Bankruptcy

Housing Bankruptcy Ripple Effect

By Adam Levitin

We're starting to see the bankruptcy ripple effect of the housing crisis beyond the housing and financial services industry. Now municipalities are being forced to declare bankruptcy because property tax revenue has dried up while foreclosures have imposed significant strains on municipal resources.

While moral hazard concerns are a real issue for any government aid to borrowers or lenders, its worthwhile remembering a major exception to moral hazard--third-party costs. As Larry Summers summarizes: When the fire department rescues people who start fires by smoking in bed, it creates a moral hazard for in-bed smokers. But no one gets exercised about moral hazard, in part because we know that fires can spread and burn down neighbors' apartments in "contagion" fires and that the in-bed smokers won't take care to insure their neighbors. That's what we're seeing in foreclosure crisis--mounting third-party costs to neighbors and local government. If the municipal government goes bankrupt, it affects everyone in the community--indeed, those who had to relocate because of foreclosure escape this consequence. Foreclosure is a real problem for everyone, not just those who get kicked out of their homes or whose investment portfolios take a hit.

Full post as published by Credit Slips on May 08, 2008 (boomark / email).