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Chapter 25 of 32 · Lombard Street: A Description of the Money Market by Walter Bagehot

Note A. Liabilities and Cash Reserve of the Chief Banking Systems.

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The following is a comparison of the liabilities to the public, and of the cash reserve, of the banking systems of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States. For the United Kingdom the figures are the most defective, as they only include the deposits of the Bank of England, and of the London joint stock banks, and the banking reserve of the Bank of England, which is the only cash available against these liabilities is also the only cash reserve against the similar liabilities of the London private banks, the provincial English banks, and the Scotch and Irish banks. In the case of England, therefore, the method of comparison exhibits a larger proportion of cash to liabilities than what really exists.

(1) ENGLISH BANKING.
Liabilities. £
Deposits of Bank of England, less estimated Joint Stock Bank balances, at December 31, 1872 29,000,000
Deposits of London Joint Stock Banks at December 31, 1872 (see 'Economist,' February 8, 1873) 91,000,000
Total liabilities 120,000,000
Reserve of Cash. £
Banking Reserve in Bank of England. 13,500,000
Making proportion of cash reserve to liabilities to the public about 11.2 per cent.
(2) BANK OF FRANCE (FEBRUARY, 1873).
Liabilities. £
Circulation 110,000,000
Deposits 15,000,000
Total liabilities 125,000,000
Reserve of Cash. £
Coin and bullion in hand 32,000,000
Making proportion of cash reserve to liabilities to the public about 25 per cent.
(3) BANKS OF GERMANY (JANUARY, 1873).
Liabilities. £
Circulation 63,000,000
Deposits 8,000,000
Acceptances and Indorsements 17,000,000
Total liabilities 88,000,000
Reserve of Cash. £
Cash in Hand 41,000,000
Making proportion of cash reserve to liabilities to the public about 47 per cent.
(4) NATIONAL BANKS OF UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 3, 1873).
Liabilities. £
Circulation 67,000,000
Deposits 145,000,000
Total liabilities 212,000,000
Reserve of Cash. £
Coin and legal tenders in hand 26,000,000
Making proportion of cash reserve to liabilities to the public about 12.3 per cent.
SUMMARY.
Liabilities to the public Cash held Proportion of cash to liabilities per cent
£ £
Bank of England and London Joint Stock Banks 120,000,000 13,500,000 11.2
Bank of France 125,000,000 32,000,000 25.0
Banks of Germany 88,000,000 41,000,000 47.0
National Banks of United States 212,000,000 26,000,000 12.3

Lombard Street: A Description of the Money Market

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