SBI is a regional banking behemoth and has 20% market share in deposits and loans among Indian commercial banks.

Tell that to the shareholders of Citigroup, a banking behemoth, which all but disappeared up its own balance sheet in 2008, having had a wild (losing) punt on sub-prime mortgages.

Capital totals about $86 million, a tiny fraction of the banking behemoths of Manhattan (though more than most of America's banks).

And while neither banking behemoth has any intention of abandoning corporate customers, both are being more selective in that area while redoubling their efforts to lure consumers.

The banking behemoth had struggled to cut costs and improve earnings since the early 1990's.

Such a merger would create a retail banking behemoth with a nationwide network of branches, rivaled only by Bank of America.

It would create a $58 billion banking behemoth with a footprint that literally stretched from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon.

Since taking over a medium-sized North Carolina bank in 1983, Mr. McColl has built through a series of bold acquisitions a banking behemoth with 2,000 branches from Texas to Maryland.

The deal has raised antitrust concerns because it would create a banking behemoth that would dwarf its competitors in the Western states.

As might be expected, the prospect of more competition from Japan's banking behemoths is giving the jitters to at least some American bankers.