Definition
The Garn–St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 is an Act of Congress that deregulated savings and loan associations and allowed banks to provide adjustable-rate mortgage loans. It is disputed whether the act was a mitigating or contributing factor in the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s.
Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act
What is ‘Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act ‘
A law enacted by Congress in 1982 to enable banks and other savings institutions to compete more readily in the money market. It got rid of the interest rate ceiling that they once had to abide by, authorized them to make commercial loans and gave the federal agencies the ability to approve bank acquisitions.
Explaining ‘Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act ‘
This act was one of the contributing factors of the Savings and Loan Crisis. The S&L crisis was one of the largest government bailouts in U.S. history costing approximately $124 billion. The bailout came to help the 747 savings and loan associations in the U.S. but failed, partly due to the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act.
Further Reading
- The Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982: The Impact on Thrifts – heinonline.org [PDF]
