A MICROSOFT EXCEL® TEMPLATE FOR TEACHING ABOUT BANK RUNS OR RUNNING BANK RUN EXPERIMENTS

In this paper we describe a Microsoft Excel ® template useful for instructors wishing to show students the incentives faced by bank depositors who suspect that their bank is in danger of becoming illiquid or insolvent, or wishing to play the run-on-thebank game in class. The template is very flexible allowing for anywhere between two to ten bank customers, variable rates of return on bank investments, and lending rates. The template allows instructors to simulate traditional as well as silent bank runs, both of which are especially relevant to today‟s students in view of the recent financial crisis.