Research and Course Guides: Financial Crisis Research: Finding Data & Other web resources

Finding Data

Your assignment calls for you to use quantitative data to support your arguments. You can trace the original data sources used by articles in your literature review, or find your own data. This page has some helpful sources.

Finding statistical data can be complex, so don't hesitate to call me for help.

Banking Data

Federal Reserve System Economic Research & Data
Research reports and statistics and historical data on banks, lending, consumer credit, etc.
Economic Research portal
Includes Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) data sets and graphing/mapping tools for dozens of U.S. and international data series.
FRASER
A large online archival collection of documents, data, and primary resources on U.S. financial systems.
Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council
The FFIEC prescribes standards for the federal examination of financial institutions; includes reports on bank performance, "call reports", HMDA/CRA reports, etc.
FDIC Industry Analysis
Bank statistics and research papers from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, including the Quarterly Banking Report.
FDIC Bank Failure information and data
Includes summary and detailed information on bank and thrift failures since the FDIC was established in 1934.

Key Economic Data Sources

Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
This resource is the first place to go when trying to locate statistical information.
It provides tables with statistics in many different areas, and includes links to
original source data to help locate related data. Earlier editions are also available.
Covers 1970-present.

Statistical Abstracts of the United States (Archives)
This Census Bureau site contains the archived back issues of the Statistical Abstracts of the United States.
Census Bureau Economic Indicators page
Direct links to data series, including many of those listed above, plus some others regarding manufacturing, housing, and services sector finances.
Bureau of Labor Statistics home page
Use the Subject Areas section menu at the top to navigate data sources on inflation and prices, consumer spending, employment and unemployment, pay and benefits, productivity, etc.
Bureau of Economic Analysis home page
Portal to the BEA's data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), personal income and outlays, balance of payments, etc.
U.S. Department of the Treasury home page
Includes papers on economic policy, statistical data on interest rates, the TARP programs, Treasury Recovery Act, etc.
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a federal agency that provides economic information and revenue projections for Congress. The reports they produce are "objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget."

Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
The standard source for the quantitative facts of American history including statistics. Topics covered include: population, work and welfare, economics, international relations and governance.

International Data

Passport This link opens in a new window
Euromonitor’s Passport is a global market research database providing statistics, analysis, reports, and surveys on industries, countries, and consumers worldwide. Available only to current UST students, faculty, and staff.
International Financial Statistics Online This link opens in a new window
Sponsored by the International Monetary Fund, IFS is a standard source of economic and financial data for most countries of the world. Includes many macroeconomic indicators including measures of money supply, exchange rates, trade/balance of payments, prices/inflation, interest rates, employment, and national income & product accounts. Useful for international economics and business statistical data needs. Can search for indicators & countries and download to Excel.

UN Data
The main statistical data search page for the United Nations. Retrieves information across disparate UN databases, from countries around the world. See the "Metadata" link to see information about data sets, and the "More" link to see an advanced search and an "Explorer" view that allows you to browse by data set, source, or topic.
OFFSTATS
The OFFSTATS database provides access to free statistics from official sources on the web. Web links are arranged by country, region or subject. The database can be searched by a single category, or a combination of categories.

Congressional Research Service reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
Briefing documents on public policies, prepared for Congress, available to the public.

Need More Data?

Go to this guide for many more statistical data resources:

*Datasets & Statistics Guide
by Jim Kelly Last Updated Mar 12, 2024 907 views this year