1. Introduction (L. Renneboog) Part 1: Corporate restructuring 2. Mergers and acquisitions in Europe (M. Martynova, L. Renneboog). 3. The performance of acquisitive companies in the US (K. Cools, M. v.d. Laar). 4. The announcement effects and long-run stock market performance of corporate spin-offs: The international evidence (C. veld, Y. Veld-Merkoulova). 5. The competitive challenge in banking (A Boot, A. Schmeits). 6. Consolidation of the European banking sector: Impact on innovation (H. Degryse, S. Ongena, M.F. Penas). Part II: Corporate governance 7. Transatlantic corporate governance reform ( J. McCahery, A. Khachaturyan). 8. The role of self-regulation in corporate governance: evidence and implications from the Netherlands (A. de Jong, D. Dejong, G. Mertens, C. Wasley). 9. Shareholder lock-in contracts: Share price and trading volume effects at the lock-in expiry (P.P. Angenendt, M. Goergen, L. Renneboog). 10. The grant and exercise of stock options in IPO firms: Evidence from the Netherlands (T. v.d. Groot, G. Mertens, P. Roosenboom). 11. Institutions, corporate governance and firm performance (J. Grazell). part III: Capital structure and valuation 12. Why do companies issue convertible bonds? A review of the theory and empirical evidence (I. Loncarski, J. ter Horst, C. Veld). 13. The financing of Dutch firms: a historical perspective (A. de Jong, A. Röell). 14. Corporate financing in the Netherlands (R. Kabir). 15. Syndicated loans: Developments, characteristics and benefits (G. van Roij). 16. The bank's choice of financing and the correlation structure of loan returns: loans sales versus equity (V. Ioannidou, Y. Pierides). 17 Shareholder value and growth in sales and earnings (L. Soenen). Part IV: Asset pricing and monetary economics 18. The term structure of interest rates: An overview (P. de Goeii). 19. Incorporating estimation risk in portfolio choice (F. de Roon, J. ter Horst, B. Werker). 20. A risk measure for retail investment products (T. Nijman, B. Werker). 21. Understanding and exploiting momentum in stock returns( J.C. Rodriguez, A. Sbuelz). 22. Relating risks to asset types: A new challenge for central banks (J. Sijben).