Vuelven las cuentas de ahorro para los más pequeños

 

12/9/2014 – An old-fashioned banking product that has fallen on hard times may be making a comeback with school kids.

Passbook savings accounts are the centerpiece of a pilot program being launched this fall by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which is hoping to promote financial education and encourage children to save money.

Plain-vanilla savings accounts have long been opened by parents as a first step toward introducing children to the concept of saving. But since the accounts generate only a few pennies in interest each month, there’s not much of a wow factor for today’s more affluent and commercialized generation of kids. And when it comes to instilling the savings habit, let’s face it, many parents aren’t great role models. Those are attitudes the FDIC hopes to change with its schoolroom test.

Several months ago, the agency reached out to banks that have existing partnerships with schools to offer savings accounts to youths in conjunction with financial education programs. Some institutions have gone as far as opening in-school branches that are staffed for a few hours once or twice a week.

Dozens of financial institutions have expressed interest in participating in the test program for the current school year, said FDIC spokesman Gene Hernandez.The agency expects to select five to 30 FDIC-insured institutions later this month to participate in the first phase of the test.

A second phase would be more widespread. The FDIC will begin soliciting interest in April for banks and other institutions to begin new school savings programs in the 2015-2016 school year.

Lee el artículo completo en The Kansas City Star.