Within the wide array of works recently devoted to the global financial crisis, this book takes an unusual approach, because it combines different, and often neglected, tools of analysis of the banking and financial system: the use of history for a better understanding of the public policy issues involved in financial regulation; the institutional and regulatory framework that is instrumental to financial stability; and a cross-country comparison of financial crises in three relevant countries: the UK, the US and Italy. The comparison highlights each country ` s peculiarities in financial structures, institutional arrangements and supervisory styles. This approach is supported by an extensive use -- also, often overlooked - of balance sheet data related to different sectors of each economy. The evidence of the recent crisis shows an unprecedented financial deepening particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, and raises new questions about links between financial depth, instability and institutional factors. Roselli also suggests how financial regulation could move in an alternative direction.