1
Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                              S.Y.2020-2021
    Module Overview                                                        Module 2
                                       The Philippine Financial System
                                           In this Module
                   •    Financial System Definition
                   •    Financial System Participants
                   •    Ang Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
                   •    Monetary Policy and the Financial System
                   •    Financial Intermediaries
    Introduction
           At the completion of this module, you should be able to:
                       1.   Explain the components of a well-developed financial system
                       2.   Illustrate the framework of the monetary policy
                       3.   Differentiate monetary and fiscal policy
                       4.   Appreciate credit as a primary means of economic activities
                       5.   Enumerate examples of financial intermediaries and financial
                            markets
           Are you ready? Then the lesson starts now!
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
2
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                    S.Y.2020-2021
           Lesson 1                       The       Financial     System:
                                          Definition and Participants
    Learning Outcomes:
                      1. Define what financial system is and illustrate the role it plays in the
                         economy of a nation.
                      2. Discuss on the roles the different participants in a financial system
                         play.
                      3. Elaborate on the role of BSP in the economic development of the
                         Philippines
                      4. Explain monetary policy and the role it plays in the economic
                         development of a country.
                      5. Discuss the relationship between monetary policy and the financial
                         system.
                      6. Illustrate how the tools of monetary policy are used to influence
                         money supply and interest rates.
                       ANALYSIS
                       What do you think?
                       •   Watch the video presentation about the European Union and
                           its monetary and fiscal policy. What are your views on this?
                       •   What is your personal reflection about the role of credit in the
                           movement of the economy?
                  Let’s Discuss
    All members of society – households, businesses (more importantly the financial
    institutions) non-profit organizations, the church, and the government are affected by
    the financial system of the country to which the society belongs. The government is
    primarily responsible for defining and regulating the financial system. It is because the
    central bank and its Monetary Board determines the rules, regulations, and monetary
    policies that need to be implements to ensure a stable and healthy financial system
    for the country. Business firms, households, and governments play a wide variety of
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
3
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                     S.Y.2020-2021
    roles in our modern financial system. All of us, one way or another, will be involved in
    the financial system either as a borrower or a lender or both.
    A country’s financial system is not, however, solely determined by the country itself
    because tother worldwide organizations like the World Bank, International Monetary
    Fund, Asian Development Bank, New York Stock Exchange, Osaka Securities
    Exchange, Australian Stock Exchange, BATS Global Markets, Chinese Shenen Stock
    Exchange, among others, and transnational banks all affect the financial system of the
    country. Our modern world has what may be called a complex and sophisticated
    financial system.
    This chapter will discuss what financial system is all about and the role it plays in the
    economy of a nation, as a follow up of the preceding chapter on the financial
    environment. In addition, it will discuss the roles the different participants in a financial
    system plays. The monetary system, monetary policy, and its effect in the economic
    system of a country, and the tools of monetary policy will be discussed and how they
    affect money supply and interest rates.
    Financial System Definition
    Financial system describes collectively the financial markets, the participants, and
    the instruments and securities that are traded in the said markets. The functions of the
    financial system are to:
        1. Channel the funds from the savings units (lenders) to the deficit units
           (borrowers)
        2. Provide a medium of exchange
        3. Provide a mechanism for risk sharing; and
        4. Provide a channel through which the central bank can influence the economy,
           in general, and the financial system in particular.
    Financial System Participants
    There are six participants or sectors in the financial system. They are:
       1. Households or consumers – are generally described as that group receiving
          income, majority of which typically come from wages and salaries. Such income
          is spent on goods and services and a part is saved (if there is enough to save).
       ➢ Gross savings are equal to current income less current expenditures. What is
          spent is termed consumption.
       ➢ Non-durable consumer goods - goods that are consumed within a current
          period.
       ➢ Durable goods (durables) – Goods that will last for more than a year.
       2. Financial institutions/intermediaries – firms that bridge the gap between the
          surplus units (Sus) or investors/lenders and the deficit units (DUs) or borrowers.
          They channel the funds from the lenders to the borrowers.
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
4
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                S.Y.2020-2021
       3. Non-financial firms – the businesses other than the financial institutions or
          intermediaries. They include the trading, manufacturing, extractive industries
          construction, genetic industries, and all firms other than the financial ones.
