The cost of funds and bank efficiency through time

Abstract

A super-efficiency model within Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to study the relative efficiency of New Zealand banks for the period 1996 to 2003. Evidence was found for improvement in efficiency, although it was found that this was significantly a consequence of the reduction in the general level of interest rates over the period, which reduced banks’ apparent utilisation of resources. Significant differences were found between banks in their relative efficiency.