Publisher's Synopsis
Most community banks have been unable to increase dramatically the percentage of their revenue coming from non-traditional sources and so remain reliant on the net income generated by traditional intermediation activities. This continued dependence means that the lending strategy chosen by any community bank is a key determinant of its survival. In this study the lending strategies chosen by a sample of 5508 community banks are examined over the 1995 - 2004 period. Links among the chosen strategies, strategic change, and performance are also investigated using both univariate and regression analysis. The analysis of lending strategy trends reveals an increase in the percentage of community banks that emphasize lending to business borrowers and a decrease in the fraction of institutions specializing in loans to non-commercial customers. The data also indicate that the typical community bank changed its lending strategy over the decade, and many did so more than once.
