Mortgage Rates and American Capital Market Development in the Late Nineteenth Century

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic History
Year: 1987
Volume: 47
Issue: 3
Pages: 671-691

Score contribution per author:

2.018 = (α=2.02 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Substantial regional differentials in mortgage rates persisted throughout the postbellum period. I find that these differentials reflected not only variations in lending risk, but also the costs incurred in transferring funds between markets and unexplained regional premia. The results are consistent with the traditional interpretation that capital markets were at least partially segmented throughout the late nineteenth century. The effects on home and farm mortgage rates in the South and West were substantial and suggest that market segmentation could have had a substantial impact on the regional pattern of urbanization as well as agricultural development.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jechis:v:47:y:1987:i:03:p:671-691_04
Journal Field
Economic History
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29