Abstract
We present new evidence on the macroeconomic effects of changes in microprudential bank capital requirements, using confidential regulatory data from the Basel I and II regimes in the United Kingdom. Our central result is that an increase in capital requirements lowered lending to firms and households, reduced aggregate expenditure and raised credit spreads. A financial accelerator effect is found to have amplified the macroeconomic responses to shifts in bank credit supply. Results from a counterfactual experiment that links capital requirements to house prices and mortgage spreads indicate that tighter macroprudential policy would have had a moderating effect on house price and mortgage lending growth in the early 2000s, with easier monetary policy acting to offset its contractionary effects on output.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have