Article: Understanding the effects of the merger boom on community banks.

The merger boom in the U.S. banking industry has caused the number of banking organizations in the nation to fall by nearly a third since 1990. Most of this contraction has involved small community banks, whose numbers have fallen by more than 3,000 banks. A common perception is that most of these small banks are being absorbed by large banks. Their disappearance is raising concerns in many communities because small banks are often a major source of personal services and relationship lending to local businesses and depositors.

In contrast to this general perception, the effects of the merger boom may be quite different. Despite reducing the number of small banks, ...

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