A comprehensive examination of the financial services industry which is must reading for anyone who needs a better understanding of the significant developments that have occured in the wake of deregulation, innovation, and technological change. A worthwhile addition to general collections as a sourcebook on the financial services industry. . . Gart brings the reader up-to-date with the changes in regulation and deregulation, structure and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, technology, distribution systems, sources and uses of funds, strategies, and the profitability of the institutions that are the dominant players within the financial services industry. This volume provides the latest management thinking about asset and liability management, the apparent consolidation of the financial services industry, the latest marketing approaches and technological capabilities, and offers guidance on managing a financial institution through a changing environment and regulatory maze. Institutions that survive and prosper will require superior skills in marketing, information systems, and planning and strategic implementation. Choosing the right tarket segments, the proper products and services, and understanding the most important leverage points in the management of technology and operations will all be part of the basic survival kit along with more efficient distribution systems. This new handbook and guide to the contemporary U.S. financial services industry is must reading for industry professioonals and an essential resource for the public they serve. Individual chapters describe how the financial services industry developed, where it is today, and what it will be like in the next decade. In addition, the book describes the nature of the competition, the evolution of new products and services, and the impact of deregulation on each segment of the financial services industry. These segments include: commercial banking, international banking, savings and loans, savings banks, credit unions, life insurance companies, property-casualty companies, pension funds, finance companies, leasing companies, investment banking, brokerage firms, investment companies, and money market funds.