Bank Deregulation And The Portfolios Of Savings And Loan Associations

Carron (1982) has described the precarious condition of the thrift industry, which has been a subject of concern for over a decade. Unlike commercial banks, S&Ls have not been able to insulate themselves from interest rate risk, nor have they significantly altered the composition of their balance sheets. In contrast to the rapid growth of the industry up until the 1960s, the industry growth weakened by the turn of the decade. Abrupt swings in savings deposits became synchronized with the cyclical behavior of the national economy. Marked fluctuations in industry funds over time forced S&Ls to draw heavily upon non-deposit sources, particularly borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Banks, and other expensive deposits.