       4. The government – by government is meant the national, provincial, city and
          barangays or towns comprising the Philippines as a whole. Each division has
          its heads and agencies that help in running the division it is made responsible
          for.
       5. The Central Bank – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the
          Philippine) and all the other central banks of the different countries are
          mandated to assure that their respective countries have a stable and healthy
          financial system. They oversee the operations of the entire financial system of
          their respective countries and mandate the rules, regulations, and monetary
          policies that will help their respective countries maintain a healthy and stable
          economy.
       6. Foreign participants – refer to the participants from the rest of the world –
          households, governments, financial and non-financial firms, and central banks.
          Goods and services and financial instruments/securities are exchanges across
          national boundaries, as well as within these boundaries.
    Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Financial System
    The figure below shows BSP’s basic organizational structure. The Bangko Sentral ng
    Pilipinas is at the top of the structure, the one mandated to oversee the financial
    system of the country. It is the agency that is tasked to ensure that the country has a
    healthy financial system and a healthy economy. It is the central monetary authority.
                                FIGURE 1. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF BSP
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
5
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                   S.Y.2020-2021
    Under the Bangko Sentral are the different banking institutions, both private and
    government-owned, and non-bank financial institutions, also both private and
    government-owned. The private banking institutions are composed of the commercial
    banking institutions, the thrift banks, and the rural banks.
                            FIGURE 2.OVERVIEW OF THE PHILIPPINE FINANCIAL SYSTEM
    The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is charged to supervise and regulate the financial
    system of the Philippines. It is primarily responsible in regulating the flow of money
    and credit into the whole economy in order to attain monetary stability and sustainable
    economic growth. Its major task is to mobilize and direct the resources of the Philippine
    financial system toward the social and economic growth of the economy, in particular,
    and the country, in general. Of paramount importance is the improvement of the life of
    the masses by alleviating poverty. Through its different monetary instruments, Bangko
    Sentral ng Pilipinas is able to fashion a desirable level of prizes, investments,
    production, incomes, and consumptions. The BSP has the ultimate social
    responsibility of uplifting the economy and developing the country.
    The Board that governs the Central Bank is called the Monetary Board. Its members
    are appointed by the President of the Philippines and the Chairman is the Governor of
    the Central Bank. Five other members come from the private sector. The New Central
    Bank Act took effect on June 14,1993 during the reign of then-President Fidel Ramos.
    It establishes an independent Central Monetary Authority, which known as Bangko
    Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) with a capital of P50 Billion.
    The Monetary Board, which exercises the powers and function of the BSP, such as
    the conduct of monetary policy and supervision of the financial system.
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
6
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                               S.Y.2020-2021
    The Monetary Stability Sector, which takes charge of the formulation and
    implementation of the BSP’s monetary policy, including serving the banking needs of
    all banks through accepting deposits, servicing withdrawals, and extending credit
    through the rediscounting facility.
    The Supervision and Examination Sector, which enforces and monitors compliance
    to banking laws to promote a sound and healthy banking system.
    The Resource Management Sector, which serves the human, financial, and physical
    resources need of the BSP.
    The Monetary Board
    The power and functions of Bangko Sentral are exercised by its monetary board, which
    has seven members appointed by the President of the Philippines. Under the New
    Central Bank Act, one of the government sector members of the Monetary Board
    must also be a member of the Cabinet designated by the President.
    The New Central Bank Act establishes certain qualifications for the members of the
    Monetary Board and also prohibits members from holding certain positions with other
    governmental agencies and private institutions that may give rise to conflicts of
    interest. With the exception of the members of the Cabinet, the Governor and the other
    members of the Monetary Board serve terms of six years and may only be removed
    for cause.
                                   FIGURE 3. THE BSP MONETARY BOARD
    The Major functions of the Monetary Board include the power to:
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
7
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                 S.Y.2020-2021
       1. Issue rules and regulations it considers necessary for the effective discharge of
          the responsibilities and exercise of the powers vested in it.
       2. Direct the management, operations, and administration of Bangko Sentral,
          organize its personnel and issue such rules and regulations as it may deem
          necessary or desirable for this purpose.
       3. Establish a human resource management system which governs the selection,
          hiring, appointment, transfer, promotion, or dismissal of all personnel.
