Go to http://www.research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/. Click on the “Category” link below the search box. Find the heading “Money, Banking, Finance” and…

Go to http://www.research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/. Click on the “Category” link below the
search box. Find the heading “Money, Banking, & Finance” and click on “Banking”. Click
on “Condition of Banks” and then “United States”. Do the following:
a. Click on the series “Commercial Banks”. Describe the trend in the overall number of
banks in the US since the 1980s.
b. Go back and scroll down to find the series “Banks with Total Assets Over $20B”.
Describe the trend in the overall number of big banks since the 1980s. (You can see how
the big banks became so big at http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-10/istodays-wall-street-now-too-big-to-care)
c. Go back. Near the top of the series list you will find “Nonperforming Total Loans (past
due 90+ days plus nonaccrual) to Total Loans”. Click on that series.
i. Under the graph is a “Notes” tab. Click on it and state how bank managers define
nonperforming loans.
ii. The graph shows nonperforming loans as a percentage of total loans. What
happened to this percentage during the crisis-led recession of 2008-2009? What
explanation can you give for this behavior? How does it relate to the potential for
liquidity and/or leverage problems faced by banks?
iii. How does the status of nonperforming loans compare now relative to before the
2008-2009 recession?
Go to http://www.research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/. Click on the “Category” link below thesearch box. Find the heading “Money, Banking, & Finance” and click on “Banking”. Clickon…