We investigate the evolution of US bank capitalization and examine its role in the crosssection of bank stock returns. We use the book capital ratio (BCR), the market capital ratio (MCR) and the stressed capital ratio (SCR) as three proxies for bank capitalization and find that the MCR and the...

Little is known about the impact of high inflation on public trust. Using a survey in the Netherlands, we find that the recent increase in inflation is associated with a decline in trust in Dutch politics and the Dutch central bank. The higher individuals’ perceived inflation is and the harder...

This paper critically reviews the debate on CRAs and, in the light thereof, analyses the European regulatory approach to CRAs, thereby combining insights from economics and law. We first provide some basic background on the function of CRAs. Thereafter, we focus on the two main tasks for which...

Using data for a large sample of banks from 31 OECD countries over 1995–2018, we analyze the impact of belonging to a banking group on banks’ net interest margins. Our results confirm a positive relationship between interest rates and interest margins, which is stronger in a low-interest...

This paper introduces a two-step strategy, the synthetic control method combined with the difference-in-differences method, to evaluate the effectiveness of the Dodd-Frank Act (DFA). We find no evidence from our counterfactual analysis in support of the DFA reducing systemic risk in the US...

This paper examines the impact of labour and product market reforms on economic growth in 25 OECD countries between 1985 and 2013, and tests whether this impact is conditioned by the fiscal policy stance, i.e. whether there are fiscal expansions or adjustments. Our local projection results...

Written for undergraduate and graduate students of finance, economics and business, the fourth edition of Financial Markets and Institutions provides a fresh analysis of the European financial system. Combining theory, data and policy, this successful textbook examines and explains financial...

This paper investigates how countries' micro-prudential regulatory regimes are related to banks' systemic risk. We use a bank-level systemic risk indicator that can be decomposed into a bank's individual risk and its systemic linkage. To proxy the strictness of a country's regulatory regime, we...

Using fourteen years of data on Dutch consumers' trust in financial institutions, we find that financially literate consumers are more likely to trust banks, insurance companies and pension funds, and the competence and integrity of the managers of these institutions. This holds both for...

This paper starts with a discussion of the various aspects of accountability of central banks. On the basis of this discussion we construct an indicator for accountability for 16 central banks, including the European Central Bank. It is shown that the degree of accountability differs...