       4. Adopt an annual budget for an authorize such expenditures by Bangko Sentral
          as are in the interest of the effective administration and operations of Bangko
          Sentral in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
       5. Indemnify its members and other officials of Bangko Sentral, including
          personnel of the departments performing supervision and examination
          functions, against all costs and expenses reasonably incurred by such persons
          in connection with any civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding, to which any
          of them may be made a party by reason of the performance of his functions or
          duties, unless such members or other officials are found to be liable for
          negligence or misconduct.
    Objectives of BSP
    BSP, as the central monetary authority of the country, is expected to provide the
    country with a safer, more flexible, and more stable and healthier monetary and
    financial system that will help support a stronger economy. It is enjoined to:
       1. Maintain monetary policies conducive to a balanced and sustainable growth of
          the economy.
       2. Maintain price stability in the country.
       3. Promote and maintain monetary stability and the convertibility of the peso.
       4. Maintain stability of the financial system.
       5. Provide payment and other financial services to the government, the public,
          financial institutions, and foreign official institutions
       6. Supervise and regulate depository institutions.
    To attain its objectives, the monetary and fiscal policies of the country need to be
    closely and efficiently coordinated. The different agencies of the government, both
    financial and fiscal, need to cooperate with one another. Moreover, it is important that
    there be coordination and cooperation between the government and the private
    sectors. These sectors are the partners in nation-building.
    Functions of BSP
    Being the primary monetary authority, BSP performs the following functions:
       1. Bank of Issue – BSP has the monopoly of printing money bills and minting
           money coins. This monopoly is designed to:
           a. Ensure the uniformity in design and content of money
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
8
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                 S.Y.2020-2021
            b. Effect government supervision over money supply
            c. Give prestige and honor to the central bank
            d. Become a good source of income for the government
       2.   Government’s banker, agent, and adviser – BSP handles the banking
            accounts of government agencies and instrumentalities. All government
            agencies deposit their funds with BSP.
       3.   Custodian of the cash reserves of banks – All banks are regulated to have
            adequate reserves with BSP in proportion to their deposit liabilities to ensure
            availability of cash to depositors who wish to withdraw deposits.
       4.   Custodian of the nation’s reserves of international currency – the early
            years of central banking required central banks to maintain a minimum reserve
            of gold, and later of international currency, as a guarantee for tis issuance of
            currency bills or notes and deposit liabilities (cash reserves of commercial
            banks).
       5.   Bank of rediscount and lender of last resort – The rediscounting function of
            the central bank means the central bank lends money to the banks in distress
            on the basis of their promissory notes or the promissory notes of the bank
            borrowers.
       6.   Bank of central clearance and settlement – The central bank acts as a sort
            of clearing house at the central bank where claims are demanded by one bank
            against another. The banks have their own boxes at the clearing house.
       7.   Controller of credit – controlling money supply requires controlling credit. The
            higher the money supply in circulations is, the higher the prices of goods and
            services are.
            BSP can control credit by:
            1.   Increasing or decreasing interest rates
            2.   Increasing or decreasing the legal reserve of banks
            3.   Regulating the margin requirements of stock exchange securities
            4.   Open market operations (buying or selling government securities)
            5.   Imposing ceilings on total amounts bank can lend
            6.   Rationing central bank credit
            7.   Restricting imports
            8.   Selecting projects for funding
            9.   Moral suasion (encouraging people and business) to support and cooperate
                 with central bank policies and regulations
    Monetary Policy and Financial System
    Monetary policy refers to the manipulation of the money supply to affect the economy
    f the country as a whole. It largely impacts interest rates. Increases in the money
    supply lower short-term interest rates, encouraging investment and consumption. In
    the long run, however, an abundance of money supply leads to increased prices or
    inflation and is undesirable. This is where BSP plays its role as the balancer.
    Expansionary monetary policy may lower interest rates and stimulate investment and
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
9
    Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                 College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                              S.Y.2020-2021
    consumption in the short run, hence, needs to be balanced. This is the task of the
    BSP.
