Bank Merger Wave: The Economic Causes and Social Consequences of Financial Consolidation

This far-reaching study shows that operating efficiencies are not what are driving today's unrelenting bank merger mania. It suggests that bank mergers and consolidation may have effects that are contrary to consumer and non-financial business interests, such as lower rates of interest, increasing fees, and tighter credit constraints. Dymski recommends several new policies to apply to the evaluation of prospective mergers. List of Figures and Tables, Foreword, Preface and Acknowledgments, Chapter 1. Introduction, Chapter 2. Overview, Chapter 3. Bank Mergers and Regulatory Policy from the 1960s to the 1990s, Chapter 4. Explaining the Bank Merger Wave, Chapter 5. The Ambiguous Basis for Regulating Bank Mergers, Chapter 6. Evidence on the Effects of Bank Mergers and Consolidation, Chapter 7. Banking and Lending Structures: Do Regional Differences Matter?, Chapter 8. Differential Access to Credit, East and West, Chapter 9. Regional Patterns in Credit-Market Disadvantage and Financial Structures, Chapter 10. Bank Concentration, Strategic Interaction, and Access to Credit, Chapter 11. Conclusions, Chapter 12. Ten Recommendations for Public Policy, Notes, Bibliography, Index