The Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) is considered by many to be fundamental for the creation of the European Union banking union. The very idea behind the banking union is not only to strengthen the confidence in the banks of the Member States that are using the euro as their national...

Evidence shows that financial integration in the euro area is retrenching at a quicker pace than outside the union. Home bias persists: Governments compete on funding costs by supporting ‘their' banks with massive state aids, which distorts the playing field and feeds the risk-aversion loop....