Credit Supply and the Housing Boom
There is no consensus among economists as to what drove the rise of U.S. house prices and household debt in the period leading up to the recent financial crisis. In this post, we argue that the fundamental factor behind that boom was an increase in the supply of mortgage credit, which was brought about by securitization and shadow banking, along with a surge in capital inflows from abroad. This argument is based on the interpretation of four macroeconomic developments between 2000 and 2006 provided by a general equilibrium model of housing and credit.
Just Released: SCE Credit Access Survey Shows Higher Likelihood of Consumers Applying for Credit
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released results from its February 2015, which provides information on consumers’ experiences with and expectations about credit demand and credit access.
Insolvency after the 2005 Bankruptcy Reform
Personal bankruptcy was introduced in the United States through the Bankruptcy Act of 1978.
Introducing the SCE Credit Access Survey
Today, we are releasing new data on consumers’ experiences and expectations regarding credit demand.
Why Aren’t More Renters Becoming Homeowners?
Recent activity in the U.S. housing market has been widely perceived as disappointing.
Crisis Chronicles: The Credit and Commercial Crisis of 1772
During the decade prior to 1772, Britain made the most of an expansion in colonial lands that required significant capital investment across the East and West Indies and North America.
Crisis Chronicles: The Commercial Credit Crisis of 1763 and Today’s Tri‑Party Repo Market
During the economic boom and credit expansion that followed the Seven Years’ War (1756-63), Berlin was the equivalent of an emerging market, Amsterdam’s merchant bankers were the primary sources of credit, and the Hamburg banking houses served as intermediaries between the two.
Capital Flight inside the Euro Area: Cooling Off a Fire Sale
Matthew Higgins and Thomas Klitgaard Countries in the euro area periphery such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain saw large-scale capital flight in 2011 and the first half of 2012. While events unfolded much like a balance of payments crisis, the contraction in domestic credit was less severe than would ordinarily be caused by capital […]
Improving Access to Refinancing Opportunities for Underwater Mortgages
Since the onset of the housing crisis, a focus of policymakers has been to help underwater homeowners lower their monthly mortgage payments by refinancing, principally through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP).
Just Released: Has Household Deleveraging Continued?
Today’s release of the 2012Q2 Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit indicates a continuation of the downward trend in household debt, which followed a long period of substantial increases.
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