This study starts with the existing federal and state banking structure control apparatus as a frame of reference. Within this institutional setting, several importrant issues are investigated. First, it is important to decompose the interactions between external control procedures and the natural expansion behavior of banks. This is essential for analyzing the unique impacts of alternative regulatory policies and state laws. Second, it is important to discover whether different control instruments have a significant impact on banking structure. If there is no measurable influence generated by alternative laws and policies the selection of specific instruments is a matter of indifference. Controversely, if some laws and policies create significantly different banking structures, then it is crucial to choose proper instruments. This introduces the third issue. A comprehensive choice procedure is developed to demonstrate how preferred laws and policies can be identified.