Central banks

Residential real estate (RRE) lending standards: determinants and financial stability implications

06/25/2025 European Central Bank Central banks

This article looks into residential real estate (RRE) lending standards, focusing on their key determinants and assessing the implications of loose lending standards for financial stability and the real economy. Two key insights emerge. First, lending standards tend to be procyclical – i.e., they become looser during economic upturns and tighter during downturns. Second, loose lending standards amplify the effects of negative housing market shocks on the real economy and heighten financial stability risks via an increase in the probability of default of households.

A decade of borrower-based measures in the banking union

06/25/2025 European Central Bank Central banks

Borrower-based measures (BBMs) are critical tools in the banking union’s macroprudential policy frameworks. They are designed to promote sustainable lending practices and strengthen the resilience of borrowers, lenders and the broader economy. Over the past decade, the adoption of BBMs has significantly increased across countries in the banking union, likely reflecting their effectiveness.

The Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority, Prudential Regulation Authority, and Payment Systems Regulator revise Memorandum of Understanding in relation to payments in the UK

06/24/2025 Bank of England Central banks

The Bank of England (the Bank), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) (the Authorities) have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which sets out the high-level framework that we use to cooperate with one another in relation to payments in the UK.

Climate change, firms and aggregate productivity

06/24/2025 European Central Bank Central banks

Our paper uses a general equilibrium framework to examine the effects of temperature on firm-level demand, productivity and input allocative efficiency. Using data from Italian firms and detailed climate data, it uncovers a sizeable negative effect of extreme temperatures on firm-level productivity. Based on these estimates, the model generates aggregate productivity losses from local temperature fluctuations that are higher than previously thought, ranging from 0.60% to 6.82% depending on the scenario and the extent of adaptation.

Pages

Subscribe to Central banks