Purpose – This paper investigates the link between equity and credit markets for the government‐sponsored mortgage institutions, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, during the period from January 2007 until December 2008. Before the financial crisis, investors perceived these real estate finance...

Borrowers' housing equity is an important component of their wealth and a critical determinant of their vulnerability to shocks. In this paper, we create a unique data set that allows us to provide a comprehensive look at the ratio of housing debt to housing values - what we refer to as...