Sunday, February 8, 2009

Objectives of Credit Control

The central bank makes efforts to control the expansion or contraction of credit in order to keep it at the required level with a view to achieving the following ends.

1. To save Gold Reserves: The central bank adopts various measures of credit control to safe guard the gold reserves against internal and external drains.

2. To achieve stability in the Price level: Frequently changes in prices adversely affect the economy. Inflationary and deflationary trends need to be prevented. This can be achieved by adopting a judicious of credit control.

3. To achieve stability in the Foreign Exchange Rate: Another objective of credit control is to achieve the stability of foreign exchange rate. If the foreign exchange rate is stabilized, it indicates the stable economic conditions of the country.

4. To meet Business Needs: According to Burgess, one of the important objectives of credit control is the “Adjustment of the volume of credit to the volume of Business” credit is needed to meet the requirements of trade an industry. So by controlling credit central bank can meet the requirements of business.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Credit Control

Credit control is one of the principal functions of the central bank. Credit money expands through commercial banks by means of cheques. Credit plays an important role in maintaining and changing the price level as a medium of exchange. It is the responsibility of the central bank to regulate the volume of credit and its direction to maintain stability of the price level.

Credit control means, regulating the volume and direction of bank loans. On the volume of credit depends largely the level of employment and the level of prices in the country.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Secondary Functions of Commercial Banks

Secondary functions are two types:
1. Public utility services
2. Agency services

Public Utility Services: The commercial bank renders money services for the general utility of the community. These services may be enumerated as follows:

• Bank drafts and cheques issued on banks are freely used for receipts and payments in the society. These cheques and drafts economies the use of currency notes and coins for transacting business.
• Commercial banks play a significant role in transferring money. This service is reliable, quick, safe, and inexpensive.
• Commercial banks also issue Letter of credit. It is an open latter from a bank requesting the sellers to send the goods to the buyer and promises to pay the sum by itself.
• Banks offer lockers for the safe custody of precious items. The bank also charges some amount.

Agency Services: Commercial banks also perform the duty of an agent. It collects and pays on behalf of their customers in respect of the following:

• Businessman receives cheques in payment from other parties. These cheques may be drawn on other banks than theirs. They deposit these cheques and with their banks and get the payment. The bank also receives payments against electricity, gas, phone bills from customers. It also receives and pays premiums, dividends, interests, and rents on behalf of its clients. This is most valuable service that the bank performs for its clients.
• On the instructions of its clients the bank buys and sells shares and bonds on the stock exchange.

Primary Functions of Commercial Banks

Functions of commercial banks can be divided in to two categories:
1. Primary functions
2. Secondary functions

Primary functions can further be subdivided into the following:
1. Receiving deposits
2. Advancing Loans

1. Receiving Deposits: This is the function of the formation of capital. A commercial bank receives deposits through different types of accounts. Small savers, salaried people, traders, manufacturers and other deposit their money with the bank under the head of savings, current, or fixed deposit accounts and earn interest income.

2. Advancing Loans: The commercial bank finances the need of businessman in meeting their day to day business requirements. Advances form about sixty percent of investment made by a commercial bank. It is most profitable on the part of the bank.

In our next post, we will describe the secondary functions of Commercial banks.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Capital of a Company

The share capital of a company can be of the following divisions:
Authorized Capital: It is the amount, which has been mentioned in the memorandum of association. It is also the amount which is sanctioned by the controller of capital issue. Authorized capital empowers the company to issue share capital up to that limit and not beyond that.

Issued Capital: Issued capital represents the amount of the capital which has been issued.

Subscribed Capital: It is the sum total of applications received from public in response to prospectus issued. The subscribed may be more than, equal to or less than the issued capital.

Called up Capital: It is that part of issued capital which is called up from the applicants / shareholders. The company may call up the whole of the amount or less. In case the company calls less than the face value of the shares, the shares are said to be partly called-up.

Paid-up Capital: Paid-up capital is the amount of which actual payment has been made by the shareholders.