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When it comes to the crunch: What are the drivers of the US banking crisis?

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  • Heilpern, Eliot
  • Haslam, Colin
  • Andersson, Tord

Abstract

This article considers how permissive regulatory conditions helped change the size and scope of the US mortgage market. Asset backed securitization facilitated an expansion of the US mortgage market and modified the structure of the value chain within which financial assets, risk and liquidity were managed. New sophisticated mortgage products, indulgent lending practices, loose credit assessment and flimsy documentation increased the probability of mortgage default in an economic downturn. US banks were not in a position to absorb mark-to-market losses on mortgage assets and goodwill impairment resulting from a credit crunch because they operate with narrow profit margins and a limited equity cushion in the balance sheet. This article questions the viability and sustainability of this banking business model.

Suggested Citation

  • Heilpern, Eliot & Haslam, Colin & Andersson, Tord, 2009. "When it comes to the crunch: What are the drivers of the US banking crisis?," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 99-113.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:accfor:v:33:y:2009:i:2:p:99-113
    DOI: 10.1016/j.accfor.2009.03.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Andersson, Tord & Lee, Edward & Theodosopoulos, Grigorios & Yin, Ya Ping & Haslam, Colin, 2014. "Accounting for the financialized UK and US national business model," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 78-91.
    4. Grougiou, Vassiliki & Leventis, Stergios & Dedoulis, Emmanouil & Owusu-Ansah, Stephen, 2014. "Corporate social responsibility and earnings management in U.S. banks," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 155-169.
    5. Hatherly, David & Kretzschmar, Gavin, 2011. "Capital and income financialization: Accounting for the 2008 financial crisis," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 209-216.
    6. Zhang, Ying & Andrew, Jane, 2014. "Financialisation and the Conceptual Framework," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 17-26.
    7. Rami Salem & Ernest Ezeani & Xi Song, 2023. "The relationship between religiosity and voluntary disclosure quality: a cross-country evidence from the banking sector," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 983-1023, April.
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    9. Goulding, Richard & Haslam, Colin & Leaver, Adam & Silver, Jonathan, 2024. "A ‘Distributional Apparatus’ for real estate: Fair value accounting and the assetization of UK property," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    10. Chantziaras, Antonios & Dedoulis, Emmanouil & Grougiou, Vassiliki & Leventis, Stergios, 2020. "The impact of religiosity and corruption on CSR reporting: The case of U.S. banks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 362-374.
    11. Sardar Ahmad & Saeed Akbar & Devendra Kodwani & Anwar Halari & Syed Zubair Shah, 2023. "Compliance or non‐compliance during financial crisis: Does it matter?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 2348-2366, July.
    12. Fargher, Neil & Zhang, John Ziyang, 2014. "Changes in the measurement of fair value: Implications for accounting earnings," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 184-199.

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