Bank Management - Introduction

A bank is a financial institution which accepts deposits, pays interest on pre-defined rates, clears checks, makes loans, and often acts as an intermediary in financial transactions. It also provides other financial services to its customers.

Bank management governs various concerns associated with bank in order to maximize profits. The concerns broadly include liquidity management, asset management, liability management and capital management. We will discuss these areas in later chapters.

Origin of Banks

The origin of bank or banking activities can be traced to the Roman empire during the Babylonian period. It was being practiced on a very small scale as compared to modern day banking and frame work was not systematic.

Modern banks deal with banking activities on a larger scale and abide by the rules made by the government. The government plays a crucial role with its control over the banking system. This calls for bank management, which further ensures quality service to customers and a win-win situation between the customer, the banks and the government.

Scheduled & Non-Scheduled Banks

Scheduled and non-scheduled banks are categorized by the criteria or eligibility setup by the governing authority of a particular region. The following are the basic differences between scheduled and nonscheduled banks in the Indian banking perspective.

Scheduled banks are those that have paid-up capital and deposits of an aggregate value of not less than rupees five lakhs in the Reserve Bank of India. All their banking businesses are carried out in India. Most of the banks in India fall in the scheduled bank category.

Non-scheduled banks are the banks with reserve capital of less than five lakh rupees. There are very few banks that fall in this category.

Evolution of Banks

Banking system has evolved from barbaric banking where commodities were loaned to modern day banking system, which caters to a range of financial services. The evolution of banking system was gradual with growth in each and every aspect of banking. Some of the major changes which took place are as follows −

• Barter system replaced by money which made transaction uniform
• Uniform laws were setup to increase public trust
• Centralized banks were setup to govern other banks
• Book keeping was evolved from papers to digital format with the introduction of computers
• ATMs were setup for easier withdrawal of funds
• Internet banking came into existence with development of internet

Banking system has witnessed unprecedented growth and will be undergoing it in future too with the advancement in technology.

Growth of Banking System in India

The journey of banking system in India can be put into three different phases based on the services provided by them. The entire evolution of banking can be described in these distinct phases −

Phase 1

This was the early phase of banking system in India from 1786 to 1969. This period marked the establishment of Indian banks with more banks being set up. The growth was very slow in this phase and banking industry also experienced failures between 1913 to 1948.

The Government of India came up with the banking Companies Act in 1949. This helped to streamline the functions and activities of banks. During this phase, public had lesser confidence in banks and post offices were considered more safe to deposit funds.

Phase 2

This phase of banking was between 1969 to 1991, there were several major decisions being made in this phase. In 1969, fourteen major banks were nationalized. Credit Guarantee Corporation was created in 1971. This helped people avail loans to set up businesses.

In 1975, regional rural banks were created for the development of rural areas. These banks provided loans at lower rates. People started having enough faith and confidence on the banking system, and there was a plunge in the deposits and advances being made.

Phase 3

This phase came into existence from 1991. The year 1991 marked the beginning of liberalization, and various strategies were implemented to ensure quality service and improve customer satisfaction.

The ongoing phase witnessed the launch of ATMs which made cash withdrawals easier. This phase also brought in Internet banking for easier financial transactions from any part of world. Banks have been making attempts to provide better services and make financial transactions faster and efficient.