"Иностранный язык" (английский язык) для экономистов

         Significant structural differences distinguish the U.S. banking system from that of developed nations. The main differences are in ownership, scope and concentration of activities, and the giro system of banking.

     Virtually all banking institutions in the U.S., as well as Canada and Great Britain, are privately owned. In France and Italy, however, the government either owns the major commercial banks or the majority of their stock.

     European banks engage in some activities prohibited to banks in the U.S., such as the placement and acquisition of common stock. Commercial banks in Europe tend to be more business oriented and limit their lending to shorter-term loans. Long-term loans are handled by bank affiliates. The share of the deposits and loans handled by the major European banks tends to be considerably larger than that handled by their U.S. counterparts. This stems from the absence of restrictions on branching; leading the large European banks to maintain extensive networks of branches in their home countries. The absence of an antitrust tradition also accounts for the greater degree of concentration.

    A common system of arranging consumer payments in Europe is the use of giro accounts. In a giro transaction, the payer will order the giro bank to pay specific sums to a number of payees. The payer's account is debited, and the payees' accounts are credited.