1、 外文翻译 原文 Banks Fees! Fees! Fees! Material Source: Vital Speeches of the Day Author: Hawke, Jr., John D Winston Churchill used to say of democracy that it was the worst form of government ever devised - except for all the others. Churchills comment can also be applied to banking. Although little love
2、d, banks are nonetheless the best instruments yet invented for the promotion of thrift, wealth, and general prosperity. Thats why we focus so much on what banks can do to help improve the lot of Americans who remain outside the financial mainstream. Bankers have never had a monopoly on the provision
3、 of financial services in this country. They have always shared that market with a host of other providers - many of them unregulated - and thats never been truer than it is today. A walk through virtually any town or city in America gives a sense of how diverse the financial marketplace is, and how
4、 many different kinds of financial providers operate and compete in our communities. All of them have a role to play in meeting a wide variety of financial needs. Choice, after all, is an essential element of our economy, and to suggest that banks can be, or should try to be, all things to all peopl
5、e would be unrealistic. Yet not all financial providers are created equal. At the risk of sounding parochial, let me suggest that banks add unique value to the services they deliver. Though there may be no end of places to cash a check, get a loan, or pay a bill, the millions of Americans who - for
6、whatever reason - dont obtain those services through a bank lose something important in the process. What they lose are the tangible and intangible benefits that a relationship with a mainstream financial institution can provide. That may include the incentives and institutional support necessary fo
7、r individuals to build assets, transaction services at prices below those of unregulated fringe providers, and financial services that fringe providers cant offer at all, such as safe repositories for funds, and cheap and efficient payment services. For a small business loan, a loan for education or
8、 job training, or an affordable mortgage, only a bank or other mainstream institution will usually do. There are also the benefits of building a formal credit history and a long-term financial relationship with a bank. The importance of those intangible benefits cannot be exaggerated for anyone who
9、wants to climb the ladder of success in this country today. If all this is so, why then do some 10 million American families still not have an account with an insured depository institution? Its possible, of course, that the benefits Ive just described are not well understood by those who dont prese
10、ntly enjoy them. Educating people about making wise choices and avoiding the pitfalls that dot the road to financial security will always be an important facet of any strategy to address the problem of the unbanked. A recent government study found, not surprisingly, that low-income central city neig
11、hborhoods have fewer bank offices than higher-income neighborhoods and those outside the central city. Affluent neighborhoods, where the median income was 120 percent or greater than the area median income, had three times as many bank offices per 10,000 residents as neighborhoods where the median i
12、ncome was 50 percent of area median income. In New York City, at last count, only 2.5 percent of all bank branches were located in low income areas that housed more than six percent of the citys total households. In those areas, unregulated check cashing establishments outnumbered bank branches by a
