Better than risk‐free: Reserve premiums and bank lending

Raymond Kim

The Financial Review, 2025, vol. 60, issue 2, 541-571

Abstract: When the Federal Reserve first paid interest on excess reserves (IOER) in October 2008, banks faced a choice to earn a “better than” risk‐free rate, or lend to earn a higher, riskier rate. Evidence suggests the “reserves‐lending puzzle” is not driven by endogeneity from reverse causality, flight to safety, or increased Treasury supply, but by the introduction of the “reserve premium” (IOER‐3MT), which is associated with a reduction of domestic bank‐level lending by ‐5.1% (‐$420.2B). Findings suggest the reserves risk channel can aid in restricting inflation. Additionally, recent Senior Financial Officer Surveys corroborate the conclusions presented in this paper.

Date: 2025
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