Almost invariably, anybody who has anything to do in the bank, no matter the nature, seeing himself as a bank customer at least as much as he is within the banking premises.

Commercial prudence also dictate that the bank affords its best attention to all and sundry, what ever the type of relationship they may seem to be having with the bank.

But the question now is who then amongst those people are customers, and if some are not customers what are they?

In great Western Railway Company limited .V London and Country banking company limited (1901), it was held that a person who has been cashing cheques from the dependent bank, on this employers over many years was not a customer of the bank by his mere cashing of cheques.

There must be more than a mere cashing of cheques.

It simply means that anyone who is not having an account with the bank cannot be regarded as a bank customer. Furthermore, there must be a time when someone began to be a customer.

A person can becomes a customer of a bank when he goes to the bank with money or a cheque and asked to have an account opened in his name and the bank accepts the money or a cheque, and is prepared to open an account in the name of the person.

WHAT IS BANK:

Dr. H. Hart define bank as “ a person or company carrying on the business of receiving monies and collecting drafts for customer subjected to the obligation of honoring cheques drawn upon them from time to time by customers to the extent of the amount available on their current account.

In addition to that, section 41 of the Nigerian banking act of 1962 define a bank as any person who carries on banking business and includes a commercial bank, an acceptance account, financial institution and merchant banks.

WHAT IS BANKING BUSINESS:

Section 41 of the Nigerian Banking Act of 1962 also defined banking business as the business of receiving monies form outside sources as deposits of payment of interest in the granting of money loans and acceptance of credit or the purchase of bills and cheques or the purchase and sale of securities for account or other of the incurring of the obligation to acquire claims in respect of loans prior to their maturity or the assumption of guarantee and other warranties for other or the effecting of transfer and clearing and such other transactions as the commissioner, may on the recommendation of central bank, by other published in the gazette, designate as banking business.

Section 61 of the banks another financial institution decree on 25 of 1991 (BOFID) defined banking business as “the business of receiving deposits on current account, paying or collecting cheques, drawn by or paid in by customers, provision of finance or such other business as the gazette, designated as banking business”.

WHAT IS A BANKER: