There are more than 8,300 banks in the United States, nearly 10 fewer than five years ago, notes CNNMoney. But the economics of the industry are such that we may be in for an active period of consolidation. We're seeing that already at the big bank level. Some think it is only a matter of time before smaller banks follow suit. Small banks are having trouble raising capital themselves, and stock prices are low. So mergers that would increase scale efficiencies sound good.

Of course, we've been talking about more consolidation for years. Before the crisis, it was a matter of growth and expansion. Right now, it's more a matter of survival. CNNMoney notes there have been big waves of consolidation before, notably in 1998 and 2004. We may be in for another one. 

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