There was a time when US banks were like the high-priced properties on a Monopoly board: expensive to buy yet very profitable, especially once you added houses and hotels. This is no longer the case. Banks increasingly resemble the utilities on the board: cheap to buy, with low revenue potential and limited ability to leverage.

The transformation of the banking system into a utility model has become inevitable in light of the risks that banks’ damaged balance sheets pose for the broader economy. The process is being driven by both market- and government-related factors and the implications are huge. In the weeks ahead, look for bold government initiatives, even greater fiscal spending and a further subordination of equity holders. The longer-term impact is even more consequential and threatens to erode the dynamism and growth potential of the US economy.