Money Under the Mattress: An Examination of Mexican Immigrants' Banking Habits in the U.S.
Date
2006-06
Authors
Dicharry, Carolyn
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Abstract
This paper examines factors that influence the likelihood that a Mexican immigrant will open a bank account in the United States. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project, regression analyses are used to evaluate how personal characteristics of immigrants and U.S. government policies impact this probability. The U.S. policies which are considered include the USA PATRIOT Act, legislation which includes provisions to curb money laundering; and the matrícula consular, an identification document issued by the Mexican government and endorsed by the U.S. Treasury, which is commonly used for opening accounts in the U.S. Analyses focus on states bordering Mexico, particularly California. Estimations show that the PATRIOT Act results in a decrease in the percentage of Mexican immigrants who open accounts, while encouragement of the use of the matrícula consular is associated with a significant increase. The effects of personal characteristics of immigrants on that likelihood are also discussed.
Description
23 pp. Presented to the Department of Economics and the Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts, June 2006.
A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: SCA Archiv Storage Dicharry 2006
A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: SCA Archiv Storage Dicharry 2006
Keywords
Immigrants, Banks and banking, Mexican immigrants, Patriot Act (U.S.), Matrícula consular, USA Patriot Act, United States. Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001