Residential house price indexes (HPI) are used for a large variety of macroeconomic and microeconomic research and policy purposes, as well as for automated valuation models. As is well known, these indexes are subject to substantial revisions in the months following the initial release, both...

Refinancing a first mortgage puts legal principles in conflict when other, junior, liens also exist. On one hand, the principle that seniority follows time priority leaves the new refinancing mortgage junior to mortgages that were junior to the original, refinanced first mortgage. On the other...

Refinancing a first mortgage puts legal principles in conflict when other, junior, liens also exist. On one hand, the principle that seniority follows time priority leaves the new refinancing mortgage junior to mortgages that were junior to the original, refinanced first mortgage. On the other...

We find that private-securitized loans perform worse than observably similar, nonsecuritized loans, which provides evidence for adverse selection. The effect of securitization is strongest for prime mortgages, which have not been studied widely in the previous literature and particular prime...

This paper develops a general equilibrium model of the gender wage gap. The difference in earnings is a consequence of a demographic regularity--that men tend to marry younger women--which may limit women's labor mobility and, hence, their average earnings. However, couples are always free not...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's role in the housing bubble and financial crisis remains controversial. Did they precipitate or at least worsen the crisis? How do their benefits compare against their losses? Ronel Elul traces their evolution and actions and outlines reform proposals.

The failure and bailout of some prominent financial institutions amid the crisis of 2007-09, and the effect these events had on the economy as a whole, have led policymakers to rethink how the global financial system is regulated. These changes, commonly known as the Basel III Accords, will...