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Optimal industrial structure in banking

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  • Loretta J. Mester

Abstract

This paper discusses the research agenda on optimal bank productive efficiency and industrial structure. One goal of this agenda is to answer some fundamental questions in financial industry restructuring, such as what motivates bank managers to engage in mergers and acquisitions, and to evaluate the costs and benefits of consolidation, which is essentially an empirical question. The paper reviews the recent literature, including techniques for modeling bank production and the empirical results on scale economies, scope economies, and efficiency in banking.

Suggested Citation

  • Loretta J. Mester, 2005. "Optimal industrial structure in banking," Working Papers 08-2, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpwp:08-2
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    File URL: https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/frbp/assets/working-papers/2008/wp08-2.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Loretta J. Mester, 1989. "Testing for Expense Preference Behavior: Mutual versus Stock Savings and Loans," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 20(4), pages 483-498, Winter.
    2. 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.
    3. Hughes, Joseph P. & Mester, Loretta J. & Moon, Choon-Geol, 2001. "Are scale economies in banking elusive or illusive?: Evidence obtained by incorporating capital structure and risk-taking into models of bank production," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2169-2208, December.
    4. Jalal D. Akhavein & Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, "undated". "The Effects of Megamergers on Efficiency and Prices: Evidence from a Bank Profit Function," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1997-09, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), revised 10 Dec 2019.
    5. Mester, Loretta J., 1997. "Measuring efficiency at U.S. banks: Accounting for heterogeneity is important," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 230-242, April.
    6. Humphrey, David B & Pulley, Lawrence B, 1997. "Banks' Responses to Deregulation: Profits, Technology, and Efficiency," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 29(1), pages 73-93, February.
    7. Berger, Allen N. & Humphrey, David B., 1997. "Efficiency of financial institutions: International survey and directions for future research," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 175-212, April.
    8. Mester, Loretta J., 1991. "Agency costs among savings and loans," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 257-278, June.
    9. 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 141-176, April.
    10. Joseph P. Hughes & Loretta J. Mester, 1998. "Bank Capitalization And Cost: Evidence Of Scale Economies In Risk Management And Signaling," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(2), pages 314-325, May.
    11. Loretta J. Mester, 1989. "Owners versus managers: who controls the bank?," Business Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, issue May, pages 13-23.
    12. Mester, Loretta J., 1993. "Efficiency in the savings and loan industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 267-286, April.
    13. Mester, Loretta J., 1992. "Traditional and nontraditional banking: An information-theoretic approach," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 545-566, June.
    14. Berger, Allen N. & Mester, Loretta J., 1997. "Inside the black box: What explains differences in the efficiencies of financial institutions?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(7), pages 895-947, July.
    15. Benston, George J & Hunter, William C & Wall, Larry D, 1995. "Motivations for Bank Mergers and Acquisitions: Enhancing the Deposit Insurance Put Option versus Earnings Diversification," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 27(3), pages 777-788, August.
    16. Hughes, Joseph P. & Lang, William W. & Mester, Loretta J. & Moon, Choon-Geol & Pagano, Michael S., 2003. "Do bankers sacrifice value to build empires? Managerial incentives, industry consolidation, and financial performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 417-447, March.
    17. Berger, Allen N. & Humphrey, David B. & Pulley, Lawrence B., 1996. "Do consumers pay for one-stop banking? Evidence from an alternative revenue function," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(9), pages 1601-1621, November.
    18. Berlin, Mitchell & Mester, Loretta J., 1998. "On the profitability and cost of relationship lending," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 873-897, August.
    19. Vennet, Rudi Vander, 1996. "The effect of mergers and acquisitions on the efficiency and profitability of EC credit institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(9), pages 1531-1558, November.
    20. Berger, Allen N. & Hancock, Diana & Humphrey, David B., 1993. "Bank efficiency derived from the profit function," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 317-347, April.
    21. M. Koetter, 2004. "The Stability of Efficiency Rankings when Risk-Preference are Different," Working Papers 04-08, Utrecht School of Economics.
    22. Berger, Allen N. & Hunter, William C. & Timme, Stephen G., 1993. "The efficiency of financial institutions: A review and preview of research past, present and future," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 221-249, April.
    23. Mester, Loretta J., 1996. "A study of bank efficiency taking into account risk-preferences," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 1025-1045, July.
    24. McAllister, Patrick H. & McManus, Douglas, 1993. "Resolving the scale efficiency puzzle in banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 389-405, April.
    25. Loretta J. Mester, 2003. "Applying efficiency measurement techniques to central banks," Working Papers 03-13, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
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    1. Too Small to Succeed?
      by Mike in Rortybomb on 2010-01-29 00:10:58

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    Cited by:

    1. Fang, Yiwei & Hasan, Iftekhar & Marton, Katherin, 2011. "Bank efficiency in transition economies : recent evidence from South-Eastern Europe," Research Discussion Papers 5/2011, Bank of Finland.
    2. Feng, Guohua & Gao, Jiti & Peng, Bin & Zhang, Xiaohui, 2017. "A varying-coefficient panel data model with fixed effects: Theory and an application to US commercial banks," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 196(1), pages 68-82.
    3. David C. Wheelock & Paul W. Wilson, 2009. "Are U.S. banks too large?," Working Papers 2009-054, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    4. repec:zbw:bofrdp:2011_005 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Pawlowska, Malgorzata, 2016. "Does the size and market structure of the banking sector have an effect on the financial stability of the European Union?," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 14(PA), pages 112-127.
    6. Kevork, Ilias S. & Pange, Jenny & Tzeremes, Panayiotis & Tzeremes, Nickolaos G., 2017. "Estimating Malmquist productivity indexes using probabilistic directional distances: An application to the European banking sector," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 261(3), pages 1125-1140.
    7. Gianandrea Goisis & Maria Giorgetti & Paola Parravicini & Francesco Salsano & Giovanna Tagliabue, 2009. "Economies of scale and scope in the European banking sector," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 56(3), pages 227-242, September.
    8. Kai Ding & Enoch Hill & David Perez-Reyna, 2021. "Optimal capital requirements with noisy signals on banking risk," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 71(4), pages 1649-1687, June.
    9. Osuagwu, Eze Simpson & Isola, Wakeel & Nwaogwugwu, Isaac, 2018. "Measuring Technical Efficiency and Productivity Change in the Nigerian Banking Sector: A Comparison of non-parametric DEA and parametric SFA," MPRA Paper 112948, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Malgorzata Pawlowska, 2015. "Changes in the size and structure of the European Union banking sector-the role of competition between banks," NBP Working Papers 205, Narodowy Bank Polski.
    11. David C. Wheelock & Paul W. Wilson, 2012. "Do Large Banks Have Lower Costs? New Estimates of Returns to Scale for U.S. Banks," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(1), pages 171-199, February.
    12. Fang, Yiwei & Hasan, Iftekhar & Marton, Katherin, 2011. "Bank efficiency in transition economies: recent evidence from South-Eastern Europe," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 5/2011, Bank of Finland.
    13. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Tsionas, Mike & Tan, Yong, 2024. "The impacts of innovation and trade openness on bank market power: The proposal of a minimum distance cost function approach and a causal structure analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(3), pages 1178-1194.

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