Beginning of the End

“At the beginning of the dynasty, taxation yields a large revenue from small assessments.  At the end of the dynasty, taxation yields a small revenue from large assessments.” – Ibn Khaldun

Excess Debt?

“Never borrow money unless you know—with a high degree of certainty—the asset you buy with borrowed money will yield a return far in excess of your debt service payments.” -Mark Ford

Increased Risk

“This paper has investigated the effect of government assistance on bank risk taking. While we do not find a significant effect of government assistance on the aggregate credit supply, our results suggest a considerable effect on the risk of originated loans.

After being approved for federal funds […] participants issue riskier loans and increase capital allocations to riskier, higher-yield securities, as compared to banks that were denied federal funds. [T]he net effect is a significant increase in systemic risk and the probability of distress at approved banks. Overall, our evidence is broadly consistent with the theories that predict an increase in risk taking incentives as a result of government protection.” -Journal of Financial Economics, Professors Ran Duchin and Denis Sosyura