    BSP uses several tools to implement its monetary policy. Among these tools are its
    open market operations (buying and selling government securities), reserve
    requirements on banks, the discount rate, the interest rate, credit control, money
    supply, among others. The monetary policy seeks to influence either the demand for
    or supply of excess reserves, resulting from the implementation of monetary policy,
    triggering a sequence of events that affects economic factors such as short-term
    interest rates, long-term interest rates, foreign exchange rates, the amount of money
    and credit in the economy, and the levels of employment, output, and prices.
    Monetary policy works largely through its impact in interest rates. Increases in the
    money supply lower interest rates, which stimulate demand. As the money supply
    increase, investors will be encouraged to buy more securities (stocks or bonds),
    forcing securities and buy tangible assets, which stimulates consumption demand
    directly.
    In implementing monetary policy, BSP can take one of two basic approaches to affect
    the market for bank excess reserves:
        1. Target the quantity of reserves in the market based on BSP’s open market
           operations’ objectives for the growth in the monetary base (the sum of money
           in circulation and reserves) and, in turn, the money supply
        2. Target the interest rate on those reserves that BSP is granting.
           The approach taken varies depending on the need to combat inflation and the
           desire to encourage sustainable economic growth.
               APPLICATION
       A. True or False
    ______________1. The financial system channels funds from the deficit units to the
    savings units.
    ______________2. The financial system provides a medium of exchange.
    ______________3. Households are families which do not include single individuals in
    terms of the financial system.
    ______________4. The powers and functions of Bangko Sentral are exercised by its
    Monetary Board.
    ______________5. Under the New Central Bank Act, one of the government sector
    members if the Monetary Board must also be a member of the cabinet designated by
    t he President.
    ______________6. To attain its objectives, only the monetary policies of the country
    need to be closely monitored and discharged.
    Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
    College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
    Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
10
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                               S.Y.2020-2021
     ______________7. Increases in the money supply push short-term interest rates up,
     encouraging investment and consumption.
     ______________8. An abundance of money supply leads to increased prices or
     inflation.
     ______________9. BSP may lower interest rates and stimulate investment and
     consumption in the short run.
     _____________10. When BSP sells securities, it increases money supply in the
     economy.
        B. Identification
     ______________1. Equal to current income less current expenditures.
     ______________2. Another word for expenditures.
     ______________3. Goods consumed within the current period.
     ______________4. Firms that bridge the gap between the surplus units and the deficit
     units.
     ______________5. The Philippine Central Bank
     ______________6. The participants from the rest of the world – households,
     governments, financial and non-financial firms, and central banks.
     ______________7. The body that governs the Central Bank.
     ______________8. The BSP sector that enforces and monitors compliance to banking
     laws to promote a sound and healthy banking system.
     ______________9. Refers to the manipulation of the money supply to affect the
     economy of the country as a whole.
     ____________10. Loans granted by banks with excess reserves to banks and deficit
     reserves.
     ____________11. The BSP sector that takes charge of the formulation and
     implementation of the BSP’s monetary policy, including serving the banking needs of
     all banks through accepting deposits, servicing withdrawals, and extending credit
     through the rediscounting facility.
     ____________12. The independent Central Monetary Authority in the Philippines.
     ____________13. The BSP sector that serves the human, financial, and physical
     resource needs of BSP.
     ____________14. Refers to regulations that will affect money supply to benefit the
     economy
     ____________15. Firms that act as the bridge between surplus units/lenders and
     deficit units/borrowers.
                  Congratulations! You just finished lesson 1 in your module
          Should there be some parts of the lesson which need
          clarification, please ask your instructor during your session.
                  Get ready for the next lesson!
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
11
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                    S.Y.2020-2021
                 Lesson 2                          Financial Intermediaries
     Learning Outcomes:
                       1. Discuss financial intermediation and identify the different financial
                          intermediaries.
                       2. Appreciate the role financial intermediaries play in socio-economic
                          development of a nation.
                       3. Explain the economic bases for financial intermediation
                       4. Detail the changing nature of financial intermediaries
                       5. Discuss the different types of risk faced by the financial
                          intermediaries and investors in the business world.
       ANALYSIS
       What do you think?
          •   Have you been in a bank? If yes, name banks you have been to.
          •   What transaction/s or service/s have you experienced?
