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Screening incentives and privacy protection in financial markets: a theoretical and empirical analysis

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  • Jin-Hyuk Kim
  • Liad Wagman

Abstract

type="main"> We study a model in which firms offer financial products to individuals, post prices for their products, and screen consumers who apply to purchase them. Any information obtained in the screening process may be traded to another firm selling related products. We show that firms' ability to sell consumer information can lead to lower prices, higher screening intensities, and increased social welfare. By exploiting variations in the adoption of local financial-privacy ordinances in five California Bay Area counties, we are able to provide simple estimates of the effects of stricter financial-privacy laws on mortgage denial rates during 2001–2006. Consistent with the model's predictions, denial rates for home-purchase loans and refinancing loans decreased in counties where opt-in privacy ordinances were adopted. Moreover, estimated foreclosure start rates during the financial crisis of 2007–2008 were higher in counties where the privacy ordinance was adopted.

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  • Jin-Hyuk Kim & Liad Wagman, 2015. "Screening incentives and privacy protection in financial markets: a theoretical and empirical analysis," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 46(1), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:randje:v:46:y:2015:i:1:p:1-22
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/1756-2171.12083
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Caleb S. Fuller, 2018. "Privacy law as price control," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 225-250, April.
    2. Alessandro Acquisti & Curtis Taylor & Liad Wagman, 2016. "The Economics of Privacy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 54(2), pages 442-492, June.
    3. Oz Shy & Rune Stenbacka, 2016. "Customer Privacy and Competition," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 539-562, September.
    4. Jian Jia & Ginger Zhe Jin & Liad Wagman, 2021. "The Short-Run Effects of the General Data Protection Regulation on Technology Venture Investment," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(4), pages 661-684, July.
    5. Jian Jia & Ginger Zhe Jin & Liad Wagman, 2018. "The Short-Run Effects of GDPR on Technology Venture Investment," NBER Working Papers 25248, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Jin, Ginger Zhe & Wagman, Liad, 2021. "Big data at the crossroads of antitrust and consumer protection," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    7. Veronica Marotta & Yue Wu & Kaifu Zhang & Alessandro Acquisti, 2022. "The Welfare Impact of Targeted Advertising Technologies," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(1), pages 131-151, March.
    8. Michael R. Baye & David E. M. Sappington, 2020. "Revealing transactions data to third parties: Implications of privacy regimes for welfare in online markets," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 260-275, April.
    9. Sharma, Priyanka & Wagman, Liad, 2020. "Advertising and Voter Data in Asymmetric Political Contests," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    10. Irina Kirysheva & Vladyslav Nora, 2022. "Inefficient Screening in Online Rental Markets," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 752-774, September.
    11. Chen, Yongmin & Hua, Xinyu & Maskus, Keith E., 2021. "International protection of consumer data," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    12. de Cornière, Alexandre & Taylor, Greg, 2022. "Data and Competition: a Simple Framework with Applications to Mergers and Market Structure," CEPR Discussion Papers 14446, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Susan Athey & Christian Catalini & Catherine Tucker, 2017. "The Digital Privacy Paradox: Small Money, Small Costs, Small Talk," NBER Working Papers 23488, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Taylor, Curtis & Wagman, Liad, 2014. "Consumer privacy in oligopolistic markets: Winners, losers, and welfare," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 80-84.
    15. Loertscher, Simon & Marx, Leslie M., 2020. "Digital monopolies: Privacy protection or price regulation?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    16. Catherine Tucker, 2023. "The Economics of Privacy: An Agenda," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Privacy, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Miguel Godinho de Matos & Idris Adjerid, 2022. "Consumer Consent and Firm Targeting After GDPR: The Case of a Large Telecom Provider," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(5), pages 3330-3378, May.
    18. de Cornière, Alexandre & Taylor, Greg, 2020. "Data and Competition: a General Framework with Applications to Mergers, Market Structure, and Privacy Policy," TSE Working Papers 20-1076, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

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