The recent financial crisis has stimulated much debate on the governance of financial institutions, as well as research on the effects of governance arrangements on risk-taking, performance and financial institutions more generally. Furthermore, researchers are asking how regulation, legislation, politics and other factors influence the governance of financial institutions and their behavior in different dimensions. The specially commissioned contributions featured in this timely Handbook confront these complex issues. The contributors - top international scholars from finance, law and business - explore the role of governance, both internal and external, in explaining risk-taking and other aspects of the behavior of financial institutions. Additionally, they discuss market and policy features affecting objectives and quality of governance. The chapters provide in-depth analysis of factors such as: ownership, efficiency and stability; market discipline; compensation and performance; social responsibility; and governance in non-bank financial institutions. Only through this kind of rigorous examination can one hope to implement the financial reforms necessary and sufficient to reduce the likelihood and severity of future crises. Bringing the reader to the frontier of research on governance of financial institutions, this volume is sure to inspire future research in scholars and students of financial institutions, governance and banking. Practitioners in financial institutions and public regulatory and supervisory authorities will also find much of value and insight in this book. Contributors: E. Arbak, F. Arnaboldi, R. Ayadi, J.R. Barth, T. Berglund, A.W.A. Boot, D. Brash, B. Casu, Y. Chang, H. Choe, W.P. De Groen, J.K. Dietrich, W. Dolde, R. Galema, S. Gangopadhyay, C. Girardone, P.A. Gompers, Y. Gong, C.A.E. Goodhart, B.E. Gup, J. Hagendorff, I. Hasan, R.J. Herring, A.G.F. Hoepner, J. Houston, J. Itzkowitz, J.D. Knopf, S. Koibuchi, R.M. Lastra, B. Lee, R. Lensink, L. Li, C. Lin, Y. Ma, P. MacKay, M. Marinc, D.G. Mayes, R. Mersland, R. Mohan, P. Molyneux, A. Mullineux, A. Naranjo, A.A. Palvia, A.P. Prabha, H.L. Root, W. Sawangngoenyuang, S.K. Shanthi, C.-H. Shen, F.M. Song, L. Song, K.R. Spong, T. Subhanij, R.J. Sullivan, F. Vallascas, P.J. Wallison, I. Walter, L.J. White, C. Wihlborg, T.D. Willett, J.O.S. Wilson, Y. Xuan, Z. Zhou

This research review selects fifty influential articles published over the past four decades on the regulation and governance of financial institutions. Some contribute by making theoretical advances that enhance the conceptual framework through which economists view financial institutions, and others contribute by assembling data and evaluating the predictions of these different models. The papers provide a foundation for understanding and conducting additional research into the regulation and governance of financial institutions.

The future of American banking is in doubt and the industry and the federal insurance fund that helps support it are in turmoil. The ingredients of the turmoil have been simmering in public view since at least the early 1980s when commercial bank loans to lesser developed countries (LDCs) began to default. The difficulties began to boil at the end of the decade when the prospect first arose that the banks' deposit insurer, the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) that is administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), might require dollars to resolve bank failure as occurred in the savings and loan debacle. This book frames the major economic and policy issues raised by the banking crisis whose resolution largely determines the future of American banking. It focuses on the current reported condition of the banking industry, concentrating on large banks in particular. A longer-run economic prognosis for the banking industry is presented and the implications of future bank failures for the financial services sector and federal regulatory policy are discussed. Most importantly the book contains suggestions for changes in the nation's deposit-insurance system and accompanying banking laws. These changes would reduce the federal government's deposit insurance liability and would provide banks with potentially profitable opportunities. The study includes a wealth of data on the financial condition of American banks and the system as a whole, some of it not easily obtainable from any other source. The authors are internationally recognized as knowledgeable experts on the state of the American banking system and the options and prospects for US banking reform.

