The Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis and Regulation Reforms on Loan Growth: Evidence from the Effect of Capital

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, bank behavior and banking supervision have been criticized, prompting a series of regulations, such as the Dodd-Frank Act and Basel III reforms. This study focuses on the periods before and after the 2008 financial crisis and examines whether the banks' lending behavior changed after the 2008 crash. We use a sample composed of U.S. bank holding companies during the period from 2001Q2 to 2015Q1 and find that the effect of capital ratio on loan growth declines dramatically after the financial crisis compared to that before the crisis. The results suggest that after the financial crisis, lending behavior may be restricted by the banks themselves and by the stricter regulations. Our evidence also implies that the regulation reforms might really have an impact on banks' behavior.