Lending Behavior Research Articles

Relationship lending and the role of loan officers in China: Empirical analysis based on the data on companies in industrial clusters

Relationship lending refers to lending behavior in which a financial institution makes loan decisions based on the accumulated soft information on the borrower. Empirical studies have revealed the positive effect of relationship lending. However, questions concerning who generates and accumulates soft information and in what ways in China have never been analyzed empirically. This paper empirically aims to explain whether loan officers generate soft information in relationship lending using data collected through surveys conducted among SMEs in the apparel industry clusters in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. Based on the results of this study, relationship banking in China, which deals with the role of loan officers, seems even more important than is generally recognized.

The impact of changes in macroeconomic factors on banks’ lending behaviour

Loans are a critical transmission channel for commercial banks as well as an important revenue source. Macroeconomic factors are not within the control of commercial banks, however, select factors are observed to have a direct impact on lending behaviour in studies around the world. This study examined the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the lending behaviour of banks in South Africa for the period ranging from 2001 to 2022. Quarterly time series data was employed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL). The empirical results of the paper revealed that there is a long-run relationship between the repurchase rate (repo rate), inflation, the real effective exchange rate (REER) and lending behaviour in South Africa. The REER and inflation were both found to have a positive relationship, whilst the repo rate had a negative relationship. In addition, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the activity rate and sovereign credit rating (SCR) changes returned insignificant results. Overall, these findings show that select macroeconomic factors do influence lending behaviour in South Africa. Furthermore, the results suggest that monetary policy decisions have a direct influential effect on lending and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has implemented their policies effectively.

Corruption, Funding Structure and Bank Lending of Dual Banking System

The main objective of this paper is to examine the interaction effect of political turmoil on the relationship between funding structure and bank lending behaviour of Islamic (IBs) and Conventional banks (CBs). Political turmoil is measured by corruption (CPI) and election year (ELY) while the funding structure is measured by Total Customer Deposits (TCD) and Total Bank Deposits (TBD). We conducted a panel analysis of Islamic and conventional banks to ascertain whether the funding structure of Islamic banks can sustain financing supply and whether its growth is higher than conventional bank lending growth in times of political turmoil. Using the matched-pair technique, this study utilizes a panel sample of 58 Islamic banks and 58 conventional banks from 18 dual-banking countries from 2006 to 2017. The generalised Method of Moments (GMM) is used to deal with the endogeneity and heterogeneity issues. We observed that corruption and elections affect the amount of lending/financing given to IBs and CBs. The study found that TCD hinders the growth of credit supply for both IBs and CBs during elections. Nevertheless, TBD did not have any influence on bank lending. The study on interaction reveals that political turmoil has affected the relationship between funding structure and bank lending for Islamic and conventional banks. These findings contribute to supporting the Islamic banking system's involvement in financial and economic stability. This suggests that corruption is influencing the funding structure within the banking system, which in turn affects the availability of credit from banks. Future research could investigate whether the governance by the bank’s management leads to credit supply efficiency.

Private Capital Markets Insights 2024: The Return of Warrants to Mezzanine Debt

Despite the prevailing focus on the public markets, private companies represent approximately half of the world economy, if not more. This is a descriptive article presenting a summary of data and results from the 2024 Private Capital Markets Report, which is the product of the annual private capital markets survey. The annual survey was launched in 2009 and examines the behavior and trends of senior lenders, asset-based lenders, mezzanine funds, private equity groups, venture capital firms, angel investors, privately-held businesses, investment bankers, business brokers, limited partners, and business appraisers. Most of the survey panelists are based in the United States of America, but this is not a requirement. The data set also includes many panelists outside of the U.S. There was a total of 1,143 respondents represented in the 2024 survey. An empirical result of this article is that we test the theory that the recent return of warrants to mezzanine deals is associated with a higher interest rate environment. We find evidence supporting that association. These results may be helpful for academics and practitioners forecasting mezzanine activity and deal terms.

Effects of social capital on energy poverty: Evidence from the national key ecological function zones in Northeast China

In the contemporary discourse of sustainable development, the phenomenon of energy poverty emerges as a formidable challenge to the trajectory of human progress in the 21st century. Employing a comprehensive four-period longitudinal dataset spanning from 2018 to 2021, which encapsulates the national key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) in Northeast China, this study utilize two-way fixed effects models and mediating effect model to disentangle the intricate relationship between social capital and energy poverty, while also elucidating the fundamental mechanisms that underlie this association. This study shows that social capital has an inhibitory effect on energy poverty among residential households, a result substantiated by a series of robustness checks. And social capital can indirectly alleviate households' energy poverty by fostering their borrowing and lending behavior and enhancing their energy service perception. Additionally, the impact of social capital on households' energy poverty exhibits heterogeneity contingent upon their information access, business engagement, and housing conditions. This study contributes significantly to the accurate measurement of the magnitude and distribution of multidimensional energy poverty among residential households in NKEFZs in Northeast China. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights for the design of a social capital framework aimed at reducing household energy poverty.

