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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the link between product-mix and bank performance with a comprehensive look at the contribution of each component of banking activities.

The generalized method of moments estimation approach the authors apply to the US and Canadian large data sets deals with the endogeneity issues related to banks’ decision to diversify in fee-based activities, and the authors also control the non-linearities (asymmetries) in the innovation with a complementary EGARCH procedure.

The results suggests that the increasing involvement of banks in fee generating activities has a greater positive impact on US bank performance. On the one hand, US banks are more involved in fees related to traditional lending activities and securitization, which contributes to their higher mean return. On the other hand, Canadian banks focus more on investment banking activities, which makes their financial results more procyclical and volatile. Greater profitability notwithstanding, the authors also found that US bank non-interest income activities incorporate more credit risk, a type of risk obviously less diversifiable when credit shocks occur.

The approach shows that the endogeneity problems related to the banks’ decision to diversify in non-traditional activities may be important. The multivariate GARCH approach the authors introduced strongly suggests that diversification gains fluctuate over the business cycle, and that the decision to diversify must be understood in a dynamic setting rather than in a static one.

This study compares the associations between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and brand value in the financial services industry in East Asia and the USA.

A sample of 84 major banks in East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) and the USA is used to test the links between CSR and brand value using ANOVA and multiple regressions.

Brand value is positively related to CSR for the entire sample, but is associated with distinctively different CSR factors depending on the geographic markets. In Japan and South Korea brand value is associated with a bank's appreciation for its employees, while in China, brand value is linked to a focus on the community. East Asia's culture is rooted in Confucianism, a philosophy that emphasises caring for the “greater good” (i.e. for the community) and for one's subordinates. In contrast, Americans are more concerned with “green” issues, and subsequently caring for the environment is associated with brand value. In addition, corporate governance, or regulatory compliance, has a strong relationship with brand value for American banks.

The study emphasises the complexity of global brand management given that eastern and western companies exhibit distinct patterns regarding brand value. Specifically, our study shows that the links between CSR and brand value vary substantially between different countries and regions.

This study investigates the association between CSR and brand value and establishes that different CSR aspects are linked to brand value for banks in East Asia and the USA. The study also establishes that CSR is not a universal concept, given that such distinct brand value‐CSR links have been found for the different geographic markets under investigation.

Bank regulators across the world have recently lifted restrictions on where banks can operate and what type of activities they can perform. Following the deregulation of the sector, bank mergers and acquisitions have grown substantially. The purpose of this paper is to outline bank deregulation and acquisition activity, focusing on the USA, Italy and Germany.

The paper looks at how changes in the regulatory regime of the USA, Italy and Germany have spurred bank merger activities. For each country, future polices that bank supervisors may adopt in order to benefit from a more integrated financial sector are also critically discussed.

Over the last two decades, supervisors in the USA, Italy and Germany have begun to deregulate parts of their banking industries, thus, sparking a process of consolidation in their national banking sectors that still has not ended.

The paper presents a recent history of deregulation in the USA, Italy and Germany, offering recommendations as to what regulators should do next.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current dilemmas facing foreign banks and countries in the pursuit of eradicating money laundering and international financial crimes.

The paper discusses the recently enacted Title III of the USA Patriot Act which regulates foreign banking institutions in order to curb international money laundering. The paper examines the recent decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals discussing foreign banks' liability when their depositors have deposited funds obtained as a result of money laundering.

The US Government can easily forfeit funds derived from or connected to a money laundering offence found in correspondent accounts of foreign banks.

Owing to the great risk of seizure in the US of money laundered funds, foreign banks must decide whether the difficulty of recovering any US seizure from their customers call for them to implement additional security measures or limit contact with American financial institutions. Foreign banks may be required to initiate anti‐money laundering programs which exceed what they would have been required to do according to the laws of their home country.

This paper is one of first to examine Title III's effect on innocent foreign banks, as it was written shortly after the interpretation of Title III and its applicability to foreign banks and it examines any defences foreign banks may have in asset forfeiture actions, and any recourse it has in recovering seized funds.

This guide is compiled in order that banks may see the extent of the overall problem of fraud and money laundering in documentary credit transactions. It also contains advice on how banks and bankers may protect themselves and their staff from the consequences of fraudulent attacks against the system.

The study aims to analyze the changes in banking market structure and their impact on the bank efficiency.

This study uses a one-stage stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to compare the impact of the market structure and the GFC on the economic efficiency of the major banks in both countries.

