Fitzroy Dearborn's Directory of the World's Banks is a repackaging of a familiar title in the international bank directory arena. A paperback edition has been produced by the magazine Euromoney for its subscriber base through 11 annual editions. With this eleventh 1996 edition, Fitzroy Dearborn commences publication of a hardback library edition. More than 10,000 institutions from around the world are included, representing 211 countries.
The directory is divided into four large regions--Africa/Middle East, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. It is organized alphabetically by country within each region, and then by bank name. Key information is provided for most institutions, including contact details, senior executives, divisional heads, correspondent banks, subsidiaries and affiliates, and ownership details. Selected statistical information variously includes the number of employees, number of branches, and market capitalization. A ranking by asset value of the largest 250 banks in each region is provided. A separate "A^-Z Index of Entries" and an "Index of Entries by City" are also included.
The amount and type of information provided for each entry vary The entry for Standard Bank Investment Corporation of South Africa contains a fairly comprehensive listing of contacts and statistics, but the entry for the even larger Citicorp (USA) offers only an address and a few names under senior management and operations. The listing for the Chinese American Bank in New York consists of two small entries with the same address and phone number, one listed as a "subsidiary" and the other devoid of any ownership information. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (South East Asia), Ltd., in Singapore is listed as a subsidiary but it is not clear of what. The "A^-Z Index of Entries" does not contain Skandinaviska in any form, so provides no further enlightenment. According to the foreword, each institution listed received a questionnaire followed by a phone call to verify information, but, as the editors acknowledge, this procedure did not necessarily ensure consistency across entries.
Libraries currently receiving Thomson Bank Directory (Thomson Financial Publishing) should continue to do so. This set includes detailed listings for the U.S. as well as international banks. The city-by-city presentation within each country is a valuable convenience. The $375 annual subscription cost includes midyear updates, and for libraries that can afford the full set of Thomson, there is no better buy. Polk's Bank Directory, International Edition (R. L Polk & Co.) is published separately from their North American edition (which includes the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean area, Central America, and Mexico). Neither Polk's nor the Fitzroy Dearborn directory currently offer midyear updates.
Directory of the World's Banks is recommended only for those academic and public-library business collections seeking a relatively low-cost alternative for international banking coverage.
Review
"Recommended for upper-division undergraduates through faculty." -- Choice
Recommended for upper-division undergraduates through faculty.
–Choice
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