Bank Ownership and Efficiency in the New EU Members

The aim of this study is to analyze how banking ownership affects banking efficiency in countries which have recently experienced the European integration process more intensely. Using a Bayesian Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA) applied to panel data, we have estimated efficiency levels in a sample of 226 banks from 12 countries during the period 2000 to 2008. The results show no significant differences between different types of private ownership, questioning the relevance of ownership as a determinant of banking efficiency in these countries. In addition, we have not found any evidence to suggest that foreign ownership is more efficient than its domestic counterpart. These results contradict the popular belief about the higher efficiency levels associated with foreign ownership.