INTRODUCTION
PLUNKETT'S BANKING, MORTGAGES & CREDIT INDUSTRY
ALMANAC, the second edition of our guide to the banking
and mortgages field, is designed to be used as a general source
for researchers of all types.
The data and areas of interest covered
are intentionally broad, ranging from the costs and effectiveness
of the banking, mortgage and credit system, to emerging technology,
to an in-depth look at the 350 major for-profit firms (which
we call THE BANKING & LENDING 350) within
the many industry sectors that make up the banking and lending
business.
This reference book is designed to
be a general source for researchers. It is especially intended
to assist with market research, strategic planning, employment
searches, contact or prospect list creation (be sure to see
the export capabilities of the accompanying CD-ROM that is available
to book and eBook buyers) and financial research, and as a data
resource for executives and students of all types.
PLUNKETT'S BANKING, MORTGAGE
& CREDIT INDUSTRY ALMANAC takes a rounded approach
for the general reader. This book presents a complete overview
of the banking and lending field (see “How To Use This
Book”). For example, banking and mortgage statistics are
provided in exacting detail, along with easy-to-use charts and
tables on all facets of banking and lending in general.
THE BANKING & LENDING 350 is our our unique
grouping of the biggest, most successful corporations in all
segments of the banking, mortgage and credit industry. (The
actual count is 331 firms.) These profiles include the world’s
major banking organizations, as well as hundreds of important
national and regional U.S. firms. We are pleased to announce
that we have added, for the first time, profiles of China’s
big four banks. Tens of thousands of pieces of information,
gathered from a wide variety of sources, have been researched
and are presented in a unique form that can be easily understood.
This section includes thorough indexes to THE BANKING
& LENDING 350, by geography, industry, sales, brand
names, subsidiary names and many other topics. (See Chapter
4.)
Especially helpful is the way in
which PLUNKETT'S BANKING, MORTGAGES & CREDIT INDUSTRY
ALMANAC enables readers who have no business background
to readily compare the financial records and growth plans of
banking and lending companies and major industry groups. You’ll
see the mid-term financial record of each firm, along with the
impact of earnings, sales and strategic plans on each company’s
potential to fuel growth, to serve new markets and to provide
investment and employment opportunities.
No other source provides this book’s
easy-to-understand comparisons of growth, expenditures, technologies,
corporations, mergers and many other items of great importance
to people of all types who may be studying this, one of the
largest and most globalized industries in the world today.
By scanning the data groups and the
unique indexes, you can find the best information to fit your
personal research needs. The major companies in banking and
lending are profiled and then ranked using several different
groups of specific criteria. Which firms are the biggest employers?
Which companies earn the most profits? These things and much
more are easy to find.
In addition to individual company
profiles, an overview of banking and lending markets and trends
is provided. This book’s job is to help you sort through
easy-to-understand summaries of today’s trends in a quick
and effective manner.
Whatever your purpose for researching
the banking field, you’ll find this book to be a valuable
guide. Nonetheless, as is true with all resources, this volume
has limitations that the reader should be aware of:
-
Financial data and other corporate
information can change quickly. A book of this type can be
no more current than the data that was available as of the
time of editing. Consequently, the financial picture, management
and ownership of the firm(s) you are studying may have changed
since the date of this book. For example, this almanac includes
the most up-to-date sales figures and profits available to
the editors as of late-2005. That means that we have typically
used corporate financial data as of the end of 2004.
-
Corporate mergers, acquisitions
and downsizing are occurring at a very rapid rate. Such events
may have created significant change, subsequent to the publishing
of this book, within a company you are studying.
-
Some of the companies in THE
BANKING & LENDING 350 are so large in scope and
in variety of business endeavors conducted within a parent
organization, that we have been unable to completely list
all subsidiaries, affiliations, divisions and activities within
a firm’s corporate structure.
-
This volume is intended to be
a general guide to a vast industry. That means that researchers
should look to this book for an overview and, when conducting
in-depth research, should contact the specific corporations
or industry associations in question for the very latest changes
and data. Where possible, we have listed contact names, toll-free
telephone numbers and World Wide Web site addresses for the
companies, government agencies and industry associations involved
so that the reader may get further details without unnecessary
delay.
-
Tables of industry data and
statistics used in this book include the latest numbers available
at the time of printing, generally through the end of 2004.
In a few cases, the only complete data available was for earlier
years.
-
We have used exhaustive efforts
to locate and fairly present accurate and complete data. However,
when using this book or any other source for business and
industry information, the reader should use caution and diligence
by conducting further research where it seems appropriate.
We wish you success in your endeavors, and we trust that your
experience with this book will be both satisfactory and productive.
