Using confidential loan-level data, we investigate the importance of bank loans in the debt structure of U.S. state and local governments. We show that most bank debt is closely substitutable with municipal bonds and that smaller, lower-income and less credit-worthy borrowers are more reliant on...

We examine recent regulation requiring US municipal governments to disclose private debt. We show that governments fail to disclose 55-80% of reportable debt events and that, conditional on disclosure, filings often omit contract details essential for bond pricing. Non-compliant issuers are also...