Relationship Borrowers Research Articles

Bank relationship and contractual flexibility: Evidence from covenant enforcement

AbstractThis paper investigates how banks utilize soft information to provide contractual flexibility in loan covenant enforcement. We find that relationship lenders are significantly less likely than non‐relationship lenders to enforce covenants for material violations when borrowers are potentially in breach of financial covenants. The mitigation of information asymmetry by relationship lending, as opposed to alternative explanations, serves as the underlying mechanism. Furthermore, relationship borrowers with potential covenant breaches are less likely to experience increases in loan interest rates after renegotiation, to adopt conservative financial or investment policies, or to file for bankruptcy. Following potential covenant breaches of borrowers, relationship banks are better able to preserve regulatory capital and secure future lending business. Our findings suggest that soft information accumulated during lending relationships is vital for banks to provide contractual flexibility.

Lending technologies and consumer defaults in times of crisis: Evidence from Brazil

We investigate the role of lending technologies in consumer credit defaults in Brazil before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, relationship borrowers are less likely to default than others before the pandemic. Second, this effect persists during the pandemic, but it becomes around 60 % smaller. Third, we document important heterogenous effects. Relationship borrowers of appliance finance default less during the pandemic than the ones of general-purpose cash loans. Finally, female relationship borrowers are less likely to default during the pandemic, plausibly because of the higher job uncertainty and the increase of informal jobs for Brazilian women during the COVID-19.

Regulation and information costs of sovereign distress: Evidence from corporate lending markets

We examine the effect of sovereign credit impairments on the pricing of syndicated loans following rating downgrades in the borrowing firms' countries of domicile. We find that the sovereign ceiling policies used by credit rating agencies create a disproportionately adverse impact on the bounded firms' borrowing costs relative to other domestic firms following their sovereign's rating downgrade. Rating-based regulatory frictions partially explain our results. On the supply-side, loans carry a higher spread when granted from low-capital banks, non-bank lenders, and banks with high market power. We further document an operating demand-side channel, contingent on borrowers' size, financial constraints, and global diversification. Our results can be attributed to the relative bargaining power between lenders and borrowers: relationship borrowers and non-bank dependent borrowers with alternative financing sources are much less affected.

Bank Relationships and the Geography of PPP Lending

I study how bank relationships affected the timing and geographic distribution of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lending. Half of banks' PPP loans went to borrowers within 2 miles of a branch, mostly driven by relationship lending. Firms near less active lenders shifted to fintechs and other distant lenders, resulting in delays receiving credit but only slightly lower loan volumes. I estimate a structural model to fit the observed relationship between branch distance, bank PPP activity, and origination timing. I find that banks served relationship borrowers 5 to 9 days before other borrowers, an effect in line with reduced-form estimates using a sample of PPP borrowers with previous SBA lending relationships.

To ask or not to ask? Bank capital requirements and loan collateralization

We exploit the 2011 EBA Capital exercise, a quasi-natural experiment that required a number of banks to increase their regulatory capital. This experiment makes secured lending for the affected banks more attractive vis-à-vis unsecured lending, because secured loans require less regulatory capital. Using loan-level data covering the universe of bank loans in Portugal, we identify how banks require collateral on new loans when facing higher capital requirements: relative to the control group, treated banks require loans to be collateralized more often after the shock. We find the affected banks partially shield their relationship borrowers. The increased collateralization also has economically relevant real effects. Treated banks reallocate funds towards sectors with greater asset tangibility. Firms and sectors borrowing to a greater degree from treated banks exhibit lower growth and tilt their investments towards tangible assets.

Global syndicated lending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper examines the pricing of global syndicated loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that loan spreads rise by over 11 basis points in response to a one standard deviation increase in the lender's exposure to COVID-19 and over 5 basis points for an equivalent increase in the borrower's exposure. This implies excess interestof about USD 5.16 million and USD 2.37 million respectively for a loan of average size and duration. The aggravating effect of the pandemic is exacerbated with the level of government restrictions to tackle the virus's spread, with firms’ financial constraints and reliance on debt financing, whereas it is mitigated for relationship borrowers, borrowers listed in multiple exchanges or headquartered in countries that can attract institutional investors.

What Drives Banks to Value Lending Relationships? The Role of the Chief Executive's Cultural Heritage

We explore how bank CEOs' cultural heritage shapes the nexus between lending relationships and the cost of bank loans in the US syndicated loans market. We show that banks led by CEOs that trace their origin in more individualistic and masculine societies are less inclined to share with their borrowers the savings stemming from strong lending relationships. In contrast, banks led by CEOs that originate from societies where uncertainty avoidance and power distance are higher, exhibit a stronger propensity to reward their relationship borrowers with lower loan prices. These findings are consistent with the view that certain cultural attributes affect the degree to which relationships are valued in the societal and business contexts. Our study highlights the importance of considering lenders' culture when investigating the effects of lending relationships on the cost of bank loans.

