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Information or persuasion in the mortgage market: the role of brand names

Author

Listed:
  • Agnese Carella

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Valentina Michelangeli

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

The role, informative or persuasive, of brand names in driving purchasing decisions is very much under debate. We exploit the rebranding of a mortgage lender to analyse households’ choice behaviour in response to brand popularity. Loan-level data on new mortgages suggest that (1) brand awareness reduces the equilibrium price of residential mortgage contracts and (2) the reduction mainly reflects consumers’ selection of cheaper products due to better information. Our calibrated model implies an overall gain equal to 6 per cent of the initial loan amount and a roughly 10 percentage point increase in the share of households that shift to cheaper lenders.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnese Carella & Valentina Michelangeli, 2021. "Information or persuasion in the mortgage market: the role of brand names," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1340, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_1340_21
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    File URL: https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/temi-discussione/2021/2021-1340/en_tema_1340.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    brand; mortgages; household finance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D15 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

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