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The consequences of student loan credit expansions: Evidence from three decades of default cycles

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  • Looney, Adam
  • Yannelis, Constantine

Abstract

This paper studies the link between credit availability and student loan repayment using administrative federal student loan data. We demonstrate that policy-driven changes in credit available to high-default institutions explain almost all of the historical time-series variation in defaults. Between 1981 and 1988, eligibility for federal loans was expanded, leading to the entry of institutions with borrowers more likely to default. From 1988 to 1992, credit access was tightened, leading to the exit of many institutions with high default rates. After 1992, the cycle was repeated, with credit access gradually loosened by unwinding many of the pre-1992 reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Looney, Adam & Yannelis, Constantine, 2022. "The consequences of student loan credit expansions: Evidence from three decades of default cycles," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(2), pages 771-793.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:143:y:2022:i:2:p:771-793
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.06.013
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    Cited by:

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    2. Catherine, Sylvain & Yannelis, Constantine, 2023. "The distributional effects of student loan forgiveness," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(2), pages 297-316.
    3. Nadia Karamcheva & Jeffrey Perry & Constantine Yannelis, 2020. "Income-Driven Repayment Plans for Student Loans: Working Paper 2020-02," Working Papers 56337, Congressional Budget Office.
    4. Chu, Yu-Wei Luke & Cuffe, Harold E, 2020. "Do Struggling Students Benefit From Continued Student Loan Access? Evidence From University and Beyond," Working Paper Series 21067, Victoria University of Wellington, School of Economics and Finance.
    5. Michael Boutros & Nuno Clara & Francisco Gomes, 2023. "Borrow Now, Pay Even Later: A Quantitative Analysis of Student Debt Payment Plans," Staff Working Papers 23-54, Bank of Canada.
    6. Lau, Christopher V., 2020. "Are federal student loan accountability regulations effective?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    7. Adam Looney & Constantine Yannelis, 2020. "How To Fix Federal Student Loan Programs," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 540-547, March.
    8. Zhenjie Wang & Jiewei Zhang & Hafeez Ullah, 2023. "Exploring the Multidimensional Perspective of Retail Investors’ Attention: The Mediating Influence of Corporate Governance and Information Disclosure on Corporate Environmental Performance in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-33, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household finance; Credit expansion; Human Capital; Loan default;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • H81 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Governmental Loans; Loan Guarantees; Credits; Grants; Bailouts

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