FinTech forecasting using an evolving connectionist system for lenders and borrowers: ecosystem behavior

<span lang="EN-US">Financial Technology (FinTech) which is included in the development of digitalization in the financial sector in the industrial era 4.0. Fintech can make any transactions anywhere with the pillars of Peet-to-Peer (P2P) lending, merchants and crowdfunding. In the P2P Lending pillar, there are borrowers and lenders who are digitized in Fintech devices. Fintech in Indonesia is controlled by a state agency called the Otoritas Jasa Keuangan or Financial Services Authority (OJK). In the movement of P2P Lending, there are borrowers and lenders who can be said to be investors where these activities are reported to the OJK. This data can be forecasted using a neural network approach such as ECoS, which is a method capable of forecasting with learning that develops in the hidden layer. In this research article, we present results on forecasting borrowers with a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 0.148% and forecasting lenders with an accuracy measurement with MAPE of 0.209% with a learning rate 1 = 0.6 and a learning rate 2 = 0.3. So, this forecasting model can be said as an optimization in FinTech activities on the behavior of borrowers and lenders.</span>

The Micro-Effect of Monetary Policy on the Misallocation of Credit

The structural effects of monetary policy and these effects impact on credit allocation are crucial facets of monetary policy research. This study initially estimates China’s monetary policy based on the GDP growth target and CPI target found in the Chinese Government’s Annual Work Report. Subsequently, it quantifies the extent of credit misallocation among Chinese firms using data from listed companies from the years 2013 to 2022. Finally, we empirically investigate the repercussions of expansionary monetary policy shocks on credit misallocation, focusing on micro-firms. Empirical findings reveal that expansionary monetary policy significantly exacerbates credit misallocation, particularly in underfinanced firms. Mechanistic analysis suggests that a preference for loan size in lending behavior constitutes a major factor contributing to credit misallocation among firms.

Monetary Policy, Digitalisation and Banking Industry Performance in Nigeria

In the evolving financial landscape of Nigeria, the interplay between monetary policy and digitalization significantly influences the performance metrics of banks. This study explores the multifaceted impact of these two critical factors on the Nigerian banking sector. Monetary policy, orchestrated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, regulates the economy's money supply, affecting banks' lending behaviors and liquidity. Digitalization, on the other hand, offers a transformative potential for banks to enhance operational efficiency, customer experience, and service delivery through technological advancements. The study examines how money supply, lending rate and digitalization (proxied by mobile cell subscription) affect banks’ financial performance, focusing on bank credit and liquid assets, while controlling for inflation and exchange rate variables. It also examines the interaction between digitalization and monetary policy variables on bank performance. Employing an interactive multiple regression model, the study analyzes time series data from 1996 to 2022 sourced from the World Bank. Findings indicate that while stringent monetary policies can constrain bank performance by tightening credit and reducing liquidity, digitalization provides an opportunity for banks to counteract these effects through enhanced efficiency. However, the successful integration of digital technologies is contingent upon adequate investment, regulatory support, and strategic alignment with the banks’ core objectives. The study concludes that Nigerian banks must adeptly manage monetary policy fluctuations and leverage digitalization to sustain and enhance performance. These insights could guide policy formulation and strategic decision-making within the banking industry.

Attributes and Impacts of Learning from Prior Lenders in Peer-to-peer Lending

Learning from others is a facet of human nature. In peer-to-peer lending, potential lenders who are interested in the loan, but have not yet funded it, observe and learn from the behavior of prior lenders who have funded the loan. It is unclear, however, whether potential lenders learn from the prior lenders’ attributes other than the observed bidding behavior. Using data from PPDai.com, the study finds that potential lenders consider the prior lender’s risk preference, investment experience, and historical investment performance when making investment decisions. Specifically, potential lenders are more likely to fund loans that have more female or older prior lenders. The potential lenders’ decisions are positively affected by the proportion of prior lenders with long account duration, high investment success ratio, low bad debt ratio, and high money-weighted rate of return.

