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Consumer switching costs and firm pricing: evidence from bank pricing of deposit accounts

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  • Timothy H. Hannan

Abstract

This paper employs extensive information on bank deposit rates and county migration patterns to test for pricing relationships implied by the existence of switching costs. While these relationships are derived formally, the intuition for them can be readily stated. Because some areas experience more in-migration than others, banks, in addressing the trade-off between attracting new customers and exploiting old ones, offer higher deposit rates in areas (and at times) experiencing more in-migration. Further, because out-migration implies that on average a locked-in customer will not be with the bank as many periods, greater out-migration should change the bank?s assessment of this trade-off such that the bank will offer lower deposit rates in areas (and during periods) exhibiting greater out-migration, all else equal. Also, because this effect of out-migration logically depends on the existence and extent of in-migration, an interaction effect is implied. Evidence strongly supporting these implied relationships is reported. Other tests of the implications of switching costs in the banking industry are also conducted.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy H. Hannan, 2008. "Consumer switching costs and firm pricing: evidence from bank pricing of deposit accounts," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2008-32, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2008-32
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elizabeth Kiser, 2002. "Predicting Household Switching Behavior and Switching Costs at Depository Institutions," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 20(4), pages 349-365, June.
    2. Paul Klemperer, 1995. "Competition when Consumers have Switching Costs: An Overview with Applications to Industrial Organization, Macroeconomics, and International Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(4), pages 515-539.
    3. Berger, Allen N & Hannan, Timothy H, 1989. "The Price-Concentration Relationship in Banking," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(2), pages 291-299, May.
    4. Farrell, Joseph & Klemperer, Paul, 2007. "Coordination and Lock-In: Competition with Switching Costs and Network Effects," Handbook of Industrial Organization, Elsevier.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Robert M. Adams, 2017. "Bank Fees, Aftermarkets, and Consumer Behavior," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2017-054, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    2. repec:zbw:bofitp:2014_009 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Shy, Oz & Stenbacka, Rune & Yankov, Vladimir, 2016. "Limited deposit insurance coverage and bank competition," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 95-108.
    4. Carbo-Valverde, Santiago & Hannan, Timothy H. & Rodriguez-Fernandez, Francisco, 2011. "Exploiting old customers and attracting new ones: The case of bank deposit pricing," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 903-915.
    5. Stenbacka, Rune & Takalo, Tuomas, 2019. "Switching costs and financial stability," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 14-24.
    6. Chun‐Yu Ho, 2015. "Switching Cost And Deposit Demand In China," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 56(3), pages 723-749, August.
    7. Richard J. Sullivan, 2013. "The impact of debit card regulation on checking account fees," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, issue Q IV, pages 59-93.
    8. Christian Stettler, 2020. "Loss Averse Depositors and Monetary Policy around Zero," KOF Working papers 20-476, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    9. Jorge Ale, 2013. "Switching Costs and Introductory Pricing in the Wireless Service Industry," Working Papers 13-17, NET Institute.
    10. Anderson, Robert D.J. & Ashton, John K. & Hudson, Robert S., 2014. "The influence of product age on pricing decisions: An examination of bank deposit interest rate setting," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 216-230.
    11. Carlos D. Ramirez, 2021. "The real effects of liquidity: Puerto Rico as a natural experiment," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(3), pages 1172-1191, July.
    12. Brown, Martin & Guin, Benjamin & Morkoetter, Stefan, 2013. "Deposit Withdrawals from Distressed Commercial Banks: The Importance of Switching Costs," Working Papers on Finance 1319, University of St. Gallen, School of Finance, revised Dec 2017.
    13. Ma, Chao & Zhang, Shuoxun, 2024. "Can housing booms elevate financing costs of financial institutions?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    14. Guin, Benjamin & Brown, Martin & Morkötter, Stefan, 2015. "Deposit Withdrawals from Distressed Commercial Banks," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113081, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    15. Brunetti, M. & Ciciretti, R. & Djordjevic, Lj., 2020. "Till mortgage do us part: Mortgage switching costs and household's bank switching," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    16. Deuflhard, Florian, 2018. "Quantifying inertia in retail deposit markets," SAFE Working Paper Series 223, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    17. Vladimir Yankov, 2014. "In Search of a Risk-free Asset," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2014-108, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    18. Zhao, Tianshu & Matthews, Kent & Murinde, Victor, 2013. "Cross-selling, switching costs and imperfect competition in British banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5452-5462.
    19. Brown, Martin & Guin, Benjamin & Morkoetter, Stefan, 2020. "Deposit withdrawals from distressed banks: Client relationships matter," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    20. Chun‐Yu Ho, 2015. "Switching Cost And Deposit Demand In China," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 56(3), pages 723-749, August.
    21. Polo, Alberto, 2021. "Imperfect pass-through to deposit rates and monetary policy transmission," Bank of England working papers 933, Bank of England.

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    Keywords

    Bank deposits; Interest rates;

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