We analyze shareholders' incentives to change the leverage of a firm that has already borrowed substantially. As a result of debt overhang, shareholders have incentives to resist reductions in leverage that make the remaining debt safer. This resistance is present even without any government...

The paper discusses criteria for comparing risk aversion of decision makers when outcomes are multidimensional. A weak concept, "commodity specific greater risk aversion", is based on the comparison of risk premia paid in a specified commodity. A stronger concept, "uniformly greater risk...

The report discusses a variety of issues involving difficulties in the banking sector, with a view to ascertaining the appropriate institutional infrastructure in the context of the European Union and the euro area. Forbearance on the part of banks dealing with delinquent borrowers is...

The European macro-prudential policy framework operates at two levels. First, the ESRB has a legal responsibility for macro-prudential oversight in the EU. Second, various national and EU authorities have responsibility for the implementation of macro-prudential policy. The creation of a...

Banking has grown too much in Europe - in three senses. First, the European banking system has reached a size where its contribution to real economic growth is likely to be nil or negative. Second, the European financial structure is biased towards banks (rather than securities markets), which...

The paper discusses the problem of valuation in bank resolution. In an overview over the most relevant principles of valuation theory, the paper notes the difficulties inherent in valuing risks and illiquidity in holding non-traded assets. Subsequently, the paper briefly reviews the resolution...

Reforms of financial regulation after the crisis of 2007-2009 raise the question of what is the relation between financial regulators and competition authorities. Should competition authorities play a role in financial regulation? Should they co-operate with financial regulators? Or should they...

Der Aufsatz setzt sich kritisch mit verschiedenen Vorschlägen zur Reform des Geldwesens seit der Finanzkrise und mit den zugrundeliegenden Vorstellungen von "Geld" auseinander. Das Wort "Geld" wird in dieser Diskussion für verschiedene Dinge und in verschiedenen Bedeutungen gebraucht. Als...

Der Text beruht auf einer am 9. Mai 2017 vor dem Bundesverfassungsgericht abgegebenen Stellungnahme in der mündlichen Verhandlung zu einem Verfahren über den Umfang der Verpflichtung der Bundesregierung zur Information des Parlaments (Az. 2BvE 2 / 11). Das Gericht hatte um Auskünfte zur...