BANKING TERMS

[1] Bancassurance: Bancassurance refers to the distribution of insurance products and the insurance policies of insurance companies which may be life policies or non-life policies like home insurance – car insurance, medi-policies and others, by banks as corporate agents through their branches located in different parts of the country by charging a fee.

[2] Core Banking Solutions (CBS): Core Banking Solutions is a buzz word in Indian banking at present, where branches of the bank are connected to a central host and the customers of connected branches can do banking at any breach with core banking facility.

[3] Demat Account: Demat Account concept has revolutionized the capital market of India. When a depository company takes paper shares from an investor and converts them in electronic form through the concerned company, it is called Dematerialization of Shares. These converted Share Certificates in Electronic form are kept in a Demat Account by the Depository Company, like a bank keeps money in a deposit account. Investor can withdraw the shares or purchase more shares through this demat Account.

[4] Marginal Standing Facility Rate: MSF scheme has become effective from 09th May, 2011 launched by the RBI. Under this scheme, Banks will be able to borrow upto 1% of their respective Net Demand and Time Liabilities. The rate of interest on the amount accessed from this facility will be 100 basis points (i.e. 1%) above the repo rate. This scheme is likely to reduce volatility in the overnight rates and improve monetary transmission.

[5] NPA Account: If interest and instalments and other bank dues are not paid in any loan account within a specified time limit, it is being treated as non-performing assets of a bank.

[6] Plastic Money: Credit Cards, Debit Cards, ATM Cards and International Cards are considered plastic money as like money they can enable us to get goods and services.

[7] Prime Lending Rate (PLR): The rate at which banks lend to their best (prime) customers.

[8] Repo rate: Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (Reserve Bank of India in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds. Repo rate is used by monetary authorities to control inflation.

[9] Reverse repo rate: Reverse repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (Reserve Bank of India in case of India) borrows money from commercial banks within the country. It is a monetary policy instrument which can be used to control the money supply in the country.

[10] Virtual Banking: Virtual banking is also called internet banking, through which financial and banking services are accessed via internet’s World Wide Web. It is called virtual banking because an internet bank has no boundaries of brick and mortar and it exists only on the internet.

[11] Zero Coupon Bond: A bond with no coupon that is sold at a deep discount from par value.