We show how to measure the welfare effects arising from increased data availability. When lenders have more data on prospective borrower costs, they can charge prices that are more aligned with these costs. This increases total social welfare, and transfers surplus from borrowers to lenders. We...

We show how to measure the welfare effects arising from increased data availability. When lenders have more data on prospective borrower costs, they can charge prices that are more aligned with these costs. This results in an increase in total social welfare, and a transfer of surplus from...

We show how to measure the welfare effects arising from increased data availability. When lenders have more data on prospective borrower costs, they can charge prices that are more aligned with these costs. This increases total social welfare, and transfers surplus from borrowers to lenders. We...

Using property transaction and financing data, we document large cross-sectional differences in how effective houses are as collateral for mortgages. Older and less standardized houses tend to have higher price dispersion, and their appraisal values tend to deviate more from transaction prices....