13、s much as two to one. According to a 1999 study by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the average minimum balance required to avoid fees for checking accounts at large banks was $616. Consumers who were unable to meet that minimum balance requirement paid an average of $217 a year, or $18 a mo
14、nth, to maintain a checking account. Thats about the same price that a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage would pay to cash his or her paychecks at a typical check-cashing outlet. Even for “no Frills“ accounts, which provide limited check-writing with no minimum balance, consumers pai
15、d an average of $148 a year. Most banks also levy high charges for bounced checks as much as $20 to $25 each. Indeed, I once heard a representative of one of our major money center banks boast about how bounced check fees were an important profit center for his institution - which, if true, is shock
16、ing and, in any event, not a very smart thing to say publicly. Households with low incomes may be at greater risk of paying these fees, both because they maintain low balances and because they may have less experience in managing household finance. Given these realities, its no wonder that so many l
17、ow and moderate-income Americans choose not to conduct financial transactions at a bank. But its a decision that carries serious long-term consequences - for the unbanked, for the economy, and for banks themselves, which lose customers whose business could well be profitable over time. The challenge
18、, then, is to find a way to build relationships between the unbanked and the mainstream financial institutions that make economic sense for both, over the short- and long-terms. We have a prototype for such a relationship in the Electronic Transfer Account, or ETA, which was developed under my direc
19、tion when I served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance. It would be superfluous for me to describe in detail the features of the ETA to an organization that has been as intimately involved as NCRC has been in its development and promotion. The opportunity should not pass to congr
20、atulate you on the important role NCRC continues to play in this effort. But in the context of our discussion today, its important not to forget that that ETA concept evolved from a business decision by Congress, embodied in the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, to reduce the cost of deliveri
21、ng Federal payments by requiring that they be delivered electronically. Projections were that, when fully implemented, the conversion from paper to electronic funds transfer would save the government upwards of $100 million per year- 28 cents for every paper check that would no longer have to be pri
22、nted, issued, and mailed and replaced when the first one went astray. Of course, it was widely understood that these savings were not going to materialize unless those required to receive payments electronically had the means to do so, and we estimated that nearly 20 percent of all Federal benefits
23、recipients did not have accounts at a financial institution. The Debt Collection Improvement Act mandated that the Secretary of the Treasury assure that anyone required under the Act to receive a payment directly have access to an account at a bank for that purpose at a reasonable cost. It was in re
24、sponse to this mandate that we developed the ETA a model for a utilitarian, all-electronic account, which, for a fee of no more than $3 a month, allows recipients of many kinds of Federal payments, including salaries and retirement benefits, to access their funds automatically through electronic fun
25、ds transfer. The ETA was purposely designed as a “bare bones“ model, in order not to preempt the development of more elaborate accounts by banking institutions. With the help of NCRC and more than 1400 local community-based organizations, consumer groups, and faith based groups who are participating
