A survey on bank branch efficiency and performance research with data envelopment analysis

The banking industry has been the object of DEA analyses by a significant number of researchers and probably is the most heavily studied of all business sectors. Various DEA models have been applied in performance assessing problems, and the banks' complex production processes have further motivated the extension and improvement of DEA techniques. This paper surveys 80 published DEA applications in 24 countries/areas that specifically focus on bank branches. Key issues related to the design of DEA models in these studies are discussed. Much advice is included on how to design future experiments and studies in this domain. A number of areas where further research could be fruitful are suggested. ► 80 published DEA applications in 24 countries/areas on bank branches are surveyed. ► Key issues related to the DEA models used in these studies are discussed. ► Advices are provided on how to design future studies in this domain. ► Suggestions are made on the areas that might be worth further research.