     ABSTRACTION
                   Let’s Discuss
     Definition of Financial Intermediaries
     Financial Intermediaries are financial institutions that act as the bridge between
     investors or servers (surplus units or Sus) and borrowers or security issuers (deficit
     units or DUs), which issue their own financial instruments called secondary
     instruments. The original issuers or borrowers who borrow funds issue what is termed
     as primary securities.
     A bank gets deposits from depositors. In this case, the depositor is he lender and the
     bank is the borrower. Original borrowers issue primary securities. The buyer of the
     primary security is the lender. In this case, the primary security is the deposit account,
     say, the checking account. The check represents the checking account, an asset that
     the buyer of the security can use to pay his/her account. In the same manner, the
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
12
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                   S.Y.2020-2021
     buyer of marketable securities can sell the marketable securities or use them to pay
     for his/her account if the lender to the owner of the securities is willing to accept them
     as payment.
     The bank as a financial intermediary, can create secondary securities that it can sell.
     It can pool deposits to have a bigger amount available to be sold as a secondary
     security, say commercial papers or negotiable certificates of deposits, that it can now
     sell to interested investors, or it can simply lend accumulated deposits to borrowers as
     a loan. The commercial papers or negotiable certificate deposits that the bank issue,
     as a financial intermediary, are now secondary securities. The loan is a secondary
     security. The primary security is now transformed into a secondary security. This is
     the asset transformation role of the financial intermediary.
     Financial intermediaries have brought into existence several of the financial products
     or securities now available in the financial markets. Financial intermediaries are
     generally large and have economies of scale in terms of operation and specifically in
     analyzing creditworthiness or borrowers to ensure that securities issued by these
     borrowers are worth investing into or purchasing for the buyers/investors.
     Financial intermediaries are differentiated from other businesses in that their assets
     and liabilities are overwhelmingly financial. They have very small amounts of tangible
     assets. This is because intermediaries simply move funds from one sector to another.
     Financial intermediaries do not only sell securities issued by other companies, but also
     issue their own securities to raise funds to purchase securities of other corporations
     they wish to buy either as their own investment or for resale in cases where selling
     them will bring them better profit. These secondary securities issued by financial
     intermediaries include life insurance policies, money market mutual funds, and
     pensions and pre-need plans.
     Classification of Financial Intermediaries
     Financial intermediaries are caried, but they all have one characteristic in common. All
     of them (except market specialists) issue secondary securities to be able to purchase
     primary securities issued by deficit units. They can, however, be grouped into two
     basic categories:
         1. Depository institution
         2. Non-depository institution
     Depository Institutions, as the name implies, refers to financial institution that
     accepts deposits from surplus units. It issues checking or current account, savings,
     and time deposit and help depositors with money market placement.
     The assets of depository institutions are the loans that they grant borrowers. On the
     other hand, these loans are the liabilities of the financial and non- financial entities,
     including households. For depositors and investors, which are the financial and non-
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
13
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                            S.Y.2020-2021
     financial entities, their deposits or investments in securities are their assets. These
     assets are the liabilities of the depository institutions or other security issuers actin gas
     borrowers.
                                                                   Non-financial/
     Depository Institution                                  Other Financial Institutions
     Assets         Liabilities                              Assets        Liabilities & Equity
                    & Equity
     Loans          Deposits                                 Deposits      Loans
     Depository institutions include:
       1. Commercial banks
           a. Ordinary commercial banks -perform the more simply functions of
              accepting deposits and granting loans
           b. Expanded commercial or universal banks (unibanks)- perform
              investment services. They are expanded because they function as an
              investment house and investing in stocks and bonds of non-allied
              businesses.
       2. Thrift banks-banks which encourage the habit of thrift and savings and provide
           loans at reasonable rates.
           a. Savings and mortgage banks- banks specializing in granting mortgage
              loans other than the basic functions of accepting deposits
           b. Private development banks- cater to the needs of agriculture and industry
              providing them with reasonable rate loans for medium-and long-term
              purposes
           c. Savings and loan associations (SLAs, S&Ls)- accumulate savings of their
              depositors/ stockholders (the depositors are the stockholders) and use
              these accumulated savings, together with their capital for the loans that they
              grant and for investments in government and private securities. These
              associations provide personal finance and long-term financing for home
              building and improvement.
           d. Microfinance thrift banks- small thrift banks that cater to small, micro, and
              cottage industries, hence, the term micro”. They grant small loans to small,
              micro, and cottage businesses.
           e. Credit unions – although not belonging to banks, are cooperatives
              principally functioning to pool savings and grant loans like depository
              institutions. Loans granted are multiples (two or three times) of the
              member’s savings with the union.
