This study examines the effect of independent board members on a bank's performance. Roughly 100 banks in the SIC codes of 6020, 6022, 6035, 6036 were used, with data from the year 2003. Several governance variables were also included in this study; they are CEO/Chair duality, management ownership, insider tenure and total assets. P-B, ROA, ROE and ROI measured financial performance. The effect of outside directors was insignificant. However, the results indicated that bank size positively affects how well outsiders on the board monitor the company. Also, this study suggests that management's ownership of the company increases short term performance, while insider tenure decreases it.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-99). Also available in print.