Anyone trying to understand finance has to contend with the evolving and dynamic nature of the topic. Changes in economic conditions, regulations, technology, competition, globalization, and other factors regularly impact the development of the field, but certain essential concepts remain key to a good understanding. This book provides insights about the most important concepts in finance. Drawing from a broad background in finance, Benton Gup has brought together sixteen chapters written by leading academics and professionals to deal with topics including Bitcoin, cyber security, banking, corporate governance, state vs. private ownership, pension plans, interest rates, multi-asset investing, real estate, US and Islamic banking, and other issues that have a direct impact on the field, its practitioners and scholars trying to make sense of it. This book covers timely issues in a way that academics, regulators, investors, and bankers will find relevant and useable. Contributors include: P. Agrrawal, S. Aliyu, J.R. Barth, J. Brodmann, R.P. DeGennaro, G.P. Dwyer, B. Faulk, W. Faulk, M.J. Flannery, M.B. Frye, T.J. Gallagher, S.B. Guernsey, B.E. Gup, M.K. Hassan, M.A. Hines, J.S. Jahera, Jr., K.N. Johnson, S. Joo, T. Lutton, M.B. McDonald, W.L. Megginson, S.L. Schwarcz

Recent corporate scandals, together with the effects of globalization, have led to an increasing interest in corporate governance issues. Little attention has been paid, however, to international laws and recommendations dealing with corporate governance in banking from a global perspective. This impressive international set of expert contributors - academics, practitioners and regulators - remedies the lack of attention by examining the various issues and concerns of this important topic. The regulation of corporate banking and accounting is increasingly promoted through various international bodies. Against this background, the contributors explore such aspects of corporate governance as: bank regulation and activity expansion in the US, board structure, community banks, the Enron and WorldCom corporate governance failures, a survey of characteristics of the top 100 world banks, as well as case studies of Australian, German and Hungarian banks. Scholars, regulators, and those on the boards of financial institutions will find the analysis of this understudied area of great interest.

The 2007 financial and economic crisis that began in the United States and quickly spread around the world differed from earlier crises in a number of significant ways. This book examines the causes of these events in the US, and their impacts on North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As with previous crises, real estate booms and busts and excessive financial leverage played key roles; however, the most recent crisis had many unique aspects to it, all of which are explored here in depth. This includes the role played by large international banks, shadow banks, increased global liquidity, population growth and other factors. Collectively, these factors contributed to interconnected economies and financial markets to an extent that never existed before. The net result was the unprecedented ripple effect of the crises from the US and into the rest of the world. The impact of the crisis in the US was significantly different than the impact in Canada, Japan, Spain and other countries. Significantly, the global effects of the crisis varied widely from country to country, as did government responses to the crisis. The contributors to this book - international academics, bank regulators, and practitioners - critique the crises and important international regulatory issues from the point of view of various countries. Academics, regulators, legislators and financial practitioners will do well to add this book to their shelves.

The role of directors of financial institutions has changed significantly in the aftermath of the recent corporate governance scandals. Subsequent changes in regulation to protect shareholder and public interests have created new challenges for directors. This Handbook provides useful advice from existing directors and regulators about what directors of financial institutions worldwide need to know to perform their duties. The authors include an international roster of current directors of banks, credit unions, insurance companies and other organizations, bank regulators, lawyers and academics.They provide unique insights and advice about corporate social responsibility, legal risks, starting a new bank, D&O insurance, sub-prime lending, Islamic banking, and other timely issues. Boards of directors and international and regulators of all types of financial institutions throughout the world will find this essential reading. Scholars in the areas of banking, finance, corporate governance, ethics and management will also find it of interest.

Historians of our financial system will record this as an age of deregulation and bank mergers. Deregulation, a cornerstone of President Reagan's Administration, resulted in federal and state legislation that contributed to increased competition for financial services and increased merger activity. During the 1981-1986 period, there were 2,139 mergers in banking and finance, accounting for 16 percent of total merger activity.l More mergers occurred in banking and finance than in any other industry. Because of these bank mergers, there are vast amounts of data avail able for scholarly research. This book presents some results of that research which will be of interest to academics, bankers, investors, legislators, and regulators. The book consists of ten articles, and it is divided into three parts. Part 1: National and Regional Bank Mergers gives a broad perspective of merger activity. The first article by Peter S. Rose compared the growth of bank holding companies that merged with those that did not merge. One conclusion of his study was that banks planning mergers tended to be aggressively managed and were often beset by problems, such as low profitability or declining loan quality. Mergers were one solution to their problems. But he found no solid evidence that mergers resulted in greater profitability or reduced risk. He also observed that acquiring banks did not seem to grow faster than those choosing not to merge."

