A student remarks:

"When I pay my car insurance premiums, I never get that money back. My insurance premiums represent payments for a service I receive from the insurance company. When I deposit money in the bank, I can always withdraw the money later if I want to. So, my bank deposit represents a financial investment for me. Therefore, a bank is a financial intermediary, but an insurance company is not."

Briefly explain whether you agree with the student's argument.

The position of the student is correct. Financial intermediaries are entities participating in a financial transaction that function as a bridge. A financial intermediary helps lenders contact creditors and buyers meet with sellers. In fact, the parties on either side of the transaction do not need to meet at all, thanks to the financial intermediary. Eventually, depositors earn a profit by the interest of the money stored in the financial intermediary.

The situation explained above is not the same when talking about insurances. Insureds pay a monthly fee for having a policy that provides them with coverage according to the insurance. If the insurance was never used, the money paid by the insured is not given back.