When you deposit a check, a deposit is created - a bank liability.
Let's use cash. It will make your confusion more obvious.
A new bank opens with a single deposit of one hundred $100 bills.
$10,000 total. Assume a 10% reserve requirement.
The bank creates an account for the depositor and types in the number $10,000.
That account is an asset to the depositor and a liability to the bank.
The bank now has $10,000 in reserves in the form of vault cash.
Those reserves are an asset to the bank.
The bank can lend $9000 of that original deposit.
Without doing anything to that deposit account.
- If your bank has only one deposit, which is cash, you are absolutely right.
It works exactly as you say.
Now - how many banks do you know of which handle no checks?
Now if a bank has ANY checking deposits, it will NEVER do what you say, in accordance with your hypothetical.
Can you figure out why? (I'll give you a hint: banks are profit maximizers, like any other business).
Now if a bank has ANY checking deposits, it will NEVER do what you say, in accordance with your hypothetical.
If the bank took a single $10,000 check deposit they wouldn't loan out $9000 of that deposit? Why not?
Can you figure out why?
No, I cannot figure out why you are so confused.
I'll give you a hint: banks are profit maximizers
Not lending out the available $9000 maximizes their profit?
I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for your further explanation.
- They wouldn't lend out that cash because it would lower their profits over the alternative.
If they lend $9000, they get the interest on $9000, and nothing more.
If they invest the $10,000 and borrow $1000 in reserves, they earn interest on $10,000 less the interest they would pay on reserves (which would be less than they can earn by investing the $1000). They come out way ahead, it's a no-brainer.
Now, it's even more of a no-brainer because reserves and deposits do not enable lending. They can STILL lend money by creating deposits. Whether they were to lend the cash or create a deposit as a loan would have the same impact on their "lending limit", because their lending is constrained by their available capital.
So by doing things the way they do, rather than your way, the banks earn interest on $10,000 in investments PLUS they can still lend as much money as they are allowed to lend. If they were to lend the $9000 cash it would reduce their ability to create deposits - that would cost them $10.000 in loan investments and $10,000 in financial investments - in other words, your approach reduces their ability to invest by $20,000.
I asked you if you had any business experience or education for a reason. Were banks to listen to you, they would go broke.
If they invest the $10,000 and borrow $1000 in reserves,
So instead of loaning $9,000, they borrow $1000 more and loan $10,000?
they earn interest on $10,000 less the interest they would pay on reserves
They're also paying interest on the $10,000 deposit.
Now, it's even more of a no-brainer because reserves and deposits do not enable lending.
Still wrong.
They can STILL lend money by creating deposits.
And when the owner of that new deposit withdraws that deposit, what does the bank do?
So by doing things the way they do, rather than your way, the banks earn interest on $10,000 in investments PLUS they can still lend as much money as they are allowed to lend.
You'll have to explain what these investments are.
If they were to lend the $9000 cash it would reduce their ability to create deposits - that would cost them $10.000 in loan investments and $10,000 in financial investments
You want them to invest $10,000 and loan $10,000 based on a $10,000 deposit and you think I'm uneducated? ROFLMAO!
Were banks to listen to you, they would go broke.
Were they to listen to you, they'd be out of business when their loan checks bounced.
//
So instead of loaning $9,000, they borrow $1000 more and loan $10,000?//
- "Borrow short, lend long". Almost all loans are loans of money borrowed on better terms. Yes, they will do this, because it makes more profit.
//They're also paying interest on the $10,000 deposit.//
- They pay interest either way. When a factor does not differ between two courses of action, it is irrelevant.
Now, it's even more of a no-brainer because reserves and deposits do not enable lending.//
Still wrong.//
- The Bank of England just told you I'm right about this. What that the Bank of England said do you think is wrong?
//And when the owner of that new deposit withdraws that deposit, what does the bank do?//
- If the bank only has one deposit, then it would have to borrow to pay the depositor, and that might be bad. But to understand banking, you have to understand that no bank works with only one deposit.
//You'll have to explain what these investments are.//
- Take your pick. Money market mutual funds, mortgage-backed securities, whatever. The same sorts of investments any investor makes.
//You want them to invest $10,000 and loan $10,000 based on a $10,000 deposit and you think I'm uneducated? ROFLMAO!//
- Obviously. They teach you about leverage early in business school. This is what leverage looks like.
//Were they to listen to you, they'd be out of business when their loan checks bounced.//
- Yet we still have a banking industry, and they DO do it this way.