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Ben Keys

@benkeys.bsky.social
3.5K followers 583 following 85 posts

I’m not a player I just lurk a lot. Economist and Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School

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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Why are premiums so much higher for lower-score homeowners? Insurers say it’s because of differences in the likelihood of filing a claim. We don’t have microdata on claims (although we would love some!), but looking at zipcode-level averages supports that basic pattern:
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The premium-score gradient is similar in magnitude to the rate-score gradient on the mortgage. This is a hidden dimension of housing unaffordability for lower-score homebuyers:
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The lowest quintile of credit scores pays about 25% more than the top for identical coverage! This creates a large “insurance burden” as share of principal+interest payments:
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Excited to share a new @nber.org paper w/Blonz/Hossain/Mulder/Weill where we show credit scores impact homeowners insurance premiums as much as disaster risk. Here’s what happened in WA when they banned credit scoring:
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
A very happy Taco Party for Dragons at Robbie’s House to all who celebrate!
Dragons Love Tacos
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Feel like I’ve heard that phrasing somewhere… :-) www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/o...
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
The hearing coincides with the release of a report analyzing new data on insurers’ nonrenewal practices. The results are striking: Insurance carriers are dropping policyholders in the riskiest areas:
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 08/09/2024
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 05/03/2024
NBER summer institute deadline is fast approaching! As part of the NBER Summer Institute, Tomek Piskorski and I are organizing the Real Estate Workshop on July 24-25. Deadline is March 21. Here's the link to submit: conference.nber.org/confsubmit/b... Please share far and wide!
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Ben Keys @benkeys.bsky.social · 15/11/2023
⏰Hey undergrads and masters students interested in careers in applied econ research: My department is recruiting 5 full-time pre-doc RAs to start summer 2024! "🧵" on why you should apply:
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