Commercial banks differ from investment banks.Most financial consumers think of “the bank” as a place to keep liquid financial resources, such as checking accounts and savings accounts. A consumer may have personal accounts at acommercial bank. The commercial bank’s primary business involves taking in financial assets as deposits then lending these assets to other customers at a rate of interest.
The interest rate the bank charges on loansand revolving lines of credit or other credit facilities will depend on the current interest rate environment.
A consumer bank, such as a credit unionor savings bank, may focus on the personal banking needs of a specific group or industry.
An investment bank raises capital for businesses. The investment bank works with businesses to sell loans offered by the company called bonds. Bonds are debts owed by the company to investors. The investment bank distributes the bond issue to customers. The investment bank may choose to distribute publicly traded bonds to clients, or arrange a private placement of the client company’s debt directly with another company. The investment bank prices the debt according to the current yield curve and the company’s credit rating. A company's credit rating, like a consumer'sFICA credit score, helps the company pay less to sell bonds in the public or private markets.
Investment banks also raise capital for client companies by arranging equity issues,called stock. Investment banks receive fees from clients to raise capital.
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Many investment banks employ professional sales and marketing teams to distribute clients’ debt and equity issues.
As a capital market banking institution, investment banks also help clients torestructure debt loans. In some instances, the bank creates new structured financial products or collateralizes debt with other financial assets. Investment banks may also utilize derivative instruments—stand-in, synthetic investment products—to assist clients’ achievement