For banking services how competitive is the market

Question

For banking services how competitive is the market?
Along with more than 7,000 banks and thrifts in the U.S., banking is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Assume the following characteristics of the American financial services marketplace:

• In the U.S. there are more banks per citizen than in any country in the world.
• There are almost four times more deposit-taking institutions into the U.S. than in the 15 nations of the European Union, Canada, Switzerland, and Japan combined.
• More than 7,300 credit unions, 2,500 mortgage companies, 5,000 securities brokers and 1,500 finance companies currently vie for consumers' business.