The banks are commercial enterprises and like many other businesses are organized as companies which are owned by
shareholders1. These shareholders, or their predecessors2, provided the money to set up the banks and to enlarge them. This money is known as a banks capital. But the shareholders' money is only a small part of the total amount of money which the clearing banks have at their command. Who provided the rest of this enormous sum? The banks' customers. Banks, in effect, borrow from their customers as well as lend to them.银行是商业企业，它的组织结构和其它企业一样，是由股东一同拥有些公司型组织。这类股东，或者是公司开创者，提供资金设立银行，并扩大资金规模。这笔资金被叫做银行的资本金。但，股东的资金只是资金总额中的一小部分，并由清算银行控制。其余的很多资金由哪个来提供呢？由银行的顾客来提供。事实上，银行从顾客那里借来资金，并向他们提供贷款。The money which a bank obtains from its customers is generally known as its deposits and represents the balances which customers keep on their accounts with their banks. These accounts are of two main kinds: current accounts on which customers can draw cheques but receive no interest, and deposit and savings3 accounts on which the banks pay interest for the use of the money. 银行从其顾客那里得到的钱，一般被叫做存款，代表顾客在银行账户上持有些余额。这类账户主要有两种：一种是活期存款，顾客可以对其开出支票，但没利息，另一种是储蓄存款账户，银行用账上的资金要支付利息。Many people -- private inpiduals, manufacturers, traders, companies and official bodies -- choose to keep part of heir resources in the form of money. They need to do this mainly because they are continually having to make payments for the goods and services which they are buying and because they want to have resources immediately available. They could meet these requirements by keeping a stock of cash in the form of bank-notes and coin. But while notes and coins are a practical way of carrying out some small transactions, cash payments are a cumbersome4, cosplaytly5 and, unfortunately, sometimes a dangerous method of settling most payments, especially if the money has to be sent any distance. It is more convenient, safer and more efficient to settle payments either by cheques drawn6 on a bank account, or through the banks credit transfer. Most of the payments made by businesses and Government in Britain and a large part of the payments made by private inpiduals are settled through the clearing banks.很多人个人、生产商、商人、公司和政府机构选择持有一部分现金资产。如此做的重要原因是他们需要为其所购买的产品和劳务支付款项，想在手头留有现金。他们持有银行钞票和硬币作为现金储备，以满足平时需要。然而，虽然在进行小笔买卖时一般都用现钞、硬币支付，但对大部分结算来讲，用现金支付既不便捷、成本又高，有时甚至还有风险，这风险特别存在于异地寄送现金。结算支付既能够用开立支票从其银行户头付账的方法，也可以通过银行贷方划拨，如此做更便捷、更安全，而且效率更高。由英国政府和企业作出的绝大多数支付，与由私人作出的大多数支付都是通过清算银行来进行的。
The main reasons why customers keep money on accounts with commercial banks can be summarized as follows:
-- the banks provide an efficient and convenient method of making payments （ cheques, bank giros, standing7 orders etc. ）.
-- a bank deposit is safer and less troublesome than keeping a stock of cash. A commercial bank undertakes to provide cash on demand to a customer who keeps money on current account, and after a few days notice to deposit account customers.顾客在商业银行账户上存钱的重要原因可以概括如下：
银行提供高效便捷的支付方法（支票、银行直接贷记划款单、银行本票等）。
银行存款比持有现金更安全，麻烦也少。商业银行承诺，有活期存款的顾客可以随时提现，也可以在存款顾客公告几天将来提现。
-- banks pay interest on deposit and savings accounts.
-- banks provide their customers with many other useful services. They will, for example, look after valuables, deal with investments, make payments to businesses and people abroad and provide financial information.
--banks will lend money to their customers.
For many purposes, money in the bank is money in its most convenient form.
银行对储蓄存款支付利息。
银行向其顾客提供很多其它有用的服务。比如，保管贵重物品，办理投资业务，对海外企业和个人进行支付，与提供金融信息。
银行向其顾客提供贷款。
银行的钱由