The recent financial crisis has stimulated much debate on the governance of financial institutions, as well as research on the effects of governance arrangements on risk-taking, performance and financial institutions more generally. Furthermore, researchers are asking how regulation, legislation, politics and other factors influence the governance of financial institutions and their behavior in different dimensions. The specially commissioned contributions featured in this timely Handbook confront these complex issues. The contributors - top international scholars from finance, law and business - explore the role of governance, both internal and external, in explaining risk-taking and other aspects of the behavior of financial institutions. Additionally, they discuss market and policy features affecting objectives and quality of governance. The chapters provide in-depth analysis of factors such as: ownership, efficiency and stability; market discipline; compensation and performance; social responsibility; and governance in non-bank financial institutions. Only through this kind of rigorous examination can one hope to implement the financial reforms necessary and sufficient to reduce the likelihood and severity of future crises. Bringing the reader to the frontier of research on governance of financial institutions, this volume is sure to inspire future research in scholars and students of financial institutions, governance and banking. Practitioners in financial institutions and public regulatory and supervisory authorities will also find much of value and insight in this book. Contributors: E. Arbak, F. Arnaboldi, R. Ayadi, J.R. Barth, T. Berglund, A.W.A. Boot, D. Brash, B. Casu, Y. Chang, H. Choe, W.P. De Groen, J.K. Dietrich, W. Dolde, R. Galema, S. Gangopadhyay, C. Girardone, P.A. Gompers, Y. Gong, C.A.E. Goodhart, B.E. Gup, J. Hagendorff, I. Hasan, R.J. Herring, A.G.F. Hoepner, J. Houston, J. Itzkowitz, J.D. Knopf, S. Koibuchi, R.M. Lastra, B. Lee, R. Lensink, L. Li, C. Lin, Y. Ma, P. MacKay, M. Marinc, D.G. Mayes, R. Mersland, R. Mohan, P. Molyneux, A. Mullineux, A. Naranjo, A.A. Palvia, A.P. Prabha, H.L. Root, W. Sawangngoenyuang, S.K. Shanthi, C.-H. Shen, F.M. Song, L. Song, K.R. Spong, T. Subhanij, R.J. Sullivan, F. Vallascas, P.J. Wallison, I. Walter, L.J. White, C. Wihlborg, T.D. Willett, J.O.S. Wilson, Y. Xuan, Z. Zhou

Robert L. Bartley Editor Emeritus, The Wall Street Journal As this collection of essays is published, markets, regulators and society generally are sorting through the wreckage of the collapse in tech stocks at the turn of the millennium. All the more reason for an exhaustive look at our last "bubble," if that is what we choose to call them. We haven't had time to digest the lesson of the tech stocks and the recession that started in March 2001. After a decade, though, we're ready to understand the savings and loan "bubble" that popped in 1989, preceding the recession that started in July 1990. For more than a half-century, we can now see clearly enough, the savings and loans were an accident waiting to happen. The best insurance for financial institutions is diversification, but the savings and loans were concentrated solely in residential financing. What's more, they were in the business of borrowing short and lending long, accepting deposits that could be withdrawn quickly and making 20-year loans. They were further protected by Regulation Q, allowing them to pay a bit more for savings deposits than commercial banks were allowed to. In normal times, they could ride the yield curve, booking profits because long-term interest rates are generally higher than short-term ones. This world was recorded in Jimmy Stewart's 1946 film, It's a Wonderful Life.

China's emerging financial markets reflect the usual contrast between the country's measured approach toward policy, regulatory, and market reform, and the dynamic pace of rapid economic growth and development. But they also offer unusual challenges and opportunities. In the past five years, the pace of opening and reform has accelerated sharply. Recapitalization and partial privatization of the largest banks, and the allowance of some joint venture and branch operations for foreign financial institutions, are making rapid headway in developing and expanding financial services and improving access to domestic business and households. This book provides the most extensive look available at the evolving Chinese financial system. It begins with alternative perspectives on the evolution of the financial system and the broad outlines of its prospects and potential contribution to economic growth. Three articles review broad aspects of the financial system. Franklin Allen, Jun ''QJ'' Qian, Meijun Qian, and Mengxin Zhao lead off with overviews of the banking system and performance of the equity market and other institutions.

