IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wop/minnec/_005.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Why Banks Should Keep Secrets

Author

Listed:
  • Todd R. Kaplan

Abstract

I present an example showing it is sometimes efficient for a bank to commit to a policy that keeps information about its risky assets private. Current practices in banking result in bankers having private information: demand deposits are non-contingent contracts, there are time lags before the public has access to updated balance sheets, and certain items on a bank's balance sheet are marked at book-value rather than market-value. The Savings & Loan failures in the 1980's have led to an increase in banking legislation such as the FIRREA of 1989 and the FDICIA of 1991. These laws affect the release of information about a bank's assets by creating a minimum capital requirement, imposing a new examination standard for banks' assets, and implementing a risk-based insurance scheme.

Suggested Citation

  • Todd R. Kaplan, "undated". "Why Banks Should Keep Secrets," Working papers _005, University of Minnesota, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:wop:minnec:_005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.econ.umn.edu/~todd/risky.ps
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Myerson, Roger B, 1983. "Mechanism Design by an Informed Principal," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 51(6), pages 1767-1797, November.
    2. Verrecchia, Re, 1982. "The Use Of Mathematical-Models In Financial Accounting," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20, pages 1-42.
    3. Douglas W. Diamond & Philip H. Dybvig, 2000. "Bank runs, deposit insurance, and liquidity," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, vol. 24(Win), pages 14-23.
    4. Gorton, Gary, 1985. "Bank suspension of convertibility," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 177-193, March.
    5. Ted Temzelides & Bernandino Adao, 1995. "Beliefs, Competition, and Bank Runs," Finance 9511001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. V.V. Chari & Ravi Jagannathan, 1984. "Banking Panics," Discussion Papers 618, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
    7. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:3:p:749-61 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Neil Wallace, 1988. "Another attempt to explain an illiquid banking system: the Diamond and Dybvig model with sequential service taken seriously," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, vol. 12(Fall), pages 3-16.
    9. Bernardino Adao & Ted Temzelides, 1998. "Sequential Equilibrium and Competition in a Diamond-Dybvig Banking Model," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 1(4), pages 859-877, October.
    10. S. Rao Aiyagari, 1988. "Banking panics, information, and rational expectations equilibrium," Working Papers 320, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Romans Pancs, 2015. "Efficient dark markets," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 59(3), pages 605-624, August.
    2. Stenzel, A. & Wagner, W.B., 2013. "Asset Opacity and Liquidity," Other publications TiSEM 36533529-29b8-4e85-9abd-0, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Dieter Balkenborg & Todd Kaplan & Timothy Miller, 2011. "Teaching Bank Runs with Classroom Experiments," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 224-242, July.
    4. David Andolfatto & Fernando Martin, 2013. "Information Disclosure and Exchange Media," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 16(3), pages 527-539, July.
    5. Stenzel, André, 2018. "Security design with interim public information," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 113-130.
    6. Jungherr, Joachim, 2018. "Bank opacity and financial crises," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 157-176.
    7. Ryuichiro Izumi, 2021. "Opacity: Insurance and Fragility," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 40, pages 146-169, April.
    8. Jeremy Bertomeu & Davide Cianciaruso, 2018. "Verifiable disclosure," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 65(4), pages 1011-1044, June.
    9. Stenzel, A. & Wagner, W.B., 2013. "Asset Opacity and Liquidity," Discussion Paper 2013-066, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    10. Todd Kaplan, 2012. "Communication of preferences in contests for contracts," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 51(2), pages 487-503, October.
    11. Chakravarty, Surajeet & Choo, Lawrence & Fonseca, Miguel A. & Kaplan, Todd R., 2021. "Should regulators always be transparent? a bank run experiment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    12. Biancini, Sara & Verdier, Marianne, 2023. "Bank-platform competition in the credit market," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Chakravarty, Surajeet & Fonseca, Miguel A. & Kaplan, Todd R., 2014. "An experiment on the causes of bank run contagions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 39-51.
