Consolidation, Concentration, And Valuation In The Banking Industry

Abstract

We assess whether gains in wealth associated with bank consolidation are the result of reduced competition by examining effects of merger announcements on values of bidders, targets and rivals. The results suggest that gains in wealth are not due to increases in market power at the level of individual banks. Specifically, we find that returns to bidders, targets and rivals are unrelated to the effects of mergers on concentration.