This paper analyses the relationship between market structure and performance within the Spanish banking industry. Three different stochastic measures of efficiency are used (based on three alternative distributional assumptions for inefficiency: half-normal, normal-truncated and exponential)....

This paper analyses the importance of productive specialization in explaining cost efficiency differences between banking companies. Taking as reference the Spanish banking sector during the period 1985-1996, the study shows that if cost efficiency measurements are corrected for the effect of...

The implantation of the Euro in 11 of the EU states has driven the big banks to expand their presence in other European countries, which may have negative consequences on their credit risk in view of the disadvantages involved in entering new markets. The aim of this study is to analyse the...