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Bank Leverage and Monetary Policy’s Risk-Taking Channel: Evidence from the United States

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  • Laeven, Luc
  • Dell'Ariccia, Giovanni
  • Suarez, Gustavo

Abstract

We present evidence of a risk-taking channel of monetary policy for the U.S. banking system. We use confidential data on banks’ internal ratings on loans to businesses over the period 1997 to 2011 from the Federal Reserve’s survey of terms of business lending. We find that ex-ante risk taking by banks (measured by the risk rating of new loans) is negatively associated with increases in short-term interest rates. This relationship is more pronounced in regions that are less in sync with the nationwide business cycle, and less pronounced for banks with relatively low capital or during periods of financial distress.

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  • Laeven, Luc & Dell'Ariccia, Giovanni & Suarez, Gustavo, 2016. "Bank Leverage and Monetary Policy’s Risk-Taking Channel: Evidence from the United States," CEPR Discussion Papers 11230, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:11230
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    5. Marcelo Rezende & Mary-Frances Styczynski & Cindy M. Vojtech, 2016. "The Effects of Liquidity Regulation on Bank Demand in Monetary Policy Operations," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2016-090, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
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    10. Pozo, Jorge, 2023. "Bank risk-taking in emerging economies: Empirical evidence and theory," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    11. Kapur, Muneesh, 2018. "Macroeconomic Policies and Transmission Dynamics in India," MPRA Paper 88566, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    13. W. Scott Frame & Eva Steiner, 2018. "Unconventional Monetary Policy and Risk-Taking: Evidence from Agency Mortgage REITs," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2018-8, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    14. Matthieu Bussière & Jin Cao & Jakob de Haan & Robert Hills & Simon Lloyd & Baptiste Meunier & Justine Pedrono & Dennis Reinhardt & Sonalika Sinha & Rhiannon Sowerbutts & Konstantin Styrin, 2021. "The interaction between macroprudential policy and monetary policy: Overview," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 1-19, February.
    15. Chen, Yunping & Chen, Huanhuan & Li, Guorong & Jiao, Dongdan & Xu, Xiangyun, 2021. "Time-varying effect of macro-prudential policies on household credit growth: Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 241-254.
    16. Choi, Dong Beom & Eisenbach, Thomas M. & Yorulmazer, Tanju, 2021. "Watering a lemon tree: Heterogeneous risk taking and monetary policy transmission," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    17. Demiralp, Selva & Eisenschmidt, Jens & Vlassopoulos, Thomas, 2021. "Negative interest rates, excess liquidity and retail deposits: Banks’ reaction to unconventional monetary policy in the euro area," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    18. R. Wouters, 2016. "The transmission mechanism of new and traditional instruments of monetary and macroprudential policy," Economic Review, National Bank of Belgium, issue iii, pages 105-117, December.
    19. Pozo, Jorge, 2019. "Bank Risk-Taking in a Small Open Economy," Working Papers 2019-016, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú.
    20. Christoph Basten & Mike Mariathasan, 2018. "How Banks Respond to Negative Interest Rates: Evidence from the Swiss Exemption Threshold," CESifo Working Paper Series 6901, CESifo.
    21. Ongena, Steven & Schindele, Ibolya & Vonnák, Dzsamila, 2021. "In lands of foreign currency credit, bank lending channels run through?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    22. Paligorova, Teodora & Santos, João A.C., 2017. "Monetary policy and bank risk-taking: Evidence from the corporate loan market," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 35-49.
    23. van Holle, Frederiek, 2017. "Essays in empirical finance and monetary policy," Other publications TiSEM 30d11a4b-7bc9-4c81-ad24-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    24. Gabriele Galati & Richhild Moessner, 2018. "What Do We Know About the Effects of Macroprudential Policy?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 85(340), pages 735-770, October.
    25. Jens Eisenschmidt & Frank Smets, 2019. "Negative Interest Rates: Lessons from the Euro Area," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Álvaro Aguirre & Markus Brunnermeier & Diego Saravia (ed.),Monetary Policy and Financial Stability: Transmission Mechanisms and Policy Implications, edition 1, volume 26, chapter 2, pages 013-042, Central Bank of Chile.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Interest rates; Monetary policy; Banks; Leverage; Risk;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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