The sample of banks includes FDIC-insured commercial banks with total assets greater than $300 million as of March 1996. Of these institutions, banks that have no commercial and industrial loans are excluded. The sample ranges from 942 banks in March of 1996 to 467 banks in December of 2004. Institutions that are liquidated during the sample period are included in the sample before liquidation and excluded from the sample for the periods after liquidation. Banks that merge during the sample period are included in the sample. By construction, the sample is therefore free from survivor bias. Balance sheet data.
