Europe’s financial structure has become strongly bank-based – far more so than in other economies. We document that an … paper concludes by discussing policy solutions to Europe’s “bank bias”, which include reducing regulatory favouritism …

In August 2007 the United Kingdom experienced its first bank run in over 140 years. Although Northern Rock was not a … particularly large bank (it was at the time ranked 7th in terms of assets) it was nevertheless a significant retail bank and a … outside the bank as depositors rushed to withdraw their deposits. There was always a fear that this could spark a systemic run …

Does the combination of inflation and high corporate taxes explain the increase in bank leverage in the 20th century …? Inflation automatically increases bank debt, while high corporate taxes hinder capital accumulation. Capital ratios therefore … Swedish bank data 1870-2001. Bank capital ratios dropped when inflation and corporate tax rates were high, during WWI and in …

. A bank with higher capital has lesschance of breaching the ratio, so may actually take more risk. As a result, banks … stylized facts about pre-crisis bank behavior, and suggest implications for the optimal design of capital regulation. …