This paper analyses the determinants of interest margins of the banking firms.Our starting point is the methodology developed in the original study by Ho andSaunders (1981) and later extensions, but widened to take banks¿ operating costsexplicitly into account. In the developed model the...

This paper is focused on an activity that has received little attention in the bankingliterature, namely the Off-Balance Sheet activities (OBS). After examining what is meant behind the name OBS activities, the fast growth these operations have shown over the period 1985-1995, and the main...

This study analyses the evolution of market power in the banking sectors of the European Union based on the estimation of Lerner indices. Using a panel of 18,810 observations of the banking industries of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom during the period 1992-99, the results...

Financial integration in Europe should affect the competition between markets and intermediaries and generate a convergence of both interest rates and margins among the different countries. This paper analyses the evolution of the convergence in interest rates and the level of competition and...

In the last years, the increase in the level of competition, the reduction of margins, the phenomenon of banking disintermediation, etc. have affected the bank´s income structure, increasing the importance of non-interest income. This paper examines the impact of past and current developments...