A money market account (MMA) or money market deposit account (MMDA) is a

deposit account A deposit account is a bank account maintained by a financial institution in which a customer can deposit and withdraw money. Deposit accounts can be savings accounts, current accounts or any of several other types of accounts explained below. ...

that pays interest based on current

interest rates An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited, or borrowed (called the principal sum). The total interest on an amount lent or borrowed depends on the principal sum, the interest rate, th ...

in the

money market The money market is a component of the economy that provides short-term funds. The money market deals in short-term loans, generally for a period of a year or less. As short-term securities became a commodity, the money market became a compon ...

s. The interest rates paid are generally higher than those of

savings account A savings account is a bank account at a retail bank. Common features include a limited number of withdrawals, a lack of cheque and linked debit card facilities, limited transfer options and the inability to be overdrawn. Traditionally, transac ...

s and

transaction account A transaction account, also called a checking account, chequing account, current account, demand deposit account, or share draft account at credit unions, is a deposit account held at a bank or other financial institution. It is available to the ...

s; however, some banks will require higher minimum balances in money market accounts to avoid monthly fees and to earn interest. Money market accounts should not be confused with

money market fund A money market fund (also called a money market mutual fund) is an open-ended mutual fund that invests in short-term debt securities such as US Treasury bills and commercial paper. Money market funds are managed with the goal of maintaining a hi ...

s, which are

mutual fund A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to purchase securities. The term is typically used in the United States, Canada, and India, while similar structures across the globe include the SICAV i ...

s that invest in

securities.

United States

Features

Money market accounts are regulated under terms similar to ordinary savings accounts. They are insured by the FDIC (unlike money market funds), and although they may provide checking services, the restrictions of Federal Reserve Regulation D have discouraged their use for day-to-day payment purposes. In practice, money market accounts are distinguished from ordinary savings accounts by their higher balance requirements and their more complex interest rate structure.

History

The

Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (, ) (often abbreviated DIDMCA or MCA) is a United States federal financial statute passed in 1980 and signed by President Jimmy Carter on March 31. It gave the Federal Res ...

of 1980 set in motion a series of steps, designed to phase in the deregulation of bank deposits, permitting a wider variety of account types, and eventually eliminating interest ceilings on deposits. By the subsequent

Garn–St. Germain Depository Institutions Act The Garn–St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (, , enacted October 15, 1982) is an Act of Congress that deregulated savings and loan associations and allowed banks to provide adjustable-rate mortgage loans. It is disputed whether the a ...

of 1982, on December 14, 1982, money market accounts were authorized with a minimum balance of no less than $2,500, no interest ceiling, and no minimum maturity, allowing up to six transfers out of the account per month (no more than three by check) and unlimited withdrawals by mail, messenger, or in person.Gilbert, Alton
"Requiem for Regulation Q: What It Did and Why It Passed Away"

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the United States' central bank. Missouri is the only state to have two main Federal Reserve Banks (Ka ...

, February 1986 Minimum denominations were eliminated on January 1, 1986, and the limitation that no more than three of the maximum six monthly outward transfers could be by check was eliminated on May 3, 1988.

References

Bank account {{Bank-stub