Should central banks be in charge of micro-prudential as well as of macro-prudential supervision? This paper uses a formal model to analyze that question, and thereby informs the current reform efforts on the fields of banking supervision. Our main finding is that, while there are good reasons...

This paper presents a formal model of a credit rating agency. I study the consequences of the transition from an “investor-pays” model to an “issuer-pays” model on the quality standard of credit ratings chosen by the agency. I find that such a transition is likely to generate a...

This paper presents a model of soft budget constraints (SBC) in a bank lending relationship, emphasizing the role of institutions in shaping the SBC phenomena. The model allows two types of SBC to emerge according to specific constellations of parameters: the SBC as a dynamic commitment problem...