CHAPTER 11

Money and Banking

Section 1: The Evolution of Money

• Main Idea: money is any substance that functions as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, and a store of value

• Objectives: • Explain the 3 functions of money • Identify 4 major types of money used in early societies• Describe the 4 characteristics of money

Section 1 Introduction

• It may seem odd to you that people once used a plant like tobacco as a form of money.

• Money is something we all take for granted, but without it life would be quite different.

• Think what life would be like in a barter economy, a moneyless economy that relies on trade

• Without money, the exchange of goods and services would be hindered because the products some people have to offer are not always acceptable or easy to divide for payment.

Functions of Money

• Medium of Exchange-Money is accepted by all parties as payment for goods and services.

• Measure of Value-Money can be used to express worth in terms that most people can understand

• Store of Value-Money holds its purchasing power until the buyer needs it.

Money In Early Societies

• The use of money developed in ancient times because it made life easier.

• A good like compressed tea leaves is known as commodity money. It is money that has an alternative use as an economic good.

• Fiat money is made valuable by government decree.

• Ex. Metallic coins used in Asia Minor in the 7th century

• Tobacco and wampum were once accepted forms of currency.

• States passed laws allowing individuals to print paper currency, which was backed in local banks with gold and silver deposits.

• During the American Revolution, Continental dollars were issued but without gold or silver backing, which made them virtually worthless by the end of the war.

• Specie – money in the form of coins from silver or gold

• Ex. English shillings, Australian talers, or European coins

Money in Colonial America

Origins of the Dollar

• When the nation began, the most plentiful coin in circulation was the Spanish peso.

• Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton differentiated the dollar system from the pesos by dividing the dollar into tenths rather than the peso’s pieces of eight.

• Monetary Unit- the standard unit of currency

Characteristics of Money

• Portability - easily transferred from one person to another.

• Durability - must be durable so it lasts when handled or stored for long periods.

• Divisibility - divisible to facilitate all types of transactions.

• Limited Availability - must be in limited supply to retain its value

Section 2 Early Banking and Monetary Standards

• Main Idea: Although the monetary standard has changed throughout American history, an inconvertible fiat money standard is used today.

• Objectives: • Explain the history of privately issued bank notes.• Describe an inconvertible money standard

Section 2 Introduction

• A monetary standard–the mechanism designed to keep the money supply portable, durable, divisible, and limited in supply

• helps to keep the money supply sound so that the economy functions smoothly.

• The United States has had several monetary standards in its history.

• A monetary standard keeps the money supply portable, durable, divisible, and limited in supply. The United States has had several standards throughout it history.

• Continental currency after the Revolutionary War was worthless, so Americans only trusted coins.

• The United States constitution gave the federal government the power to coin money and prevented the states from doing so.

• Private banks produced paper money.

Privately Issued Bank Notes

• By 1811 the nation had about 100 state banks, which had a charter from the state governments. People could exchange the paper notes for gold or silver.

• Each bank had its own currency design so hundreds of different notes were in circulation. Counterfeiting became a problem. Because some currencies did not have silver or gold backing, some merchants were wary to accept all forms of currency.

Privately Issued Bank Notes (cont.)

• To finance the Civil War, congress authorized in 1861 the printing of $60 million of demand notes

• They had no silver or gold backing, but the government declared them legal tender.• By 1862, Congress authorized a new federal currency.

Both of these currencies were called greenbacks because of their green ink.

• People avoided using greenbacks because they feared they had little value.

The Greenback Standard

• Congress then created a National Banking System (NBS)

• privately owned but chartered by the federal government. • These banks issued National Bank Notes, backed by the

United States government bonds. State banks withdrew their notes.

• In 1863 the federal government issued gold certificates backed by gold, in large denominations for banks to exchange with one another. In 1886, it issued silver certificates backed by silver.

The Greenback Standard (cont.)

• In 1900, Congress passed the Gold Standard Act• It made the basic currency unit, the dollar, equivalent to a

specific amount of gold.• It did not change the use of greenbacks or notes• Americans could exchange them for gold whenever they

wanted.

• The advantages of the gold standard are:• the security Americans felt about their money• it prevents the government from printing too much paper

currency.

The Gold Standard

• The disadvantages of the gold standard are:• the gold stock may not grow fast enough to support a

growing economy• people may decide to convert their paper to gold,

draining the government’s gold reserves• the price of gold will respond to the market and it may

lose substantial value*The gold standard remained in effect until The Great

Depression.

The Gold Standard (cont.)

• Since 1934 the United States has been on an inconvertible fiat money standard.

• The money supply of the United States is managed by the federal government.

• The tangible component of modern money consists of coins and Federal Reserve notes.