Capital Markets, Globalization, and Economic Development consists of fourteen articles contributed by authors from Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States who provide a wide range of insights. The contributors include academics, government officials, and regulators. This book examines some of the capital market issues that economies face as they mature. These include, but are not limited to, credit ratings, financial regulation, infrastructure privatization and other timely topics.

Capital Markets, Globalization, and Economic Development consists of fourteen articles contributed by authors from Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States who provide a wide range of insights. The contributors include academics, government officials, and regulators. This book examines some of the capital market issues that economies face as they mature. These include, but are not limited to, credit ratings, financial regulation, infrastructure privatization and other timely topics.

Historians of our financial system will record this as an age of deregulation and bank mergers. Deregulation, a cornerstone of President Reagan's Administration, resulted in federal and state legislation that contributed to increased competition for financial services and increased merger activity. During the 1981-1986 period, there were 2,139 mergers in banking and finance, accounting for 16 percent of total merger activity.l More mergers occurred in banking and finance than in any other industry. Because of these bank mergers, there are vast amounts of data avail able for scholarly research. This book presents some results of that research which will be of interest to academics, bankers, investors, legislators, and regulators. The book consists of ten articles, and it is divided into three parts. Part 1: National and Regional Bank Mergers gives a broad perspective of merger activity. The first article by Peter S. Rose compared the growth of bank holding companies that merged with those that did not merge. One conclusion of his study was that banks planning mergers tended to be aggressively managed and were often beset by problems, such as low profitability or declining loan quality. Mergers were one solution to their problems. But he found no solid evidence that mergers resulted in greater profitability or reduced risk. He also observed that acquiring banks did not seem to grow faster than those choosing not to merge."

In a clear and concise form, this text explains the basics of investing online, highlighting what investors should know before, during, and after they invest. Written in an engaging style, this text gives the reader instant access to information previously available only to investment professionals. The chapters cover the entire process of investing online, enabling the reader to:

understand securities markets and regulations
deal with brokers and dealers online
become familiar with stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
analyze and determine the value of investments
manage an investment portfolio

The text makes extensive use of online resources, providing a directory of websites at the end of the book, and referring the reader to relevant websites in the end-of-chapter questions. Additionally, "Investor Insight" boxes use practical examples to illustrate key points for the reader. Accessible to a broad audience, this text is ideal for course use, as well as for investment professionals interested in investing online.

Money laundering is a global problem. It involves hundreds of billions of dollars, and it is proof that crime pays. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, money laundering can erode a nation's economy and it can adversely affect the global stability of financial markets. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the concept of money laundering was expanded to include the financing of terrorism. The basic idea behind this book is that if you don't know what you are looking for, you are not going to find it. By way of illustration, few people realise that cigarette smuggling, certain charitable organisations, internet solicitations, as well as investments in legitimate businesses have been used to finance terrorists. This book will help you figure out what to look for in terms of money laundering and financing terrorism, but it cannot provide all of the answers in an ever changing setting.

Usually associated with large bank failures, the phrase too big to fail, which is a particular form of government bailout, actually applies to a wide range of industries, as this volume makes clear. Examples range from Chrysler to Lockheed Aircraft and from New York City to Penn Central Railroad. Generally speaking, when a corporation, an organization, or an industry sector is considered by the government to be too important to the overall health of the economy, it will not be allowed to fail. Government bailouts are not new, nor are they limited to the United States. This book presents the views of academics, practitioners, and regulators from around the world (e.g., Australia, Hungary, Japan, Europe, and Latin America) on the implications and consequences of government bailouts.

The basic functions of banking--lending, deposit taking, and making payments--are constant. What changes are the forms banking takes in response to increases in competition, globalizaion, new laws, and emerging technologies. Among the most visible of these changes will be an increase in the consolidation and globalization of banking in the world's major trading countries. Now, prestigious academics and practitioners, including regulators from around the world, join Benton E. Gup in exploring these coming changes--and by doing so, define a global perspective on banking's future. They find that the consolidation of banking will persist on a global scale. Electronic banking in all its forms will increase in importance, and banking in mature economies will be even more different from what it is now in developing economies. While focusing on the financial system in the United States, Gup's panel of contributors also explores financial systems in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Like Gup, they predict that a small handful of very large banks will control a disproportionate share of bank assets. Their views provide an unusual survey of current thinking in the domains of banking and finance, and an important source of current information, background, and foresights for banking and finance practitioners, students, and academics.

