We estimate the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) out of permanent and transitory shocks to house price appreciation. We consider two different models under which those shocks may affect consumption. In the first one, housing is a risky asset. In the second one, housing has a role as a...

Households who wish to extract home equity through refinancing their mortgage face a hidden transaction cost. The real value of the fixed nominal mortgage payment declines over time with inflation. The change in the real value of the mortgage payments from taking on a new mortgage is positive...

We study the role that recourse plays the in commercial real estate loan contracts in the portfolios of the largest US banks. We find that recourse is valued by lenders and is treated as a substitute for conventional equity. At origination, recourse loans receive loan rate spreads that are at...

Subordination is designed to provide credit risk protection for senior commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) tranches by allocating the initial credit losses to the more junior tranches. Subordination level should in theory reflect the underlying credit risk of the CMBS pool. In this...