ABSTRACT
The social, political and economic impact of banking mergers in history is very fascinating - provided one is watching from the touch-line, rather than being an active participant. To any observer in the UK it seems that the fact of bank mergers, however achieved, is a normal part of the changing financial landscape. The crucial thing to say is that, while to those involved the circumstances always seem exceptional, the historical pattern seems to imply that, in the UK at any rate, mergers between banks operate cyclically, roughly every generation or so.
