In this paper and the associated online database, we provide new data and measures of bank regulatory and supervisory policies in 180 countries from 1999 to 2011. The data include and the measures are based upon responses to hundreds of questions, including information on permissible bank...

In this postmortem, I find that the design, application, and maintenance of financial policies during the period from 1996 through 2006 were primary causes of the financial system's demise. The evidence is inconsistent with the view that the collapse of the financial system was caused only by...

Financial regulators and politicians unsuccessfully maintained the safety and soundness of the U.S. financial system not only because they lacked the proper tools but also because they lacked the proper incentives. While filling regulatory gaps and improving supervisory tools are worthwhile...

In this postmortem, I find that the design, implementation, and maintenance of financial policies during the period from 1996 through 2006 were primary causes of the financial system's demise. The evidence is inconsistent with the view that the collapse of the financial system was caused only by...

We discover that social capital is associated with higher mortgage approval rates, shorter screening times, longer maturities, lower interest rates, and reduced loan delinquency rates. The results hold when conditioning on extensive consumer and market characteristics, a battery of fixed...