    14. André Stenzel & Wolf Wagner, 2022. "Opacity, liquidity and disclosure requirements," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5-6), pages 658-689, May.
    15. Frank Gigler & Thomas Hemmer, 2008. "On the welfare effects of allowing unlimited renegotiation in agency relationships," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 37(2), pages 243-265, November.
    16. Wagner, Wolf & Uras, Burak, 2017. "Efficient Lemons," CEPR Discussion Papers 11803, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    17. Timmermann, Allan & Schmidt, Lawrence & , & Wermers, Russ, 2017. "Transparency, Investor Information Acquisition, and Money Market Fund Risk Rebalancing during the 2011-12 Eurozone Crisis," CEPR Discussion Papers 11895, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Karlo Kauko, 2016. "Does Opaqueness Make Equity Capital Expensive for Banks?," Revista de Economía del Rosario, Universidad del Rosario, vol. 17(2), pages 203-227, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Huberto M. Ennis & Todd Keister, 2009. "Bank Runs and Institutions: The Perils of Intervention," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(4), pages 1588-1607, September.
    2. Guilherme Carmona & Patrick Leoni, 2003. "Equilibrium non-panic bank failures," Nova SBE Working Paper Series wp424, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics.
    3. Carlson, Mark, 2005. "Causes of bank suspensions in the panic of 1893," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 56-80, January.
    4. Jean-Charles Rochet & Xavier Vives, 2004. "Coordination Failures and the Lender of Last Resort: Was Bagehot Right After All?," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 2(6), pages 1116-1147, December.
    5. Skeie, David R., 2008. "Banking with nominal deposits and inside money," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 562-584, October.
    6. Dwyer Jr., Gerald P. & Samartín, Margarita, 2009. "Why do banks promise to pay par on demand?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 147-169, June.
    7. Massimo Sbracia & Andrea Zaghini, 2003. "The Role of the Banking System in the International Transmission of Shocks," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 727-754, May.
    8. Eugene N. White & Cormac Ó Gráda, 2002. "Who panics during panics? Evidence from a nineteenth century savings bank," Working Papers 200212, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    9. Guilherme Carmona, 2004. "On the Existence of Equilibrium Bank Runs in a Diamond-Dybvig Environment," Finance 0404009, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Gu, Chao, 2011. "Herding and bank runs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(1), pages 163-188, January.
    11. Jefferson Bertolai & Ricardo Cavalcanti & Paulo Monteiro, 2014. "Run theorems for low returns and large banks," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 57(2), pages 223-252, October.
    12. Carmona, Guilherme, 2007. "Bank failures caused by Large withdrawals: An explanation based purely on liquidity," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(7-8), pages 818-841, September.
    13. Acharya, Viral & Yorulmazer, Tanju, 2003. "Information Contagion and Inter-Bank Correlation in a Theory of Systemic Risk," CEPR Discussion Papers 3743, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Stephen D. Prowse, 1997. "The economics of private placements : middle-market corporate finance, life insurance companies, and a credit crunch," Economic and Financial Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, issue Q III, pages 12-24.
    15. Jungu Yang, 2018. "The Banks' Swansong: Banking and the Financial Markets under Asymmetric Information," Working Papers 2018-16, Economic Research Institute, Bank of Korea.
    16. João Santos, 1998. "Commercial Banks in the Securities Business: A Review," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 14(1), pages 35-60, July.
    17. Cormac O Grada & Morgan Kelly, 2000. "Market Contagion: Evidence from the Panics of 1854 and 1857," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1110-1124, December.
    18. Ennis, Huberto M. & Keister, Todd, 2010. "Banking panics and policy responses," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(4), pages 404-419, May.
    19. TCHANA TCHANA, Fulbert, 2008. "Regulation and Banking Stability: A Survey of Empirical Studies," MPRA Paper 9298, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 30 May 2008.
    20. Carlos Pimienta & Cristian Litan, 2008. "Conditions for equivalence between sequentiality and subgame perfection," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 35(3), pages 539-553, June.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wop:minnec:_005. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Thomas Krichel (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/deumnus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.