This paper explores the causes and consequences of cross-country variation in mortgage market structure. It draws on insights from several fields: urban economics, asset pricing, behavioral finance, financial intermediation, and macroeconomics. It discusses lessons from the credit boom, the...

Although few outside of financial circles have heard of covered bonds, they have emerged as an important and efficient funding channel for Canadian mortgage lending, according to a new report released today from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “How to Make the World Safe for (and from) Covered...