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A finite-life private-information theory of unsecured consumer debt

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  • Satyajit Chatterjee
  • Dean Corbae
  • José-Víctor Ríos-Rull

Abstract

The authors present a theory of unsecured consumer debt that does not rely on utility costs of default or on enforcement mechanisms that arise in repeated-interaction settings. The theory is based on private information about a person's type and on a person's incentive to signal his type to entities other than creditors. Specifically, debtors signal their low-risk status to insurers by avoiding default in credit markets. The signal is credible because in equilibrium people who repay are more likely to be the low-risk type and so receive better insurance terms. The authors explore two different mechanisms through which repayment behavior in the credit market can be positively correlated with low-risk status in the insurance market. Their theory is motivated in part by some facts regarding the role of credit scores in consumer credit and auto insurance markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Satyajit Chatterjee & Dean Corbae & José-Víctor Ríos-Rull, 2007. "A finite-life private-information theory of unsecured consumer debt," Working Papers 07-14, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpwp:07-14
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Felicia Ionescu, 2011. "The Interplay Between Different Types of Unsecured Credit and Amplification of Consumer Default," 2011 Meeting Papers 912, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    2. Daniel, Sanches, 2011. "A dynamic model of unsecured credit," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(5), pages 1941-1964, September.
    3. Kartik Athreya & José Mustre-del-Río & Juan M Sánchez, 2019. "The Persistence of Financial Distress," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 32(10), pages 3851-3883.
    4. Igor Livshits & James C. Mac Gee & Michèle Tertilt, 2016. "The Democratization of Credit and the Rise in Consumer Bankruptcies," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 83(4), pages 1673-1710.
    5. Dean Corbae' & Tzu-Ying Chen, 2010. "Can Credit Market Signalling Improve Labor Market Outcomes?," 2010 Meeting Papers 685, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    6. Mr. Tamon Asonuma, 2016. "Serial Sovereign Defaults and Debt Restructurings," IMF Working Papers 2016/066, International Monetary Fund.
    7. Felicia Ionescu & Marius Ionescu, 2012. "The Interplay Between Student Loans and Credit Cards: Implications for Default," Working Papers 2012-014, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    8. Daphne Chen & Jake Zhao, 2017. "The Impact of Personal Bankruptcy on Labor Supply Decisions," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 26, pages 40-61, October.
    9. Victor Rios-Rull & Dean Corbae: & Satyajit Chatterjee, 2011. "A Theory of Credit Scoring and the Competitive Pricing of Default Risk," 2011 Meeting Papers 1115, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    10. Bulent Guler, 2015. "Innovations in Information Technology and the Mortgage Market," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 18(3), pages 456-483, July.
    11. Andrew Glover & Dean Corbae, 2017. "The Costs and Benefits of Employer Credit Checks," 2017 Meeting Papers 447, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    12. Igor Livshits, 2015. "Recent Developments In Consumer Credit And Default Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 594-613, September.
    13. Felicia Ionescu & Marius Ionescu, 2014. "The Interplay Between Student Loans and Credit Card Debt: Implications for Default in the Great Recession," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2014-14, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    14. Andrew Glover & Dean Corbae, 2015. "A Simple Dynamic Theory of Credit Scores Under Adverse Selection," 2015 Meeting Papers 1265, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    15. Juan M. Sánchez, 2018. "The Information Technology Revolution And The Unsecured Credit Market," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(2), pages 914-930, April.
    16. Juan M. Sanchez, 2008. "The Role of Information in Consumer Debt and Bankruptcy," 2008 Meeting Papers 523, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    17. Kyle F. Herkenhoff, 2012. "Informal unemployment insurance and labor market dynamics," Working Papers 2012-057, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    18. Chen, Daphne & Corbae, Dean, 2011. "On the welfare implications of restricting bankruptcy information," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 4-13, March.
    19. Dean Corbae & Andrew Glover, 2018. "Employer Credit Checks: Poverty Traps versus Matching Efficiency," NBER Working Papers 25005, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Athreya, Kartik & Tam, Xuan S. & Young, Eric R., 2009. "Unsecured credit markets are not insurance markets," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 83-103, January.
    21. Sharma, Priyanka, 2017. "Is more information always better? A case in credit markets," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 269-283.
    22. Naveed Chehrazi & Thomas A. Weber, 2015. "Dynamic Valuation of Delinquent Credit-Card Accounts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(12), pages 3077-3096, December.
    23. Toan Phan, 2016. "Information, Insurance and the Sustainability of Sovereign Debt," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 22, pages 93-108, October.
    24. Juan M. Sanchez, 2009. "The role of information in the rise in consumer bankruptcies," Working Paper 09-04, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
    25. Kocherlakota, Narayana & Wright, Randall, 2008. "Introduction to monetary and macro economics," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 142(1), pages 1-4, September.

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