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
14
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                 S.Y.2020-2021
        3. Rural banks and cooperative banks are the banks in the rural communities
           which help in the development of the country by providing them with loans and
           other basic financial services.
     Non depository Institutions include:
       a. Insurance companies
          (1) Life insurance companies – provide protection over a contracted period
              of time or over the life of the insured in exchange of premium paid. Life
              insurance policies have face values, the amount to be received if the insured
              dies. Life insurance policies also have loan values, amount that can be
              borrowed against the policy. In addition, they have cash surrender values,
              amount to be received if the policy is cancelled or surrendered.
          (2) Property/casualty insurance companies -provide protection against
              injury or property loss resulting from accidents, work-related injuries,
              malpractice, and natural calamities.
       b. Fund managers – include pension fund companies and mutual fund
          companies. Pension fund companies sell contracts to provide income to
          policyholders upon retirement. Mutual fund companies accept investments in
          small amounts to be pooled together to buy securities that will form the portfolio
          of investments.
       c. Investment banks/house/companies- underwrite new issues of stocks and
          bonds. They are also called merchant banks.
       d. Finance companies -borrow and lend funds to households and businesses.
          They engage in borrowing and lending, but they are not banks. They could be
          sales finance companies providing installment credit to purchasers of big items
          like cars and appliances, consumer finance companies granting credit to
          consumers, or commercial finance companies granting credit to businesses.
       e. Securities dealers and brokers- Securities brokers are only compensated
          by means of commission. They act as a financial intermediary in that they look
          for investors or savings units for the benefit of the borrowers or deficit units.
          They help in meeting of these units. They also earn commission on any sale
          they make. Securities dealers, on the other hand, buy securities and resell
          them and make a profit on the difference between their purchase price and their
          selling price.
       f. Pawnshops – agencies where people and some small businesses “pawn” their
          assets in exchange of an amount much smaller than the value of the asset or
          use their assets as collateral for a loan.
       g. Trust companies and departments-corporations organized for the purpose of
          accepting and executing trusts and acting as trustee under wills, as executor,
          or as guardian.
       h. Lending investors are like finance companies, but usually smaller, that grant
          loans to households.
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
15
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                   S.Y.2020-2021
     Role of Financial Intermediaries in Socio-Economic Development
     In a developing country or a less developed country like the Philippines, financial
     intermediaries play an important role in its socio-economic development. It is the
     financial intermediaries that bring the available funds from the urban areas to the rural
     areas, which are mostly in need of such funds. Rural and cooperative banks and
     microfinance thrift banks have been a great help in these less fortunate areas. They
     are the ones doing the lending to farmers and other rural residents that need to
     improve their status in life. They can borrow from the rural and cooperative banks
     and/or from the microfinance thrift banks and start their own small business or send
     their children to school.
     In addition to rural and cooperative banks and microfinance thrift banks, the growth of
     commercial banks in the rural areas have greatly helped areas by making credit
     available to rural residents so they can use such credit to advance. Entrepreneurship
     and micro and cottage industries had been pushed in these areas to help these areas
     develop and improve, not only the economic aspects of the residents’ lives but also
     their social life. Financial intermediaries had been influential and helpful in the
     establishment of schools and businesses in these areas aiding in their socio-economic
     development. They had helped the government in securing funds for infrastructure
     development of these areas. They had helped individuals pursue education or
     businesses and livelihood projects to attain economic independence.
     Changing Nature of Financial Intermediaries
     The nature of financial intermediation has changed from the old, more regulated and
     specialized institutions to the newer, more diversified institutions we now have.
