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Discussion Paper
U.S. Banks Have Developed a Significant Nonbank Footprint
In light of the rapid growth of nonbank financial institutions (NBFIs), many have argued that bank-led financial intermediation is on the decline, based on the traditional notion that banks operate to take in deposits and make loans. However, we argue that deposit-taking and loan-making have not accurately characterized U.S. banking operations in recent decades. Instead, as we propose in this post, absent regulatory restrictions, banks naturally expand their boundaries to include NBFI subsidiaries. A significant component of the growth of NBFIs has in fact taken place inside the boundaries of ...
Report
The Nonbank Footprint of Banks
U.S. bank holding companies (BHCs) have developed a significant nonbank footprint over the last five decades, accounting for a sizable share of both BHC assets and the broader nonbank financial sector. We argue that this structure is partly explained by internal capital markets: when affiliates face imperfectly correlated liquidity outflows, internal transfers reduce the need for precautionary buffers. Using unique data on BHC structure and intracompany funding balances, we find evidence that affiliates provide implicit liquidity insurance through internal transfers, and that the BHC ...