Intertemporal efficiency analysis of sales teams of a bank: Stochastic semi-nonparametric approach

The primary role of a bank branch is evolving from a service provider towards a sales channel. Previous branch-level studies of sales efficiency consider a static setting of a single time period, ignoring the stochastic nature of sales outcomes. In this paper, we examine efficiency and performance of sales teams in a bank branch network over time, taking into account the changing demand and operational conditions, as well as random disturbances. The intertemporal sales frontier is estimated from the panel of monthly data over the years 2007–2010 using the stochastic semi-nonparametric envelopment of data (StoNED) method. The efficiency scores of sales teams and the trajectories of performance over time allow managers and the sales force to learn from past events and to develop the managerial and work practices across the network. While this study focuses on the case of a specific bank, some of the innovative features of our approach are applicable to sales efficiency assessment in other banks and financial institutions, as well as other network-based sales organizations.     

Investor protection and the value effects of bank merger announcements in Europe and the US

Investor protection regimes have been shown to partly explain why the same type of corporate event may attract different investor reactions across countries. We compare the value effects of large bank merger announcements in Europe and the US and find an inverse relationship between the level of investor protection prevalent in the target country and abnormal returns that bidders realize during the announcement period. Accordingly, bidding banks realize higher returns when targeting low protection economies (most European economies) than bidders targeting institutions which operate under a high investor protection regime (the US). We argue that bidding bank shareholders need to be compensated for an increased risk of expropriation by insiders which they face in a low protection environment where takeover markets are illiquid and there are high private benefits of control.     

Financial freedom and bank efficiency: Evidence from the European Union

This paper investigates the dynamics between the financial freedom counterparts of the economic freedom index drawn from the Heritage Foundation database and bank efficiency levels. We rely on a large sample of commercial banks operating in the 27 European Union member states over the 2000s. After estimating bank-specific efficiency scores using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), we develop a truncated regression model combined with bootstrapped confidence intervals to test our main hypotheses. Results suggest that the higher the degree of an economy’s financial freedom, the higher the benefits for banks in terms of cost advantages and overall efficiency. Our results also show that the effects of financial freedom on bank efficiency tend to be more pronounced in countries with freer political systems in which governments formulate and implement sound policies and higher quality governance.     

Managing liquidity: Optimal degree of centralization

Large banking groups face the question of how to optimally allocate and generate liquidity: in a central liquidity hub or in many decentralized branches. We translate this question into a facility location problem under uncertainty. We show that volatility is the key driver behind (de-)centralization. We provide an analytical solution for the 2-branch model and show that a liquidity center can be interpreted as an option on immediate liquidity. Therefore, its value can be interpreted as the price of information, i.e., the price of knowing the exact demand. Furthermore, we derive the threshold above which it is advantageous to open a liquidity center and show that it is a function of the volatility and the characteristic of the bank network. Finally, we discuss the n-branch model for real-world banking groups (10-60 branches) and show that it can be solved with high granularity (100 scenarios) within less than 30 s.     

Market response to bank relationships: Evidence from Korean bank reform

This paper examines how the forced closure of failing banks and the transfer of their loans to surviving banks affect the market value of firms that borrow from the closed banks. Pre-existing relationships between firms and the banks that acquire their loans are detrimental to the positive valuation effects of the event. Banks may have an incentive to favor pre-existing relationships to increase the value of previously extended loans. Therefore, loan renewals to firms with prior relationships do not signal borrower quality to the market, which is aware of the banks’ conflicts of interest. This study highlights the importance of the specific mechanisms employed to replace failed banks without decreasing the value of their client firms.     

The structure and degree of dependence: A quantile regression approach

The copula function defines the degree of dependence and the structure of dependence. This paper proposes an alternative framework to decompose the dependence using quantile regression. We demonstrate that the methodology provides a detailed picture of dependence including asymmetric and non-linear relationships. In addition, changes in the degree or structure of dependence can be modeled and tested for each quantile of the distribution. The empirical part applies the framework to three different sets of financial time-series and demonstrates substantial differences in dependence patterns among asset classes and through time. The analysis of 54 global equity markets shows that detailed information about the structure of dependence is crucial to adequately assess the benefits of diversification in normal times and crisis times.     

