The debate is also reflected in the efforts to reform the regulatory environment in response to the current financial crisis. Brunnermeier et al. (2008) also conceptually distinguish between a regulatory and a market based notion of bank capital. When examining the roots of the crisis, Greenlaw et al. (2008) argue that banks’ active management of their capital structures in relation to internal value at risk, rather than regulatory constraints, was a key destabilising factor. Finally, since the patterns of banks’ capital structure line up with those uncovered for firms, our results reflect back on corporate finance findings
