The number of regional banks fell just slightly over this period, to about 320, while the number of community banks fell quite sharply under the influence of consolidation.
2 Participants at the conference could not have anticipated that only 10 years later, the world would be engulfed in a deep financial crisis, with unemployment soaring and central banks around the world making extensive use of new strategies, tools, and ways to communicate. The next time policy rates hit the ELB—and there will be a next time—it will not be a surprise.