Liquidity Provision During the Crisis of 1914 : Private and Public Sources

Caught between the end of the National Banking Era and the beginning of the Federal Reserve System, the crisis of 1914 provides an example of a banking panic avoided. We investigate how this outcome was achieved by examining data on the issues of Aldrich-Vreeland emergency currency and clearing house loan certificates to New York City institutions that identify borrower and quantity requested for each type of temporary liquidity measure. Combined with balance sheet data, we illustrate how temporary liquidity borrowing was essential for maintaining transactions volumes among New York City financial intermediaries. We highlight a significant role for clearing house loan certificates that is distinct from the influence of Aldrich-Vreeland emergency currency issues