Bank credit, the sum of loans and securities at commercial banks, is widely viewed as providing information about the current and future state of the economy. Analysts have been concerned about the behavior of bank credit during the nation's recovery from the 1990-91 recession. At first,...

The banking industry has undergone substantial consolidation during the last 15 years, and that process has accelerated in the 1990s. One effect of this consolidation has been to greatly reduce the number of independent and locally owned banks. Some banks have been acquired by distant banking...

The average profitability of banks in Tenth District states edged up in 1987 after five years of decline. Agricultural banks showed the greatest recovery, combining faster loan growth with lower loan losses and higher profits.

One of the most important roles commercial banks perform is to lend to small businesses. Such lending is vital to the regional economy because small businesses generally lack access to alternative sources of credit and because they account for a major share of job creation. Moreover, small...

This issue of the Rocky Mountain Economist explores the recent impact of construction employment trends on job growth in the mountain states of Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.