prime rate

noun

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of prime rate

: an interest rate formally announced by a bank to be the lowest available at a particular time to its most credit-worthy customers — called also prime interest rate

See prime rate defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of prime rate from the Web

Typically, HELOCs come with floating interest rates tied to an index, often the bank prime rate.

— kenneth r. harney, chicagotribune.com, "Equity-rich Americans have options for tapping into funds," 10 Apr. 2018
That’s because credit card companies generally offer variable interest rates that are adjusted in real time according to the prime rate, or the interest rate charged by most major banks to their corporate customers.

— samantha bomkamp, chicagotribune.com, "As Fed raises rates, look for higher costs on credit cards, car loans and home mortgages," 21 Mar. 2018
Typically, HELOCs come with floating interest rates tied to an index, often the bank prime rate.

— kenneth r. harney, miamiherald, "Equity-affluent Americans have options for tapping into funds | Miami Herald," 11 Apr. 2018
The federal funds rate and the prime rate are tightly linked, and as one goes, so the other tends to go.

— samantha bomkamp, chicagotribune.com, "As Fed raises rates, look for higher costs on credit cards, car loans and home mortgages," 21 Mar. 2018
Banks are expected to follow and raise the prime rate to 4.5% from 4.25%.

— susan tompor, USA TODAY, "Tompor: Expect higher rates on credit cards, loans due to Fed," 15 Dec. 2017
Banks are expected to follow and raise the prime rate to 4.5% from 4.25%.

— susan tompor, USA TODAY, "Tompor: Expect higher rates on credit cards, loans due to Fed," 15 Dec. 2017
Many small business loans are indexed to the prime rate, too.

— susan tompor, USA TODAY, "Tompor: Expect higher rates on credit cards, loans due to Fed," 15 Dec. 2017
On Thursday, the prime rate, a key benchmark for credit card and other loans, rose a quarter point to 4.5%.

— aaron back, WSJ, "Bank Stocks Can Fight the Fed, for Now," 15 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prime rate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of prime rate

1924

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Financial Definition of PRIME RATE

prime rate

noun

What It Is

The prime rate is the interest rate commercial banks charge their most creditworthy customers, which are usually corporations.

How It Works

Anyone who has borrowed money knows that different banks charge different interest rates. So when people refer to the prime rate, they are usually referring to the average prime rate among banks. The Wall Street Journal is one of the most common sources for this statistic. It calculates and publishes the average prime rate by surveying the 30 largest banks in the U.S.

Below you'll find a graph of the historical average prime rate published by the Federal Reserve, which surveys 25 banks across the nation.

In general, the rate is the same among nearly all the surveyed banks, and they tend to change their rates at the same time. When 75% of these banks (23 banks) change their rates, the Wall Street Journal changes its average.

Why It Matters

The prime rate is one of the most widely used market indicators, albeit a lagging one, and it is a major benchmark for mortgage and credit card rates. It is also often the basis for adjustable-rate loans. The definition of prime rate on InvestingAnswers

For example, if a bank is offering a home equity loan at "prime plus 5" and its prime rate is 6%, then the bank is essentially offering borrowers an 11% loan (6% + 5%) with an interest rate that will fluctuate along with the prime rate. It is important to remember that not everyone qualifies for a bank's prime rate -- this rate is only for the customers least likely to default.

The prime rate is influenced (but not dictated) by the Federal Funds rate, which is set by the Federal Reserve. The Federal Funds rate is the rate at which banks can borrow from each other or the Federal Reserve in order to meet their reserve requirements. The higher this rate is, the higher a bank's prime rate usually is.

Source: Investing Answers

PRIME RATE Defined for English Language Learners

prime rate

noun

Definition of prime rate for English Language Learners

: the lowest interest rate that banks will give to people who borrow money from them

Law Dictionary

prime rate

noun

legal Definition of prime rate

: an interest rate formally announced by a bank to be the lowest available at a particular time to its most creditworthy customers — called also prime, prime interest rate