Discount Window Treatment -

Despite Fed efforts to encourage usage, the DW remains heavily stigmatized.

Banks often choose to pay high premiums (e.g., 13–44 basis points above the DW rate) to borrow from private markets rather than use the Fed, simply to avoid appearing financially weak. discount window treatment

(2020): A Richmond Fed Economic Brief that explains how stigma undermines the Fed's role as the "lender of last resort". Quick Definition: The Discount Window Discount Window Stigma After the Global Financial Crisis Despite Fed efforts to encourage usage, the DW

Stigma surfaced eight months before the 2023 regional banking crisis and has not significantly subsided since. Other Key Research Papers Quick Definition: The Discount Window Discount Window Stigma

Olivier Armantier, Marco Cipriani, and Asani Sarkar

(2024): Explores why banks use the window outside of crises, noting that smaller banks with illiquid portfolios are the most frequent users.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Report No. 1137 (Revised March 2026) Key Findings: