The basic worldwide financial safety net architecture provides for a system of similar institutions: a lender of last resort, deposit insurance, and prudential regulation. In countries whose banking systems suffer seriously from negative capital positions and overbanking, such as in some Latin...

This paper analyzes the consequences of alternative financial structures for financial efficiency and stability. The focus is on the organizational structure of banks. Alternative bank structures range from "narrow banks" to broad "universal banks". Each banking structure is assessed in its...

Several developed and developing countries started to integrate their specialized supervisory institutions into a single entity during the past few years. A debate on the pros and cons of integrated supervision models emerged recently. Issues in favor and against integration have been...