During the 1930s, there were numerous proposals put forth to modify the financial system. The "Chicago Plan," submitted in 1933 by economists at the University of Chicago, recommended abolition of the fractional reserve system and imposition of 100% reserves on demand deposits. Despite the...

The long-standing barriers between commercial and investment banking have eroded, both with and without the help of Congress and the federal bank regulators. The restrictions were originally put into place in the 1930s in response to fears that merging the activities would, and did, lead to...