The idea of banks too big to fail (TBTF) is not new. Indeed, it has been three decades since the first TBTF bailout owing to concerns about serious and widespread financial repercussions. Since then, of course, big banks have grown much bigger and have become increasingly complex, both in the...

This paper provides a detailed examination of the cost imposed by thrift institutions resolved during the period 1980-88. A simple model is presented to explain the cost of resolution. This model is tested empirically with a comprehensive data set that permits us to avoid some of the econometric...

This paper presents new and official survey information on bank regulations in 142 countries and makes comparisons with two earlier surveys. The data do not suggest that countries have primarily reformed their bank regulations for the better over the last decade. Following Basel guidelines many...