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Intermediation frictions in debt relief: Evidence from CARES Act forbearance

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  • Kim, You Suk
  • Lee, Donghoon
  • Scharlemann, Tess
  • Vickery, James

Abstract

We study how intermediaries – mortgage servicers – shaped the implementation of mortgage forbearance during the COVID-19 pandemic and use servicer-level variation to trace out the causal effects of forbearance on borrowers. Forbearance provision varied widely across servicers. Small servicers, nonbanks, and especially nonbanks with small liquidity buffers, facilitated fewer forbearances and saw a higher incidence of forbearance-related complaints. Easier access to forbearance substantially increased mortgage nonpayment but also reduced delinquencies outside of forbearance. Part of the liquidity from forbearance was used to reduce credit card debt, but most was saved or used for nondurable consumption.

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  • Kim, You Suk & Lee, Donghoon & Scharlemann, Tess & Vickery, James, 2024. "Intermediation frictions in debt relief: Evidence from CARES Act forbearance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:158:y:2024:i:c:s0304405x24000965
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2024.103873
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    Cited by:

    1. Sean Chanwook Lee & Omeed Maghzian, 2023. "Household Liquidity and Macroeconomic Stabilization: Evidence from Mortgage Forbearance," Working Papers 23-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    2. Ferreira, Miguel A. & Adelino, Manuel & Oliveira, Miguel, 2025. "The heterogeneous effects of household debt relief," Working Paper Series 3034, European Central Bank.
    3. Karen Pence, 2022. "Liquidity in the mortgage market: How does the COVID‐19 crisis compare with the global financial crisis?," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 50(6), pages 1405-1424, November.
    4. Sandler, Ryan, 2023. "Aligning incentives: The effect of mortgage servicing rules on foreclosures and delinquency," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Goodman, Laurie & Zhu, Jun, 2023. "Single borrowers versus coborrowers in the pandemic: Mortgage forbearance take-up and performance," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(PB).
    6. Donghoon Lee & Daniel Mangrum & Wilbert Van der Klaauw & Crystal Wang, 2024. "Financial Education and Household Financial Decisions During the Pandemic," Staff Reports 1131, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mortgage; Forbearance; Liquidity; Nonbank; CARES Act; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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