The purpose of this work is to study the dynamics of the main types of Bank assets/liabilities and interest rates on them in the period from January 1996 to July 1998, as well as the mechanisms of demand for Bank loans from the real sector of the economy and deposits from the population. The article analyzes the interdependence of the volume and profitability of Bank assets/liabilities, as well as their dependence on the main macroeconomic variables. The paper shows how the structure of active / passive operations of banks, as well as pricing mechanisms in the Russian financial market influenced the formation of the crisis situation in the banking sector in the summer of 1998.