Article: Information and intertemporal decision processes in banking: the run on Northern Rock Journal: International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences (IJADS) 2008 Vol.1 No.4 pp.359 - 396 Abstract: The run on Northern Rock was due to its business and funding model and to external events in global markets that prompted it to resort to the Bank of England for liquidity support. The vast majority of its funding was sourced from wholesale market depositors and these had more information, and earlier, on issues with Northern Rocks funding strategy than retail market depositors. In 2007, following an announcement of liquidity support to Northern Rock, retail market depositors reacted and there was a run on it. Deposit insurance was only partial and it was only when there was an assurance by the government that it would be extended to the full amount of deposits if the run discontinue. There was not a run on the banking system. A theoretical model of a bank run, based on those of Diamond and Dybvig (1983), Jacklin and Bhattacharya (1988), Alonso (1996) and Peck and Shell (2003), is proposed. This differs from previous models in that it is capable of generating a run on a bank or a subset of banks, based on bank reputation, among other factors, when there is the same external shock for all banks in an economy. The model incorporates many of the characteristics of the Northern Rock run and is developed to reiterate, within the confines of such an analysis, these events. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Information and intertemporal decision processes in banking: the run on Northern Rock

Authors: Aidan O'Connor, Francisco Javier Santos Arteaga

Addresses: Departement de Management, Systemes et Strategie, ESCEM Ecole Superieure de Commerce et de Management, 11 rue de l'Ancienne Comedic, Poitiers, 86001, France. ' Facolta di Economia, Libera Universita di Bolzano, via Sernesi 1, Bolzano, 39100, Italy

Abstract: The run on Northern Rock was due to its business and funding model and to external events in global markets that prompted it to resort to the Bank of England for liquidity support. The vast majority of its funding was sourced from wholesale market depositors and these had more information, and earlier, on issues with Northern Rocks funding strategy than retail market depositors. In 2007, following an announcement of liquidity support to Northern Rock, retail market depositors reacted and there was a run on it. Deposit insurance was only partial and it was only when there was an assurance by the government that it would be extended to the full amount of deposits if the run discontinue. There was not a run on the banking system. A theoretical model of a bank run, based on those of Diamond and Dybvig (1983), Jacklin and Bhattacharya (1988), Alonso (1996) and Peck and Shell (2003), is proposed. This differs from previous models in that it is capable of generating a run on a bank or a subset of banks, based on bank reputation, among other factors, when there is the same external shock for all banks in an economy. The model incorporates many of the characteristics of the Northern Rock run and is developed to reiterate, within the confines of such an analysis, these events.

Keywords: bank funding; bank lending; bank liquidity; bank reputation; bank run modelling; financial instability; information asymmetries; Northern Rock; UK banking; United Kingdom; mortgage lending; retail banks; decision making.

DOI: 10.1504/IJADS.2008.022976

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2008 Vol.1 No.4, pp.359 - 396

Published online: 05 Feb 2009 *

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Title: Information and intertemporal decision processes in banking: the run on Northern Rock

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