This paper assesses the validity of comparisons between the current financial crisis and past crises in the United States. We highlight aspects of two National Banking Era crises (the Panic of 1873 and the Panic of 1907) that are relevant for comparison with the Panic of 2008. In 1873,...

This paper provides quantitative evidence on interbank transmission of financial distress in the Panic of 1907 and ensuing recession. Originating in New York City, the panic led to payment suspensions and emergency currency issuance in many cities. Data on the universe of interbank connections...

The subject of this paper is the contemporary trend in residential real estate markets in European countries and their impact on the quality of banks' housing loan portfolios. Due to the fact that these are the markets that still have not fully recovered from the previous financial crisis, and...

The purpose of this lecture is to look beyond the complex events that characterize the global financial and economic crisis, identify the basic mechanisms, and infer the policies needed to resolve the current crisis, as well as the policies needed to reduce the probability of similar events in...

The purpose of this lecture is to look beyond the complex events that characterize the global financial and economic crisis, identify the basic mechanisms, and infer the policies needed to resolve the current crisis, as well as the policies needed to reduce the probability of similar events in...

The Great Crash of 1929 ranks as one of the climactic economic events of the last 100 years. It raises important questions at the heart of understanding many financial crises. Why did the "Roaring 20s" roar? Was the boom in equities a "bubble"? What caused the sudden reversal in the fall of...