Bank Lending Channel Effectiveness and Loan Sales in the US

This paper examines whether banks that sell loans in the secondary market respond differently to a monetary policy innovation from those that do not engage in loan sales. We answer this question by measuring the policy response while controlling for loan sales activities. Using a simple theoretical model and U.S. bank-level Call Report longitudinal data for the period 1991Q1-2008 Q4, we conduct a dynamic panel regression analysis. We find that the long-run response to a typical policy shock is three times greater for mid-size banks engaging in loan sales. Given the increase in proportion of banks engaging in loan sales, this finding has strong implications for policy makers and bank industry volatility.