Includes bibliographical references and index.

The economics of consumer credit demand and supply / Giuseppe Bertola, Richard Disney, Charles Grant -- Consumer credit markets in the United States and Europe / Nicola Jentzsch, Ampara San José Riestra -- Household debt demand and supply: a cross-country comparison / Jonathan N. Crook -- Regulation, formal and informal enforcement, and the development of the household loan market: lessons from Italy / Luca Casolaro, Leonardo Gambacorta, Luigi Guiso -- Housing wealth and the accumulation of financial debt: evidence from U.K. households / Sarah Bridges, Richard Disney, Andrew Henley -- Credit cards: facts and theories / Carol C. Bertaut, Michael Haliassos -- Bankruptcy and consumer behavior: theory and U.S. evidence / Michelle J. White -- The evolution of the credit counseling industry in the United States / Michael Staten -- Development and regulation of consumer credit reporting in the United States / Robert M. Hunt -- The role and effects of credit information sharing / Tullio Jappelli, Marco Pagano.