This article analyses the competition impact of the implementation of two recent regulatory reforms aimed at boosting competition in retail banking by reducing consumer search and switching costs and empowering different business models whereby non-bank operators are able to compete with banks...

We analyze a large merger in the Dutch banking market during the financial crisis using disaggregated data. Based on a merger simulation model, we evaluate merger-induced changes in the interest rates for savings accounts. We find that the merging banks decreased interest rates by 3 to 5 percent...

Retail deposits represent about 30% of total European banking assets. The bulk of the balance sheet of banks (about 70%) comprise non-retail loans and deposits (e.g. interbank loans and deposits, loans and deposits from insurance corporations and pension funds and loans and deposits from...