Richmond Fed’s “Economic Quarterly” Examines Whether Bank Supervisors Should Disclose Information About Their Banks

Bank supervisors gather important information on banks’ balance sheet, operations, and management. This is information that is potentially valuable to investors, but neither the supervisors nor the banks are allowed to share it. Should such information be made public? Richmond Fed economist Edward S. Prescott examines whether public dissemination of this knowledge can actually have a negative effect on the ability of supervisors to collect it and therefore limit the effectiveness of supervision.

You can find the full text of this article and others in the latest issue of “Economic Quarterly” at: http://www.richmondfed.org/publications/economic_research/economic_quarterly/

Also in the Winter 2008 issue:

 —  “Credit Access, Labor Supply, and Consumer Welfare” by Kartik B.     Athreya      —  “Antitrust Analysis in Banking: Goals, Methods, and Justifications in     a Changed Environment” by John R. Walter and Patricia E. Wescott      —  “A Quantitative Study of the Role of Wealth Inequality on Asset     Prices” by Juan Carlos Hatchondo      

The “Economic Quarterly” is a free publication containing economic analysis pertinent to Federal Reserve monetary and banking policy. For free copies or more information, contact the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Public Affairs office at 804.697.7982.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is one of 12 District Reserve Banks that together with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the Federal Reserve System. The Richmond Fed serves the Fifth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and most of West Virginia.

 Contacts: John Weinberg Director of Research Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 804.697.8205  Kay Haynes Managing Editor Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Economic Quarterly Email Contact 804.627.1582  

SOURCE: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond