Thursday, October 30, 2008

Banking fees, the house always wins

Just like every year the banks inform to their clients of the increase of their fees for every service they provide. Usually there are some differences among the banks, but there is something that is always the same, the increases are outrageous.

For a bank high inflation rates only means that they have to charge more to their clients to gain more money. So, it is not unusual that the fees charged for example for having a credit card or just for having a savings account, raises a ten or a twenty percent from one year to another.

The funny thing is that the yearly benefits of most of the spanish banks are sky high. Just this week the result reports of some of the biggest banks informed of record benefits.

So, I need some explanation about how it is possible that the government needs to loan hundreds of millions of euros of our money to these banks when they are making a lot of money just by having our savings. So, none of the risks and all of the benefits.

The central bank of each country regulates the maximum amount of the fees that all banks can charge to their clients. The main problem is that this maximum is too high. If we are risking our money to protect their business it is time to have something in return. Reducing the fees is a good start.

2 comments:

Maripuchi said...

Nobody has injected money in spanish banks (for now)... they have just raised the quantity of guaranteed capitals... which is not exactly the same...
And... by the way, i wonder the same... everyday...

Random Thinker said...

I am not so sure about that, the money to backup the banks is ready and approved by the parliament, they only have to decide who gets it.

Think that just deciding the quantities to use it freezes the uses that that money could have.