Bank Runs
Comprehensive database of historical bank distress episodes in the United States, including runs, suspensions, and closures with linked newspaper articles.
Datasets
Bank Census
Historical census data on U.S. banking institutions.
Coming SoonHistorical Call Reports
Bank-level balance sheets for all national banks, digitized from the Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency (1863–1941). Includes over 370,000 bank-year observations.
Historical NIC
Historical National Information Center data on banking organizations.
Coming SoonModern Call Reports
Contemporary Reports of Condition and Income (Call Reports) for U.S. commercial banks (1959–)
Modern NIC
Contemporary National Information Center data on banking organizations.
Coming SoonTools
Python packages developed as part of this project:
Research
The datasets above were compiled as part of the following research papers:
- Failing Banks — Why do banks fail? The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2025
- Bank Runs With and Without Bank Failure — What’s the role of bank runs in panics and failures? Working Paper, 2026
- Supervising Failing Banks — What’s the role of bank supervision? NBER Working Paper, 2025
- Bank Failures: Solvency versus Liquidity — Reviews theory and evidence on the solvency and liquidity views NBER Working Paper, 2026
- The Effects of Banking Competition on Growth and Financial Stability: Evidence from the National Banking Era — How does bank competition affect credit, growth, and financial stability? Journal of Political Economy, 2022