Background
A building and loan association, also known variously as a savings and loan association, is a financial cooperative that facilitates mortgage financing for its members, primarily individuals and families seeking to own homes. It is a pivotal element in the landscape of American housing finance.
Historical Context
The building and loan association has roots in 19th century America, modeled after the British building societies. Initially, they were mutual organizations owned by their depositors, with a focus on community-driven support for home ownership, essentially fostering an ecosystem wherein savings were pooled and lent out as mortgages.
Definitions and Concepts
A building and loan association is an institution that provides home loans to its members, often at more favorable terms than those available from commercial banks. Members typically save and borrow simultaneously, reflecting a tradition of mutual aid.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
From a classical perspective, building and loan associations can be seen as promoting savings and efficient allocation of resources, columns of classical economic thought responsible for enhancing productive investments in housing.
Neoclassical Economics
Neoclassical analysis emphasizes how these associations minimize the cost of intermediation, reduce information asymmetry, and facilitate market clearing through home mortgage finance.
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian views consider the role played by these associations in stimulating aggregate demand, particularly housing demand, through the multiplier effect stemming from increased home building and ownership.
Marxian Economics
Marxian analysis critiques these institutions as mechanisms supporting capital accumulation and commodification of housing, highlighting how benefits often skew toward more affluent segments of society.
Institutional Economics
Building and loan associations are significant case studies in institutional economics, underscoring the importance of cooperative behavior, trust-based reciprocal arrangements, and regulatory environments in shaping economic outcomes.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economists explore the psychosocial factors that drive individuals to participate in these cooperatives, including trust, perceived security, and the community-centric appeal of mutual savings.
Post-Keynesian Economics
Post-Keynesian perspectives emphasize the indispensability of these associations for maintaining housing stability and broadening home ownership, critical for mitigating economic disparities.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economists might examine building and loan associations under the lens of voluntary association and spontaneous order, emphasizing their bottom-up formation and coordination of capital.
Development Economics
From a development economics angle, these institutions are crucial for broad-based economic development by facilitating increased access to housing, fueling broader economic well-being.
Monetarism
Monetarists analyze how the financial stability and money supply linked to these institutions affect benchmarks like interest rates, inflation, and general economic liquidity.
Comparative Analysis
Comparatively, the U.S. building and loan associations perform a similar function to the UK building societies, albeit within different regulatory, cultural, and economic structures.
Case Studies
Historical cases such as the role of building and loan associations during the Great Depression under the New Deal, or their transformation in the Savings and Loan Crisis of the 1980s, showcase their complex evolution and impact.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “The Evolution of the American Savings and Loan Industry” by Roger L. Blandford.
- “Savings and Loan Crisis: Lessons from a Great Experiment in Financial Deregulation” by John O’Brien.
Related Terms with Definitions
- Savings and Loan Association: Another term used in the U.S. for building and loan associations, emphasizing their combined roles in personal savings and mortgage lending.
- Building Society: The UK counterpart to a U.S. building and loan association, performing similar functions within the British housing finance system.
- Mutual Organization: A type of cooperative enterprise owned by its members who share in its profits and governance, central to the operational structure of building and loan associations.
