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Why Do Banks Target ROE?

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Abstract

Nonfinancial corporations focus on the growth in earnings per share (EPS) to benchmark their performance. Banks used to follow a similar practice, but starting in the late 1970s they began to emphasize return on equity (ROE) instead. In this blog post, we outline findings from our recent staff report, which argues that banks had an incentive to make this change when their charter values eroded owing to increased competition, and the incentive to change was magnified by risk-insensitive deposit insurance.

Suggested Citation

  • George Pennacchi & João A. C. Santos, 2018. "Why Do Banks Target ROE?," Liberty Street Economics 20181010, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fednls:87284
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    Cited by:

    1. Schelling, Tan & Towbin, Pascal, 2022. "What lies beneath—Negative interest rates and bank lending," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    2. Shilov Kirill & Zubarev Andrey, 2021. "Profitability and Efficiency of Russian Banks after Global Crisis [Прибыльность И Эффективность Российских Банков После Глобального Кризиса]," Russian Economic Development, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 11, pages 66-75, November.
    3. Adriana Bruscato Bortoluzzo & Rodrigo Ricardo Ciganda & Mauricio Mesquita Bortoluzzo, 2024. "Determinant factors of banking profitability: an application of quantile regression for panel data," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Shilov Kirill & Zubarev Andrey, 2021. "Прибыльность И Эффективность Российских Банков После Глобального Кризиса," Russian Economic Development (in Russian), Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 11, pages 66-75, November.
    5. Blandina Walowe Kori & Stephen M. A. Muathe & Samuel Mwangi Maina, 2020. "Financial and Non-Financial Measures in Evaluating Performance: The Role of Strategic Intelligence in the Context of Commercial Banks in Kenya," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(10), pages 130-130, October.
    6. Nasim, Asma & Chen, Xihui Haviour & al Najjar, Basil & Hoang, Yen Hai, 2025. "The financial sector's response to environmental policy stringency: Comparative analysis of developed and developing economies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    7. Benetton, Matteo & Eckley, Peter & Garbarino, Nicola & Kirwin, Liam & Latsi, Georgia, 2021. "Capital requirements and mortgage pricing: Evidence from Basel II," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    8. Dietrich, Diemo & Gehrig, Thomas, 2025. "Scope and limits of bank liquidity creation," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    9. Yuan, Xiaohui, 2024. "Disentangling the impact of foreign bank presence on domestic banks performance: Does the degree of foreign ownership in domestic banks matter?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(PB).
    10. Shao, Yunshu & Cheng, Yuxiang, 2025. "Impact of Chinese environmental protection tax law on high-pollution firms' employment growth - A quasi natural experiment," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 416-437.
    11. Grandi, Pietro & Guille, Marianne, 2023. "Banks, deposit rigidity and negative rates," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    12. Duan, Yuejiao & Liu, Lanbiao & Zhang, Jingjia, 2024. "The belt and road initiative and the over-leverage of securities companies," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    13. Richard K. Crump & João A. C. Santos, 2018. "Review of New York Fed studies on the effects of post-crisis banking reforms," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, issue 24-2, pages 71-90.
    14. Dietrich, Diemo & Gehrig, Thomas, 2021. "Speculative and precautionary demand for liquidity in competitive banking markets," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118869, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Greg Filbeck & Dianna Preece & Xin Zhao, 2024. "Forbes Magazine's America's Best Banks: Are they best for investors?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(4), pages 3535-3557, December.
    16. Ben Le & Nischala Reddy & Paula Hearn Moore, 2025. "The Determinants of CEO Compensation in the Banking Sector: A Comparison of the Influence of Cross-Listing and Loan Growth in Developed Versus Developing Countries," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-17, March.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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