The very first banks were probably the religious temples of the ancient world. In them were stored gold in the form of easy-to-carry compressed plates. Their owners justly felt that temples were the safest places to store their gold as they were constantly attended, well built and were sacred, thus deterring would-be thieves. There are extant records of loans from the 18th Century BC in Babylon that were made by temple priests to merchants.
Modern Western economic and financial history is usually traced back to the coffee houses of London. The London Royal Exchange was established in 1565. Banking offices were usually located near centers of trade, and in the late 17th century, the largest centers for commerce were the ports of Amsterdam, London, and Hamburg.
Although the type of services offered by a bank depends upon the type of bank and the country, services provided usually include:
Taking deposits from their customers and issuing checking and savings accounts to individuals and businesses
Extending loans to individuals and businesses
Cashing cheques
Facilitating money transactions such as wire transfers and cashiers checks
Issuing credit cards, ATM cards, and debit cards
Storing valuables, particularly in a safe deposit box
Financial transactions can be performed through several different channels:
Branch
ATM
Mail
Telephone
Internet
2006-10-08 20:23:27
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answer #1
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answered by vijaya l 4
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Monroe St., established 1837-38 in Greek,
2006-10-09 03:09:36
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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The first bank was first named Loyds band later Backlays bank in London. and it operated before the first world War.
2006-10-09 02:59:09
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answer #3
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answered by Nnamsco 3
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YOu could say tax collectors were the first 'banks'
2006-10-09 03:02:25
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answer #4
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answered by latitude58_8 2
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