Deciphering the black-box of monetary policy transmission in South Asia

Purpose ─ This study aims to identify the role of the bank capital channel by investigating how monetary policy affects bank lending through its influence on bank equity capital, in the transmission of monetary policy.Method ─ The study employs panel vector autoregression (pVAR) to investigate the complex relationship between monetary policy shocks, bank capital, and lending behavior. Results ─ The main findings are as follows: 1) The study finds evidence of both the bank lending and bank capital channels in South Asia. The analysis reveals a Granger causality between changes in bank capital position and policy rate adjustments, indicating a dynamic interplay between these variables. 2) The findings suggest, although direct effects of capital position changes on bank lending appear negligible, a nuanced examination uncovers the moderating influence of capital position changes on the impact of policy rate fluctuations on lending behavior. 3) The study suggests that healthier banking systems weaken the bank lending channel in South Asia.Implications/Significance ─ The study is significant because it sheds light on the mechanism involved in the interplay between monetary policy, bank capital, and lending, providing valuable insights for policymakers and future research directions.

U.S. monetary policy shocks and bank lending in Latin America: evidence of an international bank lending channel

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of U.S. monetary policy shocks on bank lending in five major Latin American countries where large U.S. banks have limited presence. Our analysis covers annual balance sheet data from 2000 to 2021 for all banks in these nations, utilizing a recently developed measure of U.S. monetary policy shocks by Bu et al. Our findings reveal the existence of an international bank lending channel, with a one-percentage-point increase in the Fed funds rate resulting in an average 80.6 basis-point reduction in domestic bank loan growth in these countries. Liquidity and solvency emerge as crucial factors driving variations in lending behaviour among Latin American banks, with banks exhibiting stronger liquidity and solvency profiles experiencing higher loan supply growth rates.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Borrowers’ Behavior

Understanding borrowers’ behavior is essential in making lending decisions, strengthening financial inclusion, and alleviating poverty. This research adopts a bibliometric approach to provide an overview of the borrower’s behavior relative to the selected literature. Bibliometric analysis quantifies the impact and quality of scientific production. This study reviewed 989 articles obtained from SCOPUS and published from 1987 to 2023. Data were cleaned, formatted, and analyzed using VOS viewer (1.6.19) and the R-Bibliometrix package. The research established an increased interest in borrowers’ behavior among scholars. Nonetheless, it is overshadowed by studies in lending behavior, microfinance, banking, peer-to-peer lending, and fintech. The scholarly focus is mainly on the supply side of the credit industry with little regard to demand-side dynamics, such as borrowers’ decision-making processes, which can affect the performance of credit facilities. This study recommends that further studies on credit facility demand-side dynamics should be carried out to understand the drivers of borrowers’ decisions.

Air pollution and online lender behavior: Evidence from Chinese peer-to-peer lending

This paper examines the effect of air pollution on individual lenders' decisions. Using unique data from the leading peer-to-peer lending platform, we find evidence that for every 10 units increase in the air quality index (AQI), the lender would lend RMB 5.47 yuan more in one single bid and 6% earlier in the fund-raising period. Moreover, the impacts from PM2.5 and CO pollutants are serious. The older people and people that are not well-educated would significantly suffer from air pollution. We further explore three potential mechanisms: physical channel, physiological channel as well as psychological channel, and show that the first two are valid. Overall, our findings shed light on the influence of environmental factors on online lending participants.

The bank lending behaviour: Does non-performing loans matter? Evidence from the top-ten banks in the Arab world

This essay examines the third increase in non-performing loans (NPLs) in the Arab World, which the COVID-19 epidemic may have contributed to. This increase follows two previous waves that occurred in 1990 and after 2008. The primary aim is to analyze bank lending behavior, particularly examining the influence of firm-specific determinants on banks' lending activities and the impact of NPLs on this behavior. Utilizing secondary data from 2016 to 2020, this research focuses on the top ten national banks in the Arab region. The methodology incorporates panel data derived from audited financial statements and employs OLS regression (Pooled) for analysis. The findings reveal a significant negative impact of NPLs and capital adequacy ratios on bank lending behavior, while bank size and deposit growth positively influence lending activities. Additionally, the study notes an insignificant relationship between profitability, equity as a percentage of total assets, and lending behavior. These results provide practical insights for banking sector decision-makers, emphasizing the management of NPLs through maintaining adequate capital, enhancing deposits, and increasing bank assets. From a social perspective, the study suggests that banks should prioritize lending to investors likely to fulfil their obligations, potentially limiting credit availability for smaller entities and individuals without guarantees. This approach aims to mitigate the risks associated with NPLs. This work's originality lies in its concentration on a condensed sample that accounts for more than 70% of the banking resources in the Arab region, making it a significant contribution to applied research in this area that stands out for its reliance on pre-existing data.

