Inside the Black Box: What Explains Differences in the Efficiencies of Financial Institutions?

Allen Berger () and Loretta Mester

Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers from Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract: Over the past several years, substantial research effort has gone into measuring the efficiency of financial institutions. Many studies have found that inefficiencies are quite large, on the order of 20% or more of total banking industry costs and about half of the industry's potential profits. There is no consensus on the sources of the differences in measured efficiency. This paper examines several possible sources, including differences in efficiency concept, measurement method, and a number of bank, market, and regulatory characteristics. We review the existing literature and provide new evidence using data on U.S. banks over the period 1990-95.

Keywords: Bank; efficiency; cost; profit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D2 E58 E61 F33 G2 G21 G28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1158)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Inside the black box: What explains differences in the efficiencies of financial institutions? (1997)
Working Paper: Inside the black box: what explains differences in the efficiencies of financial institutions? (1997)
Working Paper: Inside the black box: what explains differences in the efficiencies of financial institutions? (1997)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wop:pennin:97-04

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