Text 6 . Personal Banking

A current account is an account which allows customers to take out or withdraw money, with no restrictions. Money in the account does not usually earn a high rate of interest: the bank does not pay much for 'borrowing' your money. However, many people also have a savings account or deposit account which pays more interest but has restrictions on when you can withdraw your money. Banks usually send monthly statements listing recent sums of money going out, called debits, and sums of money coming in, called credits.

Nearly all customers have a debit card allowing them to make withdrawals and do other transactions at cash dispensers. Most customers have a credit card which can be used for buying goods and services as well as for borrowing money. In some countries, people pay bills with cheques. In other countries, banks don't issue chequebooks and people pay bills by bank transfer. These include standing orders, which are used to pay regular fixed sums of money, and direct debits, which are used when the amount and payment date varies.

Commercial banks offer loans - fixed sums of money that are lent for a fixed period (e.g. two years). They also offer overdrafts, which allow customers to overdraw an account - ­they can have a debt, up to an agreed limit, on which interest is calculated daily. This is cheaper than a loan if, for example, you only need to overdraw for a short period. Banks also offer mortgages to people who want to buy a place to live. These are long-term loans on which the property acts as collateral or a guarantee for the bank. If the borrower doesn't repay the mortgage, the bank can repossess the house or flat - the bank takes it back from the buyer, and sells it.

Banks exchange foreign currency for people going abroad, and sell traveller's cheques which are protected against loss or theft. They also offer advice about investments and private pension plans - saving money for when you retire from work. Increasingly, banks also try to sell insurance products to their customers.

In the 1990s, many commercial banks thought the future would be in telephone banking and internet banking or e-banking. But they discovered that most of their customers preferred to go to branches - local offices of the bank - especially ones that had longer opening hours, and which were conveniently situated in shopping centres.

Exercise 44 . Translate into English.

Поточний рахунок, відсоткова ставка, ощадний рахунок, обмеження, банкомат, видавати чекові книжки, банківський переказ, позика, овердрафт, перевищувати кредит, нараховувати відсотки, іпотечний кредит, застава, обмінювати іноземну валюту, продавати дорожні чеки, філія, програма пенсійного забезпечення, постійне платіжне доручення.

 

Exercise 4 5 . Complete the advertisement with the words from the box.

credit card direct debit savings accounts

current accounts statements standing order

debit card foreign currency traveller’s cheques

 

Calling all students! ABC Bank now offers 1% interest on 1) _________________and 2.5% on 2) _______________. We will give you a chequebook and plastic: a free 3) _____________for use in cash dispensers, and the possibility to apply for a 4) _____________. You can pay fixed monthly bills by 5) _____________ and other bills by 6) _____________There are no account charges as long as you remain in credit, and we send you free monthly 7) _____________ .We can also sell you 8) ____________ for your next holiday, or 9) _____________for greater security. What are you waiting for? Call us today!

Exercise 46 . Find words in text 6 with the following meanings:

1. What you can earn when you leave your money in the bank.

2. An amount of money borrowed from a bank for a certain length of time, usually for a specific purpose.

3. Something that acts as a security or a guarantee for a debt.

4. An arrangement to withdraw more money from a bank account than you have placed in it.

5. A long-term loan to buy somewhere to live.

6. An arrangement for saving money to give you an income when you stop working.

7. To take back property that has not been completely paid for.

 

Exercise 47 . Read the statements. Are they true or false? Correct the false ones.

1. Current accounts pay more interest than savings accounts. 2. There is less risk for a bank with a mortgage than with unsecured loans without collateral. 3. Traveller's cheques are safer for tourists than carrying foreign currency. 4. The majority of customers prefer to do their personal banking at the bank. 5. Bank branches are now all in shopping centres.

 

Exercise 48 .Translate the sentences into English.

1. Поточний рахунок - це рахунок, який дозволяє клієнтам знімати свої гроші без обмежень. 2. Багато людей мають ощадні або депозитні рахунки, які виплачують відсотки, але мають обмеження щодо того, коли клієнт може зняти свої гроші. 3. Більшість клієнтів має кредитні картки, які можна використовувати для купівлі товарів чи послуг, а також для позичання грошей. 4. Постійне платіжне доручення використовується для сплати регулярних фіксованих сум і для прямого списання грошей з рахунку. 5. Овердрафт дозволяє клієнту перевищити кредит свого рахунку на певну узгоджену суму, на яку щоденно нараховуються відсотки. 6. Банки також надають іпотечні кредити людям, які бажають придбати житло. 7. Банки обмінюють іноземну валюту і продають дорожні чеки, які захищені від втрати або крадіжки.

 

Exercise 49 . Discuss the questions in pairs.

1. Do you/ your family/ people in Ukraine prefer to go to the local branch, or to use the internet or the telephone? Why?

2. Why do you think most customers still prefer to go to the bank?

Exercise 50. Learn the following words and word combinations.

save	– зберігати, заощаджувати
deposit	– v. вкладати в банк – n. депозит, вклад у банк
bank account	– банківський рахунок; рахунок у банку
commercial bank	– комерційний банк
retail bank	– банк, що працює з населенням
pay interest	– виплачувати відсотки
depositor	– вкладник
grant a loan	– надавати позику
borrower	– позичальник
transfer	– v. переказувати, переводити (гроші) – n. переказ, переведення
assets	– активи
liabilities	– пасиви
reserve	– резерв
withdraw money	– вилучати, забирати гроші
reserve requirement	– резервні вимоги, обов'язковий резерв
assess	– оцінювати
terms and conditions	– умови (кредиту)
risk assessment	– оцінка ризиків
liquidity	– ліквідність
maturities	– строки платежу
yield	– дохідність

 

Exercise 51 . Read, translate and give the gist of text 7.

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