We infer Moody's preference for accurate versus biased ratings using hand-collected data on the internal labor market outcomes of its analysts. We find that accurate analysts are more likely to be promoted and less likely to depart. The opposite is true for analysts who downgrade more...

This paper studies the long-term effects of redlining policies that restricted access to credit in urban communities. For empirical identification, we use a regression discontinuity design that exploits boundaries from maps created by the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) in 1940. We find that...

The 1995 CRA reform led to a two-tiered evaluation scheme determined by a bank's asset value. Using this feature, we estimate the cost of the CRA through the lens of costly actions taken by banks. Banks exploit the attribute-based regulation by strategically slowing asset growth, bunching below...

We examine whether “rating shopping” or “rating catering” is a more accurate characterization of rating agency interactions regarding collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) prior to the credit crisis. Although investors paid a premium for dual-ratings, AAA CDO tranches rated by both...

Using a structural model, I examine the distortionary effects of frictions in the CEO labor market. Firms experience productivity shocks over time and either outgrow or underutilize their incumbent CEO's talent, but keep their manager to avoid a switching cost. The decision to replace a manager...

Consistent with a simple model of market segmentation, we document rating-based clientele effects in the corporate bond market. Supply shocks arising from idiosyncratic firm upgrades and downgrades cause significant price movements for the other bonds in both the affected rating bucket and...

This paper proposes several frameworks to estimate the appropriate default correlations for structured products, each of which jointly considers the role of co-movements in modeled risk characteristics and un-modeled systematic risk, or 'frailty'. We contrast our estimates with credit rating...

This paper shows that the introduction of the "gig-economy" changes the way employees respond to job loss. Using administrative data on unemployment insurance (UI) claims matched with the credit profiles of individuals in the U.S., we show that laid-off employees with access to Uber are less...

We study the consequences of a firm engaging in corporate social responsibility within the firm's operations, rather than doing so outside the firm through charitable donations. After April 2018 protests, Starbucks enacted policies that anybody could sit in their stores and use the bathroom...

This paper studies the effects of financial distress on workers' productivity. We use detailed data from the public school system in Texas, which allow us to exploit within-teacher variation and to control for a student's economic environment. We show that student performance decreases by 6.5%...