An examination of the costs and benefits of LDC external debt default, with a discussion of the implications for the future of international lending.

Since the Great Recession, bank lending to small businesses has fallen significantly, and policymakers have become concerned that these businesses are not getting the credit they need. Many reasons have been suggested for the decline. Our analysis shows that it has multiple sources, which means...

A call for lending institutions to reconsider the problems associated with improving credit access in our inner cities, addressing not only the elimination of lending discrimination, but also the importance of enacting public policies that foster economic development and a strong banking...

Since 1990, when commercial banks were first eligible to join the Federal Home Loan Bank System, they have become an important constituency of the FHLBs. Currently, seven out of 10 banks are members, and nearly half of all banks have advances outstanding. Given the wide range of activities that...

A discussion of loan quality at a cross-section of 60 regional bank holding companies located in 12 states, using net charge-offs and non- performing loans as a measure of quality, and examining the linkage between loan quality and bank performance.

An examination of the continuing strength of the loan sales market, documenting its growth during the latter half of the 1980s, its subsequent downturn in the early 1990s, the effect of merger and acquisition activity, and the impact of the 1990-91 recession, plus a discussion of how these...

An examination of the extent to which savings and loan associations in Ohio have chosen to exercise their expanded commercial lending powers in the 1980s, and an investigation of the impacts of this decision on their performance.

An examination of the risks associated with leveraged buyouts and a discussion of the current response of federal bank regulators to the increased participation of banks and bank holding companies in funding LBOs, stressing the need for appropriate internal controls.

In November 1999, the U.S. Congress asked the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to conduct a comprehensive study of loans made under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. The Board’s study focused on the loans’ delinquency and default rates—their performance—as well as...

How to best manage the failure of systemically important financial firms was the theme of a recent conference at which the latest research on the issue was presented. Here we summarize that research, the discussions that it sparked, and the areas where considerable work remains.