I delineate six aspects of how banks have been "special" (although not unique) and then consider whether and to what extent these attributes are still relevant. These include efficiently produced products, importance for the development and growth of economies, international scope, role in economic instability and the conduct of monetary policy, early regulation by governments, and source of data for academic researchers and institutions. Despite changes in the environment and in the ways in which financial services are provided, banks still are special. However, their specialness for public policy concerns is now limited to frauds and deposit insurance. I suggest ways in which these concerns can be dealt with efficiently. Copyright 2004 by the Eastern Finance Association.
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Article provided by Eastern Finance Association in its journal The Financial Review.
Volume (Year): 39 (2004) Issue (Month): 1 (02) Pages: 13-33 Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML,
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