Banks' Precautionary Capital and Credit Crunches
37 Pages Posted: 18 Dec 2008
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Banks' Precautionary Capital and Credit Crunches
Banks' Precautionary Capital and Credit Crunches
Date Written: October 2008
Abstract
Periods of banking distress are often followed by sizable and long-lasting contractions in bank credit. They may be explained by a declined demand by financially impaired borrowers (the conventional financial accelerator) or by lower supply by capital-constrained banks, a "credit crunch". This paper develops a bank model to study credit crunches and their real effects. In this model, banks maintain a precautionary level of capital that serves as a smoothing mechanism to avert disruptions in the supply of credit when hit by small shocks. However, for larger shocks, highly persistent credit crunches may arise even when the impulse is a one time, non-serially correlated event. From a policy perspective, the model justifies the use of public funds to recapitalize banks following a significant deterioration in their capital position.
Keywords: Banking crisis, Bank credit, External shocks, Liquidity management, Financial risk, Economic models
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