1.   Along with fees for setting up the group, they earn an interest margin, or spread, on the loans they keep.

2.   Along with fees for setting up groups, they earn an interest margin, or spread, on the loans they hold.

3.   Another key factor in bank earnings is the net interest margin, or the gap between the interest banks charge and the interest they pay for funds.

4.   As interest rates rise, banks tend to have lower net interest margins and less demand for loans.

5.   Banks are reporting thinner net interest margins because they have to pay more for deposits in order to compete with mutual funds and other investments.

6.   Banks, the most sensitive to changes in interest rates, tend to have narrower net interest margins and less demand for loans when interest rates rise.

7.   Dresdner said its interest margins continue to contract, as low-margin lending businesses account for an increasing share of lending.

8.   Earnings at its FGH Bank fell because interest margins narrowed.

9.   FNB has been hurt in the past three years by lower interest margins.

10.   For the financial system as a whole, the new competition is expected to reduce interest margins, as the banks fight for loans and consumer deposits.