1.What are the major sources of funds for commercial banks in the United States? How is the landscape for these funds changing and why?

2.How does the liability maturity structure of a bank’s balance sheet compare with the maturity structure of the asset portfolio? What risks are created or intensified by these differences?

3. What types of activities are normally classified as off-balance-sheet (OBS) activities?

a.How does an OBS activity move onto the balance sheet as an asset or liability?

b.What are the benefits of OBS activities to a bank?

c.What are the risks of OBS activities to a bank?

4. What factors are given credit for the strong performance of commercial banks in the early and mid-2000s?

5.How do the asset and liability structures of a savings institution compare with the asset and liability structures of a commercial bank? How do these structural differences affect the risks and operating performance of a savings institution? What is the QTL test?

6.What happened in 1979 to cause the failure of many savings institutions during the early 1980s? What was the effect of this change on the operating statements of savings associations?

7.The following balance sheet accounts (in millions of dollars) have been taken from the annual report for a U.S. bank. Arrange the accounts in balance sheet order and determine the value of total assets.  Based on the balance sheet structure, would you classify this bank as a community bank, regional bank, or a money center bank?