The precarious employment situation in the EU has given rise to public policies that aim at giving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) better access to finance. SMEs may face difficulties due to information problems and other inefficiencies in loan markets. However, the European evidence...

Using a sample of purchase mortgage applications reported in HMDA between 2001 and 2011, this paper estimates how the likelihood that an application is denied by the lender has changed over time after accounting for characteristics of loan applicants. Contrary to the observed decline in the...