How can some traditional banks offer free checking and savings accounts when we all know that nothing in life is free? Banks spend money on debit cards, statements, and the digital infrastructure needed to support these processes to execute online payments and transactions.

How do banks earn a profit with so many free and cheap services?

There was a time when banks were able to offer high-yield savings accounts in addition to free services, and these accounts paid out considerable returns, like 4% or more! Although these high-yield accounts are still available, the rewards they provide are no longer as substantial. Today, high-yield accounts pay just a little more than 1%.

Is There Such A Thing As A Bank?

If a bank accepts deposits from consumers (like you and me), it can provide loans based on that money, which is legal. A typical bank’s primary role serves as an intermediary between customers and financial institutions.

There are various banking options available to suit the needs of different customers. Certain banks function as regulatory agencies for national governments, while others focus on serving individual investors and clients.

How Do Banks Make a Living?

I’ll discuss the differences between commercial and retail banks in this piece. The brick-and-mortar businesses are the subject of this piece, as many financial institutions make money in various ways (such as through investments).

Banks use three primary sources of income to generate revenue. Net interest margins, fees, and interchange generate their revenue.

Banks, to put it simply, are businesses that take your money and turn a profit. By placing your money in a bank account, you essentially give the bank a free loan to do with what they want.

Your bank account balance indeed remains the same, but that’s all they are: digital numbers or IOUs. It’s possible that the money you deposited was used to pay off another person’s loan.

When protecting your money, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) provides up to $250,000 in coverage. The federal government does not insure $50,000 of your money if you have $300,000 in cash in the bank (even though you should invest it).

Net Interest Margin (NIM)

Net interest margin refers to the methods above by which a bank generates revenue and compensates customers for using their funds. When consumers regularly deposit money into their bank accounts, the institution uses it to fund loans with annual percentage rates attached to them.

A typical bank’s principal funding strategy is the money it makes from these loans, which it then lends to other borrowers as additional income.

A portion of this money is paid to the bank’s customers through interest payments on their savings accounts. In this case, the net interest margin refers to the difference between the money banks earn from interest and the interest they pay out to customers.