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Journal of Finance Vol. 79 No. 6 2024

Liquidity Transformation and Fragility in the U.S. Banking Sector

Qi Chen1; Itay Goldstein; Zeqiong Huang; Rahul Vashishtha2,3

1 Duke University · 2 Chinese University of Hong Kong · 3 Issues Research

Abstract

Liquidity transformation, a key role of banks, is thought to increase fragility, as uninsured depositors face an incentive to withdraw money before others (a so‐called panic run). Despite much theoretical work, however, there is little empirical evidence establishing this mechanism. In this paper, we provide the first large‐scale evidence of this mechanism. Banks that engage in more liquidity transformation exhibit higher fragility, as captured by stronger sensitivities of uninsured deposit flows to bank performance and greater levels of uninsured deposit outflows when performance is poor. We also explore the effects of deposit insurance and systemic risk.

DOI
10.1111/jofi.13390
Volume
79
Issue
6
Pages
3985-4036
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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