I'm also not sure on what you mean how a bank stores data. Databases are usually designed to work with real time updates, but in the case of a database that is only updated via a batch process, the update data could be sorted, and then the database copied and updated to a second file, using the sorted update data. Everything but the sorting of the update data would involve sequential I/O (which would allow the database to be stored on magnetic tape). The sorting of the update data could also be done on multiple tape drives (at least 3), using a merge sort.
I don't think this is the answer you're looking for, so perhaps you could reword your original question.