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...

On February 6, 1989, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board contacted Mid America Institute to inquire whether it would undertake an independent, academically oriented analysis of the insolvency resolution crisis in the thrift industry. The Senate Banking Committee, during the course of hearings on the thrift crisis, had suggested to the Bank Board tile desirability of an independent assessment of Bank: Board and FSLIC resolution methodology, specifically as it related to the controversy surrounding the December deals, the Southwest Plan, and the possibility that tax considerations were driving...