• Commercial banks provide different services than investment banks.pile of hundred dollars bank notes image by Dmitry Rukhlenko from Fotolia.com
  
  Commercial banks provide a variety of important products and services. In contrast to investment banks, which deal primarily with the securities markets, commercial banks accept a variety of deposit types, make various kinds loans and provide other services including checking and savings accounts, credit cards, ATM networks, safe deposit boxes, and custodial and trustee services.
  
  

Liability Products

• Liability products are one category of products that commercial banks provide. So named because they represent liabilities of the bank, these products include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and other types of deposit products. Except for checking accounts, liability products normally earn interest for the depositor, which varies according to the type and term of the deposit. Commercial banks provide these products to individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations.
  
  

Asset Products

• Asset products are another service that commercial banks provide.
  Called asset products because they represent the primary assets of the banks, these products normally take the form of personal and business loans, mortgages, auto loans and credit cards. Asset products also have a variety or rates and terms, and the interest revenue in them is the main way that commercial banks earn profits.
  
  

Electronic Banking

• Electronic banking services provided by commercial banks include the maintenance and expansion of 24-hour ATM networks, wire transfers and banking websites that allow consumers and business to obtain account information, open new accounts, order checks, transfer funds between accounts and make bill payments. The added convenience these websites offer has proven to be a great benefit to bank customers.
  
  

Other Services

• Commercial banks also provide other services to businesses and consumers for which they earn various fees. These include investment advisory services, corporate finance consulting, custodial services for estates and trusts, safekeeping of securities and other valuable items, and money transfer services.