Bank Balance Sheet Key Terms – Quick Reference
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Commercial Bank Balance Sheet – Common Items on the Assets Side
Line Item
Cash and Due from Banks
Deposits with Banks
Federal Funds Sold
Securities Borrowed
Trading Assets
Securities
Gross Loans
Allowance for Loan Losses
Description
Cash held in retail branches and ATMs; earns no interest. Tied to
Deposits on the Liabilities side.
Used for short-term borrowing and lending needs between other
banks; may earn interest but rates are very low. Tied to Deposits on the
Liabilities side.
Related to the central bank’s reserve requirements – a bank must
maintain a minimum level of deposits with the country’s central bank at
all times.
If it has an excess and other banks need to increase their reserves, it can
sell its excess funds at the “Fed Funds” rate (the name is different but
the idea is the same outside the US). Used to balance the balance sheet.
Used to provide funding to bank clients by borrowing their securities in
the short-term. Usually tied to Securities.
Represents a bank’s long positions in debt and equity securities (e.g.
how much they have invested with the expectation that their investment
will rise in value). Also includes certain derivative instruments. Only the
debt portion earns interest.
These assets are marked-to-market and any gains or losses over the
historical cost are reported on the income statement. Most trading assets
are used for market-making activities but some may be used for
proprietary trading as well.
May move independently of loans and deposits.
Primarily available-for-sale (AFS) securities; used to invest cash from
excess deposits / funding and to manage exposure to interest rate risk.
May move independently of loans/deposits, but often tied to deposits.
The most important line item on a bank’s balance sheet. Consists of
loans issued to consumers, corporations, and institutions; the key driver
of a bank’s business and where most of their interest income comes
from. Reported net of charge-offs on the balance sheet.
Projected via a bottoms-up loan portfolio build, or a simple growth %.
How much the bank expects to lose on its total gross loans. Listed as a
contra-asset in most countries; equivalent to a liability.
Add new provisions for credit losses and subtract net charge-offs.

Net Loans
Accrued Interest
Accounts Receivable
Premises and Equipment
Goodwill
Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSR)
Other Intangible Assets
Other Assets
Associates (Equity Investments)
Bank Balance Sheet Key Terms – Quick Reference
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The actual loan asset that factors into the Total Assets calculation; Gross
Loans minus Allowance for Loan Losses.
Despite this, note that any balance sheet items linked to loans are
projected as a percent of Gross Loans rather than Net Loans.
Interest owed to the bank on interest-earning assets. Usually a % of
Gross Loans.
Same as AR for a normal company; represents receivables from brokers,
dealers, clearing organizations, and so on. % of Gross Loans.
Same as PP&E for a normal company, but it is much smaller (relatively)
and less important for a commercial bank.
Same as Goodwill for a normal company: the premium paid for
acquisitions over the fair market value of assets. Usually held constant.
A type of intangible asset specific to banks; MSRs represent the right to
future cash flows for servicing mortgages.
For example, a 3rd party lender might issue a new mortgage and then
say, “Hey, can you collect principal, tax, insurance, and so on for us?
We’ll pay you to help out with that.”
Then when you purchase these rights, they show up on your balance
sheet and you get to earn revenue from them in the future.
Despite being intangible assets, these are counted as tangible assets and
included in Tier 1 Capital and tangible book value – because unlike
Goodwill or Other Intangibles, they represent real cash flow in the
future.
Add the MSR origination each year and subtract Mortgage Fees &
Income on the Income Statement to get this number.
Just like intangible assets for a normal company; for a bank they consist
of items like credit card relationships and core deposit intangibles
(premium paid in excess of another bank’s deposits in an acquisition).
Follow the amortization schedule in the filings to get these; sometimes a
portion of intangibles is allowed to count toward Tier 1 Capital.
Consists of private equity investments, owned life insurance policies,
and other miscellaneous assets; held constant or simple % growth.
Just like equity investments for a normal company – investments that
represent a 20% to 50% ownership in another company. Post-financial
crisis and post-regulation, spun-off divisions of banks may start
showing up here.

Commercial Bank Balance Sheet – Common Liabilities Line Items
Line Item
Deposits
Federal Funds Purchased
Commercial Paper
Other Borrowed Funds
Trading Liabilities
Accounts Payable
Interest Payable
Beneficial Interests
Long-Term Debt
Bank Balance Sheet Key Terms – Quick Reference
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Description
You walk into a bank and deposit money via the ATM. That money goes
into your checking account, which is a deposit and the key liability of
the bank.
A bank’s business model in a nutshell: get deposits from consumers and
businesses, and then use these funds to issue loans at higher interest
rates to other consumers and businesses.
Some deposits are interest-bearing (CDs), while others are not (free
checking accounts).
Always projected as a % of Gross Loans.
Just like Federal Funds Sold, but on the other side of the balance sheet. If
a bank falls short of its central reserve requirements, it can purchase
additional funds from other banks at the Fed Funds rate.
Increase this to balance the balance sheet if the Liabilities &
Shareholders’ Equity side falls below the Assets side.
Liquidity management and short-term funding needs; low interest rates.
Projected as a % of Gross Loans.
Liquidity management and short-term funding needs; low interest rates.
Projected as a % of Gross Loans.
Represents a bank’s short positions in equity and debt securities and
derivatives. For example, a trader says, “We think Company X’s share
price will fall to $10, so we’re going to bet against the stock by shorting
it” – the value of that short position shows up under Trading Liabilities.
% of Trading Assets.
Same as AP for a normal company; % of Gross Loans.
Interest that a bank owes on borrowed money; % of Deposits,
Borrowings, or Long-Term Debt.
Interest-bearing liabilities issued by VIEs (Variable Interest Entities);
these are special entities that allow banks to keep securities such as
subprime mortgages off their balance sheets. Hold constant.
Same as LT debt for a normal company – may consist of Senior Notes or
Subordinated Notes. Projected as a % of Gross Loans because a bank
raises debt in proportion to how much it needs to issue loans.

Commercial Bank Balance Sheet – Shareholders’ Equity Line Items
Line Item
Preferred Stock
Non-Controlling Interests
Common Stock
Capital Surplus
Retained Earnings
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income
Restricted Stock Units
Treasury Stock
Bank Balance Sheet Key Terms – Quick Reference
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Description
Same as Preferred Stock for a normal company: guaranteed dividends
and a higher claim to a bank’s assets than Common Stock.
Often held constant; can also project by adding issuances and
subtracting redemptions.
Same as Non-Controlling Interests or Minority Interest for a normal
company – when a bank owns 50% of another company, this represents
the portion they don’t own.
Increase by Earnings from Non-Controlling Interests.
The par value multiplied by all common shares outstanding.
You can do the math to get the precise number here, but most of the
time you hold this constant and assume that 100% of the value of new
shares shows up under Capital Surplus instead.
Otherwise known as APIC (Additional Paid-In Capital), this is exactly
the same as for a normal company: add the value of new stock issuances
and stock-based compensation.
Add Net Income and subtract Dividends. If you add Net Income to
Common, only subtract Common Dividends; otherwise subtract
Common Dividends and Preferred Dividends.
The same as for a normal company – any miscellaneous items that don’t
show up anywhere else, such as the effect of foreign exchange rate
changes, unrealized gains and losses, and so on, go here.
Insider holdings that cannot be sold easily; usually held constant in
models.
Represents the market value of all shares that the bank has repurchased
– link to the “Shares Repurchased” line item on the CFS.