Mary Smith's boy-friend ,Tom Brown ,is a clerk at the First National Bank .He and Mary are talking about the different types of banks and bank services .
I don't understand what you mean when you say commercial bank.Tom ,aren't all banks the same?
No ,there are different types of banks ,Mary .
Usually the word bank refers only to the commercial banks like the one I work for .
They're the banks that offer a full range of checking and savings-account services and make all kinds of loans .
Well,what other kinds of banks are there?
The second large category is called the Savings and Loan Association or the Building and Loan Association .
Some people call them Savings Banks,but they are technically not banks .
They specialize in long-term savings accounts and usually lend money for mortgages.
What about mutual Savings Banks?What does that mean?
Those are special savings association ,like savings and loan associations,which are owned by the depositors instead of stockholders .
Usually they specialize in mortgages ,too.
Why don't they offer checking accounts like your bank does ?
They are organized for different purposes and they don't have the authority to offer checking accouts.
That's a function for commercial banks only .
What's a long-term or industrial bank?
That's a special bank for industrial development .
John Anderson and Betty Rogers continue their discussion about the operation and organization of her bank .
Who is the highest officer of the bank ?
That's Mr.Sunderland ,our president .He is responsible to the Board of Directors.
Which is elected by the stockholders.He is assisted by the senior vice-presidents.
vice-presidents and assistant vice-presidents .
How many vice-presidents do you have ?
There are quite a few .Usually each department is headed by a vice-president or an assistant cashier .
That's the lowest -ranking officer position in most banks.
Aren't all department managers officers?
No,not all of them are .Actually ,the word officer means a person authorized by the Board of directors to represent the bank in certain dealings .
It doesn't necessarily represent his function in a department .
For example ,my boss is not a bank officer ,he is chief teller .
If we were an officer ,his title would be assistant-cashier and chief-teller.
That sounds very confusing .Why don't banks just make all department managers officers?
It's part of the bank's system of assigning authority and responsibility .
After all,banks have special obligations to their depositors because we are handling their money ,not only our own.
That's right.And I am a depositor ,too.I've got $37.50 in my account.
Betty Rogers, a teller at the First National Bank,is explaining the bank's computer system to one of her customers .
What do you mean by the term on-line system?
Basically ,it means that all our branches are connected to our central computer system,Sir .
This permits us to process transactions right away .
Do you mean that deposits and withdrawals are posted to my account immediately ?
Yes,we process cash transactions as soon as they take place .Check deposits are credited ,subject to collection .
You mean that I can't draw against a deposit by check until the proceeds are collected from the bank on which the check is drawn?
Yes,that's right .But it only takes overnight for any bank in the city and just a day or two for banks outside the city .
Do you keep all savings account records on computer?
Yes,savings ,checking ,loan and installment credit accounts ,too.
On-line computer systems help us provide speedy and accurate service to our customers .
Oh ,that's why we must use magnetically encoded checks and deposit slips .
Yes,the computer at our data processing center can read all encoded items automatically .
Of course ,you 'll notice that there are computer terminals at most teller windows ,too.
Tellers use them to provide immediate computer access for all transactions.