ABSTRACT
Maiket share for savings and loans and banks has dipped as competition for larger individual retirement account (IRA) accounts increased and as investors became more rate conscious. The competition for IRAs has broadened as the individual IRA has grown in size. No longer is the battle simply among the financial institutions. IRA deposits held by investors differ significantly by financial institution sector. The typical savings and loan IRA holder has a larger amount on deposit than the typical bank customer. Awareness that IRAs can be transferred has increased dramatically, an ominous finding for financial institutions. The great majority of the IRA holders would consider their bank or savings association as a source for each and every investment. One-third would consider their bank or thrift for mutual funds, and 46 percent would do so for self-directed IRAs. Self-directed IRAs allow consumers to manage their own investments by choosing among a wide variety of brokerage-type products.
