Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Introduction: the columbo approach: a bird's eye view of the book --
Act i: the purpose of banks : what banks do and why --
Money, guns and lawyers : the business of banking --
The origins of baking and the services banks provide : customers, investors and other stakeholders --
Out of sigh out of ming? : off-balance sheet banking --
Act ii: bank decision-making and the regulation of banks : capital, regulation, purpose and culture --
When your chickens come home to roost : bank capital regulation and the search for financial stability --
Higher purpose, culture and capital : is banking on culture a capital idea? --
Act iii: banks and markets: interactions that affect stability and growth --
Financial system architecture : where do banks sit in the financial system? --
Changes in banking over time --
Act iv: financial crises: causes, effects and cures --
Financial crises and banks : what caused the great recession and what where its effects? --
Act v: reforming banking and looking ahead : improving banking and the potential interactions with fintech --
The final frontier : an improved banking system to achieve financial stability and economic growth --
Closing curtain : should banking be fundamentally resigned? --
Summing up and looking ahead: fintech and banking.

A thoughtful and thought generating overview of what ails the banking sector and a reminder that the purpose of banks is to help create economic growth.