Bank Mergers And Banking Structure In The United States 1980 98

After 1980, the U.S. banking industry experienced a sustained and unprecedented level of merger activity that has substantially affected banking structure. From 1980 through 1998, there were approx. 8,000 mergers, involving about $2.4 trillion in acquired assets. From 1990 to 1999 several mergers occurred that, at the time of occurrence, were the largest bank mergers in U.S. history. This report describes various facets of bank merger activity and some of the changes in U.S. banking structure that occurred from 1980 through 1998. A primary force underlying the sustained merger movement in banking since 1980 was the gradual removal of state and federal restrictions on geographic expansion in banking. Charts and tables.