Overall, the results show that there is significant difference in the performance of Nigerian banking industry in the pre-merger and postmerger and acquisition periods.

This paper analyzes the effect of leverage financing on corporate performance using debt-equity, coverage ratios and earnings per share as proxies. The study is motivated by need to assess the extent to which leverage affects optimizes financing risk as well as maximize returns to shareholders in the Nigerian banking industry. The study made use of F-ratios, Durbin-Watson, Akaikeand Schwarz Information Criteria as well as to log likelihood parameters in arriving at conclusions. Though the results across banks studied shows mixed outcome, leverage financing was established as critical strategy for maximization of shareholders returns. The conclusion therefore is that in order to ensure that leverage financing leads to desired outcome business organisations must established their optimum level as well as strike a strategic balance with associated financing risk and returns to owners of the firm.

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Abstract. The level of bank development has a determinant effect on the growth potentials of a developing economy. In response, this study examined the impact of banking sector development on foreign investment inflows in the West African countries of Nigeria and Ghana. The study relied on secondary data for analysis and made use of multiple regression technique. However, to ensure the authenticity of our result, Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test and Johansen Cointegration techniques were respectively employed to test for the presence unit root and long-run equilibrium relationship in the exogenous variables. Additionally, causal relationships were tested with Granger Causality. It was revealed that banking sector development has a significant influence on foreign investment inflows in the two West African countries. Specifically, domestic credit to private sector and bank deposit rate has significant influence on foreign investment inflows in both countries. Whereas domestic credit to private sector is directly related to the dependent variable in Ghana, it is related inversely in Nigeria. It was also discovered that bank lending rate is significantly and positively related to foreign investment in Ghana. Intermediation efficiency and profitability of banks should be improved by enhancing the capital structure and adopting the appropriate lending rate especially in Nigeria as measures to attract more inflows of foreign investment in both countries.