acquisition, Company A is now almost twice the size of the business it acquired.
Margins have been good and the company has been able to distribute cash to the owner each year. With the rapid rise in the business the company was stretching its internal processes and personnel to the limit. Additionally, existing systems and equipment needed to be upgraded in order to support future growth.
In the middle of year 4 the storm clouds began forming for Company A. The company needed to hire additional personnel to manage the growth it had experienced and to support anticipated continued increases in revenue.
Unfortunately the rapid rise of the business meant that woefully stressed systems and personnel lead to quality lapses which resulted in several large customers leaving for competitors. Additionally, two management team members left the company and started a competing business. They took other customers by offering cheaper prices for similar services. Hurried investments in capital equipment th`t were designed to reduce labor costs were being run inefficiently and had resulted in large increases in supply expense. Company A was now losing money and needed to make changes quickly in order to right the ship. Additionally, the company's current bank debt needed to be refinanced in order to alleviate cash flow concerns.
Company B has been in existence for just over 5 years. The company was a start-up that the owner was able to bootstrap to achieve recurring revenue levels that allowed the company to achieve profitability quickly. Cash flow was the focus and the company had been able to return cash to the owner each year. The company had been built with the owner overseeing all strategic initiatives and managing all activities of the company. As the company grew the operations of the business could no longer be effectively managed by an individual person.
During year 5 the owner of Company B realized that experienced personnel needed to be brought on board to effectively manage the business. Prior growth had been funded through customer advance payments and the company had no bank debt.
As recurring revenue was building it was time to make the appropriate investments in personnel and systems in order to take the company to the next level. Personnel hiring would be critically managed and coincide with incoming cash in order to manage the new expenses on a cash positive basis. New customer opportunities were growing and would be funded in part by bank debt along with customer advance payments. Company B was beginning to show profitable operations and needed to make the right investments in order to manage growth.
Both companies needed assistance in order to manage through the difficult times they were experiencing. So which one would fair better in discussions with the bank given their circumstances?
Things were looking rather bleak for Company A. Various missteps resulted in losing customers and allowing former management team members to start a competing business. Personnel were hired too late to alleviate quality concerns and now there were too many employees to support the existing business. Capital equipment investments that were supposed to reduce labor costs had dramatically increased supply costs and further draining cash from the company. Current bank terms had put the company in a position where the line of credit was continuing to increase because of the losses from operations. The company needed to refinance existing bank agreements in order to avert a situation that could cripple the business.
In order to see how Company A managed through this difficult time, we have to look back to when the company was initially formed. At that time the new owner realized that there was a unique opportunity to grow the business quickly based on the business environment. This meant that it was imperative from the beginning to have a core management team lead by a strong CEO. The CEO knew that it was important to develop strong banking relationships and put in place processes for managing the financial performance of the business. The new owner put cash in the business to fund a substantial portion of the acquisition and the CEO negotiated the banking relationship. The bank provided term debt to help fund the transaction and a line of credit to finance working capital needs.
Because the new owner put adequate cash in the business, the bank didn't require any personal guarantees related to the loans and financial covenants were set at reasonable levels. Company A was required to have annual audits as part of the bank financing but this was something the new owner and CEO viewed as necessary for the business even if it wasn't a bank requirement.

When difficult times hit, Company A had a good track record with the bank and had made substantial principal payments on the existing term debt facilities. The CEO met periodically with the bank to explain what the company was going through and what management was doing to address those issues, including bringing in an experienced CFO to assist in working through the tight liquidity situation. The CEO and CFO showed the bank that there were adequate assets in the company to refinance the existing debt and line of credit in order to free up cash flow. Personnel levels were reduced primarily through attrition but through this process the company was actually able to upgrade the quality of the overall workforce. The company worked with the manufacturer of the new equipment to address the issues that had lead to increased supply costs and was able to fix those issues over a few months.

Offshore Online Banking Guide - Critical Information You Must Know

There are several legal and regulatory compliance implications with offshore banking that I'd like to cover in this article. However, please don't construe information on this site as legal guidance. I am providing this information for free based on my own experiences. Please consult your professional attorney or CPA (accountant) before you get involved with offshore internet banking.
What is an Offshore Bank
To be over simplistic, an offshore bank is a financial institution outside the shores of your country. If you are in Australia, a bank in the United States is an offshore bank to you. If you are in the United States, a bank in Singapore is an offshore bank to you. Therefore, the idea of offshore banking is relative.
A business or an individual, in this case you, may select an offshore bank account in a jurisdiction that is typically favorable in terms of taxes (often referred to as a tax haven by media), as well as in terms of legalities. In addition to choosing a jurisdiction with no to little income tax, for many, privacy and "secrecy" of banking activities are two of the bigger key considerations.
It goes without saying that access to your funds is important, as well as protection from corruption and stability in terms of certainty.
List of Common Offshore Online Banking Services
This is a brief list of services offered by offshore banks. This list is by no means a full comprehensive list of an offshore bank's offerings, but rather a list of some of the most common offshore online banking services that businesses and individuals are offered:

• Remote Deposits of funds
• Direct Deposits of funds
• ACH / Wire Transfers / EFT - Electronic Fund Transfers
• Consumer and Commercial Lending
• All Basic Credit Activities
• Access to Capital - Offshore Debit Cards
• Forex - Currency Exchange
• Wealth Management
• Offshore Trading Account
• Offshore Brokerage Account
• Administrative Services
• Trustee Services

