Insurance fraud detection: A statistically validated network approach

Fraud is a social phenomenon, and fraudsters often collaborate with other fraudsters, taking on different roles. The challenge for insurance companies is to implement claim assessment and improve fraud detection accuracy. We developed an investigative system based on bipartite networks, highlighting the relationships between subjects and accidents or vehicles and accidents. We formalize filtering rules through probability models and test specific methods to assess the existence of communities in extensive networks and propose new alert metrics for suspicious structures. We apply the methodology to a real database—the Italian Antifraud Integrated Archive—and compare the results to out-of-sample fraud scams under investigation by the judicial authorities.     

Regulating the banking sector to support credit access: Evidence from small business

This study investigated the effectiveness of regulatory interventions in mitigating the harmful effects of financial crises on small firms. We examine the impact of a support factor implemented by European policymakers on Italian micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) between 2007 and 2017. The analysis uses a difference-in-differences approach to assess the credit conditions of these firms. Contrary to expectations, our results show that MSMEs in Italy continue to face credit constraints even after the introduction of the support factor. In contrast, we find that structural factors and portfolio effects play a more important role in promoting favorable credit conditions for small firms. Our results highlight the importance of considering these factors in conjunction with regulatory interventions to achieve better outcomes. This study has implications for policymakers and stakeholders, particularly in assessing the appropriateness of extending support factors for different policy purposes.     

Social Networks Analysis in Accounting and Finance*

Social network analysis (SNA) examines whether interactions between individuals, teams, and organizations result in network structures and patterns that can explain important outcomes, including firm performance, management reporting behaviors, investor beliefs, and audit outcomes. This paper reviews the growing body of work on SNA in accounting and finance research, focusing on 162 articles published between 2000 and 2021, and offers a roadmap that may help move this literature forward. Our survey summarizes the elements of SNA, organizes this literature within a theoretical framework, and provides a thematic discussion of the context and contribution of the selected studies. We also discuss opportunities and challenges for future research. Finally, we include an empirical illustration of the key concepts and tools of SNA. We believe that SNA will continue to offer an interesting avenue for conducting high-impact and cross-disciplinary research in accounting and finance.