It is relatively easy to find up-to-date information on banks because of their extensive reporting requirements. Go to http://www2.fdic.gov/qbp/, where you will find summary data on financial institutions. This site is sponsored by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Click on 鈥淨uarterly Banking Profile,鈥 select the most recent quarter and access QBP, click on 鈥淐omplete QBP鈥 and scroll to Table I-A.
a. Have banks鈥 returns on assets been increasing or decreasing over the past few years?
b. Has the core capital been increasing, and how does it compare to the capital ratio reported in Table 1 of the text?
c. How many institutions are currently reporting to the FDIC?