Exporting financial institutions management via foreign direct investment mergers and acquisitions

We test the relevance of the new trade theory and the traditional theory of comparative advantage for explaining the geographic patterns of international M&As of financial institutions between 1985 and 2000. The data provide statistically significant support for both theories. We also find evidence that the U.S. has idiosyncratic comparative advantages at both exporting and importing financial institutions management. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.