Credit Supply and the Housing Boom

49 Pages Posted: 19 Dec 2014

See all articles by Alejandro Justiniano

Alejandro Justiniano

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Giorgio E. Primiceri

Northwestern University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Andrea Tambalotti

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Date Written: June 2014

Abstract

The housing boom that preceded the Great Recession was due to an increase in credit supply driven by looser lending constraints in the mortgage market. This view on the fundamental drivers of the boom is consistent with four empirical observations: the unprecedented rise in home prices and household debt, the stability of debt relative to house values, and the fall in mortgage rates. These facts are difficult to reconcile with the popular view that attributes the housing boom to looser borrowing constraints associated with lower collateral requirements. In fact, a slackening of collateral constraints at the peak of the lending cycle triggers a fall in home prices in our framework, providing a novel perspective on the possible origins of the bust.

Keywords: Credit Supply, Housing Boom, Borrowing Constraints, Lending Constraints, Household Debt

JEL Classification: E22, E30

Suggested Citation

Justiniano, Alejandro and Primiceri, Giorgio E. and Tambalotti, Andrea, Credit Supply and the Housing Boom (June 2014). FRB of Chicago Working Paper No. 2014-21, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2539699 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2539699

Alejandro Justiniano (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago ( email )

230 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60604
United States

Giorgio E. Primiceri

Northwestern University - Department of Economics ( email )

2003 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

HOME PAGE: http://faculty.econ.northwestern.edu/faculty/primiceri

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Andrea Tambalotti

Federal Reserve Bank of New York ( email )

33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
United States

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