COMMERCIAL BANKS LIQUIDITY PROBLEM AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS (A CASE STUDY OF FIRST BANK AND UNION BANK)

CHAPTER ONE

1.0            INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Liquidity of banks is “the case with which banks assets could easily be converted into cash”. The liquid asset include cash in bank vaults, and other government securities that have not been used as collateral for loans. The most liquid of all these assets is cash.

These are many reasons why a bank should have reasonable liquid assets in its assets portfolio. These includes amongst others to babble the bank to meet prompt demands from deposits and to ensure that the bank main trained public confidence and also beadle to utilize profitable opportunities that may come out in future.

However, it should be mentioned that banks like most other business are profit oriented. They operate in order to make profit for their shareholders. The profits could duly be realized only if there is adequate deposits from bank customers. The deposits will not come unless the depositors could be assured of the safety of their deposits and for the safety of the deposit to be assured, these has to be enough liquidity in the bank.

Conversely, a bank operates in order to make profit for her shareholders. It is a known fact that action designed to make profit in banks may bring about bank distress and vice versa. Therefore, equilibrium has to be sought between the two. These taken extreme cases, have been the constant concerns of bank management.