First Republic Bank is a full-service bank and wealth management firm.

FORBES: First Republic Bank

Some fancy the RBI is a model for the kind of full-service central bank that is back in fashion worldwide both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, among others, are now in charge of financial stability as well as interest rates.

ECONOMIST: The Reserve Bank of India

These people contend that his background was a much better fit for the firm's traditional business of trading futures on exchanges for clients, rather than its aspirations under Mr. Corzine to become a full-service investment bank that could nimbly trade various financial instruments.

WSJ: Corzine Rebuffed Internal Warnings on Risks at MF Global

The results have been unimpressive, and it announced in August that it no longer planned to build a full-service, global investment bank.

ECONOMIST: Barclays and NatWest

The bank has closed a dozen full-service branches, replacing them with the smart branches, and expects to have 30 more by the end of this year.

NPR: Practically Human: Can Smart Machines Do Your Job?

Moreover, much of the growth in online trading seems to result from investors doing more trades and keeping less of their money in the bank, rather than from e-brokers gaining clients at the expense of full-service firms.

ECONOMIST: The real virtual business