Banks stand to gain from increased competition

Sherlock Holmes once solved a mystery by concentrating on "the dog that didn't bark." In the story Silver Blaze, the detective's point was that sometimes it is more useful to look at what isn't happening than what is.

In financial markets, there is now a dog that isn't barking: Very few new banks are appearing.

A year and a half after many of the world's major banks had to be bailed out with government support, customers don't like their banks, don't trust them, and don't think much of their fees. You would imagine that if the market was working properly, entrepreneurs would come forward to blow the industry wide open.