The next few years will be critical for Europe's banking industry. It faces a number of financial sector reforms that will have a decisive impact on the dominant practices and business models followed across the European Union. This timely volume presents the results of the first screening exercise conducted on the performance, stability, risk, efficiency, and corporate governance of twenty-six major European banks —before, during, and after the financial crisis. The authors use those findings to help identify the key strengths and weaknesses inherent in the dominant business models, in light of the upcoming regulatory changes.