This paper examines the determinants of bank failures in the US banking system during the recent financial crisis. The analysis employs a data set on the financial statements of FDIC-insured commercial banks and their bank holding companies, along with information on bank failures, mergers and...

We highlight caveats arising in the application of traditional ROA-based Z-scores for the measurement of bank insolvency risk, develop alternative Z-score measures to resolve these issues, and make recommendations for best practice for the US/Europe based on the experience of the financial...