A significant negative impact of the GFC is observed on bank efficiency. Overall, Canadian banks posted better efficiency scores than their American counterparts. Additionally, cost-efficient banks are found to be more resilient to crises and more profit-efficient in the post-GFC period. The authors found that market power had a positive impact on the cost and profit efficiency of banks. Higher levels of equity, market power and concentration helped banks be more cost-efficient.

Only large banks are selected for study although it represents the majority stake of both banking sectors.

Banking regulators should include more measures to assess the banking market structure and performance.

As per the best knowledge of the authors, it is the first study to assess the change in banking market structure and efficiency of the US and Canadian banking sectors in the post-GFC period.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of religiosity on banks’ lending behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA.

This study uses the evidence from the issuance of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to relate local religiosity to banks’ participation in the PPP loan program and to banks’ loan portfolio performance during the pandemic.

The results of this study show that banks located in more religious counties have a higher level of lending through the PPP, supporting the ethical and moral concerns cultivated by local religious beliefs. In addition, banks’ lending before the pandemic is more prudential in more religious areas, as reflected in lower losses and higher returns at the onset of the crisis, especially in areas where business activities were most disrupted, supporting the stewardship role encouraged by religiosity.

Thanks to the structure of the PPP loans programs, the authors are able to disentangle the conflicting effects of morality and prudence on banks’ behavior.

Using data on 5,176 commercial banks in the USA for the period 1999Q1-2016Q3, the present study aims to examine the underlying determinants of loan charge-off rates.

The study uses panel data fixed-effects estimation methodology.

Greater regulatory capital, more diversification, higher profits and cost efficiency reduce charge-off rates. On the contrary, a higher share of loans in banks asset portfolio and a higher share of real estate loans have a detrimental impact on loan performance. Moreover, strong US macroeconomic fundamentals reduce loan charge-offs. Finally, real estate loan charge-offs are most sensitive to balance sheet conditions.

Consistent with Basel-III regulation, the results underscore the importance of banks to remain well capitalized. Greater tier-1 capital refrains banks from risky lending practices, thereby improving their loan performance. It is also important that banks maintain a diversified income stream and earn higher profitability. Finally, managerial inefficiencies leading to higher non-interest expense needs to be reduced to improve loan performance.

Although a burgeoning body of literature has examined the underlying factors that affect poor quality loans in both the USA and elsewhere, fewer studies have focused on loan performance. From the perspective of banking regulation and fostering banking stability, determining the factors that affect loan charge-offs is extremely crucial to identify channels through which loan performance is either worsened or improved. If we understand poor loan performance, we can use that knowledge to anticipate the possibility of bankruptcy.

Using data on 5,491 commercial banks in the USA that were operational between 2001 second quarter and 2016 first quarter, the present study aims to examine the impact of derivative securities and its different constituent categories on bank-specific risks and profitability.

The study uses panel data fixed effects model and Bayesian model averaging techniques.

This study finds aggregate derivatives and both interest-rate and exchange-rate derivatives and their different constituent categories to reduce banks insolvency risks for the entire time period and the pre-crisis era. Moreover, aggregate derivatives increase banks’ risk-adjusted return on assets that are driven by exchange-rate derivatives. Such findings are robust to the size of banks, the degree of derivative use and extent of profitability. However, in the post-crisis period, derivatives reduce bank profits.

While the results largely provide evidence of the beneficial effects of derivatives, the findings for the post-crisis period are rather concerning. It underscores a clear need to improve regulation and supervision across different categories of derivatives to ensure the benefits exceed their costs for banks.

Disaggregate analysis of derivatives can not only unmask important differences in how they affect banks risks, profits, etc. but also help banks mitigate risks arising from specific types of derivative securities banks hold. Furthermore, discerning the impact of derivatives on banks risks and profits in the post-crisis era vis-à-vis the pre-crisis one is extremely important to restore a sounder banking system and foster overall financial stability.

The purpose of this paper is to shed further light on international financial linkages created by banks. Typically, the larger the balance sheet exposure a bank has to a counterparty country, the more will be both its risk exposure and sensibility to shocks to this latter. The latest crisis has revealed the importance of filling the existing data gaps which hinder a full understanding of the geographical composition of banks’ balance sheet on a global basis.

This paper, by focusing on US banks, reviews existing data on bilateral foreign positions on both a consolidated and an unconsolidated basis.

The investigation stresses the extent to which new data enhancements are going to enable to a better understanding of the global banking system and discusses other data limitations and gaps which should be addressed. In particular, policy recommendations point to the need to collect more detailed foreign offices-related statistics.

This is the first attempt in the literature to discuss data availability, limitations and policy suggestions regarding international bilateral banking statistics in the USA.