Search Results
Journal Article
Why do estimates of bank scale economies differ?
A number of public policy issues turn on whether or not there are scale economies in commercial banking. This paper examines why empirical tests in this area have yielded differing results. Sorting out the different methodological approaches enables us to develop general conclusions on the size and significance of scale economies in banking.
Journal Article
The evolving size distribution of banks
If limiting the size of large banks were considered appropriate to reduce systemic risk, it would be a clear change of direction relative to the long-term evolution of the industry.
Journal Article
Bank size and innovation: larger not necessarily faster
Speech
Ending too big to fail
Remarks at the Global Economic Policy Forum, New York City.
Journal Article
Historical patterns and recent changes in the relationship between bank holding company size and risk
What is the relationship between a bank holding company's size and the risk it takes? The authors find that although the level of risk at large and small bank holding companies has not differed significantly, important distinctions exist in the nature of that risk. Historically, large companies' diversification advantages were offset by lower capital ratios and the pursuit of risk-enhancing activities. More recently, however, differences between the capital ratios and activities of large and small companies have narrowed. As a result, an inverse relationship between risk and bank holding ...
Report
Looking beyond the CEO: executive compensation at banks
The literature on executive compensation at banks has proceeded largely under the assumption that a single elasticity can adequately describe the sensitivity of executive pay to firm performance, but theories of performance based pay and tournament pay suggest that this assumption may be incorrect. We test the single-elasticity assumption by comparing the components of compensation and the pay-performance relationship across banks with different characteristics and bank executives of different positions. We find that the structure of compensation varies significantly across firms, with firm ...
Working Paper
The effect of market size structure on competition: the case of small business lending
Banking industry consolidation has raised concern about the supply of small business credit since large banks generally invest lower proportions of their assets in small business loans. However, we find that the likelihood that a small business borrows from a bank of a given size is roughly proportional to the local market presence of banks of that size, although there are exceptions. Moreover, small business loan interest rates depend more on the size structure of the market than on the size of the bank providing the credit, with markets dominated by large banks generally charging lower ...
Journal Article
The role of retail banking in the U.S. banking industry: risk, return, and industry structure
The U.S. banking industry is experiencing a renewed interest in retail banking, broadly defined as the range of products and services provided to consumers and small businesses. This article documents the ?return to retail? in the U.S. banking industry and offers some insight into why the shift has occurred. At the bank level, the principal attraction of retail banking seems to be the belief that its revenues are stable and thus can offset volatility in nonretail businesses. At the industry level, the authors show that interest in retail activities fluctuates in rather predictable ways with ...