We identify and explain a structural change in the relation between crude oil futures prices across contract maturities. As recently as 2001, near- and long-dated futures were priced as though traded in segmented markets. In 2002, however, the prices of one-year futures started to move more in...

This white paper definitively proves that no Formulaic Asset Allocation (FAA) approach (Lifecycle, Target Date, Target Risk, Balanced Funds, Managed Accounts and Monte Carlo Simulation) can provide Plan Participants with nearly enough money for retirement income security, and that FAA exposes...

This work tests the predictions of Sutton's model of independent submarkets for the Italian retail banking industry. In the first part of this paper, I develop a model of endogenous mergers to evidence the relationship between firms' conduct, market entry and market structure. In the second...

The market for factoring services is characterized by the coexistence of independent companies and companies belonging to banking groups. While group intermediaries may be steered in their decisionmaking processes by the policies of their parent company, they are likely to benefit from...

This paper presents the findings of a survey of 73 remittance firms in 6 U.S. states, where company executives were interviewed in person. The paper finds that the largest obstacles to doing business that remittance firms face are related to obtaining bank accounts, licensing and bond...

We estimate private costs in the Swedish banking sector for the production of payment services and investigate to what extent the price structure reflects the estimated cost structure. We find that (i) banks tend to use two-part tariffs, but (ii) variable costs are poorly reflected in...

This article designs a framework for evaluating the causes, consequences, and future implications of financial services industry consolidation, reviews the extant research literature within the context of this framework (over 250 references), and suggests fruitful avenues for future research....

Despite recent innovations that might have reduced banks' reliance on brick-and-mortar branches for distributing retail financial services, the number of U.S. bank branches has continued to increase steadily over time. Further, an increasing percentage of these branches are held by banks with...

When a firm suffers an extreme property and casualty (Pamp;C) loss it frequently finds it difficult to transfer similar Pamp;C risk in the future. This circumstance adds stress to the firm just as it is trying to recover from the effects of the super catastrophic (Super Cat) loss. For example,...

This paper examines the effects of bank relationships on underwriter choice in the Japanese corporate-bond market following the 1993 deregulation. Bank relationships have significant positive effects on a firm's underwriter choice. Relationship firms receive a small but significant fee discount...