Mortgage arrears, regulation and institutions: Cross-country evidence

Using a newly constructed database for 26 countries over 2000-2014, we analyze cross-country and within-country differences in mortgage arrears. We find that restrictive macro-prudential policies, in particular lower regulatory loan-to-value ratios, are significantly associated with a lower share of mortgage arrears in total residential debt. Likewise, better institutions are related with lower delinquency rates, both directly and by enhancing the impact of macro-prudential policies and the right to recourse. We also find that the effect of macro-prudential policies is conditioned by several mortgage market characteristics, such as the maturity of loans, interest rate fixity, and tax deductibility of interest payments.