The contribution of product mix versus efficiency and technical change in US banking

Similar to a Du Pont analysis, this paper divides the changes in returns on assets of US commercial banks for the period from 2000 to 2005 into conventional measures of bank performance. The contribution of product mix is significant and offsets losses from technical change and operating efficiency. Banks respond to changes in the business environment by switching towards more lucrative traditional and nontraditional products. Large banks are found to benefit more than community banks from the switch to an optimal output portfolio mix including new products spawned by recent financial innovations and deregulation.