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Are Canadian Banks Efficient? A Canada--U.S. Comparison

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Author Info
Jason Allen
Walter Engert
Ying Liu

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Abstract

The authors compare the efficiency of Canada's largest banks with U.S. commercial banks over the past 20 years. Efficiency is measured in three ways. First, the authors study key performance ratios, and find that Canadian banks are as productive as U.S. banks. Second, they investigate whether there are economies of scale in the production functions of Canadian banks and broadly comparable U.S. bank-holding companies (BHCs). They find larger economies of scale for Canadian banks than for the U.S. BHCs, which suggests that Canadian banks are less efficient in terms of scale, and have more to gain in terms of efficiency benefits from becoming larger. Third, the authors measure cost-inefficiency in Canadian banks and in U.S. BHCs relative to the domestic efficient frontier in each country (the domestic best-practice institution). They find that Canadian banks are closer to the domestic efficient frontier than are the U.S. BHCs. Canadian banks have also moved closer to the domestic efficient frontier than have the U.S. BHCs over time. Finally, the authors examine the dispersion in cost-inefficiency found in Canadian banks and attribute some of the dispersion to differences in information and communication technology investment. Comparisons are made with the U.S. BHC experience.

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File URL: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/res/wp/2006/wp06-33.pdf
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Paper provided by Bank of Canada in its series Working Papers with number 06-33.

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Length: 44 pages
Date of creation: 2006
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Handle: RePEc:bca:bocawp:06-33

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Related research
Keywords: Financial institutions;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Mortgages
D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Capital and Total Factor Productivity; Capacity
C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, 1997. "Efficiency of financial institutions: international survey and directions for future research," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1997-11, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Veronika Dolar & Césaire Meh, 2002. "Financial Structure and Economic Growth: A Non-Technical Survey," Working Papers 02-24, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
  3. Fabio Panetta & Dario Focarelli, 2003. "Are Mergers Beneficial to Consumers? Evidence from the Italian Market for Bank Deposits," CEIS Research Paper 10, Tor Vergata University, CEIS. [Downloadable!]
  4. Dario Focarelli & Fabio Panetta, 2003. "Are Mergers Beneficial to Consumers? Evidence from the Market for Bank Deposits," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(4), pages 1152-1172, September. [Downloadable!]
  5. Danny Leung, 2004. "The Effect of Adjustment Costs and Organizational Change on Productivity in Canada: Evidence from Aggregate Data," Working Papers 04-1, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
  6. Rhoades, Stephen A., 1998. "The efficiency effects of bank mergers: An overview of case studies of nine mergers," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 273-291, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Peter C.B. Phillips & Hyungsik R. Moon, 1999. "Linear Regression Limit Theory for Nonstationary Panel Data," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1222, Cowles Foundation, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Berger, Allen N, 2003. " The Economic Effects of Technological Progress: Evidence from the Banking Industry," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(2), pages 141-76, April.
    Other versions:
  9. John H. Boyd & Mark Gertler, 1994. "Are banks dead? or, are the reports greatly exaggerated?," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue May, pages 85-117.
    Other versions:
  10. Humphrey, David & Willesson, Magnus & Bergendahl, Goran & Lindblom, Ted, 2006. "Benefits from a changing payment technology in European banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1631-1652, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Joanna Stavins, 2000. "ATM fees: does bank size matter?," New England Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, issue Jan, pages 13-24. [Downloadable!]
  12. Jason Allen & Ying Liu, 2005. "Efficiency and Economies of Scale of Large Canadian Banks," Working Papers 05-13, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Danny Leung, 2004. "The Effect of Adjustment Costs and Organizational Change on Productivity in Canada: Evidence from Aggregate Data," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 9, pages 52-61, Fall. [Downloadable!]
  14. Milne, Alistair, 2006. "What is in it for us? Network effects and bank payment innovation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1613-1630, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Berger, Allen N. & Mester, Loretta J., 2003. "Explaining the dramatic changes in performance of US banks: technological change, deregulation, and dynamic changes in competition," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 57-95, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Maddala, G S & Wu, Shaowen, 1999. " A Comparative Study of Unit Root Tests with Panel Data and a New Simple Test," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 61(0), pages 631-52, Special I. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Charles Freedman & Walter Engert, 2003. "Financial Developments in Canada: Past Trends and Future Challenges," Bank of Canada Review, Bank of Canada, vol. 2003(Summer), pages 3-16. [Downloadable!]
  18. Lucio Sarno & Mark P. Taylor, . "Real Exchange Rates under the Recent Float: Unequivocal Evidence of Mean Reversion," Economics and Finance Discussion Papers 97-14, Economics and Finance Section, School of Social Sciences, Brunel University.
    Other versions:
  19. Freedman, C., 1998. "The Canadian Banking System," Technical Reports 81, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
  20. Panetta, Fabio & Schivardi, Fabiano & Shum, Matthew, 2005. "Do Mergers Improve Information? Evidence from the Loan Market," CEPR Discussion Papers 4961, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. Loretta J. Mester, 1996. "Measuring efficiency at U.S. banks: accounting for heterogeneity is important," Working Papers 96-11/R, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Thorsten V. Koeppl & James MacGee, 2007. "Branching Out: The Urgent Need to Transform Canada’s Financial Landscape and How to Do It," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 251, June. [Downloadable!]
  2. Richard Dion & Robert Fay, 2008. "Understanding Productivity: A Review of Recent Technical Research," Discussion Papers 08-3, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
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