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Credit Derivative Destruction And Mortgage-Backed Mayhem: The End Of An Era Of Deregulation, Matt S. Klapper

Matt S Klapper

Abstract: The absence of regulation in mortgage-backed securities and over-the-counter credit derivatives markets was instrumental in fomenting the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression—referred to in this paper as the Great Panic. The antecedents of the Great Panic of 2008 are numerous. Rather than provide an exhaustive compendium of the causes of the Great Panic, the primary focus of this essay is on mortgage-backed securities, credit derivatives and the absence of regulatory oversight. This paper argues for greater transparency in these opaque securities markets as a means of reducing systemic risk and improving regulatory oversight. Mortgage-backed securities (MBS), particularly …