Legal origin and bank lending behavior in developing countries: The mediating role of revenue diversification

AbstractThis paper explores the relationship between legal origin, revenue diversification, and bank lending behavior. The analysis is based on a sample of 2590 commercial banks operating in 139 developing countries from 2004 to 2022. Using various panel data estimation techniques and alternative measures of bank lending behavior, the results indicate that banks in common law countries experience lower levels of loan growth compared to their counterparts in civil law countries. The study results also show that revenue diversification indirectly alleviates the negative effect of loan growth in banks originating from a common law legal origin. Notably, this effect is not observed in banks within low‐income and African countries, highlighting the importance of policies aimed at enhancing institutional capacity within their legal and judicial systems. Overall, the results of this study underscore the significance of legal origins in shaping the lending dynamics of banks in developing countries.

Job polarisation and household borrowing

AbstractThe last few decades have seen transformative changes to the structure of employment, which have led to a deterioration in demand for middle-skill occupations, a process known as job polarisation. As demand for middle-skill workers shrinks, expectations about households’ income through their lifetime horizon must be adjusted. It is possible that these expectations loop back into the credit system and affect the lending behaviour of credit institutions or that they impact households’ self-assessment of their opportunities to borrow money. In this paper we study how the process of job polarisation affects credit demand and supply, studying its relationship with credit constraint and credit quality.

The effect of nonperforming loans (NPL) on bank lending behavior in Türkiye

The effect of nonperforming loans (NPL) on bank lending behavior in Türkiye

Information environment and participation of foreign banks in U.S. syndicated loan market

This study examines how financial information quality affects the participation and lending behavior of foreign banks in the loan syndicate of U.S borrowers. We utilize the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in the U.S. as our research setting. We demonstrate a significant increase in foreign banks loan shares to public firms in the post-SOX period. In parallel, we find that this increase in lending by foreign banks is accompanied by more favorable price and non-price contract terms. By contrast, we find no evidence of either more loans or more favorable loan contract terms offered to U.S. privately held borrowers by foreign banks. Further analysis shows that the impact of such an exogenous change on loan contract terms are more pronounced among public listed borrowers with higher ex ante information asymmetry. Overall, our findings imply that the increase in quality and reliability of corporate financial information brought about by SOX reduces the information disadvantage of foreign lenders.

A credit scoring ensemble model incorporating fuzzy clustering particle swarm optimization algorithm

The emergence of credit has generated a wealth of data on consumer lending behavior. In recent years, financial institutions have also started to use such data to make informed lending decisions based on fine-grained customer data, but conventional risk assessment models are inadequate in meeting the risk control requirements of the financial industry. Therefore, this paper proposes a credit scoring ensemble model incorporating fuzzy clustering particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to obtain better credit risk prediction capability. First, a weighted outlier detection method based on the Induced Ordered Weighted Average Operator is proposed to preprocess the data to reduce noisy data’s misleading effect on model training. Then, an undersampling method combined with fuzzy clustering PSO is proposed to overcome the negative effect of category imbalance on model training by resampling the data. In addition, a hyperparameter optimization framework is introduced to adaptively adjust important parameters in the ensemble model considering the impact of parameter settings on the training performance of the model. Based on the evaluation metrics of F-score, AUC, and Kappa coefficient, an empirical analysis was conducted on five credit risk datasets. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the comparative model with an improvement of 10% to 50% in terms of F-score and AUC. The highest achieved F-score is 0.9488, and the maximum AUC is 0.9807, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method. The kappa coefficient results indicate a high level of consistency in the predicted classification results of the model.

State-owned banks and international shock transmission

This study re-examines the relationship between commercial bank ownership and lending growth from 1996–2019. The results show that before the 2008 financial crisis, both categories of foreign banks expanded lending, predominantly in developing countries. A shift occurred in the lending behavior of foreign banks post-2008. Bank-specific characteristics became more influential in determining credit growth. During host country banking crises, foreign state-controlled banks demonstrated higher loan growth rates than private-owned banks and reduced credit growth abroad during banking crises in home countries. Lastly, during the 2008 crisis, domestic state-controlled banks stabilized lending activity, while both types of foreign banks reduced lending.