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Credit Scores and Inequality Across the Life Cycle

In: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2025, volume 40

Author

Listed:
  • Satyajit Chatterjee
  • Dean Corbae
  • Kyle Dempsey
  • José-Víctor Ríos-Rull

Abstract

Credit scores are a primary screening device for the allocation of credit, housing, and sometimes even employment. In the data, credit scores grow and fan out with age; at the same time, income and consumption inequality also increase with a cohort’s age. We postulate a simple model with hidden information to explore the joint determination of credit scores, income, and consumption over an individual’s lifetime which can replicate these empirical facts. We use the model to understand the role of technologies like big data or legal restrictions limiting information on certain adverse events like medical expenses intended to increase credit market access.
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Suggested Citation

  • Satyajit Chatterjee & Dean Corbae & Kyle Dempsey & José-Víctor Ríos-Rull, 2025. "Credit Scores and Inequality Across the Life Cycle," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2025, volume 40, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:15148
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    1. Mateos-Planas, Xavier & McCrary, Sean & Ríos-Rull, José-Víctor & Wicht, Adrien, 2025. "Commitment in the canonical sovereign default model," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

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