We provide a first look into retail cryptocurrency investing by observing cryptocurrency purchases and sales into and out of user bank accounts for millions of U.S. individuals. We document the skyrocketing interest of new investors for the crypto space, even among those with limited traditional...

The impact of technology-enabled (FinTech) lenders on bank credit is theoretically ambiguous. Banks can reduce credit if borrowing from FinTech lenders increases default risk. Alternatively, banks can provide more credit if such borrowing signals creditworthiness. I examine these possibilities...

English language learners (ELLs) are increasingly placed in classes with mainstream teachers lacking training and experience to teach diverse populations. Rural areas are being characterized by a growing number of ELLs, challenges to attract and retain qualified educators, and budgetary...

The reordering of transactions from “high-to-low” is a controversial bank practice thought to maximize fees paid by low-income customers on overdrawn accounts. We exploit a series of class-action lawsuits that mandated that some banks cease the practice. Using alternative credit bureau data,...

Firms offering "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) point-of-sale installment loans with minimal underwriting and low interest have captured a growing fraction of the market for short-term unsecured consumer credit. We provide a detailed look into the US BNPL market by constructing a large panel of BNPL...

The reordering of transactions from "high-to-low" is a controversial bank practice thought to maximize fees paid by low-income customers on overdrawn accounts. We exploit multiple class-action lawsuits resulting in mandatory changes to this practice, coupled with payday lending data, to show...

We examine the effects of the Mortgage Electronic Registration System, or MERS, on mortgage origination volumes and foreclosure rates prior to the Great Recession. MERS was introduced in the late 1990s and significantly reduced the cost and time associated with secondary mortgage sales. Using...

I provide new evidence that large and small banks have different external financing costs, which generates cross sectional variation in a deposits market pricing power channel of monetary policy transmission. I do so by exploiting a natural experiment using anti-trust related bank branch...