Citibank merged with Travelers. Daimler-Benz (Germany) acquired Chrysler (U.S.). In Japan three large banks combined to form the biggest bank in the world. What's going on? Cross-border and domestic megamergers continue to make headlines, but megamergers themselves are not new. What is new is their size. along with the fact that they increasingly occur across national boundaries. What are the consequences? Gup and his panel of distinguished contributors take a careful look. They explain why these combinations are occurring--the liberalization of markets, changes in technology, and the globalization of business generally are some reasons--and the possible results. They find that megamergers are risky--more than half of the cross-border ones do not add shareholder value--and they raise complicated, so far unanswered questions, such as Who's going to bail these failures out when they're supposedly 'too big to fail' but do? Also explored are topics on international regulatory issues and mergers in the banking industry specifically. Drawn from academia, the Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the contributors to this fascinating, understandable volume bring things into focus and perspective in ways that will be important to academics and practitioners alike.

Bank failures, crises, global banking, megamergers, changes in technology--the effect of these world events is to weaken existing methods of regulating bank safety and soundness, and even to make some methods ineffective. Federal regulators are evaluating new ways to solve them. Dr. Gup and his panel of academics and regulatory professionals explore these problems and the difficulties in implementing solutions. They point out that global banking, megamergers, and changes in technology are drastically altering the way financial services are delivered. They also argue that existing methods of bank regulation, formulated in the United States and elsewhere as early as the 19th century, are not able to cope with these changes. The search now underway for new methods that are global in scope. Inevitably, they will involve cross-border supervision and international cooperation.

Covering a wide range of topics, from the rationale of banking regulation to optimal banking regulation in the new world environments, this book examines the innovative tools needed to cope with these problems. Greater reliance on market discipline; the use of internal controls based on statistical models, such as Value-at-Risk; and subordinated debt are discussed. This timely, probing analysis of one of the hottest topics in bank regulation today, is an important resource for professionals and their academic colleagues in the fields of banking, finance, investment, and world trade.

The financial crises that began unexpectedly in Southeast Asia in 1997 spread rapidly around the globe, causing banks to fail, stock markets to plummet, and other newsmaking disruptions. Gup and his contributors examine these failures and crises in the main arenas where they occurred--Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Russia, Argentina--and provide some important answers to the critical questions these frightening events raised. The result is a readable, easily grasped study of issues relating to bank failure and the effectiveness of bank regulation, and important reading for academics and practitioners alike.

In July 1997 Thailand devalued its currency. This one event sparked financial crises that spread with astonishing speed from Southeast Asia around the world to Russia. Even in the United States and South America the impact was felt. Southeast Asia had been considered a model--in fact a miracle--of economic growth. No one foresaw the crises that soon occurred there, and the severity and contagion of these crises raised questions globally: What happened? Why? And what can we do about it? Gup and his contributors offer some answers to these critical questions.

Gup and his panel finally conclude that government actions were at the root of these crises. Banks were pawns in the hands of governments, and banks helped fuel the booms that ultimately burst, booms supported by investments from other countries around the world, not incidentally. Gup goes on to lay out other provocative questions, among them: How effective are bank regulations? And how do we resolve failed and insolvent banks? The result is an important contribution to the literature in banking, finance, investment, and the role government plays in these activities--a book not only for academics but for practitioners and informed laymen as well.

Bank failures, near failures, and crises are common throughout the world, and particularly in the major G-10 trading countries, including the United States, Germany, and Japan. But equally common are the bailouts by national governments, when they perceive that bank failure will result in severe economic distress. Gup examines these events, focusing on happenings in the particularly volatile years since 1980, and finds that nonperforming real estate loans, even more than fraud, are the primary cause. His wide-ranging investigation casts doubt on the effectiveness of bank regulation and makes clear that with globalization and emerging technologies, change in regulatory methods is needed. This book is essential for scholars, students as well as professionals in international banking, finance, investment, and world trade.