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The economic impact of merger control - what is special about banking?

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Author Info
Elena Carletti () (Center for Financial Studies, University of Frankfurt, Merton Str. 17-21, HPF 73, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany.)
Philipp Hartmann () (European Central Bank, DG Research, Kaiserstraße 29, 60311 Frankfurt, Germany.)
Steven Ongena () (Tilburg University, Department of Finance, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands.)

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Abstract

There is a long-standing debate about the special nature of banks. Based on a unique dataset of legislative changes in industrial countries, we identify events that strengthen competition policy, analyze their impact on banks and non-financial firms and explain the reactions observed with institutional features that distinguish banking from non-financial sectors. Covering nineteen countries for the period 1987 to 2004, we find that banks are special in that a more competition-oriented regime for merger control increases banks’ stock prices, whereas it decreases those of non-financial firms. Moreover, bank merger targets become more profitable and larger. A major determinant of the positive bank returns, after controlling inter alia for the general quality of institutions and individual bank characteristics, is the opaqueness that characterizes the institutional setup for supervisory bank merger reviews. Thus strengthening competition policy in banking may generate positive externalities in the financial system that offset unintended adverse side effects on efficiency introduced through supervisory policies focusing on prudential considerations and financial stability. Legal arrangements governing competition and supervisory control of bank mergers may therefore have important implications for real activity. JEL Classification: G21, G28, D4.

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Paper provided by European Central Bank in its series Working Paper Series with number 786.

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Length: 58 pages
Date of creation: Jul 2007
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Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20070786

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Related research
Keywords: Specialness of banks; mergers and acquisitions; competition policy; legal institutions; financial regulation.;

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This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports: 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. Guiso, Luigi & Sapienza, Paola & Zingales, Luigi, 2006. "The Cost of Banking Regulation," CEPR Discussion Papers 5864, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Gregor Andrade & Mark Mitchell & Erik Stafford, 2001. "New Evidence and Perspectives on Mergers," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(2), pages 103-120, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Tomaso Duso & Damien J. Neven & Lars-Hendrik Röller, 2002. "The Political Economy of European Merger Control: Evidence using Stock Market Data," CIG Working Papers FS IV 02-34, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG). [Downloadable!]
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  4. Nicola Cetorelli & Michele Gambera, 1999. "Banking market structure, financial dependence and growth: international evidence from industry data," Working Paper Series WP-99-8, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
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  5. Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Luc Laeven & Ross Levine, 2004. "Regulations, market structure, institutions, and the cost of financial intermediation," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, pages 593-626.
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  6. Berger, Allen N, et al, 2004. "Bank Concentration and Competition: An Evolution in the Making," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 36(3), pages 433-51, June.
  7. R. Alton Gilbert & Adam M. Zaretsky, 2003. "Banking antitrust: are the assumptions still valid?," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Nov, pages 29-52. [Downloadable!]
  8. Becher, David A., 2009. "Bidder returns and merger anticipation: Evidence from banking deregulation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 85-98, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Dennis W. Carlton & Randal C. Picker, 2007. "Antitrust and Regulation," NBER Working Papers 12902, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Detragiache, Enrica, 2002. "Does deposit insurance increase banking system stability? An empirical investigation," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(7), pages 1373-1406, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Forslid, Rikard & Häckner, Jonas & Muren, Astri, 2005. "When do Countries Introduce Competition Policy?," CEPR Discussion Papers 5162, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Beck, Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Levine, Ross, 2006. "Bank concentration, competition, and crises: First results," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 1581-1603, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Thomas F. Hellmann & Kevin C. Murdock & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2000. "Liberalization, Moral Hazard in Banking, and Prudential Regulation: Are Capital Requirements Enough?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(1), pages 147-165, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Simeon Djankov & Caralee McLiesh & Andrei Shleifer, 2005. "Private Credit in 129 Countries," NBER Working Papers 11078, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Carletti, Elena & Hartmann, Philipp & Spagnolo, Giancarlo, 2005. "Bank Mergers, Competition and Liquidity," Working Paper Series 182, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden). [Downloadable!]
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  16. Craig O. Brown & I. Serdar Dinç, 2005. "The Politics of Bank Failures: Evidence from Emerging Markets," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 120(4), pages 1413-1444, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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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. Luigi Landolfo, 2007. "Modeling the impact of external factors on the euro area’s HICP and real economy - a focus on pass-through and the trade balance," Working Paper Series 789, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
  2. Claudia M. Buch & Gayle L. DeLong, 2008. "Banking Globalization: International Consolidation and Mergers in Banking," IAW Discussion Papers 38, Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung (IAW). [Downloadable!]
  3. Santiago Carbo-Valverde & Edward J. Kane & Francisco Rodriguez-Fernandez, 2009. "Evidence of Regulatory Arbitrage in Cross-Border Mergers of Banks in the EU," NBER Working Papers 15447, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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