Dynamics of the Location of Financial Institutions

Abstract

Cities are a significant source of economic growth and prosperity, but they may also contribute to social and economic problems, including unemployment, poverty, and inaccessible financial institutions. The authors have gathered a unique panel data set for Toronto that locates financial institutions by census tract and links this information to census public use microdata from 1981 to 2006 to show that mainstream financial institutions have migrated to the suburbs and that, simultaneously, so-called fringe financial institutions, especially payday lenders, have expanded their operations in the inner city. The authors then use panel regression models and, among other results, find that census tracts with low income are less attractive to mainstream institutions over time and more attractive to fringe institutions, which provide more limited and expensive services. The results imply that the dynamics of the location of financial institutions may present an additional barrier to upward economic mobility for inner-city residents.