A spatial analysis of state banking regulation

"We use a spatial model to investigate a state's choice of branch banking and interstate banking regimes as a function of the regime choices made by other states. We extend the basic spatial econometric model by allowing spatial correlation to vary by geographic region. The empirical models also distinguish spatial effects between neighbors and non-neighbors. Our findings reveal that spatial effects have a large, statistically significant impact on state regulatory regime decisions. The importance of spatial correlation in the setting of state banking policies suggests the need to consider spatial effects in empirical models of state policies in general"--Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis web site.