• This book will be the most up-to-date compilation of different perspectives on entrepreneurship.
• The authors are highly respected in the field, either as scholars or practitioners and have interacted before on this topic either as co-authors on papers or as conference discussants
• The research provides historical information as well as the latest data on entrepreneurship
• The book focuses on "emerging domestic markets" which encompasses minorities, women, and low-income communities

China's emerging financial markets reflect the usual contrast between the country's measured approach toward policy, regulatory, and market reform, and the dynamic pace of rapid economic growth and development. But they also offer unusual challenges and opportunities. In the past five years, the pace of opening and reform has accelerated sharply. Recapitalization and partial privatization of the largest banks, and the allowance of some joint venture and branch operations for foreign financial institutions, are making rapid headway in developing and expanding financial services and improving access to domestic business and households. This book provides the most extensive look available at the evolving Chinese financial system. It begins with alternative perspectives on the evolution of the financial system and the broad outlines of its prospects and potential contribution to economic growth. Three articles review broad aspects of the financial system. Franklin Allen, Jun ''QJ'' Qian, Meijun Qian, and Mengxin Zhao lead off with overviews of the banking system and performance of the equity market and other institutions.

• This book will be the most up-to-date compilation of different perspectives on entrepreneurship.
• The authors are highly respected in the field, either as scholars or practitioners and have interacted before on this topic either as co-authors on papers or as conference discussants
• The research provides historical information as well as the latest data on entrepreneurship
• The book focuses on "emerging domestic markets" which encompasses minorities, women, and low-income communities

The Savings and Loan Crisis: Lessons from a Regulatory Failure sets the record straight about what actually happened to our banking institutions in the 1980s. As is documented by the highly respected and diverse group of former regulators, scholars and practitioners contributing to this book, the collapse of this industry was caused by a confluence of adverse economic conditions and misguided regulatory decisions. Poorly designed deposit insurance, faulty supervision, and restrictions on investments prevented savings and loans from adapting to a changing financial marketplace. Unable to use financial innovations, savings and loans could not hedge interest rate and credit risks. These factors blocked portfolio diversification and lay at the root of the crisis.
The savings and loan crisis was an accident, but it was an avoidable one. Most of the factors responsible for causing and exacerbating the industry's problems were preventable, as is made clear in this volume.

This book also provides an insider's view of the transformation of the financial services industry in the United States since the 1980s: how the managers and owners make decisions about product offerings and investments; how the regulators monitor performance and enforce the rules; and how Congress and the Administration influence and are influenced by the financial services industry.

Lastly, it focuses attention on the lessons that should have been learned from this difficult period in the history of U.S. banking, and that should help prevent future banking crises everywhere.

Policy makers around the globe will find that Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions offers a cogent assessment of the contemporary regulatory environment in the U.S. financial markets, and a blueprint for action in evolving global financial markets. Financial markets are among the most highly-regulated markets in the world. Nevertheless, financial crises still occur, witness the U.S. savings-and-loan fiasco of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the Mexican and East Asian Financial implosions of 1994 and 1997. What role does regulation play in stabilizing-or-destabilizing financial markets? Restructuring Regulation and Financial Institutions answers this question with incisive analysis of financial market regulation in the United States. Each paper considers how regulation enhances or impedes the efficiency of a particular financial sector, and is followed by comments by two or three noted experts. The result of this approach is a wealth of useful information that may be applied by policy makers contemplating the restructuring of regulations and financial institutions. The contributors to this volume are distinguished economists, many of whom have careers not just in business, government, or academia, but have held influential positions in all three. Such varied backgrounds enable the contributors to offer remarkable insights based on the best of theory and practice. Never before has understanding the workings of U.S. financial market regulation been so important to the development of world financial markets. The ramifications of financial regulation in the United States extend far beyond the nation's borders. World financial markets are undergoing dramatic change, driven by the rapid development and deployment of new technology that enables information-and money-to travel farther, faster. However, a Byzantine array of regulatory structures in the international arena hinders the development of efficient global financial markets. Policy makers around the world are attempting to address the issues by emulating the financial markets of the United States.

