Distribution of Credit Card Loans by Banks Size, 1994-2018

Published by: ILSR

May 15th, 2019

Credit card lending has seen major growth in the past decades. With that growth has come almost unparalleled concentration. Today, about half of all credit cards are issued by giant banks, who also dominate the amount of total credit extended. That[...]

Number of New Banks Created by Year, 1993 to 2018

Published by: ILSR

May 14th, 2019

The number of community banks has declined sharply in the last decade. A significant share of the decline is owed to the fact that virtually no new banks have been created since 2009. Between 2004 and 2008, before the financial[...]

Share of Deposits by Size of Institution, 1994 to 2018

Published by: ILSR

May 14th, 2019

In 1994, giant banks, defined as those with over $100.2 million assets in 2018 dollars, held only a small portion of U.S. deposits. Today, they control 53 percent of the market, while small and mid-sized banks and credit unions have[...]

Op-Ed in Fortune: The Hidden Price of Cashless Retail

Charlie Thaxton

April 3, 2019

In Fortune, we detail the growing cashless retail trend, steps cities and states are taking to regulate it, and the ultimate effect monopoly credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard have on small businesses and the economy at large.  READ MORE

Stacy Mitchell

May 5, 2015

The precipitous decline in the number of community banks in recent years is a national crisis, and there's a fierce debate underway right now about what's to blame.  READ MORE

Stacy Mitchell

April 16, 2014

Even as their big competitors are awash in capital, many locally owned businesses are struggling to secure the financing they need to grow. This analysis finds that, since 2000, bank lending to large businesses is up 36 percent, while  READ MORE