EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Welcome steps have been taken in strengthening the financial system. The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) now provides a useful forum for coordination; the regulatory perimeter has expanded; information sharing among agencies has improved; supervisory stress testing is...

Whether and when does banking serve to stabilize the economy? Caprio and Honohan view the banking system as a filter through which foreign and domestic shocks feed through to the domestic economy. The filter can dampen or amplify the shocks through various credit market channels, including...