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The size and growth of banks: evidence from four European countries

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  • J. O. S. Wilson
  • J. M. Williams

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between size and growth for a sample of banks from France, Germany, Italy and the UK over the period 1990 to 1996. Using several measures of bank size (total assets, equity and value of off balance sheet business), we test for size effects on growth, using models which incorporate the influences of previous growth, bank type and country of origin. The results of the analysis suggest that for Italy, small banks tend to grow faster than larger banks. No relationship is found between bank size and growth for France, Germany and the UK. This suggests a process of increasing concentration in these banking systems, even in the absence of bank specific strategic advantages. Small banks tend to have more variable growth rates than their larger counterparts. This suggests that large banks may enjoy advantages associated with diversified operations, which make them less susceptible to periods of extremely high or low growth.

Suggested Citation

  • J. O. S. Wilson & J. M. Williams, 2000. "The size and growth of banks: evidence from four European countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(9), pages 1101-1109.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:32:y:2000:i:9:p:1101-1109
    DOI: 10.1080/000368400404245
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    1. William R. White, 1998. "The coming transformation of continental european banking?," BIS Working Papers 54, Bank for International Settlements.
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    Cited by:

    1. Giulio Bottazzi & Alex Coad & Nadia Jacoby & Angelo Secchi, 2011. "Corporate growth and industrial dynamics: evidence from French manufacturing," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 103-116.
    2. Ann‐Marie Ward & Donal G. McKillop, 2005. "The Law of Proportionate Effect: The Growth of the UK Credit Union Movement at National and Regional Level," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(9‐10), pages 1827-1859, November.
    3. Alex Coad & Tom Broekel, 2012. "Firm growth and productivity growth: evidence from a panel VAR," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(10), pages 1251-1269, April.
    4. Peik Granlund, 2004. "Economic evaluation of bank exit regimes in US, EU and Japanese financial centres," Finance 0405002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Jan Bentzen & Erik Madsen & Valdemar Smith, 2012. "Do firms’ growth rates depend on firm size?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 937-947, November.
    6. Canarella, Giorgio & Miller, Stephen M., 2018. "The determinants of growth in the U.S. information and communication technology (ICT) industry: A firm-level analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 259-271.
    7. Ann-Marie Ward & Donal G. McKillop, 2005. "The Law of Proportionate Effect: The Growth of the UK Credit Union Movement at National and Regional Level," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(9-10), pages 1827-1859.
    8. Mamun, Abdullah, 2023. "Understanding growth and its policy implications for Canadian credit unions," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 652-665.
    9. Granlund, Peik, 2003. "Economic evaluation of bank exit regimes in US, EU and Japanese financial centres," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 5/2003, Bank of Finland.
    10. Arranz Sombría, M. Rosa & Miralles-Quirós, José Luis & Daza-Izquierdo, Julio, 2017. "Interrelación entre el crecimiento y la rentabilidad de la banca comercial en España/Interrelation between Growth and Profitability in Spanish Commercial Banks," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 35, pages 611-628, Agosto.
    11. John Goddard & David McMillan & John Wilson, 2006. "Do firm sizes and profit rates converge? Evidence on Gibrat's Law and the persistence of profits in the long run," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(3), pages 267-278.
    12. repec:zbw:bofrdp:2003_005 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Carlos Budnevich & Helmut Franken & Ricardo Paredes, 2001. "Economías de Escala y Economías de Ámbito en el Sistema Bancario Chileno," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 93, Central Bank of Chile.
    14. Hayoung Park & Taewon Kang & Jeong-Dong Lee, 2019. "R&D Dynamics And Firm Growth: The Importance Of R&D Persistency In The Economic Crisis," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(05), pages 1-24, June.
    15. Maria de Mar Miralles-Quiros & José Luis Millares-Quiros & Julio Daza-Izquierdo, 2017. "Gibrat’s law test on Brazilian commercial banks," Contaduría y Administración, Accounting and Management, vol. 62(5), pages 29-30, Diciembre.
    16. Kaldasch, Joachim, 2014. "Evolutionary model of the bank size distribution," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 8, pages 1-16.
    17. Granlund, Peik, 2003. "Economic evaluation of bank exit regimes in US, EU and Japanese financial centres," Research Discussion Papers 5/2003, Bank of Finland.
    18. Liñares-Zegarra, José & Wilson, John O.S., 2018. "The size and growth of microfinance institutions," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 199-213.
    19. Wilson, John O.S. & Casu, Barbara & Girardone, Claudia & Molyneux, Philip, 2010. "Emerging themes in banking: Recent literature and directions for future research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 153-169.
    20. Goddard, John & Molyneux, Philip & Wilson, John O.S. & Tavakoli, Manouche, 2007. "European banking: An overview," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1911-1935, July.
    21. Barbara Casu & Panagiotis Dontis†Charitos & Sotiris Staikouras & Jonathan Williams, 2016. "Diversification, Size and Risk: the Case of Bank Acquisitions of Nonbank Financial Firms," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 22(2), pages 235-275, March.
    22. Jacky Mallett, 2015. "Threadneedle: An Experimental Tool for the Simulation and Analysis of Fractional Reserve Banking Systems," Papers 1502.06163, arXiv.org.
    23. John Goddard & John O. S. Wilson, 2005. "US Credit Unions: An Empirical Investigation of Size, Age and Growth," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(3), pages 375-406, September.
    24. Enrique Benito, 2008. "Size, growth and bank dynamics," Working Papers 0801, Banco de España.
    25. Goddard, John A. & McKillop, Donal G. & Wilson, John O. S., 2002. "The growth of US credit unions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(12), pages 2327-2356.

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