Marginal Lender: What It Is, How It Works

What Is a Marginal Lender?

A marginal lender, like a bank, only makes loans at or above a specific interest rate. In other words, they are willing to lend at the current interest rate, but not at a lower rate.

Understanding Marginal Lenders

In the borrowing and lending market, banks and other financial institutions provide credit through loans to businesses and individuals. The interest rate for different types of loans and credit risks is determined by supply and demand. For example, if there is a surge in housing demand, more people may want a mortgage, causing interest rates to rise.

A marginal lender is willing to extend loans at the current interest rate or higher, but not below that rate, even if someone else would. They work "on the margin," but not below it.

Key Takeaways

• A marginal lender only makes loans at or above a specific interest rate.
• They lend at the current interest rate, but not at a lower rate.
• Don’t confuse a marginal lender with margin lending or overnight lending between banks.

Avoid Margin Confusion

Don’t mistake a marginal lender for a margin lender, which is a brokerage that lends money to investors for trades using collateral they already own. Margin trading is risky and can amplify investment losses.

Also, a marginal lender is not the same as marginal lending, which is overnight liquidity provided to banks by the European Central Bank’s marginal lending facility. It is similar to the Federal Reserve’s Discount Window in the US. The interest rate for these loans is called the marginal lending rate, one of the three rates set by the ECB every six weeks as part of its monetary policy. The other two rates are the deposit facility rate, the interest banks receive for overnight deposits, and the MRO rate, the cost of borrowing from the central bank for one week.