• The intangible components include travelers’ checks, and checking and savings accounts.

The Inconvertible Fiat Money Standard

Section 3: The Development of Modern Banking

• Main Idea: The Federal Reserve System serves the monetary needs of the federal government and controls the monetary system.

• Objectives: • Relate the effects of Depression-era bank failures on

deposit insurance creation.• Identify three other forms of depository institutions.• Describe the reasons for the S&L crisis in

the 1980s.

Section 3 Introduction

• Banks fulfill two distinct needs.• They provide a safe place for people to deposit their

money• They lend excess funds to individuals and businesses

temporarily in need of cash

• The National Banking Act (1863) strengthened the nation’s financial system by creating a system of national banks.

• By 1907 the NSB needed further reforms as the nation experienced financial crises and recessions.

Revising the Banking System

• Congress responded to the call for reform with the Federal Reserve System, or the Fed, the nation’s first true central bank—a bank that lends to other banks in need.

• The Fed was set up like a corporation• Any bank that joined the system had to purchase shares of

stock in the system• Privately owned banks own the Fed, not the government• The Fed, however, is publicly controlled.• The president appoints and Congress approves the Fed’s

Board of Governors.

The Federal Reserve System

• Banks were overextended during the 1920’s, and many failed after the Great Depression hit in 1929.

• Banks did not have deposit insurance for their depositors, causing depositors’ rush on banks to withdraw funds. As a result, many more banks failed.

• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured customer deposits in the event of a bank failure.

The Federal Reserve System (cont.)

• Most of the first American banks were commercial banks that catered to business and commerce.

• had the authority to issue checking or demand deposit accounts.

• A thrift institution, on the other had, accepted the deposits of small investors but could not offer demand deposit accounts (until the 1970s).

Other Depository Institutions

• The mutual savings banks were the oldest thrift institutions in the United States.

• They catered to the small wage earner, particularly those who lived in the industrial northeast and the Pacific northwest.• In 1972 a savings bank introduced the Negotiable Order

of Withdrawal, or NOW accounts, which were checking accounts that paid interest. Commercial banks opposed these accounts, but they proved popular with consumers.

Other Depository Institutions (cont.)

• A savings and loan association invested the majority of its funds in home mortgages. They began as cooperative clubs for homebuilders. In the 1930s the Federal Home Loan Bank Board began supervising and regulating savings and loan associations.

• A credit union is a nonprofit service cooperative that is owned by and operated for the benefit of its members. Contributions are generally deducted directly from a worker’s paycheck.

Other Depository Institutions (cont.)

• Financial institutions were closely regulated from the Great Depression through the 1970s. Federal regulations included setting maximum rates of interest and restricting how institutions could lend their funds. The Reagan administration deregulated the financial system, ushering in a period of competition, crisis, and reform.

• Deregulation led to more competition. Any financial institution could offer NOW accounts. All depository institutions could borrow from the Fed, not just commercial banks.

Crisis and Reform in the 1980s

• Deregulation led to a crisis among savings and loan associations, which were not experienced in competing in the marketplace. Several bad loans could force and S & L out of business because they kept only about half the reserves that commercial banks kept. Deregulation led to fewer federal inspectors, encouraging some institutions to engage in fraud, which drained the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC) of funds paid out in insurance claims to depositors.

Crisis and Reform in the 1980s (cont.)

• In 1989 congress passed the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act, which abolished the savings and loan industry and its supervisory agency, the FHLBB. The FSLIC was dissolved and the FDIC took over insurance responsibilities, Some savings and loan associations survived the crisis.

Crisis and Reform in the 1980s (cont.)

• In 1980s were years of more bank failures, many due to poor management. Failed banks made loans without adequate collateral, others failed to keep expenses under control, and other fell victim to the weak economy.

• In 1990s were years of caution after the turbulent 1980s. Stronger federal regulations were enacted, and all financial institutions were required to strengthen their capital reserves. Banks merged with stock and security brokerage firms. By 2000 financial institutions were healthier.

Crisis and Reform in the 1980s (cont.)

Key Terms • barter economy• money • medium of exchange • measure of value • store of value • commodity money • fiat money • specie • monetary unit • monetary standard• state bank • legal tender • United States note • national bank • National Bank note • national currency • gold certificate • silver certificate • Treasury coin note • gold standard • inconvertible fiat money standard

• Federal Reserve System• central bank • Federal Reserve note • run on the bank • bank holiday • commercial bank • demand deposit account (DDA) • thrift institution • mutual savings bank (MSB) • savings bank • NOW accounts • savings and loan association (S&L) • credit union • share draft account • deregulation • creditor