The delayed end to Zimbabwe's hyperinflation in 2009 gave rise to an official dollarization. Before then, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) operated on the correct side of the inflation tax Laffer curve. Estimated seignorage maximizing rates derive from Bayesian, time-varying parameter,...

In November 2001, bank regulators finalized the so-called Recourse Rule, which lowered risk weights from 1 to 0.5 for A-rated and to 0.2 for AAA- and AA-rated private-label securitization tranches. After the rule change, on average, securitization-active bank holding companies with at least $50...

In November 2001, regulators finalized the “Recourse Rule.” The rule lowered risk weights, and therefore commercial bank holding company capital requirements, to 0.2 for holdings of AAA- and AA-rated “private label” securitization tranches, created by investment banks and securitizing...

Common explanations for the observed rise in excess bank reserves include payment of interest on reserves and liquidity regulations, but capital regulations may also matter. We show that a profit maximizing bank substitutes from higher risk-weight loans to lower risk-weight reserves and...

During Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation that ended in 2009, people turned to an illegal round-tripping transaction called “burning money” to preserve purchasing power. The transaction involved illegally acquiring foreign currency at the official rate before converting back to domestic currency in...

After the Latin American Debt Crisis of 1982, the official response worldwide turned to minimum capital standards to promote stable banking systems. Despite their existence, however, such standards have still not prevented periodic disruptions in the banking sectors of various countries. After...