Bank





A Bank is a facility that allows players to deposit and store (and thus withdraw) their coins and most items. It is usually in the form of a building, but is sometimes only a chest, or even a non-player character. A Bank Deposit Box is a similar feature, but only allows players to deposit their items.

Banks are often popular locations for trading, since players are right beside where they can keep most of their money and items. Banks are indicated on the world map with a dollar icon.

History




The RuneScape bank was added on 23 January 2001. Before May 2001, banks in RuneScape were only able to store coins. The use of pack mules, or separate accounts was more common to hold additional items since space was limited. In RuneScape Classic, users had much less space. Before RuneScape Classic was made members-only, free users had one bank page, while members had four (it started out as two pages).

The bank in RuneScape used to be called the Bank of Varrock, but it caused too much confusion that the banks were named incorrectly (they were all named the same since they were branches), so the name was changed to the current name, the Bank of RuneScape.

With the Bank Update and Item Lending update on 14 July 2008, the bank interface was improved to include tabs to organise items, a search function to find any item by name, and a counter to show the available bank space. It also the ability to repeatedly withdraw/deposit the number of items last entered using Deposit-x or Withdraw-x. However, banking transactions had become slightly slower as item withdrawals and deposits seem to take a longer time than before the update.

On 29 July 2008, the Item Lending update introduced the Withdraw-All but one option for withdrawals from the bank. With this, players are able to leave one placeholder item in the bank, so that the positioning of the item is not disrupted if the player accidentally withdraws all items. The update also increased the speed of the scroll bar on the bank interface, which has helped to combat the lag after the previous change. It is unknown whether Jagex is aware of the lag in withdrawals and deposits, or whether this slight delay will be fixed in the future.

The introduction of the Grand Exchange (in The Grand Exchange update on 26 November 2007 ) led to a major downfall of popularity of trading in banks. It used to be that banks were the major spot for trading, but now the Grand Exchange has taken over as a centre for trade.

On 3 March 2009, the deposit-all feature was introduced. Players can dump all items from their inventory, items worn, and items carried by their Beasts of Burden.

Bankers





 * Bankers: Allows players to access their Banked items, Grand Exchange collection box, Item Lending return box, and allows the ability to change PIN settings. Found in nearly every bank (behind a bank booth), including the Grand Exchange (behind a desk).  Also found in the Bounty Hunter arena, as well as in the Fist of Guthix caves (standing with a huge sack).  Identifiable by their grey suits, or by a huge sack on their backs (to represent the banked items that they have stored).
 * Other bankers: There are other races of bankers, such as Ghost banker, Gnome banker, Elven banker, Dwarven banker, etc. They are similar to human bankers, but are from a different race.
 * Grand Exchange clerks: Allows players to access the Grand Exchange, the collection box, buy/sell history, and item sets. Found only in the Grand Exchange (behind a desk).  These are the only NPCs that allow you to open item sets.  Identifiable by their blue suits.
 * Banker tutor: Allows all transactions similar to a normal banker, but gives tutoring on how to use the bank. Found only in Lumbridge (behind a bank booth).  Identifiable by her light blue dress.

Bank locations
There are many banks scattered throughout RuneScape, and may be located in the World Map with the dollar icon.

Bank facilities


There are also other facilities that provide banking services to players in RuneScape. These facilities are similar to banks, but have limitations in their features.


 * Bank Deposit Boxes: Allows players to only store items into the bank. Players are not allowed to withdraw items.  Available in nearly every bank, and in other key locations such as in Port Khazard and before in the Gnomecopter Tours field.  The deposit boxes are cylindrical in shape (in the banks), or shaped like a safe (at the Gnomecopter Tours). Beefy Bill now replaces the deposit boxes there and can bank flour, cowhides, and raw beef, to your bank. However, he charges 10% commission.
 * Bank chests: Allows all transactions similar to a normal banker.  Items from the Grand Exchange cannot be collected from this chests.  Varies in colour, and available in places such as in the Lumbridge cellars (during and after the Recipe for Disaster quest), Al Kharid Duel Arena, etc.

