customer/ client/ consumer/ clientele

customer and client can be used to refer to either people or companies that buy
things
consumer and clientele are used only about people
customer is usually used when the thing being sold is a standard product or
service:
Phone companies are competing to sign up domestic customers.
client is preferred when the thing being sold is specially prepared or designed, e.g.
professional advice:
They have advised their clients to buy the shares.
It is now common for organizations providing public services, i.e. hospitals and bus
companies, to refer to the people who use their services as customers or clients,
rather than patients, passengers, etc., since these words are thought to be more
professional.
consumer is used to describe any member of the public who buys things rather
then a customer of a particular company:
changes in consumer behaviour
consumer demand for cheap flights
clientele describes all the people who use a particular shop/store, restaurant or
service:
The restaurant attracts a younger clientele.
Banking Terms
ACCOUNT an arrangement between a bank and a customer,
allowing certain banking or credit services:
You dont need to have an account with us to apply for a credit card.
CURRENT ACCOUNT (BrE) / CHECKING ACCOUNT (AmE)
an account which pays little interest, but from which money can
be taken out without giving notice, usually by writing a cheque
(AmE check)
Could you let me know the balance of my current account, please?
DEPOSIT ACCOUNT / TIME / NOTICE ACCOUNT an
account that pays interest, but which requires notice before
money can be taken out:
This deposit account offers an interest rate of 6.5%.
INTEREST an amount that is charged for borrowing money:
Rates of interest are shown in the table on page four.
Banking Terms
STATEMENT a document from a bank that shows
transactions over a certain period:
There seems to be an error in this monthly statement.
BALANCE the difference between money going out
and money coming in at any given time:
The statement shows a balance of just $20,000.
CHARGE an amount to be paid to a bank for
providing certain services:
If you repay the full amount shown on the statement
within fifteen days, there is no charge.
Banking Terms
ATM (Automated Teller Machine)/ cash dispenser (BrE)/ cash machine
(AmE) / cash point (AmE) a machine that dispenses cash when a card is
used:
This card can be used at 4000 ATMs in the country.
PIN / PIN number Personal Identification Number; a number known to a
cardholder which allows access to accounts through an ATM:
Your PIN will be sent to you in two or three days.
TO DEBIT to deduct a sum of money from an account:
The mortgage payment will be debited from the account on the first day of the
month.
TO CREDIT to add an amount of money to an account:
$10,000 has been credited to the account.
TO DEPOSIT to put money into an account:
The sum of $5000 was deposited at the end of the month.
TO WITHDRAW to take money out of an account:
How much would you like to withdraw?
Types of Bank
CENTRAL BANKS such as the Bank of England (UK) or the Federal
Reserve System (US) provide banking facilities for governments and
other banks, as well as issuing banknotes and coins.
COMMERCIAL BANKS/ HIGH STREET BANKS (BrE) are businesses
that trade in money and deal directly with the public.
MERCHANT BANKS specialize in raising finance for industry,
arranging flotations, takeovers and mergers, and investment portfolios.
INVESTMENT BANKS are firms that control the issue of new
securities (shares and bonds). The American equivalent of merchant
banks.
CLEARING BANKS are banks which belong to a clearing house (in the
UK), which is an institution where members cheques are cancelled
against each other and only the balances are payable.
SAVINGS BANKS are financial institutions specializing in savings
accounts.
UNIVERSAL BANKS are banks that combine investment banking with
commercial banking.
Banking Services
Retail banking vs. corporate banking
Commercial banks offer many services to individual customers as well as to
businesses.
A credit card enables the holder to buy goods and repay the credit card issuer
at a later date.
A mortgage is a loan to buy property.
Most businesses have a credit arrangement which allows them to take out
more than is in their bank account, this being called overdraft.
As well as offering credit facilities, banks provide services to allow customers
to make payments.
Direct debit is a system of making payments by having money transferred
from an account at a certain date, e.g. to pay bills.
A standing order is an arrangement with a bank to have a fixed amount paid
from a bank account to certain people or organizations at an agreed time, e.g.
pension scheme payments or fixed instalments.
Most banks offer a foreign exchange service the facility to change money
from one currency to another.
In recent years banks have diversified, and now offer services such as
insurance, investment advice and home banking (telephone or Internet)
facilities.