Oksana Koneva

George Selgin: Fed funds market shift led to rise in U.S. bank reserves and reduced peer monitoring

George Selgin: Fed funds market shift led to rise in U.S. bank reserves and reduced peer monitoring
Fed policy boosted bank reserves, peer monitoring fell

George Selgin argued that the Federal Reserve's transition to a floor system effectively destroyed the interbank fed funds market, which had previously allowed U.S. banks to operate with just $50 billion in reserves compared to the current $3 trillion that remains occasionally insufficient. Selgin also stated that the old market structure promoted peer monitoring among banks, which helped limit runs triggered by panic.

Selgin has previously described fractional reserve banking as a feature common to nearly all banking systems, and criticized attempts to deny its existence in a prior analysis. He has also questioned the accuracy of claims that banks lend $9 for every $1 deposited, calling such statements evidence of poor understanding of banking, according to a separate commentary. These views inform his broader critiques of post-crisis market structures.

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