Deposits
Players can deposit ("bank") their items in two different ways:


 * Using the bank - Players can click on the bank booth (or the banker) to talk to the banker for access to their bank account.
 * Alternatively, the bank booth can be right-clicked, and the "Use quickly" option chosen to skip the conversation and access their bank account.
 * Or, the banker can be right-clicked, and the "Bank" option chosen to skip the conversation and access their bank account.
 * Using a Bank Deposit Box - Players can click on these and deposit items without the need to enter their bank PIN, even if they have only just logged in.

When a player has access to their bank, they can deposit items from their inventory. Players can deposit 1, 5, 10, a custom amount (n), "All", or "X" items in one menu. The "X" option allows a player to specify the quantity of items to be deposited, and lock in the custom amount (n) for the subsequent transactions. This feature is useful for players depositing the same number of items repeatedly, such as during Runecrafting and Fletching.

Withdrawals


Players can withdraw their items by either using a bank booth or talking to a banker. The bank account access procedure is similar to the deposit process. Once players have access to their bank account, they can then withdraw the required items. Similar to the deposit process, the player has several options for withdrawals:
 * Withdraw-1
 * Withdraw-5
 * Withdraw-10
 * Withdraw-n - Withdraws n items, where n is a custom amount based on the amount entered in the last transaction.
 * Withdraw-All - Withdraws all items stored in the bank.
 * Withdraw-All but one - Withdraws all items (except one). This is useful for storing "placeholder" items, as not to disrupt the positioning of the item.
 * Withdraw-X - Withdraws X number of items. The "X" option allows a player to specify the quantity of items to be withdrawn, and lock in the custom amount (n) for subsequent transactions.

Collection


The Collection Box is used to collect any cash or items from Grand Exchange trades that have been completed, or partially completed. To open the collection box, the "Collect" option is used on the bank booth (or the banker). The Collection Box interface shows any completed trade in green. Players with on-going trades (i.e. large quantities) can also collect their items (or coins) as the trade goes through bit-by-bit.

With the Item Lending update, players may now collect cash or items from wandering bankers such as those from the Bounty Hunter and Fist of Guthix minigames.

Stacks
Most items stored in the bank are stackable, even if the item does not stack in the inventory. When there are multiple items are stored, a number appears to the right of the item indicating the number of items. This number is truncated if it is larger than a hundred thousand (rounded down to the nearest thousand, and symbolised with a "K", meaning kilo or thousand), and if it is larger than ten million (rounded down to the nearest million, and symbolised with an "M" meaning mega, or million).

Tabs
Players have an option to organise their bank items in up to eight separate tabs. The tabbed feature was introduced by Jagex as players found it hard to organise items within the bank. With this feature, items with similar characteristics, such as items used in the Farming skill can be stored in one tab, while Fishing items stored in another. For members, it is recommended to make at least a "Quest" tab, a "Tool" tab and an "Armour & Weapons" tab, as there are lots of items that fall within these 3 categories.

New tabs are created by dragging and dropping items to the "+" icon, creating a new tab. The symbol used for the tab will be the first item stored within the tab, and this symbol changes if the first item stored is changed. The "All" tab (labelled with the infinity symbol) shows all the items in that tab in addition to each of the other tabs, separated by a dividing line.

To remove a bank tab, the tab may be right-clicked and the 'Collapse tab' option selected. In addition, the tab will also be removed if all items within the tab is emptied, or moved into the other tabs.

Swap/Insert toggle
The Swap/Insert toggle button is used to toggle between swapping and inserting items. This feature is used to rearrange items within the bank, and within individual tabs.

With the "Swap" option, the item (A) will be swapped when another item (B) is dragged and dropped onto the item. This replaces the positions of A and B without moving any other items. Meanwhile, with the "Insert" option, the item (B) will be inserted in between items (before item A), moving all other items "forward".

Search
The Search button is used for finding items in the bank. As more and more items are added into the bank, finding a particular item can be hard for some players. With the Search function, the item name (or part of it) can be entered into the Search field, and all other items will be filtered out, leaving items matching the name entered into the Search field. This provides easy access to rarely used items that need to be found quickly.

Note/Item toggle
The Note/Item toggle button is used to toggle between noted form, or item in the original form. Most items within the bank can be withdrawn in noted form. This allows large amounts of unstackable items (such as ores and logs) to be withdrawn or traded without taking up a large amount of inventory space. To withdraw the items as notes, players have to click the "Note/Item" toggle button at the bottom of the bank interface. Clicking on this button again (i.e. toggle) allows the player to withdraw items in their original form.

