How Investment Banking Is A Highly Regulated And Complex Sector

There are various categories of banking; these include retail banking, directly dealing with small businesses and persons. Commercial and Corporate banking which offers services to medium and large businesses (Koch & MacDonald 2010). Private banking, deals with individuals, offering them one on one service. The last category is investment banking. These help clients to raise capital and often invest in financial markets. Most global banking institutions provide all these services combined. With all these institutions in existence within the same localities and offering similar services, there is a need to regulate the industry so as to protect the consumer and provide fair working environment for all banks (Du & Girma, 2011).

In this chapter, we first provide coverage of expansion through corporate takeovers and an overview of the consolidation process. Then we present the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations followed by limited coverage of the purchase method and pooling of interests provided in a separate sections.

(a) In a merger agreement, the assets and liabilities of the firm which is being acquired end up being absorbed by the buyers firm. A merger could be the most effective and efficient way to enter a new market without the need of creating

Major companies and corporations that comprise a big part of the United States economy take advantage of certain opportunities such as going public through IPO’s, acquisitions, and mergers. These three approaches provide an additional resource and many times an advantage to expand, become more profitable, or simply save a company’s existence.

Financial management over time has become the most important aspect of business decisions in funding the enterprise. Thus, the term “financial services” became more popular in the United States partly as a result of the Gramm-Leach-Biley Act of the latter 1990s. This act has enabled all companies to operate in the U.S. financial services industry. Companies usually have two different approaches to this new type of business, insurance, and investment banking. Whether the firm keeps the original brands or adds the acquisition to its holding company

Foreign investment is an important part of our economy. There are many benefits to foreign investment in any country. It would be very difficult or impossible today to close the doors to foreign investment. The fact is foreign investment is responsible for providing a great deal of needed capital in this country. This capital is an asset in the continuous modernization and expansion of our manufacturing and other productive facilities. Without investment in our factories and processes we would fall behind in the world market. These investments lead to increased competitiveness within the international community.

The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 that defined the roles for commercial banks, investments banks and insurance firms was over ridden by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (1999) which repealed the provisions that restricted affiliations in financial institutions. Hence one solution is to overcome the incentive problem and the conflict of interests that arise when financial institutions simultaneously undertake financial activities of varied nature.

Investment Banking is now at a crucial junction, where Investment and Commercial Banking are splitting up due to the ring fence which is being built around these two banking areas. As well, the new upcoming regulation, Basel III, will have a huge impact in the investment banks, with higher liquidity and capital requirements, in order to increase solvency and stability in financial industries.

The economic recession of 2009 pushed some financial institutions to bankruptcy. The banking industry was also a victim of this economic hardship. Some solid institutions like Bank of America, Trust Bank, and Wells Fargo take over other banks for different reasons: market power, diversification, cost savings, and external growth. These banks acquire all the assets and the liabilities of another bank. These banks obtained the property rights and new market power. This research paper is to look at the economic advantages of the merger and to make some predictions.

3. Merger arbitrage (or risk arbitrage) funds speculate on the completion of stock and cash

The investment banks, and subsequent stock brokerage firms, was regulated by the Security and Exchange Commission. The banking entities, in this portion of the financial sector, were used to dealing in high risk business that were structured on the business’ equity and debt capital, instead of the commercial banks’ deposits of customers. The activities in this sector of the financial system were underwriting stocks and bonds, insurance markets, the investments in subprime debt markets and mortgages.

One cannot say that U.S banking system is designed to fail; however, it is the relentless deregulation in the financial sector and competing for financial sector activities in the globalized financial market as means towards higher growth resulted in its instability over the centuries. The U.S. central bank and federal government did not see the impending crisis on the horizon due to the deregulation of financial market. The central bank believed that there could be evolving economic imbalances or risk in the financial markets, but that these were best managed by market forces themselves. But they failed to realize that some time market fails on its own. Deregulation of the financial sector was initiated and reinforced through legislative changes, followed by regulatory policies consistent with the philosophy of deregulation. As the US was losing comparative advantage in agriculture, manufacturing, and services to developing and emerging market economies, while they continued to have advantage in the financial sector. Hence, the United States perhaps felt that national interest lies in their dominating financial sector activity, and hence development of the financial sector was coterminous with their national interest. This approach could have led to a race to the bottom in financial sector regulation in their jurisdiction. The US banking system and financial sector was source of so much instability was due to relentless deregulation of the financial market.

The United States banking industry has been a problem ever since the fraud and corruption from the market crash of ’08. There have been two sides arguing what we should do to these banks. Many people say, “We need to split up the big banks into smaller banks.” Their argument is that the smaller banks will be easier to monitor to make sure no fraud is going on and it will cause there to be more competition in the industry which will lower interest rates. The other side of the argument where many people also stayed is that the big banks don’t need to be split up. They just need a bailout to get back on their feet and they can sort this mess out. The arguments stand on two principles one side says the banks are corrupt and need to be disbanded, and the other side’s states that the banks are too big to fail; come ground is difficult for these two but they both want to fix the economy.

Mergers and Acquisitions are considered as a significant exercise in the corporate restructuring. With the rise of the financial crises in organisations across the world, there has been an augment in the number of corporate invasions and mergers. Therefore, the announcement of this strategy has become a part of a successful business. In the challenging international business environment and damaged economy, all organisations are seeking such kinds of eccentric techniques for comparative advantage. However, this announcement has both positive and negative impacts. Between two firms, the practice of Mergers and Acquisitions changes the share prices of both acquirer and target firms.

The recapitalization and consolidation exercise in the banking industry by the former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Professor Charles Soludo has necessitated the need for different organization to engage in corporate Consolidation (mergers and acquisition). The concept of recapitalization refers to the current trend of compelling all commercial banks to raise their capital base from 2billion to 25billion Naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria on or before 31st December 2005. This has sent some of these banks on the move to consider