Antitrust and the financial sector have traditionally had a wary relationship with each other. However, an analysis of the special features of finance and of financial regulation shows that the pro-competition stance of antitrust is as appropriate for the financial sector as it is for the other...

This essay lays out the basics of the “too-big-to-fail” (TBTF) phenomenon: What it means; why it is a problem; the central role that TBTF financial institutions played in the financial crisis of 2008; and why better prudential regulation than was present prior to 2008 is needed for the future