Slashing fees has already paid off for these players, at least in terms of attracting customers — putting further pressure on industry insurgents like Robinhood. Schwab added 142,000 new brokerage accounts in October, the same month it dropped commission fees — a 31% spike from September and a 7% jump from October 2018.
Going forward, we expect consolidation in the industry to continue as firms look to offset lost commission fees from cost-saving synergies — upping the pressure on smaller players and banks. When the likes of Schwab dropped fees, we noted that it would lead to greater consolidation as players look to offset declining revenue. Such consolidation makes sense because it enables Schwab and co to cut back-office costs: In fact, the overlap in back-office operations between the pair is so high that around 60% of TD's costs will be shed following the tie-up, Argus Research Director Stephen Biggar told CNBC.
But brokerage firms will also continue to identify ways of recouping their lost commission revenue — and that's a threat to banks. Schwab, for instance, typically places clients' uninvested cash into sweep accounts. These funds are deposited into Charles Schwab Bank, paying the owners of the cash around 0.55% interest, but the firm lends this money out at a higher interest rate.
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