Journal Of Econometrics

Presented in this book is a comprehensive empirical analysis of mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. banking industry. The purpose of the study is to examine the merger phenomenon in the banking industry by answering the following questions: - What are the incentives for banks to merge? - Has the prohibition of interstate banking prevented banks from diversifying and has it increased the rate of bank failures by restricting (geographical) diversification opportunities? - Are bank mergers wealth-creating activities and how are the gains/losses from a merger distributed between the acquiring and acquired bank shareholders? - How can the changes in shareholder wealth resulting from bank mergers be explained and are there differences between interstate and intrastate mergers? - What are the implications of the study's findings for regulatory policy? Theory and practical implications are blended in this book which should appeal to both academics and practitioners in the field