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by Sue Gench
key words: bank, financial institution, financial activity, credit, loan, financial bailout, real estate bubble, market collapse
Banks are financial institutions operating under government license. Banks' primary function is to lend credit to consumers for either non-commercial economic activity such as lending a car loan to an individual, or for commercial economic activity such as lending credit to a business entity to help enhance the business's financial strength and activity. In addition, banks facilitate financial transactions of consumers. Consumers pay their creditors using banks by writing checks, online or at banks' physical locations and get paid in the same manner by their borrowers, transfer money between from their bank to the other inside or outside the country.
Over time banks have evolved into more complex financial institutions. Today banks are allowed a wide range of financial activities. For example, banks are today important players of providing brokerage services to consumers for investment in security markets. Besides, banks in Europe (Germany) have owned major stakes in financial corporations and while this is not the case in the United States, Japan and France, banks are preeminent shareholders and offer broad range of commercial services from insurance to real estate.
For further readings, please see the links below.
The controversial US government banks bailout
Has the Obama administration dealt effectively with the collapse of the financial industry
What went wrong with banks in the real estate bubble causing the market collapse
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