Another useful tool to concentrate funds is an automatic sweep account.
A sweep account is a ZBA account from which the government’s available
funds are swept into an investment vehicle, such as an overnight repurchase
agreement or a money market mutual fund, at the end of the business day.
At the beginning of the next day, the funds are returned to a concentration
account. Sweep accounts often have a balance threshold and will sweep funds
over the amount of the threshold into the investment vehicle. Governments
that have large bank balances may find sweep accounts cost-effective.
Governments that have liquidity problems may find that sweep accounts
cost more than the interest earned on the account. Figure 2.2 shows a sample
account structure and flow of funds.
Local Government Cash Management 43
F I G U R E 2 . 2 Account Structure and Flow of Funds
Source: Author.
Overnight investment:
money market mutual fund or
repurchase agreement
Concentration account
(sweep