Fixing the Bank System

by Unknown

Back to Ideas.

Unknown2009-10-13 10:08:38
Presently banks are ONLY useful for organizations, seeing as each bank is seperate, and anyone who actually has to withdraw anything loses a significant amount of money, which is worse with a larger sum. As such, I propose the following changes:

Savings Intrest: In player accounts, an account will accrue 1% intrest on the account every 3 months.
Account Transferrance: You can move your money from one bank to the other for no extra cost
Scaled Withdrawl Fees: Withdrawl fees will decrease in size for larger amounts. So while, for example, taking out a mere 100 gold would result in a 5% fee, taking out 100K gold would result in say, 1%
Xavius2009-10-13 10:44:11
How about you just go ahead and post "Lusternia needs more thieves so that the orgs can make money."
Unknown2009-10-13 11:17:04
Banks will never give you interest in the game, or people could just deposit large sums and live off the interest. It would be nice to be able to consolidate accounts into the bank of your choosing, however. The flat withdrawal fee is fine, especially since banks are an optional luxury in Lusternia, and you can just carry your money with you everywhere with little fear of losing it.
Unknown2009-10-13 11:24:17
QUOTE (Xavius @ Oct 13 2009, 06:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm an unproductive troll.

Moving on.

QUOTE
Banks will never give you interest in the game, or people could just deposit large sums and live off the interest. It would be nice to be able to consolidate accounts into the bank of your choosing, however. The flat withdrawal fee is fine, especially since banks are an optional luxury in Lusternia, and you can just carry your money with you everywhere with little fear of losing it.


I fail to see why being able to live off intrest is a problem. People already do that in real life, and the people that need to actually buy stuff frequently would need more then the pittance of a percent that you'd get every three days. As a matter of fact, the incredible amount of gold required to make an appreciabl amount of money each day(400K gold?) would be MUCH more easily used just buying a few healing potions and making 1000 gold in 15 minutes.

And the flat withdrawl fee is fine...except if I want to store my money, I'm better off using a chest, since it's even safer(No chance of losing it in an org move), and I don't lose a few thousand when I pull out my moneys.
Unknown2009-10-13 11:42:20
I've had 350k in the bank for many years now, and it was over a million for a good while, too. How much interest would I have made on that over the last century? See, some of us are prosperous enough that we can hunt or ply our trade without ever going near that profitable nest egg. biggrin.gif

If the interest percentage is so small, why even ask to have it added to the game? It probably wouldn't even be enough to soften the blow of the withdrawal fees. (Besides, I think this has been suggested in the past and turned down flatly.)
Xenthos2009-10-13 11:46:55
QUOTE (Zarquan @ Oct 13 2009, 07:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I've had 350k in the bank for many years now, and it was over a million for a good while, too. How much interest would I have made on that over the last century? See, some of us are prosperous enough that we can hunt or ply our trade without ever going near that profitable nest egg. biggrin.gif

If the interest percentage is so small, why even ask to have it added to the game? It probably wouldn't even be enough to soften the blow of the withdrawal fees. (Besides, I think this has been suggested in the past and turned down flatly.)

I have 3.5 mil in the bank, and have for a RL year at this point. Interest on that would be rather sick. tongue.gif
Shiri2009-10-13 12:47:03
There's no point talking about RL economics. We don't have anything like the same kind of inflation as in Lusternia.
Unknown2009-10-13 13:07:50
QUOTE (Shiri @ Oct 13 2009, 08:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
There's no point talking about RL economics. We don't have anything like the same kind of inflation as in Lusternia.

Due to player consent, yes. There's nothing strictly stopping us from having the issue though, look at the credit market.
Fern2009-10-13 13:25:35
banks are to keep your money protected, period. That's all they are there for, not to make you money. Just be glad that we don't have thieving problems like achaea that requires you to use the bank.
Mirami2009-10-13 13:40:11
Solution #2: Two-room manse, reinforced door, chest with lock, complete sets of sigils in both rooms. Your own deposit box.

Or just a chest/lock, since I don't think anybody can pick those. Or a box with a lock. Of course you keep the key in your pack or pouch, so it can't be stolen easily.
Basically, Artisans have the answer to the question of security.

I'd rather the fee for withdrawing was 1%, though, because at 2% nobody I know uses the bank (except during the toy scare, but that's what artisan chests are for).
Kelysa2009-10-13 14:59:41
Also, something important to consider, all those funds the banks take from you go directly to your city/commune and can be used for improvements/culture stuff etc. It's not like they throw it into a furnace.
Shiri2009-10-13 15:23:49
QUOTE (Kialkarkea @ Oct 13 2009, 02:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Due to player consent, yes. There's nothing strictly stopping us from having the issue though, look at the credit market.

