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Finance and Financial Management

Ursinus College

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Banknotes

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Full-Text Articles in Business

Caught In The Headlights: Revising The Road Kill Hypothesis Of Antebellum Illinois Bank Failures, Scott N. Clayman, Scott Deacle, Andrew J. Economopoulos May 2017

Caught In The Headlights: Revising The Road Kill Hypothesis Of Antebellum Illinois Bank Failures, Scott N. Clayman, Scott Deacle, Andrew J. Economopoulos

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

Illinois had a dismal free banking experience, with over 80% of its free banks failing by the start of the Civil War. Researchers agree that a dramatic change in bond prices was the catalyst, and some have shown that the riskiest banks, ex ante, were the most likely to fail. This study examines how Illinois free banks adjusted their portfolios in the face of increased political and financial risks prior to Abraham Lincoln’s election as president. Lincoln’s nomination in May 1860 and the Democratic Party schism in June 1860 raised the likelihood of secession and the potential for a significant …


The New York Free Banking Era: Deregulation Or Reregulation?, Andrew J. Economopoulos Apr 1987

The New York Free Banking Era: Deregulation Or Reregulation?, Andrew J. Economopoulos

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

The deregulation of the banking market is a frequently debated policy issue. Proponents of deregulation claim that free market forces would improve market efficiency. The basis for their argument is grounded in the work and tenets of Adam Smith. Deregulation opponents claim that a bank market left unfettered would disrupt the financial market; bank mismanagement, failures, and panics would pervade the market and cause distrust of the banking system . Opponents of deregulation derive their beliefs from actual historical experiences rather than theory . Many opponents point to a period of American banking history, called the Free Banking Era (1838-1863), …