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Sam Deegan

PhD Candidate in Economics
University College Dublin • Geary Institute of Public Policy

I study how bank failures and financial distress propagate through the spatial network of bank branches to affect local economies. My research combines insights from banking, spatial economics, and corporate finance to understand the real economic consequences of financial instability. I am currently on the job market for the 2026-2027 academic year.

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🎓Education

PhD in Economics

Banking, Financial Stability, Spatial Economics
University College Dublin
Sep 2022 – Sep 2026 (Expected)

MSc in Quantitative Economics

Advanced econometric methods and economic theory
University College Dublin
Sep 2020 – Sep 2021

MBS in Economics and Finance

Banking sector analysis and financial markets
South East Technological University
Sep 2014 – Sep 2015

Research Interests

Macroeconomics Financial Intermediation Banking & Stability Spatial Economics Corporate Finance

📊My Research

My research agenda focuses on understanding how distress in the banking sector transmits to the real economy through the spatial network of bank branches. I combine insights from banking, spatial economics, and corporate finance to examine how local communities are affected when banks they depend on experience financial difficulties. My work uses administrative data on bank failures, stress tests, and branch networks to identify causal transmission mechanisms. My job market paper, "Failure in the Margins," examines how local economies are affected by the failure of non-local banks that operate branches in their area. I'm particularly interested in exploring how stress testing frameworks and bank consolidation shape the spatial distribution of credit supply.

📚Featured Publications

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Failure in the Margins: Local Exposure to Non-local Bank Distress

This job market paper examines how local economies are affected when non-local banks with branches in their area fail. Using FDIC data on US bank failures, I identify the impact on credit availability and real economic outcomes through spatial branch networks.

Deegan, S. (Under Review, 2026)
Job Market Paper Banking
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Stress Tests on Main Street: Tracing Holding-Company Exposure Through Branch Networks

This paper examines how stress test results for bank holding companies transmit through their branch networks to affect local lending and real economic outcomes. I use novel data linking stress test results to branch-level outcomes.

Deegan, S. (Under Review, 2026)
Under Review Stress Testing

📑All Research

Deegan, S. (2026). "Failure in the Margins: Local Exposure to Non-local Bank Distress." Under Review.
Deegan, S. (2026). "Stress Tests on Main Street: Tracing Holding-Company Exposure Through Branch Networks." Under Review.
Deegan, S. (2026). "Consolidation-Driven De-Branching: Overlap Effects in Quasi-Exogenous Bank M&A." Under Review.

💬Get in Touch

Email: sam.deegan@ucdconnect.ie

Phone: (+353) 087 344 8748

Office: Geary Institute of Public Policy, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland