FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN

A federally chartered savings and loan is a banking institution that functions in a very similar fashion to retail banks and credit unions, with some slight limitations on the type of services it can offer. Historically, the primary purpose of savings and loan associations was to allow members to deposit savings and borrow money at rates that were slightly more competitive than commercial banks. The competitive difference in interest and loan rates came from the fact that a savings and loan was "mutually owned" by its members, with no need to pass profits on to a third party.