The financial crisis: an inside view

Phillip Swagel

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: This paper reviews the policy response to the 2007–09 financial crisis from the perspective of a senior Treasury official at the time. Government agencies faced severe constraints in addressing the crisis: lack of legal authority for potentially helpful financial stabilization measures, a Congress reluctant to grant such authority, and the need to act quickly in the midst of a market panic. Treasury officials recognized the dangers arising from mounting foreclosures and worked to facilitate limited mortgage modifications, but going further was politically unacceptable because public funds would have gone to some irresponsible borrowers. The suddenness of Bear Stearns’ collapse in March 2008 made rescue necessary and led to preparation of emergency options should conditions worsen. The Treasury saw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s rescue that summer as necessary to calm markets, despite the moral hazard created. After Lehman Brothers failed in September, the Treasury genuinely intended to buy illiquid securities from troubled institutions but turned to capital injections as the crisis deepened.

Keywords: financial crisis; Treasury Department; TARP; housing; foreclosures; Lehman Brothers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E0 G01 N2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-04-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac, nep-reg and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (41)

Published in Brookings Papers on Economic Activity Spring 2009 (2009): pp. 1-63

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Journal Article: The Financial Crisis: An Inside View (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:21104

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