Washington, DC and the Washington metropolitan area in the U. S. banking system (1980s - mid 2010s)

The paper is focused on long-term evolution of role of Washington, DC and its metropolitan area in the U.S. banking system. Analysis of statistical and other sources shows that - despite the traditional American polycentrism - the federal capital area has important advantages, which stimulate its successes in the sphere of credit and finance. On the other hand, it took some time after liberalization of banking sector during the 1980s - 1990s (primarily, after abolition of restrictions on interstate branching networks) for implementation of such advantages. Another important feature of the metropolitan area is the fact that the largest financial groups are located not within the territory of Washington, DC, but in several suburbs.