Gender Board Diversity and the Cost of Bank Loans

We examine the relationship between female board representation and the cost of lending, using a dataset that contains 13,714 loans originated by 386 banks matched with 2,432 non-financial firms over the period 1999 to 2013. We find that firms with female directors command lower loan spreads. In addition, female independent directors have a stronger impact on lowering spreads compared to female directors' other attributes. However, as firms build relationships with their lenders this effect becomes less potent. Finally, when we introduce firm-level heterogeneity we document that changes in gender diversity exert a stronger impact on the cost of lending in the case of financially constrained firms, especially for relationship borrowers.

Gender board diversity and the cost of bank loans

We examine the relationship between female board representation and the cost of lending, using a dataset of 13,714 loans from 386 banks matched with 2432 non-financial firms from 1999 to 2013. We find that firms with female directors command lower loan spreads. In addition, female independent directors have a stronger impact on lowering spreads compared to female directors' other attributes. However, as firms build relationships with their lenders this effect becomes less potent. Finally, when we introduce firm-level heterogeneity we document that changes in gender diversity exert a stronger impact on the cost of lending in the case of bank-dependent firms, especially for relationship borrowers.

Cash Holdings and Relationship Lending

We examine the effect of relationship lending on a firm's cash-holding levels. Relationship lending allows lenders to generate private information about borrowers which mitigates their financial constraints. We find that cash-holding levels for firms with a relationship lender are significantly lower compared to non-relationship borrowers. Within the group of firms with established lending relationships, it is the firms with high precautionary cash needs that benefit from these relationships. Such firms hold significantly less cash compared to relationship borrowers with low precautionary cash needs. We report that relationship lending is not associated with the market value of firms' cash holdings.

Bank Lending during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper examines the pricing of global syndicated loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that loan spreads rise by over 11 basis points in response to a one standard deviation increase the lender’s exposure to COVID-19 and over 5 basis points for an equivalent increase in the borrower’s exposure. This renders firms subject to a burden of about USD 5.16 million and USD 2.37 million respectively in additional interest expense for a loan of average size and duration. The aggravating effect of the pandemic is exacerbated with the level of government restrictions to tackle the virus’s spread, with firms’ financial constraints and reliance on debt financing, whereas it is mitigated for relationship borrowers, borrowers listed in multiple exchanges or headquartered in countries that can attract institutional investors.

The Relevance of Relationship Lending in Times of Crisis

Exploring the Paycheck Protection Program, a setting that allows clear identification of relationship lending effects during the COVID-19 crisis, we find that relationship borrowers receive economically significant larger loans and faster approvals. In the absence of lenders' information advantage motivation documented in prior literature, because the program disregards borrower's credit risk, we examine alternative channels for these benefits. We find that lenders prioritize relationship borrowers mainly due to concerns with the increasing risk of default on borrowers' pre-crisis debt in their portfolios. The benefits we document come with costs. Borrowers are more likely to violate PPP rules when a relationship exists.

The Effects of Information on Credit Market Competition: Evidence from Credit Cards

We show empirically that public credit information increases competition in credit markets. We access data that cover all credit card borrowers in Chile and include details about relationship borrowers have with each lender. We exploit a natural experiment whereby a non-bank lender’s portfolio was sold to a bank. Because of this transaction, the lender’s borrowers, who were previously not identifiable unless in default, become observable by banks through the credit bureau but remain unobservable to other non-bank lenders. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that after the transaction the lender’s borrowers receive higher credit limits from other banks relative to other non-bank borrowers. This result is mediated by individuals whose predicted probability of bank default drops as a result of the change to banks’ information set. After the transaction, the lender shifts originations to safer borrowers with higher initial limits, a result that is consistent with cross-sectional evidence that banks tend to lend to safer borrowers. Our results imply that by increasing competition, public credit information can reduce lenders’ incentive to “learn by lending”, potentially excluding riskier populations from access to credit.

