Optimal regulation of deposit taking financial intermediaries: A correction

This paper corrects a paper of David Miles, published in the European Economic Review in 1995, reversing some of the conclusions he draws. Solving his model correctly it turns out that, because depositors are unable to monitor the default risk of individual banks, moral hazard gives banks an incentive to increase risky lending. Prudential capital requirements reduce incentives to hold risky loans. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.