Leverage is one of the key underlying features of banks' balance sheets. Traditionally, leverage arises directly through the use of deposited funds or other balance-sheet items, such as bonds and credit lines, as a supplementary tool of banks' equity capital in financing fresh loans and...

Stephen Bell and Andrew Hindmoor compare banking systems in the U.S. and UK to those of Canada and Australia and explain why the system imploded in the former but not the latter. Canadian and Australian banks were able to make profits through traditional lending practices, unlike their...