We study U.S. bank branch openings and closings from 2001 to 2023. Both are more common in areas with low deposit franchise value, a consequence of greater interest-rate sensitivity among financially
Bank branch density, defined as the number of bank branches to total deposits, has significantly declined over the past decade, fueled by a confluence of branch closings and the almost doubling of dep
It is often argued that branching stabilizes banking systems by facilitating diversification of bank portfolios; however, previous empirical research on the Great Depression offers mixed support for t