Bank holding company affiliation and contracyclical lending by mortgage bankers

Bank holding companies have made significant inroads into the mortgage banking industry, primarily by acquisition. Federal Reserve Board approval of acquisitions is contingent upon the expectation of net public benefits. This study analyzes one of the benefits that BHCs claim will arise from acquisition of mortgage bankers—the flow of funds into housing will become more cyclically stable. Test results on a 33-firm sample of independent and BHC-affiliated mortgage bankers for 1973–1975 provide little support for this claimed public benefit.     

Size and rank stability of the 100 largest commercial banks, 1925–1978

Although the importance and rank stability of the 100 or 200 largest industrial corporations has been the subject of several studies, no comparable studies have been conducted in banking. Questions about the position and role of the 100 largest banks are beginning to emerge as a result of the 1980 thrift institution legislation and the prospect of interstate banking in the not too distant future. Data constructed for this study reveal that 1) concentration of deposits in the 100 largest banks increased from 33.7 percent in 1925 to 51.4 percent in 1978, 2) the pattern of change and the absolute level of concentration are remarkably similar for the 100 largest industrials, 3) deposits have become increasingly concentrated within the top 100 banks, 4) mobility and turnover have been relatively stable since 1925, 5) merger activity is partly responsible for the increased concentration and observed mobility and turnover, and 6) there has been a notable increase in the geographical dispersion of banks among the top 100.     

The impact of bank holding companies on local market rivalry and performance

The bank holding company movement in banking is, in many respects, the counterpart of the conglomerate movement in the industrial sector. Both are characterized by a substantial amount of merger activity and thus raise questions as to the affect of the acquiring firms on competition. This study uses Tobit analysis and OLS to examine the influence of bank holding companies on rivalry and performance in 154 banking markets (1970–1979). Test results indicate that in markets where bank holding companies are a significant factor rivalry is higher, but so are prices even though profits are not higher, than in markets where bank holding companies are less important. These seemingly conflicting findings may be explained by the finding that significant holding company presence in a market is associated with relatively high noninterest expenses.     

Market performance and the nature of a competitive fringe

It is sometimes argued that increasing the size of fringe firms in relation to market leaders will result in more competitive performance in the market. This paper tests the hypothesis that the number and size distribution of fringe firms in a market will affect overall market performance. The analysis is based on a sample of 3777 commercial banks located in 372 local markets during 1976–1980. Test results indicate that a competitively structured fringe of firms has a procompetitive influence on performance in the market. This implies that mergers between fringe firms are likely to have an adverse effect on competition rather than a procompetitive effect, as sometimes argued.