In this research we exploit the power of a large and rich sample of individual loans originated from 2000 to 2007 to study the relative roles of underwriting, moral hazard and local economic conditions in the Great Surge in mortgage defaults. With these data we can observe the information...

The relative cost of owning and renting housing and housing affordability have been clearly established as important determinants of home ownership. But the roles of marital status and history have been largely ignored. In this paper we show that both current marital status and past history...