26、 in the nationwide ETA campaign, were making tremendous progress in getting the word out to potential account holders. And financial institutions, which receive $12.60 for every ETA they open, are rapidly signing up to offer it. Right now the ETA is available at more than 600 financial institutions
27、with thousands of branches nationwide. Whats particularly encouraging is that many of these institutions are aggressively marketing the ETA as part of their basic retail banking strategy. Some banks are waiving or reducing the monthly service charge, making low-cost money orders available as an addi
28、tional benefit to account holders, and allowing ATM withdrawals in excess of the four they are required to allow under Treasury rules. Some banks are offering cash bonuses to the account holder when the first government payment is received. Some are holding promotional events with local government o
29、fficials. Others encourage tellers to talk about ETA with customers trying to cash a Federal check, and offer tellers a bonus for every ETA customer they sign up. Any program so new is inevitably a work in progress, and we certainly have a long way to go before we can declare the program a success.
30、How shall we measure that success? Not so much, I believe, in the number of ETA that are opened, though thats important I think, rather, that the ETA s greatest value-is as a stepping stone - for customers who use them to get a foothold into the financial mainstream and for financial institutions wh
31、o use the ETA as a model to bring the benefits of a banking relationship within reach of others. I see the ETA as a prototype for a technology-intensive, low cost account capable of generating profits or at least paying its own way for the banks that offer them and attracting millions of Americans w
32、ho do not currently receive Federal payments into the banking system. Thats what I meant by the importance of building relationships between the unbanked and mainstream financial institutions that make economic sense for both. Technology, I believe, is crucial to the solution. The savings generated
33、by a shift from paper-based systems, like traditional checking accounts, to electronic delivery should make it possible for banks to offer low- and moderate income customers basic banking services at prices both can afford. That was the logic behind the ETA, but it doesnt require government involvem
34、ent to make it work. The importance of technology has significant implications for legislators and community groups that have typically focused on traditional paper-based delivery in promoting so-called “basic banking“ legislation as a solution to the problem of the unbanked. The ETA, and similar ty
35、pes of electronic accounts, also have important implications for the spread of unregulated fringe providers. Check-cashiers and payday lenders offering high-priced services flourish where there are no lower-cost alternatives. But with the cost savings possible through electronic delivery, surely ban
36、ks could offer these services at lower prices. Indeed, we see more and more banks drawing inspiration from the ETA but going well beyond it, developing their own low-cost electronic accounts that link direct deposit of payroll with a menu of services that can be accessed through ATMs, debit cards, a
37、nd even personal computers. Banks are targeting local employers to publicize the advantages of direct deposit - advantages that, according to one research study, can add up to more than $1.25 for each payroll check that doesnt have to be issued. Savings like that help explain why more than 50 percen
