We examine the pervasive view that "equity is expensive" which leads to claims that high capital requirements are costly for society and would affect credit markets adversely. We find that arguments made to support this view are fallacious, irrelevant to the policy debate by confusing private...

The global financial crisis has further highlighted the importance of bank capital regulation for the stability of the banking system. This article aims to reconcile the views of the academics and regulators about bank capital regulation. Lightweight and procyclical bank capital regulation with...

This paper identifies the main dimensions of capital regulation. We use survey data from 142 countries from the World Bank's (2013) database covering various aspects of bank regulation. Using multiple explorative factor analysis, we identify two main dimensions of capital regulation: complexity...

I exploit variation in the adoption of disclosure and supervisory regulation across U.S. states to examine their impact on the development and stability of commercial banks. The empirical results suggest that the adoption of state‐level requirements to report financial statements in local...

We take issue with claims that the funding mix of banks, which makes them fragile and crisis-prone, is efficient because it reflects special liquidity benefits of bank debt. Even aside from neglecting the systemic damage to the economy that banks' distress and default cause, such claims are...

We take issue with claims that the funding mix of banks, which makes them fragile and crisisprone, is efficient because it reflects special liquidity benefits of bank debt. Even aside from neglecting the systemic damage to the economy that banks' distress and default cause, such claims are...

While executive compensation is often blamed for the excessive risk taking by banks, little is known about the operating performance incentives used in the finance industry both prior to and subsequent to the recent crisis. We provide a comprehensive analysis of incentive design -- the link of...

Supervisory governance is believed to affect financial stability. While the literature has identified pros and cons of having a central bank or a separate agency responsible for microprudential banking supervision, the advantages of having this task shared by both institutions have received...

Law enforcement has a vested interest in catching alleged money launderers. Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed by financial institutions are a useful tool in this endeavor and can potentially direct law enforcement to criminal enterprises. But SARs are just that — reports of suspicious...