Bank Procyclicality, Credit Crunches, and Asymmetric Monetary Policy Effects: A Unifying Model

Abstract

Much concern has recently been expressed that both large, procyclical changes in bank assets and "credit crunches" caused by bank reluctance to expand loans during recessions contribute to economic instability. These effects are difficult to explain using the standard textbook model of deposit expansion in which deposits are constrained only by reserve requirements. However, these effects follow easily if the model is expanded to include a second, capital constraint.

JEL Classification: E51, E32, G21