In Brazil, after decades of gains from the inflationary process, the national banking system was faced with the contingency of operating under a new reality after the implementation of the Real Plan in 1994. In this book, the author uses various official sources to gather the information needed to calculate the conventional concentration indices applied to the banking sector, as well as accounting and balance sheet data revealing the sector's effective profitability over the period. The exposition is lucid and insightful, allowing the reader unfamiliar with economic jargon to follow the exposition without major difficulties. This book is an excellent reference for those who, interested in such an important subject, need to analyze or take into account the recent reality of the national banking system.