Is a Friend in Need a Friend Indeed? How Relationship Borrowers Fare during the COVID-19 Crisis

We investigate how relationship borrowers fare relative to others in loan contract terms (spread, collateral, maturity, amount) during times of need using the COVID-19 quasi-natural experiment. COVID-19 is superior for such analysis because it primarily affects borrowers rather than banks. Our Y-14Q loan-level dataset has broader representation than other datasets. We find the dark side of relationships dominates across relationship measures, COVID-19 shocks, and PPP participation. Additional bank-level analysis suggests dark-side dominance for contract terms at the intensive margin is not offset by increased credit access at the extensive margin. Limited brightside findings hold for smaller firms and smaller banks.

Winners and losers from supervisory enforcement actions against banks

We investigate how supervisory enforcement actions (EAs) against banks affect their business borrowers. We find negative short-term valuation effects of EAs for large relationship borrowers, which are reversed after new loans are granted. Large non-relationship borrowers' valuations are unaffected by EAs, but turn negative after relationships are established with sanctioned banks. Additionally, sanctioned banks appear to offset uncertainty and reputational damage of EAs by improving credit terms and availability for relationship and non-relationship large businesses, but decrease credit availability to small businesses. The small business credit contraction may have significant negative economic consequences due to bank dependency and credit constraints.

To Ask or not to Ask: Collateral Vs. Screening in Lending Relationships

We study the impact of higher capital requirements on banks’ decisions to grant collateralized rather than uncollateralized loans. We exploit the 2011 EBA capital exercise, a quasi-natural experiment that required a number of banks to increase their regulatory capital but not others. This experiment makes secured lending more attractive vis-a-vis unsecured lending for the affected banks as secured loans require less regulatory capital. Using a loan-level data set covering all corporate loans in Portugal, we identify a novel channel of higher capital requirements: relative to the control group, treated banks require loans to be collateralized more often after the shock, but less so for relationship borrowers. This applies in particular for collateral that saves more on regulatory capital.

To Ask or Not To Ask? Bank Capital Requirements and Loan Collateralization

We study the impact of higher capital requirements on banks' decisions to grant collateralized rather than uncollateralized loans. We exploit the 2011 EBA capital exercise, a quasi-natural experiment that required a number of banks to increase their regulatory capital but not others. This experiment makes secured lending more attractive vis-a-vis unsecured lending for the affected banks as secured loans require less regulatory capital. Using a loan-level dataset covering all corporate loans in Portugal, we identify a novel channel of higher capital requirements: relative to the control group, treated banks require loans to be collateralized more often after the shock, but less so for relationship borrowers. This applies in particular for collateral that saves more on regulatory capital.

Impact of Regulatory Enforcement Actions on Corporate Borrowerss Stock Returns and Credit Supply

We investigate how supervisory enforcement actions (EAs) against banks affect their business borrowers. We find negative short-term valuation effects of EAs for large relationship borrowers, which are reversed after new loans are granted. Large non-relationship borrowers’ valuations are unaffected by EAs, but turn negative after relationships are established with sanctioned banks. Additionally, sanctioned banks appear to offset uncertainty and reputational damage of EAs by improving credit terms and availability for relationship and non-relationship large businesses, but decrease credit availability to small businesses. The small business credit contraction may have significant negative economic consequences due to bank dependency and credit constraints.

Does Securitization Impair Bank Lending Relationship?

We study whether and how corporate loan securitization through collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) has changed the nature of bank lending relationship. We use a large dataset of CLO collaterals to identify securitized loans and the relationship lenders. We show that even if a relationship lender securitizes a past loan, it continues to gain future lending business from the same borrower. The new loans from this securitization-funded relationship lender, when compared to loans from a traditional relationship lender, have fewer covenants, smaller amount of revolvers at higher costs, and larger amount of institutional term loans at lower costs. In addition, the new loans from these lenders are also more likely to be securitized. Our results suggest that lending relationship is impaired as securitization weakens monitoring efforts and reduces the information advantage of relationship banks. Yet, these lenders seem to be able to keep their relationship borrowers with their access to structured credit markets. Overall, our findings indicate that benefits of securitization coexist with its costs in relationship lending.

Information Reliability, Organizational Bank Structure, Interbank Competition and Relationship Lending Benefits

In this paper we study how does bank–borrower relationships benefits differ depending on three factors identified in the theoretical literature: verifiability of information, bank’s organizational structure and interbank competition. We employ an empirical model that simultaneously accounts for all three of these factors to analyse how relationship lending affects credit cost. Our key result is that that borrowers with long relationship length are likely to be captured and deprived of larger rents and that the diversification of banking products moderate the hold-up problem. These latter findings suggest the possibility that relationship borrowers may suffer from capture effects. Moreover, we find evidence that close relationships benefit on credit cost is larger in a more competitive loan market. So, banks consider relationships as a device for product differentiation.