BASIC FINANCIAL SERVICES—Joint Policy Statement

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Home Loan Bank Board, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Conference of State Bank Supervisors, National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors, and National Association of State Savings and Loan Supervisors are issuing this joint policy statement to encourage the efforts of trade associations and individual depository institutions regarding the offering of “basic financial services.”¹

The economic environment in which financial institutions operate has changed over the past few years, due in part to increased competition from outside the traditional depository institution structure, increased cost of funds following deregulation of interest rates, and interest rate volatility. As a consequence, many institutions have had to adopt new strategies to market their services, generate income, manage risk, and reduce costs. Some institutions have begun to explicitly price their products, consolidate or eliminate services they believe to be unprofitable, and close branch offices. In many instances, institutions have increased service charges, imposed new fees, and raised minimum-balance requirements.

While such adaptation may be a necessary response to competitive markets, considerable concern has developed about the potential impact of these changes in effectively denying or reducing convenient access of many individuals to the payments system and to safe depositories for small savings. Because credit availability is often dependent on an account relationship with a financial institution, access to credit for low-income or young consumers may also be adversely affected.

While a significant number of consumers have never had a deposit account, some research studies reflect declines in account ownership that may be cause for concern. For example, between 1977 and 1983 the proportion of families headed by a younger person having checking accounts decreased, as did the number of families from the lowest income group, regardless of age. The proportion of young families having either a savings or a checking account also declined. While the cause of these declines is not always clear, the surveys do suggest that a significant number of individuals or families do not have a deposit relationship of any kind.

Legislation dealing with basic financial services has been introduced at both the federal and state level as a result of these concerns. The industry has also responded. Many financial institutions have independently undertaken to develop and implement new measures to meet minimum consumer needs. They are offering basic services, such as low-cost transaction and savings accounts with low or no minimum balances, accounts for consumers who use a limited number of checks or drafts, and other accounts on which minimal charges are made for account maintenance. Institutions that have for years offered such services to particular groups of customers are now advertising their availability more widely. Other institutions are exploring and finding ways to maintain a physical presence in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods even while reducing the expense normally associated with full branch facilities. Trade groups too have joined in these efforts to encourage the offering of such services at affordable prices. The American Bankers Association and Consumer Bankers Association, for example, have called upon their members to address the continuing interest in basic banking services.

The member agencies of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and the associations of state supervisors wish to encourage such efforts by trade associations and individual depository institutions that promote the offering of basic financial services, consistent with safe and sound business practices. While the specific type of services will, of course, vary because of differences in local needs and in the characteristics of individual institutions, we encourage efforts to meet certain minimum needs of all consumers, in particular—

We believe that industry trade associations have a key role to play in this effort, and are in a position to encourage a constructive response without the rigidities of legislation or regulation. We realize that some associations have such programs already underway.

These programs could usefully—