38、t of private sector employers participate in direct deposit today - a fivefold increase in little more than ten years. Still, that takes us only half way to what our goal should be - a goal that other countries with advanced economies are far closer to achieving. I believe that technology offers gre
39、at potential for bringing the unbanked into the financial mainstream, with all of its benefits. It also offers new possibilities for financial institutions to develop deeper and more profitable customer relationships. In order for these possibilities to be achieved, banks, employers, and community o
40、rganizations must work collaboratively and creatively to understand the needs of the individuals they serve. We in government have an important role to play as well, but its the work you do in our communities, day in and day out, that will make the most enduring difference in the lives of our citize
41、ns. 译文 银行 收费！收费！收费！ 资料来源 :当今重要演说集 作者： 霍克 .约翰 温斯顿丘吉尔曾经说过民主是所发明过的最糟糕的政府形式。 丘吉尔的评论还可以应用与银行 。虽然很受欢迎， 尽管如此，银行还是促进节约、财富和普遍繁荣的最好的工具 。 这就是为什么我们专注在银行可以做什么来帮助改善很多仍在金融主流之外的美国人。 银行家们从来没有对美国的金融服务进行垄断。他们一直与其他东道国市场的供应商 共享服务 其中许多都不受管制 从来没有比现在更真实。通过 在美国任何一个城市的观察可以看到金融市场的多面性以及它提供许多不同种类的金融服务和竞争。他们都扮演了角色来满足金融的多种需求。 选择是
42、经济的重要组成部分，要求银行满足人们的所有需求是不现实的。 然而，并非所有金融机构都是平等的。在遇到狭隘风险时，我建议银行提供独特的增值服务。虽然可能没有地方可以兑现现金支票，获得贷款或支付账单，但是不管出于什么原因，数以万计的美国人都不会支持在获得银行服务过程的同时失去重要的东西。 他们失去的是去主流金融机构提供的服务相关联的有形的或无形的利益。可能包括对建立个人资产必要的激 励机制个体制支持，交易价格低于那些未受管制的供应商和供应商不能提供的金融服务，例如资金库的安全，便宜和高效的支付服务。 对于一个小企业的贷款，例如为教育或职业培训贷款，或合理的抵押贷款，通常只有一家银行或其他主流机构会
43、做。 建立一个正式的信用记录和长期的财务关系也是有利益的。这些无形的利益不能被任何在攀登成功阶梯上的人夸大。 如果这一切是这样，那么为什么上千万的美国家庭仍然没有一个具有存款保险机构的帐户？这是可能的，当然，我刚刚描述的利益并没有被那些目前没有参与的人的理解 .教育消费者作出明智的选择，避免在金融 安全道路上踩到陷阱将会是解决没有银行账户的重要战略。 一个政府最新研究发现，不出意外，低收入城市的银行比高收入城市和中心城市以外地区少的多。高收入城市的年平均收入是低收入地区的 1.2 倍甚至更高，银行办事处数量是低收入地区的 3倍，每一万个居民的收入比低收入地区高 50%。在纽约，截至目前为止，设
44、置在低收入地区的银行办事处只有总数的 2.5%，但是家庭数量却超过了纽约家庭总量的 6%。在这些地区，不受监管的现金支票承兑的银行分行与其他银行之比为二比一。 据美国公共利益研究集团 1999年的研究，支票账户平均最低余额要求 在大型银行的收费是 616美元。那些无法满足最低余额的消费者就要求支付每年 217美元或每月 18美元来维持支票账户。 这个价格对于那些赚取最小限度的联邦工资且可以以一个典型的现金支票方式来现金支付这个费用的全职工作者是一样的。即使是那些经济型的且提供没有最小库存余量，有限额的可开支票的账户，消费者大约平均每年只需为其支付 148美元。很多银行也对每张退票征收高达20-
45、25 美元的费用。实际上，我曾经听一位货币中心银行的代表夸耀退票是如何成为机构的重要利润的，如果属实的话这很震惊，不管在什么情况下把这事公开都不是一个明 智的做法。 低收入家庭在支付这些费用是可能会面临更大的风险，一方面因为他们维持在低的账户平衡，还有他们管理家庭财务的经验较少。 鉴于以上事实，也难怪有这么多低收入和中等收入的美国人不选择在银行进行金融交易。但这对经济发展，银行本身来说要承担严重的长期后果，随着时间的推移客户丢失会逐渐有利可图。因此，在缺乏银行账户和主流金融机构之间建立关系是一个挑战，可以创造短期和长期经济意义。 当我还在担任财政部金融局局长的时候，在我的指导下，就已经有了电子
46、转账账户的雏形了，或者称 ETA。我详细的向组织描述 ETA 是多余的，他 已经被包括在宪法里被开发和推广了。我们应该祝贺 ETA 在宪法里扮演重要的角色。 但在现在讨论的情况下，我们不应该忘记 ETA的概念是由国会决定一项经济决定演变而来的，在 1996年的债务催收法中体现来减少递交联邦电子支付的成本。预测当全面落实后，从纸制向电子资金转账的转变将每年节约 10亿美元以上，按每个文件检查花费 28美分，不再需要印刷、发行、邮寄，也不用在第一步做错后重新来过。 当然，人们普遍认识到这些储蓄是不会实现的，除非要求接受用电子支付的方式，我们估计 近 20%的联邦福利受益者没有金融机构的账户。追收债
47、项改进法案授权财政部的秘书部确保任何在法案要求范围内的机构或者个人在以收受款项为目的直接进入一个银行账户时收取的费用必须以一个合理的价格。 这是为了回应这一任务，我们开发了埃塔的功利，全电子帐户能通过电子划拨自动划拨资金。其中，一期不超过 3美元的月费，并且允许许多种联邦款项包括薪金和退休福利。 为了不抢占银行业金融机构更详细的账户市场，电子签证被特意设计成“裸骨”的模式。 在宪法和 1400多个地方社区为基础的组织，消费者团体，以信仰为基础的参加 ETA 活动的团体的 帮助下，我们正在做的报告指出潜在的账户持有人有极大的进步。现在，通过全国数以千计的分支，电子转账账户已经在超过 600多家金
48、融机构投入使用了。 特别振奋人心的就是这些机构中的大多数正在激烈地出售电子银行账户做为他们基础零售银行业计划的一部分。一些银行正在宣布取消或者减少人们办理银行业务的月手续费，同时他们也在使低收费订单投入实施成为可能作为账户持有人的一项附加利益，以及使即使在超出财政部制定的四项基本原则的情况下人们还是可以从自动取款机提款成为可能。当收到第一笔政府拨款时，一些银行就为账户持有人提供现金红利。 而另一些银行则同意地方政府官员的看法，放眼于那些促销的项目。剩余的一部分银行则鼓励出纳员向那些试图兑现联邦支票的客户推荐 ETA，并且每使一名客户签订 ETA合同，就给出纳员加一份红利。 任何一个比较新的项目
49、都不可避免地成为一项研究进展的工作，而且我们知道，在我们宣布这项项目成功之前，我们有很长的路要走。我们又是怎么样来估量成功与否呢？我认为那些开着且重要的 ETA 数量是不多的，相比较而言，它的最大价值在于是作为一个垫脚石，对于那些客户可以利用它进入财政界的主流领域，对于那些金融机构则利用它作为一个典型为他们在可 触及的银行关系领域之内带来利益。我把 ETA看做是一个能被认可进入银行系统的，技术密集，低消耗，可以产生利益或者至少可以支付给那些银行要求人们支付费用，和吸引上百万现在还没收到联邦款项的美国人的账户的一个雏形。这就是为什么我认为在无银行账户金融机构和主流金融机构之间建立起一个可以为双方带来经济意义的关系是如此的重要。 我认为科技是至关重要的解决问题的方法。那些从书面档案记录转变为电子文档记录而产生的储蓄账户，比如传统活期账户，应该使银行对那些中低等收入的客户提供基本银行业务以一个他们都可以承受的价位。这就是 ETA 的运行逻辑，但它并不要求政府干涉而使它运作。科技的重要性已经对那些主要聚焦书面档案记录从而推荐所谓的基础银行业务成为一项立法作为对无银行账户问题的解决方案的议员和社团们起了至关重要
