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Stress for Success: A Review of Timothy Geithner's Financial Crisis Memoir

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  • Gary Gorton

Abstract

Timothy Geithner's memoir of the financial crisis of 2007-08—Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises—is an important historical document offering details of how policies were formed and implemented during the crisis, showing the political constraints, and offering lessons for future crises. Walter Bagehot's classic rule for fighting crises—that the central bank should lend against good collateral at a high rate—is passive and incomplete. Geithner argues for the use of overwhelming force to reestablish confidence. Also, although the Federal Reserve's new crisis lending programs needed to be anonymous so as not to reveal weak banks' identities—"stigma"—the stress tests during the crisis did reveal information that may have been useful in reestablishing confidence. (JEL B31, E44, E63, G01, G21, G28)

Suggested Citation

  • Gary Gorton, 2015. "Stress for Success: A Review of Timothy Geithner's Financial Crisis Memoir," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 53(4), pages 975-995, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jeclit:v:53:y:2015:i:4:p:975-95
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/jel.53.4.975
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    2. Bianchi, Nicola & Carretta, Alessandro & Farina, Vincenzo & Fiordelisi, Franco, 2021. "Does espoused risk culture pay? Evidence from European banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    3. Fischer, Jack R. & McPhail, Joseph E. & Rodrigues, Nathan & Orazem, Peter, 2017. "The Relative Importance of Macroeconomic Shocks, Regional Shocks and Idiosyncratic Risk on Large and Small Banks," ISU General Staff Papers 201707130700001027, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    4. Attar, Andrea & Mariotti, Thomas & Salanié, François, 2014. "Multiple Contracting in Insurance Markets," TSE Working Papers 14-532, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Sep 2016.
    5. Goldstein, Itay & Leitner, Yaron, 2018. "Stress tests and information disclosure," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 34-69.
    6. Moshe Maor, 2017. "The implications of the emerging disproportionate policy perspective for the new policy design studies," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 50(3), pages 383-398, September.
    7. Huberto M. Ennis, 2019. "Interventions in Markets with Adverse Selection: Implications for Discount Window Stigma," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(7), pages 1737-1764, October.
    8. J. Atsu Amegashie, 2021. "Advantageous Smallness in Contests," CESifo Working Paper Series 9419, CESifo.
    9. Karthik Balakrishnan & Aytekin Ertan, 2019. "Bank asset transparency and credit supply," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 1359-1391, December.
    10. Yeon-Koo Che & Chongwoo Choe & Keeyoung Rhee, 2015. "Bailout Stigma," Monash Economics Working Papers 26-15, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    11. Angela Vossmeyer, 2019. "Analysis of Stigma and Bank Credit Provision," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(1), pages 163-194, February.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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