This paper argues that the U.S. bankruptcy reform of 2005 played an important role in the mortgage crisis and the … current recession. When debtors file for bankruptcy, credit card debt and other types of debt are discharged - thus loosening … debtors' budget constraints. Homeowners in financial distress can therefore use bankruptcy to avoid losing their homes, since …

We are the first to examine whether exogenous shocks cause personal bankruptcy through the balance sheet channel and … payments on 200,000 Canadian bankruptcy filings. We find support for the balance sheet channel, in that receipt of the … exogenous cash increases the net balance sheet benefits of bankruptcy (unsecured debt discharged minus liquidated assets forgone …

We are the first to show that the cost of personal bankruptcy filers traveling to their bankruptcy trustees affects … bankruptcy choices. We use detailed balance sheet, income statement, and location data from 400,000 Canadian bankruptcies. To … bankruptcy trustees (while filers interact with trustees, and trustees interact with local government, filers do not interact …