Note: Offshore banks typically tend to focus on either consumer or commercial banking. Within consumer, banks differentiate between retail consumer (the average individual) or private banking (meant for high net worth individuals).
Because each concentration involves a different cost structure from the bank's perspective, when selecting an offshore bank for yourself, be clear on what type of consumer you are and what offshore online banking services you need. Gaining this clarity will ensure you are not disappointed in your choice.
List of Common Offshore Banks
No doubt the two most common names in offshore online banking are Switzerland and Cayman Islands. Just pick up any business journal or pop in a business based Hollywood flick. There is likely a mention of a Swiss bank account somewhere.
This is because as of at least 2012, these two jurisdictions held the most number of total deposits amongst all offshore online banks. Some other jurisdictions that offer offshore online banking are the following:

• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Panama
• Cook Islands
• Dominica
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Antigua
• Malaysia
• Anguilla
• New Zealand
• Luxembourg
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cyprus
• Cook Islands
• Channel Islands
• Monaco
• Mauritius
• Hong Kong
• Malta
• Macau
• Regulating Offshore Online Banking

With complexity comes increasing regulation. The regulation around offshore online banking activities has steadily increased over the years, but according to many of its supporters it is still not enough. This means much more is in the pipelines. Regulation has particularly increased significantly after the significant events of September 11, 2011.
Regulatory guidance is issued and monitored by global bodies such as the International Monetary Fund or the IMF, who require financial institutions worldwide to maintain a certain level of operating or performance standard, specifically in terms of capital adequacy and liquidity. These key performance indicators are to be reported by banks on a quarterly basis to its designated regulator (such as the Fed or the FDIC in the United States).

The list of regulations is endless and quite comprehensive to say the least. Some notables are the Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulation and the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). These acts require banks and financial institutions to immediately report suspicious activity resembling money laundering to local government authorities despite stepping out of the BSA jurisdiction.
Another example is the information sharing requirements between a certain group of countries with regards to capital flow and taxation which was initiated by members of the European Union. On the other side of the pond, the taxing body of the United States, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires financial institutions to report to it names of businesses and individuals who benefited from interest income resulting from deposits in US based institutions.
The most notable in my opinion of recently enacted regulations is the US Patriot Act, which permits the US Government to seize all assets of a financial institution if it suspects that the institution holds assets that belong to a potential criminal. Several other countries have since followed suit.
I personally feel these regulations strengthen the global banking infrastructure. But then again I am just one person. There are others who feel in all sorts of ways about offshore online banking.

Interesting Fact: Did you know that just until the 1990s, individuals were allowed to create their very own offshore banks. This practice was stopped and now only large institutions are allowed to do so.

The Emergence of Online Banking

There was a day when personal banking required a trip to the bank, standing in often long lines, and making a transaction via a bank teller. Money was accessible only at a brick and mortar location. Any financial needs not taken care of by the end of the business day would have to wait until the next. Access to one's money was dictated largely by the bank's hours of operation.
Times have changed. Today, with the advent of the Internet, accessibility to one's finances is more convenient than ever. With online banking there are no long lines or gas-guzzling drives to the bank. Transactions, bill payment and ordering new checks can all be accomplished with the click of a button in the comfort of one's own home. ATMs allow instant access to cash. For some people, there is no brick and mortar bank behind their online accounts - their banking is conducted entirely with an Internet bank.
In fact, online banking has become the preferred transaction method for most of America's banking customers. While an online transaction can take just under three minutes, it can take nearly 10 minutes at a bank to conduct that same transaction due to waiting in line and interacting with a branch teller.

While some may have questioned the validity of online banking in the 1990s, it has proven to be one of the most valuable assets banks can offer their customers today. While fewer than one in seven Americans were online in 1995, two out of every three Americans are online today, according recent statistics. Americans are surfing the web, conducting e-commerce, and examining their bank statements from their personal computers at rates much faster than in the time those things could be accomplished apart from a computer.

With the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, confidence in this new form of collecting and transferring information was an obvious pathway for banks to pursue. It gave bank customers what they never had before -- access to their money 24/7. Features have become more sophisticated and user friendly through the decade. Today's banks offer online banking services which allow users to conduct a variety of transactions - everything from account to account transfers and paying bills to applying for a loan or making an investment. Especially convenient, online banking allows users to instantly view their accounts, balance the books, and monitor spending. And with the use of personal finance programs, data can be easily imported making personal financial management easier than ever. Some banking programs even allow users to monitor all of their accounts at one site regardless if they are with their main bank or with another institution.
Online banking has also opened doors for those shopping for a loan. Online lenders make applying for a loan easy and convenient, including everything a customers needs to make an application, including application forms and instant assistance on their website. The success of these types of services have allowed consumers to seek the best terms and have brought about a new level of competition between banks looking to expand their bottom line.

One of the most important features to the growth of online banking has been the development of protection barriers to safeguard users and their money. Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and/or passwords have allowed users to authenticate and protect accounts and transactions.

Indeed, the Internet has proven to be a powerful and growing tool for today's consumers. Through it, online banking has provided customers more control over their finances and freed up time that would have been spent standing in a bank line. But as with many things, precaution and education are important elements for online banking customers. At the end of the day, online banking succeeds only with the vigilance of the banks and their customers.

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