Topic: Debt

Abstract digital generated eyes looking around and the yellow one standing out from the crowd. Research Brief / Banking

Why Do Banks With Little Skin in the Game Still Monitor Borrowers?

Tax policy change triggers an incentive for lenders to be more aggressive

Monochrome photo of people standing in line for bread Research Brief / Banking

What Makes a True Financial Crisis?

Data back to 1870 show similarities in the worst banking system shocks — focusing on loose lending before a meltdown

Bar and line chart Research Brief / Corporate Finance

What Drives LBO Fever? More Than Just Cheap Loans

Private equity investors weigh the total cost of capital — not just debt, but equity as well — when pursuing buyouts

Research Brief / Investing

Treasury Securities Are Actually Cheap Sometimes

They don’t trade at an absolute equal to intrinsic value, despite their image as the world’s investment bedrock

Illustration balance of risk and reward on a scale Research Brief / Stock Returns

The Strange Case of the Missing Stock Market Return

Investors in leveraged companies take on extra risk, but research indicates they see no offsetting return

A close-up of soapy green water Research Brief / Debt

The Debt Market’s Indirect Antidote to ESG Greenwashing

Loans that include a sweetener or penalty tied to ESG performance seem to induce more honest reporting

Home with an auction sign on the lawn Research Brief / Home Mortgages

Some Homeowners Pay Their Underwater Mortgages Until the Government Offers a Better Option

Federal loan modification program led borrowers to default

Illustration of eyes looking at a computer screen Research Brief / Taxes

Shaming of Tax Delinquents Works

34,334 letters were sent to test how sensitive those owing back taxes are to neighbors’ knowledge of the debts

Payday Loan office facade Research Brief / Debt

Sensitivity to Debt Type Predicts Financial Health

Research reveals that those wary of payday loans tend to manage their finances better

Suburban neighborhood under construction Research Brief / Real Estate

Quantitative Easing Kept the Foreclosure Crisis from Being Even Worse

The Fed’s gambit didn’t trigger a home-price recovery, but research shows it reduced subprime foreclosure risk

Piggy bank over orange background Research Brief / Finance

Oversight of Borrowed Money Creates Animosity

Friends lending to friends, taxpayers bailing out businesses feel it’s still their money and have opinions on how it’s spent

International flags and Euro sign Research Brief / Markets

One European Country Defaults: How Hard-Hit Is the Euro?

A predictive model employs credit default swaps across currencies

TV News anchor Research Brief / Politics

Municipal Pension Crisis Made Worse by Democrats in Close Elections

Sixty years of data suggest retirement obligations rise after Democrats scrape into office

People with luggage Research Brief / Economy

Modern Monetary Theory: Fiasco in Latin America, Option in U.S.?

The populist model, embraced by some on the American left, resembles policy that helped torpedo some smaller economies

Research Brief / Debt

Medical Debt in Collection Estimated at $140 Billion

Poorer residents of states refusing to expand Medicaid hit hardest

Illustration of vultures sitting on a sign in a city Research Brief / Debt

Less Leveraged Than the Competition: Ready to Snag Distressed Assets in a Recession

When bad times hit, highly indebted companies often have to sell operations and equipment at fire-sale prices