Constructing a strong and unique instrument for bank capital from the empirical observation of Japanese banks’ past behavioral changes, we identify the impact of capital adequacy on the allocation of bank lending supply across low quality and high quality borrowers. We find that, in FY 1997, a...

This paper examines the ramification of government capital injections into financially distressed banks during the 1997 Japanese banking crisis. By leveraging a unique dataset merging firm-level financial statements and bank balance sheets, the study aims to examine whether the capital...

Using the data of individual loan contracts extended by the government owned Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprise (JASME), we examine whether the JASME's lending from December 1997 thorough March 1999 mitigated the credit crunch. We find that on average the JASME offset more...

Using the contract level data, we find that the lending by a Japanese state owned lending institution during the period of the credit crunch mitigated a firm's loss of borrowing from its main bank. We further find that the state owned institution's lending instrumented by the main bank's lending...

This Article examines the long-held belief that banking and commerce need to be kept separate in order to ensure a stable banking system. Specifically, the Article criticizes the Bank Holding Company Act (BHCA), which prohibits non-banking entities from owning banks. The recent banking collapse...

The Japanese government's response to the financial crisis in the 1990s was late, unprepared and insufficient; it failed to recognize the severity of the crisis, which developed slowly; faced no major domestic or external constraints; and lacked an adequate legal framework for bank resolution....

The intensification of competition in financial markets increases the likelihood of failure and fragility in the banking systems. These failures create serious concerns because of the consequent asset market contractions, insolvency of major institutions and government bailouts mounting up to...