This volume assembles and presents a database on bank regulation in over 150 countries (included also on CD). It offered the first comprehensive cross-country assessment of the impact of bank regulation on the operation of banks, and assesses the validity of the Basel Committee's influential approach to bank regulation. The treatment also provides an empirical evaluation of the historic debate about the proper role of government in the economy by studying bank regulation and analyzes the role of politics in determining regulatory approaches to banking. The data also indicate that restrictions on the entry of banks, government ownership of banks, and restrictions on bank activities hurt banking system performance. The authors find that domestic political factors shape both regulations and their effectiveness.

Although there have been numerous studies of the causes and consequences of the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2010 in the US and abroad, many of these were undertaken only for a small number of countries and before the financial and economic effects were fully realized and before various governmental policy responses were decided upon and actually implemented. This book aims to fill these voids by providing a more thorough assessment now that the worst events and the regulatory reforms are sufficiently behind us and much more information about these developments is available. It reviews and analyzes the causes and consequences of and the regulatory responses to the Great Financial Crisis, particularly from a public policy viewpoint. In the process, it explores such intriguing questions as: What caused the crisis? How did the crisis differ across countries? What is the outlook for another crisis, and when? This is a must read for those who are trying to find answers to these questions.

During the 1980s, 525 insolvent savings and loans were liquidated or sold at an enormous cost. Resolving the remaining troubled S&Ls could cost American taxpayers hundreds of billions. What went wrong with the industry? Are fraud and deregulation solely responsible for this financial disaster? In this volume the author argues that federal deposit insurance itself is largely to blame: by permitting institutions to operate with inadequate capital, the system subsidizes weak institutions while increasing the risk to taxpayers. In addition, regulation and supervision prevent S&Ls from adapting to changing market forces. Congress, the Administration and the regulatory agencies, the author says, have created a flawed deposit insurance system and a rigid, outdated supervisory and regulatory structure. He recommends a re-examination and restructuring that would protect both depositors and taxpayers and would allow the industry to respond to changes in the marketplace.

This volume assembles and presents a new database on bank regulation in over 150 countries (included also on CD). It offers the first comprehensive cross-country assessment of the impact of bank regulation on the operation of banks, and assesses the validity of the Basel Committee's influential approach to bank regulation. The treatment also provides an empirical evaluation of the historic debate about the proper role of government in the economy by studying bank regulation and analyzes the role of politics in determining regulatory approaches to banking. The data also indicate that restrictions on the entry of new banks, government ownership of banks, and restrictions on bank activities hurt banking system performance. The authors find that domestic political factors shape both regulations and their effectiveness.

How the unaccountable, unmonitorable, and unchecked actions of regulators precipitated the global financial crisis; and how to reform the system. The recent financial crisis was an accident, a "perfect storm" fueled by an unforeseeable confluence of events that unfortunately combined to bring down the global financial systems. Or at least this is the story told and retold by a chorus of luminaries that includes Timothy Geithner, Henry Paulson, Robert Rubin, Ben Bernanke, and Alan Greenspan. In Guardians of Finance, economists James Barth, Gerard Caprio, and Ross Levine argue that the financial meltdown of 2007 to 2009 was no accident; it was negligent homicide. They show that senior regulatory officials around the world knew or should have known that their policies were destabilizing the global financial system and yet chose not to act until the crisis had fully emerged. Barth, Caprio, and Levine propose a reform to counter this systemic failure: the establishment of a "Sentinel" to provide an informed, expert, and independent assessment of financial regulation. Its sole power would be to demand information and to evaluate it from the perspective of the public-rather than that of the financial industry, the regulators, or politicians.

