Nearly 30% of US banks employ at least one board member who currently serves (or has previously served) the Federal Reserve in a public service role. Public service roles take the form of Federal Reserve directorships or memberships in Federal Reserve advisory councils. We show that connections...

Widespread losses during the recent financial crisis have increased concerns that equity-based compensation for bank CEOs causes excessive risk-taking by banks. Debt-based compensation, so-called inside debt, aligns the interests of CEOs with those of external creditors. We examine whether...