The author investigates the strategies of eight publicly listed banks in Britain and Germany in the context of European financial integration. This book fills the gap which has emerged following ample research into the European banking sector as an aggregate and the few case studies of specific German and British banks. Using a multiple longitudinal cross-country case study approach, this book recognizes the interdependence of the macro and micro levels of a financial system and offers insights into the macro themes that condition banking strategies and the microeconomics of banking.

Evidence is provided that banks which pursued a defensive strategy and accepted the premise of a coherent national financial system fared better than those which attempted to break out of a coherent financial system in order to embrace new business opportunities which were not compatible with the prevailing system. By reviewing past successes and failures in the form of case studies, this work is also a reminder that banks might suffer from institutional memory loss, which makes them prone to repeat the same mistakes.