Depository financial institutions are able to exist because of certain efficiencies which allow them to provide credit to borrowers at lower rates and higher net returns to depositors than would he available without such intermediaries. These efficiencies, combined with nationally mandated priorities concerning the roles of these institutions in society, have produced institutions which are specialized in scope. Despite some efforts to maintain this specialization, financial institutions are forming a new framework within which to operate. By creating and reacting to competitive challenges, financial institutions are breaking away from their specialized roles and successfully altering traditional distinctions.