At our first meeting of the year, the "quarter-point differential" that thrift institutions were allowed under Regulation Q was the banking industry's top political priority. For those of you too young to remember, Regulation Q established the maximum allowable interest rate that could be paid on deposit accounts, which at the time was a quarter point higher for thrifts.
This first annual meeting of the Ohio Bankers League following the merger of Ohio's banking and thrift trade associations is emblematic of the changes that have taken place in these two industries. And this event presents a good opportunity to review today's depository financial service industries in the context of a decade of major change.