This paper studies the evolution of mortgage debt and defaults between 2001 and 2013 using a large, nationally representative panel of credit reports. Our analysis suggests that the 2007-2009 spike in mortgage defaults was concentrated among borrowers with mid to high credit scores. Among those...

A broadly accepted view contends that the 2007-09 financial crisis in the U.S. was caused by an expansion in the supply of credit to subprime borrowers during the 2001- 2006 credit boom, leading to the spike in defaults and foreclosures that sparked the crisis. We use a large administrative...

We study how inheriting parents’ credit histories affects credit scores, access to credit, and subsequent experiences of young indi- viduals entering the credit market. First, having an inherited credit history significantly positively affects credit scores at entry. Second, initial credit...