The concepts "international," "cross-border," and "foreign" banking are complex by nature because they involve the interactions of entities operating in two or more national financial markets and regulatory systems. Given this inherent conceptual complexity, clarity and transparency in the use...

Many countries around the world have experienced banking crises in the past two decades, and all countries are witnessing substantial changes in the structure and nature of banking. These developments have led national and multilateral policymakers to focus increased attention on the crucial...

The author compares the U.S. with other G-10 countries regarding key aspects of permissible banking activities. One conclusion is that banks in the U.S. face greater restrictions, and possibly more intensive supervisory oversight, than do banks in most other G-10 countries. Second, the majority...

U.S. banks are increasingly outsourcing an expanding range of their operations to third-party service providers. Recent industry estimates show that outsourcing by U.S. banks accounts for almost 20 percent of their information technology services spending Importantly, the prospect of...

The market share of foreign-owned banks (subsidiaries, branches, and agencies) in the United States grew dramatically during the 1980s and early 1990s, amid fears that foreign banks were out-competing U.S.-owned banks in their home market. However, more recent data show that growth of the market...

Consumer lending continues to grow in importance for the banking industry, and consumer lending practices continue to make headlines, attracting the attention of consumer groups as well as policymakers, including in particular several Congressional committees. In this environment, supervisory...