The past two decades have witnessed both tremendous change and tremendous growth in the financial sector in countries across the globe. At the same time, however, many countries in the world have experienced banking crises, sometimes leading to costly bank failures and overall disruption in economic activity. The changes in the banking landscape and banking crises have focused policy makers' and industry participants' attention on the appropriate role and structure of banking supervision and regulation. As countries make different choices in these regards, it is useful to inquire if there are fundamental principles countries can follow to insure financial system stability and growth. This book does not presume to outline such principles, but it does take two necessary steps in that direction: first, it identifies basic issues in banking regulation and supervision; and second, it presents information on how countries around the globe have addressed these issues in their bank regulatory and supervisory schemes. The study draws on recent research and detailed cross-country data, including data from a new World Bank survey of bank regulation and supervision world-wide, to focus on some of the underlying reasons for and implications of developments in a variety of areas. These include the following: the nature and changing role of banks in promoting economic growth, development and stability; restrictions on the scope of banking activities and allowable ownership arrangements in which to conduct them; the structure and scope of bank regulatory and supervisory schemes; supervisory practices to promote safe and sound banks; market discipline and corporate governance in banking; international co-operation in regulation and supervision; offshore banking; potential disputes in banking arising from World Trade Organization membership; and deposit insurance schemes.

Since 1979, China has been in the midst of an on-going process of liberalization of financial services, which has been accelerated under its WTO obligations. Such liberalization increases the vulnerability of China to financial crises, with domestic and international implications. In order to reduce its vulnerability, China is seeking to develop a robust financial system by restructuring its financial regulatory and institutional structure in accordance with international standards. This process requires structural choices to be made in respect of financial services liberalization commitments and international financial standards. These choices will have a significant impact upon the development of China's financial system. The reform of China's financial system raises many challenges. At the international level, there is at present no explicit linkage between the required legal infrastructure that must be in place for the development of a robust financial system and financial liberalization under the WTO. At the domestic level, weaknesses remain, which are likely to be brought to the surface by financial liberalization resulting from WTO accession and implementation. China's challenge is to strike an appropriate balance between a robust financial system and WTO compliance. Measures taken in this connection will also be indicative of potential disputes that may arise with other WTO members, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. In December 2006, China's two protective measures of geographical limitation and client limitation will be eliminated. There will be few market access limitations for foreign investors in banking, except capital requirements. In this context, it is interesting to know how Chinese financial regulators will deal with the liberalization issue arising from the WTO, and this is the focus of this authoritative book. This examination of China's financial reform under the WTO is meaningful for other developing and developed countries, as well as for China. This book addresses the on-going process of financial restructuring and reform in post-WTO China from a legal perspective. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the impact of the WTO on China's financial markets and financial law systems. Chapter 2 discusses reform of banking law and regulation in post-WTO China. Chapter 3 addresses the role of the central bank in China's financial system, focusing on issues of independence and accountability of the People's Banking of China (PBOC), China's central bank. Chapter 4 analyses China's compliance with WTO obligations in the area of banking. Chapter 5 discusses the role of asset management companies (AMCs) in China's on-going banking restructuring and liberalization. Chapter 6 analyses the development of securities markets in China, the challenges being faced and the impact of the WTO. Chapter 7 describes insurance and its development in China, focusing on the role of the WTO in liberalization. A new topic in China, i.e., financial conglomerates, is discussed in chapter 8, building upon the discussions in the previous chapters. Chapter 9 in turn studies the issue of financial institution insolvency and restructuring - as noted in previous chapters, key issues in China. Chapter 10 discusses the double impact of the WTO and one of China's regional trade agreements, CEPA, on China's banking law.