This paper examines operating performance around commercial bank mergers. We find that industry-adjusted operating performance of merged banks increases significantly after the merger, large bank mergers produce greater performance gains than small bank mergers, activity focusing mergers produce...

This paper examines whether corporate governance mechanisms affect earnings and earnings management at the largest publicly traded bank holding companies in the United States. We first find that performance, earnings management, and corporate governance are endogenously determined. Thus, OLS...

This paper examines earnings management at the largest publicly traded bank holding companies in the United States. We find that the use of discretionary loan loss provisions is positively related to a bank's unmanaged cash flow returns, capital ratios, and asset size. In contrast, the use of...

As of 1987, commercial banks in the United States were allowed to establish Section 20 subsidiaries to conduct investment-banking activities. A concern of regulators was that these activities would result in a decrease in performance of commercial banks relative to the risk being undertaken....