How It Works
In the banking world, there are two general types of deposits: demand deposits and time deposits. Demand deposits are the placement of funds into an account that allows the depositor to withdraw his or her funds from the account without warning or with less than seven days' notice. Checking accounts are demand deposits. They allow the depositor to withdraw funds at any time, and there is no limit to the number of transactions a depositor can have on these accounts (although this does not mean that the bank cannot charge a fee for each transaction).
A time deposit is an interest-bearing deposit held by a bank or financial institution for a fixed term whereby the depositor can only withdraw the funds after giving notice. Time deposits generally refer to savings accounts or certificates of deposit, and banks and financial institutions usually require 30 days’ notice for withdrawal of these deposits. Individuals and companies often consider time deposits as “cash” or readily available funds even though they are technically not payable on demand. The notice requirement also means that banks may assess a penalty for withdrawal before a specified date. Time deposits may pay higher interest rates than demand deposits.