Village commodities have a fixed supply, amongst other things.
Everiine2009-10-13 15:32:15
I'd actually just be happy if I could withdraw money in other banks from another branch, even if a fee was put in for doing so. I want my 15 gold sovereigns locked away in Glomdoring's vaults, darn it!
Kelysa2009-10-13 17:54:19
Not that hard to run in and get it. I've run into Glom a few times to mail letters to people just for laughs. Just be sneaky.
Estarra2009-10-13 18:10:56
Interest doesn't magically "grow" just because it's in a bank. Banks take depositors' money and then invest that money in various ventures. Thus, banks pay depositors an interest rate to induce them to use the bank because the banks make money off the deposits. Thus, to even consider Lusternia banks giving an interest rate, we'd have to consider how the banks could make money off the deposits, which of course is inherently speculative and would run the risk of banks going bankrupt and losing everyone's money. I'm not sure if we're ready to go there!
Casilu2009-10-13 18:19:01
QUOTE (Estarra @ Oct 13 2009, 11:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Interest doesn't magically "grow" just because it's in a bank. Banks take depositors' money and then invest that money in various ventures. Thus, banks pay depositors an interest rate to induce them to use the bank because the banks make money off the deposits. Thus, to even consider Lusternia banks giving an interest rate, we'd have to consider how the banks could make money off the deposits, which of course is inherently speculative and would run the risk of banks going bankrupt and losing everyone's money. I'm not sure if we're ready to go there!



We just need our banks to be insured by the FIDC (Fain Insists you Divulge Cash).
Daganev2009-10-13 19:25:24
QUOTE (Estarra @ Oct 13 2009, 11:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Interest doesn't magically "grow" just because it's in a bank. Banks take depositors' money and then invest that money in various ventures. Thus, banks pay depositors an interest rate to induce them to use the bank because the banks make money off the deposits. Thus, to even consider Lusternia banks giving an interest rate, we'd have to consider how the banks could make money off the deposits, which of course is inherently speculative and would run the risk of banks going bankrupt and losing everyone's money. I'm not sure if we're ready to go there!


You actually have a good system set up allready to make investments, and the banks can be supported by the player governments without too much risk of "everyone losing their money".

Here is my suggestion.

You deposit gold into the bank, and there is the % fee.

The fee goes directly to the trade minister's coffers.

The trade minister, is able to set up prices to automatically buy commodities from any village which it does not get tithes from and sell to any village which it does. (When a village has a commodity to sell at that price, the commodity gets sold to the trade minister, if the price of the commodity to buy in the village is ever equal to the sell price in the city/commune commodity shop, the village automatically buys the commodity) If the trade minstry doesn't have money in it's coffers no sale is done.

When players buy trade commodities from the commodity shop, that money goes into the trade coffers (I think it allready does)

Then, the trade minister is also able to set the interest rate for the fee taken when a deposit is made, and the interest rate for leaving money in the bank. (maximum of 30%?)

Interest is then calculated every year (12 RL days)
(interest rate goes down to 0 if at any point the bank does not have enough money to pay out the interest rate that year, and nobody gets paid extra)

This way, the only money you are actually dealing with is the % fees and % interest which is given back to the players, and the trade ministry has the ability to make money from both automatica sales between villages, and regular sales from players. So the "bank" (i.e. trade ministry) can make money, and pay players for it. At the same time there is no risk of losing money, only a risk of not gaining the interest rate.
Lendren2009-10-13 20:29:28
QUOTE (Estarra @ Oct 13 2009, 02:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Interest doesn't magically "grow" just because it's in a bank. Banks take depositors' money and then invest that money in various ventures. ... I'm not sure if we're ready to go there!

Would we really need this any more than we need to answer the question of where Miakoda gets all that gold, or why lobstrosities are carrying any, or what Trader Bob is really doing with his revenue?
Arix2009-10-13 22:39:40
Trader Bob's revenue goes to the Old Trader's Retirement Home, at least the revenue from some of the lotteries does
Kiradawea2009-10-13 22:53:16
QUOTE (Lendren @ Oct 13 2009, 10:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Would we really need this any more than we need to answer the question of where Miakoda gets all that gold, or why lobstrosities are carrying any, or what Trader Bob is really doing with his revenue?

I think you just answered your own question. suspicious.gif