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Should defaults be forgotten? Evidence from variation in removal of negative consumer credit information

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Listed:
  • Marieke Bos
  • Leonard I. Nakamura

Abstract

Practically all industrialized economies restrict the length of time that credit bureaus can retain borrowers? negative credit information. There is, however, a large variation in the permitted retention times across countries. By exploiting a quasi-experimental variation in this retention time, we investigate what happens when negative information is deleted earlier from credit files. We find that the loss of information led banks to tighten their lending standards significantly as the expected retention time was diminished from on average three-and-a-half to three years exactly. Simultaneously, we find that borrowers who experience this shorter retention time default more frequently. Since borrowers nevertheless obtain more net access to credit and total defaults do not increase overall, we cannot rule out that this reduction in retention time is optimal.

Suggested Citation

  • Marieke Bos & Leonard I. Nakamura, 2014. "Should defaults be forgotten? Evidence from variation in removal of negative consumer credit information," Working Papers 14-21, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpwp:14-21
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    10. repec:bla:econom:v:62:y:1995:i:248:p:461-78 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Liberman, Andres & Paravisini, Daniel & Pathania, Vikram, 2021. "High-cost debt and perceived creditworthiness: Evidence from the UK," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 719-736.
    2. Nicolás de Roux, 2021. "Exogenous shocks, credit reports and access to credit: Evidence from colombian coffee producers," Documentos CEDE 19769, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    3. Cahn, Christophe & Girotti, Mattia & Landier, Augustin, 2021. "Entrepreneurship and information on past failures: A natural experiment," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 102-121.
    4. Andres Liberman & Christopher Neilson & Luis Opazo & Seth Zimmerman, 2018. "The Equilibrium Effects of Information Deletion: Evidence from Consumer Credit Markets," NBER Working Papers 25097, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household finance; Consumer credit; Lending policy; Credit scoring;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C34 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models
    • C35 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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