What is the main source of income for banks ?

A bank is a business organisation engaged in the business of borrowing and lending money. A bank can earn income only if it borrows at a lower rate and lends at a higher rate. The difference between the two rates will represent the costs incurred by the bank and the profit.

Bank also provides a number of services to its customers for which it charges commission. This is also an important source of income. The followings are the various sources of a banks profit:

The main function of a commercial bank is to borrow money for the purpose of lending at a higher rate of interest. Bank grants various types of loans to the industrialists and traders. The yields from loans constitute the major portion of the income of a bank. The banks grant loans generally for short periods. But now the banks also advance call loans which can be called at a very short notice. Such loans are granted to share brokers and other banks. These assets are highly liquid because they can be called at any time. Moreover, they are source of income to the bank.

Banks also invest an important portion of their resources in government and other first class industrial securities. The interest and dividend received from time to time on these investments is a source of income for the banks. Bank also earn some income when the market prices of these securities rise.

Commercial banks invest a part of their funds in bills of exchange by discounting them. Banks discount both foreign and inland bills of exchange, or in other words, they purchase the bills at discount and receive the full amount at the date of maturity.

For instance, if a bill of Rs. 1000 is discounted for Rs. 975, the bank earns a discount of Rs. 25 because bank pays Rs. 975 today, but will get Rs. 1000 on the due date. Discount, as a matter of fact, is the interest on the amount paid for the remaining period of the bill.

The rate of discount on bills of exchange is slightly lower than the interest rate charged on loans and advances because bills are considered to be highly liquid assets.

Banks perform numerous services to their customers and charge commission, etc., for such services. Banks collect cheques, rents, dividends, etc., accepts bills of exchange, issue drafts and letters of credit and collect pensions and salaries on behalf of their customers.

They pay insurance premiums, rents, taxes etc., on behalf of their customers. For all these services banks charge their commission. They also earn locker rents for providing safety vaults to their customers. Recently the banks have also started underwriting the shares and debentures issued by the joint stock companies for which they receive underwriting commission.

Commercial banks also deal in foreign exchange. They sell demand drafts, issue letters of credit and help remittance of funds in foreign countries. They also act as brokers in foreign exchange. Banks earn income out of these operations.