This paper reviews cross-country studies on banking efficiency in new European Union (EU) member states that apply frontier techniques. The paper examines the relative rankings in efficiency of individual countries across the studies and the effect of ownership structure on bank performance. Different techniques and efficiency concepts yield different results for efficiency rankings, but some common patterns are discernible. The Czech banking system ranks among the highest in technical and profit efficiency but lowest in cost efficiency. Banks in Slovenia and Estonia rank among the most cost efficient. The evidence on the relationship between foreign ownership and cost efficiency is not conclusive.
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