A two-stage estimation procedure is employed to evaluate non-bank financial institution efficiency. In the first stage, maximum-likelihood estimates of an econometric cost function are obtained for a cross-section of 150 Australian credit unions. The results indicate that a typical credit...

Maximum-likelihood estimates of a stochastic cost frontier function incorporating efficiency effects are obtained for 22 Australian building societies in the period 1992-1995. Cost inefficiency scores indicate that building societies' costs were 20% above what could be considered necessary. The...