Size-Based Efficiency in the Italian Banking System: An Empirical Review

Abstract:     
This work, consisting a part of a wider study on the determinants of the costs of the Italian credit system and on any scale scale and scope economies available in the same, reviews the Italian banking system, characterized in the past few decades by deep changes, mainly due to the new applicable bank legislation, to a progressive European integration, and the natural decline of interest rates. In order to better exploit the growth of the capital market, banks undertook a significant number of mergers with other banks or brokerage companies. Thus the size of the banking institutions and their ability to diversify their offer to customers play a relevant role: a preliminary empirical review, with data referred to the year 1998 and 1999, tries to outline the scope and the consequences of this phenomenon.

Keywords: scale efficiency, Italian banking system

JEL Classification: G21, G14, G34

working papers series