Text 5 Glimpses of History of Money

At different periods of time and in different parts of the world many different commodities have served as money.

These commodities were: cattle, sheep, furs, leather, fish, tobacco, tea, salt, shells etc. The illustration shows shell money used by early settlers in North America. The shells were threaded into strings or belts called wampum. The experts underline that to serve effectively as money, a commodity should be fairly durable, easily divisible, and portable. None of the above-mentioned commodities possessed all these qualities, and in time they were superseded by precious metals.

First they were superseded by silver and later by gold. When a payment was made the metal was first weighed out. The nest stage was the cutting of the metal into pieces of definite weight and so coins came into use.

Paper money first came into use in the form of receipts given by goldsmiths in exchange for deposits of silver and gold coins. After goldsmiths became bankers their receipts became banknotes. That's how the first banknotes came into existence.

At first coins were worth their face value as metal. But later token coins of limited value as legal tender were issued. Now smaller denomination coins are made from bronze and are often referred to as coppers. Bigger denomination coins are made from cupronickel and are usually called silver.

Ex. 1. Find the answers in the text:

1. What are the requirements of a commodity to serve as money?

2. Why did precious metals start to serve as money?

3. What precious metal was used first to serve as money?

4. How did coins come into existence?

5. How did paper banknotes come into existence?

6. What coins are called silver?

7. What are coppers?

Ex. 2. Complete the sentences with the following words: coin, metal, banknote, payment, bronze, coppers, silver, denomination, cupronickel.

21. At first coins were worth their face value as …

22. When a … was made the … was first weight out.

23. This … is 10 pence worth.

24. This … is 20 dollars worth.

25. Now smaller denomination coins are made from … and are often referred to as …

26. Bigger … coins are made from … and are usually called.

Ex. 3. Sum up what the text says about:

• the money in the past

• the way banknotes appeared

• the metals of which coins were and are made

• the silver coins and coppers

Unit IV Text 1 Types of loans made by banks

Bank loans may be divided into seven categories of loans.

1. Real estate loans, which are secured by real property – land, buildings, and another structures – and include short-term loans for the construction of buildings and land development and long-term loans to finance the purchase of farmland, family homes, apartments and other multifamily structures, commercial (non-farm and non-residential) structures, and foreign properties.

2. Financial institutions loans, which include both long- and short-term credit to banks, insurance companies, finance companies, and other financial institutions to help them meet their obligations to customers and to expand their services and operations.

3. Agricultural loans, extended to farm operations to assist in planting and harvesting crops and to support the feeding and care of livestock.

4. Commercial and industrial loans, granted to businesses to cover such expenses as purchasing inventories, playing taxes, meeting payrolls, and to cover other operating costs.

5. Loans to individuals, which include credit to finance the purchase of automobiles, mobile homes, home appliances, and other retail goods and loans to repair and modernize homes, cover the cost of vacations, medical care, and other personal expenses, either extended directly to individuals or indirectly through the purchase of consumer installment paper from retail dealers.

6. Miscellaneous loans, which include all those loans not classified above, including securities loans made to brokers, dealers, and other investors desiring to purchase stocks, bonds, and other securities.

7. Lease financing receivables, where the bank buys equipment or vehicles and leases them to its customers.

Of the loan categories shown, the largest in dollar volume is real estate loans, accounting for nearly one-third of total bank loans. These loans are made to both individuals and businesses in order to construct and purchase homes, apartments, office buildings, retail shops, and industrial structures. The next largest category is commercial and industrial loans, also representing close to one-third of the total. These loans include credit to purchase inventories of goods and raw materials, to cover operating expenses, and to finance new equipment. Next in importance are loans to individuals and families for living costs, medical expenses, automobile purchase, home appliances, vacations, education, and so on, accounting for about one-fifth of all loans made by federally insured U.S. commercial banks.

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