     The US congress, after the Great Depression of the 1930s, devises a host of measures
     to promote a highly specialized (each type of financial institution has to perform certain
     functions peculiar only to it) financial system. Banks were set up to take in deposits
     and grant only short-term loans. Creation of branches was limited and interest rates
     were duly regulated. Thrift institutions, to protect banks, were prohibited to grant
     consumer and commercial loans and issue checking accounts (which were prohibited
     to grant interest) and were forced to specialize in long-term fixed-rate mortgages. Life
     insurance companies were allowed only to issue policies and purchase corporate
     bonds, not stocks. In 1993, the Banking act of 1993 or Glass Steagall Act separated
     commercial and investment banking. Commercial banks were no longer allowed to
     underwrite corporate stocks and bonds, which function became dominion of
     investment banks, and they were not allowed to hold common stocks in their
     investment portfolios. On the other hand, investment banks were not allowed to accept
     household deposits or grant commercial loans, which became the domain of
     commercial banks. Financial institutions, therefore, became highly specialized.
     Households could no longer go to one financial institution and transact all their
     businesses there. They had to go to banks to open checking accounts, got o an
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
16
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                                     S.Y.2020-2021
     insurance company to purchase insurance policies, go to thrift institution to mortgage
     their house and lot, among others. Companies who issue stocks and bonds had tog o
     to an investment bank for underwriting of their issues and go to a commercial bank for
     a loan. Severe restrictions were placed on the portfolios of depository institutions,
     especially thrifts. This was know as the old financial environment (OFE).
     OFE began to change in the mid-1970s when increase in market rates of interest,
     accompanied by high and rising rates of inflation clashed with the existing regulatory
     structures. The new financial environment (NFE) is a market-determines or
     deregulated rates on assets and liabilities of financial intermediaries and by greater
     homogeneity among financial institutions (no longer specialization) which emerged in
     the 1980s. Financial institutions can now perform various financial business.
     Risk of Financial Intermediation
     Risk is the possibility that actual returns will deviate or differ from what is expected. If
     one expects prices to go up and he buys securities, he is taking a risk because prices
     could go up or down. If prices go up, he gains; if prices go down, he loses. Financial
     intermediation is highly market sensitive, i.e. changes with changes in the market
     environment. As such, financial intermediaries face several risks including:
        a.   Interest rate/market value (price) risk
        b.   Reinvestment risk/ refinancing risk
        c.   Default/credit risk
        d.   Inflation/purchasing power risk
        e.   Political risk
        f.   Off-balance sheet risk
        g.   Technology/operation risk
        h.   Liquidity risk
        i.   Currency/foreign exchange risk
        j.   Country/sovereign risk
               APPLICATION
             A. True or False
     _____________1. Financial intermediaries are all banks.
     _____________2. All banks are financial intermediaries.
     _____________3. Deficit units buy securities.
     _____________4. Financial intermediaries only sell other companies’ securities.
     _____________5. Original issues of securities are primary securities.
     _____________6. A current account is a savings account.
     _____________7. The assets of depository institutions are the loans they grant.
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA
17
     Afafafaf Cor Jesu College, Inc.
                  College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
                                                                              S.Y.2020-2021
     _____________8. The assets of non-financial institutions are their deposits.
     _____________9. Universal banks are commercial banks.
     _____________10. Demand deposits are checking accounts also known as current
     accounts.
            B. Identification
     ________________1. Also known as expanded commercial banks.
     ________________2. Smaller commercial banks with assets of less than $1 billion
     ________________3. A system of banking where banks are allowed to provide a
     variety of services to their customers.
     ________________4. Deals with ensuring the soundness and safety of banks
     ________________5. Consists of the administration of laws in the form of rules and
     regulations that govern the conduct of banking and the structure of the banking
     industry.
     ________________6. An older measure of the soundness of a bank evaluated a
     bank’s management, asset quality, capital adequacy, risk management, and operating
     results.
     ________________7. Measure of the soundness of a bank evaluated a bank’s
     management, asset quality, capital adequacy, risk management, and operating results
     used beginning in 1994.
     ________________8. Another name for savings bank.
     ________________9. Banks specializing in granting mortgage loans other than the
     basic function of accepting deposits.
     ________________10. Banks that cater to the needs of agriculture and industry
     providing them with reasonable rate loans for medium-and long-term purposes.
                   Well done! You are done with the second module. Should there be
     some parts of the topics which need clarification, please ask your instructor during
     your session.
     Gen Ed 12- Business Logic
     College of Accountancy, Business and Entrepreneurship
     Instructor: Earlynne H. Villegas, MBA