I had provided below Table I$-$A and table $1$ and we need to answer these questions

a$.$ Have banks' returns on assets been increasing or decreasing over the past few years?

b$.$ Has the core capital been increasing, and how does it compare to the capital ratio reported in Table $1$ of the text?

c$.$ How many institutions are currently reporting$$to$$the$$FDIC$?$

Table $1$ Ealance sheet of All Commercial Banks $($items as a percentage of the total, June $2017)$

$\backslash$table$[[$Assets $($Uses of Punds$)",,$Liabilities $($sourees of runds$),],[$Reserves and cash items,$14\%,$Checkable deposits,$1196],[$Eecurities$,,$Nontransaction deposits,$],[$U$.$s$.$ government and agency,$10,$Gavings deposits,$49],[\backslash$table$[[$state and lo$],[$securities$]],6,$Small denomination time deposits,$2],[,,],[,$Large$-$denomination time deposits,$10],[,$Borrowings,$17],[$Loans$,,$Bank capital,$11],[$Commercial and industrial,$13,,],[$Real estate,$26,,],[$Interbank$.,1,,],[$other$,9,,],[$Other assets ffor example, physical,$8,,],[$capitaly$],[$Total$,100,$Total,$100]]$

Sources Federal Itewerve Bank of St$.$ Louis, FhED database:

Quarterly Banking Profile

TABLE I$-$A$.$ Selected Indicators, All FDIC$-$Insured Institutions $*$

$\backslash$table$[[,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019,2018,2017],[$Return on assets $(*)-,1\mathrm{.}10,1\mathrm{.}11,1\mathrm{.}23,0\mathrm{.}72,1\mathrm{.}29,1\mathrm{.}35,0\mathrm{.}97],[$Return on equity $($NG$).........,11\mathrm{.}50,11\mathrm{.}82,12\mathrm{.}21,6\mathrm{.}85,11\mathrm{.}38,11\mathrm{.}98,8\mathrm{.}60],[$Core capital $($leverage$)$ ratio $(\%)......,9\mathrm{.}14,8\mathrm{.}97,8\mathrm{.}73,8\mathrm{.}82,9\mathrm{.}66,9\mathrm{.}70,9\mathrm{.}63],[$Noncurrent assets plus,,,,,,,$],[$other real estate owned to assets $(\%)...,0\mathrm{.}47,0\mathrm{.}39,0\mathrm{.}44,0\mathrm{.}61,0\mathrm{.}55,0\mathrm{.}60,0\mathrm{.}73],[,0\mathrm{.}52,0\mathrm{.}27,0\mathrm{.}25,0\mathrm{.}50,0\mathrm{.}52,0\mathrm{.}48,0\mathrm{.}50],[$Asset growth rate $(\%).........................................,0\mathrm{.}30,-0\mathrm{.}51,8\mathrm{.}46,17\mathrm{.}29,3\mathrm{.}92,3\mathrm{.}03,3\mathrm{.}79],[$Net interest margin $(\%)..........................,3\mathrm{.}30,2\mathrm{.}95,2\mathrm{.}54,2\mathrm{.}82,3\mathrm{.}36,3\mathrm{.}40,3\mathrm{.}25],[$Net operating income growth $(**)=$u$-$ua$.,-0\mathrm{.}33,-3\mathrm{.}68,96\mathrm{.}90,-38\mathrm{.}77,-3\mathrm{.}14,45\mathrm{.}45,-3\mathrm{.}27],[$Commercial banks $.........................,4,026,4,127,4,232,4,375,4,518,4,715,4,918],[$Savings institutions $..............................................,561,579,607,627,659,691,752],[$Percentage of unprofitable institutions $(\%).............................,5\mathrm{.}21,3\mathrm{.}55,3\mathrm{.}10,4\mathrm{.}70,3\mathrm{.}73,3\mathrm{.}46,5\mathrm{.}61],[$Number of problem institutions $...........................................,52,39,44,56,51,60,95],[$Assets of problem institutions $($in billions$)"..........................,566,547,$$$170,$$$56,546,548,$$$14$