Items in note form cannot be wielded, equipped, or used in most skills. However, they greatly improve trading large amounts of unstackable items. Players can also cast Low Level Alchemy and High Level Alchemy spells on the notes to convert the items into coins.

In RuneScape Classic, notes did not exist, but instead players would trade in bulk using certificates, which could only be made for certain items. Certificates were made by bringing the desired items to the "certer" NPCs, instead of simply withdrawing from the bank in certificate form. Every certificate was equivalent to five regular items.

Dump backpack
With the Deposit-all feature and more update on 3 March 2009, the Dump backpack button was introduced. This allows players to quickly dump all the items in their inventory.

Dump worn items
With the "Deposit-all feature and more" update on 3 March 2009, the Dump worn items button was introduced. This allowed players to deposit the items they are wearing into their bank.

Dump burden
With the release of Summoning skill, the Beasts of burden are able to carry items for the player. These beasts have inventory spaces, similar to a player's inventory. To dump items carried by these beast, the Dump BoB button at the bottom of the bank interface is used. Pressing this button will deposit these items into the bank.

Bank PIN
The use of a 4-digit Bank PIN (Personal Identification Number) adds a significant extra layer of security to an account. It is optional, but recommended. Players may use the button located at the bottom of the bank interface to set up a PIN, or to cancel them.

When the PIN is active, players must enter the four-digit number the first time they use the bank, or the Grand Exchange, after logging in. They need not enter it again for as long as they remain logged in.

This means that even if a hacker is able to log in with someone else's username and password, the most they will be able to steal is any wielded items and whatever is in the inventory. They will not be able to access the contents of the bank, or any cash or items on the Grand Exchange without knowing the PIN. However, it is essential that the PIN is hard to guess, as the 4-digit PIN may be known if it is based on common numbers, such as birth dates or numbers within the RuneScape username.

Bank space
All players have a limit on how many kinds of items they can hold in their bank. Non-members have 68 spaces for item storage, while members have 496 spaces for storage. Players can stack up to 2,147,483,647 (231 minus 1) items of the same type (this includes money, since each coin is considered an individual item), as long as at least one item of that type is already in the bank account.

The large number of different items will rapidly fill up bank space. This requires players to consider carefully what items they really want to keep in their bank. Reducing the number of different but similar items (food, armour, weapons, arrows, runes, etc.) helps to keep the bank tidy.

Even for members, a significantly larger bank space does not mean there is enough space for all kinds of items. In addition to managing the types of items that they keep in the bank, members often need to take measures to organise the items in order to reduce search time. Bank tabs have helped this problem significantly by giving players the option of organizing their items in an easy way without all the hassle. The search function also reduces significant time spent searching for rarely used items within the bank.

Bank space tends to clutter up rapidly, as re-depositing a single item after closing the previous bank screen causes the item to be stored in an entirely different location. To avoid this, players can keep multiple items in the bank. For example, one might keep two rune scimitars in the bank, so that taking one of them out will not affect its bank position. Of course, this does necessitate buying two's of everything, and can be very costly for expensive items. Additionally, players may only have one of certain items (such as quest items).

Members also have the option of storing some kinds of items outside the bank in order to save up bank space. For example, the Costume room of player-owned houses can store certain armour sets and holiday outfits, the bookcases (also in player-owned houses) can store quest-related books, and Tool Leprechauns help to store farming equipment (including compost and supercompost).

Users who are no longer members will not be able to keep their extra bank space, and will have to remove items until they have enough. However, players can deposit an item as long as there is another copy in the bank. It is often recommended to former members that they keep at least two of each needed item in their bank.

Trivia

 * When the Grand Exchange was released, players could do the *Collect Banker* option and the banker would notify players that they didn't have a Grand Exchange account. This got new players thinking that the Grand Exchange was for members.
 * The Bank of Runescape was originally known as Bank of Varrock.It was later changed to avoid confusion.


 * As Jagex is a company based in the United Kingdom, where the currency is the Great Britain Pound, it is notable that they have chosen the dollar sign ($) to represent a bank instead of the pound sign (£). It may be that the dollar sign is more globally used or recognised as currency amongst players.