Regional lending in a world of interstate banking

Bank loans ; Banks and banking - Texas

Banks venture into new territory

Financial modernization legislation passed in 1999 allows banking organizations to directly invest in any type of company. This merchant banking authority gives banks greater opportunities to provide venture capital to start-up companies and later-stage equity financing to more mature firms. Kenneth Robinson examines how banks have pursued their new merchant banking powers. Robinson finds evidence that organizations that engage in merchant banking tend to be larger than those that do not. His findings are also consistent with the hypothesis that banks may be attempting to lower their average costs by combining merchant banking with other nonbank activities. Allowing banking organizations to pursue this new activity will provide them with an additional source of earnings and greater diversification opportunities and will likely increase private equity financing, which has been a vital component of economic activity.Banks and banking

TALF: Jump-starting the securitization markets

In the financial crisis that began in August 2007, securitization activity virtually dried up. When the housing bubble burst, the value of the collateral backing much of the asset-backed securities (ABS) declined sharply, and so did the value of the securities themselves. The Federal Reserve responded by creating the term asset-backed securities loan facility, or TALF. Its purpose is to boost securitization by providing loans to people holding certain highly rated ABS. These loans will then support new ABS issues and help thaw out the securitization markets. Judging from both new issues and spreads in secondary markets, the TALF appears to be meeting its objective of jump-starting the securitization markets.Securities ; Asset-backed financing ; Financial crises ; Federal Reserve System

Eleventh District banking industry weathers financial storms

In 2009, the banking industry continued to feel the fallout from the financial crisis that began in mid-2007. Some good news was revealed in recently available first-quarter data, however, which showed profitability rebounding and increases in asset-quality problems slowing down. Whether measured by profits or problems, Eleventh District banks were roughly "twice as good and half as bad" as their counterparts across the nation. Most likely, this reflects the fact that the economic downturn was less severe in the district than in other parts of the nation. ; Another noticeable difference emerges when comparing district banks' recent performance with an earlier period when the economy turned south and the industry suffered significant damage--the mid- to late 1980s. At that time, students of banking history may recall, a sharp decline in oil prices triggered a deep regional recession. Bank failures soared, and the financial landscape in Texas and other parts of the Southwest changed considerably. ; This raises the question of why the district's banking industry has been able to weather the current downturn--so far--with less damage than in the 1980s. The answer likely can be found in the changing nature of the district's economic environment since then.Federal Reserve District, 11th ; Financial services industry ; Global financial crisis ; Bank profits ; Loans ; Recessions

Random coefficients models of the inflationary consequences of discretionary central bank behavior

Banks and banking, Central ; Inflation (Finance) ; Monetary policy - United States

The determinants of the wealth effects of banks' expanded securities powers

After several unsuccessful attempts by Congress to repeal Glass-Steagall restrictions on banks, the Federal Reserve more than doubled the revenue that commercial banking organizations' securities subsidiaries may earn from certain securities activities. The wealth effects associated with this event for a sample of publicly traded banking organizations are examined. We find evidence that indicates the revenue limit resulted in a less-than-optimal mix of activities for securities subsidiaries. However, subsequent merger activity that could have been generated by the revenue increase was not viewed favorably by investors.Securities

Consolidation, technology, and the changing structure of banks' small business lending

The U.S. banking industry continues to consolidate, with large, complex banking organizations becoming more important. Traditionally, these institutions have not emphasized small business lending. On the other hand, technological advances, particularly credit scoring models, make it easier for banks to extend small business credit. To see what effects these influences might have generated on small business lending, David Ely and Kenneth Robinson explore the small business lending patterns at U.S. banks from 1994 through 1999. They find that larger banks are increasing their market share, most noticeably in the smallest segment of the small business loan market. The authors also present evidence that the size of the average small business loan has declined, especially at larger organizations, and that the gap in lending focus on the smallest small business loans has narrowed between small and large banks. These trends are consistent with increasing use of credit scoring models.Credit ; Credit scoring systems

Industry mix and lending environment variability: what does the average bank face

Diversification opportunities for banks may be greater today because of the lessening of geographic restrictions. In addition, regional economies have undergone vast transformations, with relatively volatile industries often assuming a diminished role. To assess whether these changes have resulted in a more stable lending environment, Jeff Gunther and Ken Robinson form industry portfolios for banks based on their presence in different states and the mix of economic activity found in those states. The authors find that the risk underlying banks' lending environments declined from 1985 to 1996 because of both a geographic restructuring of the banking system and increasing industrial diversification of state economies.Banks and banking ; Financial institutions

Moral hazard and Texas banking in the 1920s.

Using recently collected examination data from a sample of Texas state-chartered banks over the period 1919-26, the role of moral hazard in increasing ex-ante asset risk is analyzed. During this period, a state-run deposit insurance system was in place that was mandatory for all state-chartered banks in Texas. Nationally chartered banks were not allowed to participate in the insurance program. Analyzing individual bank-level data, we find evidence that declines in capitalization were positively correlated with increases in loan concentrations at insured banks. We argue that this is consistent with a moral-hazard effect at work. No such relationship is found between capitalization and risk at uninsured banks.Banks and banking - Texas

Stock returns and inflation: further tests of the proxy and debt- monetization hypotheses

Inflation (Finance) ; Stock - Prices