Dynamic hedge fund portfolio construction: A semi-parametric approach

In this article, we evaluate alternative optimization frameworks for constructing portfolios of hedge funds. We compare the standard mean–variance optimization model with models based on CVaR, CDaR and Omega, for both conservative and aggressive hedge fund investment strategies. In order to implement the CVaR, CDaR and Omega optimization models, we propose a semi-parametric methodology, which is based on extreme value theory, copula and Monte Carlo simulation. We compare the semi-parametric approach with the standard, non-parametric approach, used to compute CVaR, CDaR and Omega, and the benchmark parametric approach, based on both static and dynamic mean–variance optimization. We report two main findings. The first is that the CVaR, CDaR and Omega models offer a significant improvement in terms of risk-adjusted portfolio performance over the parametric mean–variance model. The second is that semi-parametric estimation of the CVaR, CDaR and Omega models offers a very substantial improvement over non-parametric estimation. Our results are robust to the choice of target return, risk limit and estimation sample size.     

A comprehensive analysis of the effects of risk measures on bank efficiency: Evidence from emerging Asian countries

This study investigates the role of risk in determining the cost efficiency of international banks in eight emerging Asian countries. Researchers of this paper consider three distinct risk aspects under a total of eight risk measures: credit risk, operational risk, and market risk. We apply a heteroscedastic stochastic frontier model to estimate bank cost efficiency in our analysis. Additionally, this study analyzes the marginal effects of all risk measures on the inefficiency effect in order to explore a more detailed relationship between risks and efficiency. The empirical results indicate that the risk measures represent significant effects on both the level and variability of bank efficiency. We also find that these effects vary across countries and over time.     

Resolving the deposit dilemma: A new DEA bank efficiency model

One of the weaknesses of current bank efficiency models is a disagreement as to the role of deposits in the bank production process. Some models view deposits as an input, while others view them as an output. Such disparity of approaches results in inconsistent efficiency estimates. In this study we propose an alternative Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) bank efficiency model that treats deposits as an intermediate product, thus emphasizing the dual role of deposits in the bank production process. Consequently, the effect of the amount of deposits on bank efficiency depends on the efficiency at both stages of the bank production process. The main advantage of our model is that it does not require a researcher to make a judgment call as to whether having more (production approach) or less (intermediation approach) deposits is “better” for bank efficiency. Our unified framework has the potential to produce more consistent efficiency estimates.     

Nonparametric efficiency estimation in stochastic environments: Noise-to-signal estimation,finite sample performance and hypothesis testing

This study considers the issues of noise-to-signal estimation, finite sample performance and hypothesis testing for a new nonparametric and stochastic efficiency estimation technique. We apply the technique for analyzing the efficiency of European banks from various regions and with various specializations. The technique seems well suited for this application area because banking inputs and outputs generally are measured with error, the banking production technology is not well-defined and large banking data sets such as BankScope allow for a nonparametric approach.     

First Financial Restructuring and operating efficiency: Evidence from Taiwanese commercial banks

This paper investigates the effect of the “First Financial Restructuring” (FFR) on the operating efficiency of commercial banks in Taiwan. Applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) to operations data for 40 commercial banks over the 6-year period 2000–2005, we find that while the banks have lower operating efficiency on average during the reform period (2002–2003) compared to the pre-reform period (2000–2001), improved operating efficiency is reflected in the post-reform period (2004–2005). Our results remain unchanged even after controlling for the non-performing loan ratio, capital adequacy ratio, bank ownership, size, and GDP growth rate. These results suggest that the improved efficiency in the post-reform period is possibly due to enhanced banking and risk management practices and benefits obtained from compliance with the FFR.     

The evolution of cost-productivity and efficiency among US credit unions

Advances in information-processing technology have eroded the advantages of small scale and proximity to customers that traditionally enabled small lenders to thrive. Nonetheless, the membership and market share of US credit unions have increased, though their average size has also risen. We investigate changes in the efficiency and productivity of US credit unions during 1989–2006 by benchmarking the performance of individual firms against an estimated order-α quantile lying “near” the efficient frontier. We construct a cost analog of the Malmquist productivity index, which we decompose to estimate changes in cost and scale efficiency, and changes in technology. We find that cost-productivity fell on average across all credit unions but especially among smaller credit unions. Smaller credit unions confronted a shift in technology that increased the minimum cost required to produce given amounts of output. All but the largest credit unions also became less scale efficient over time.     

Financial supervision regimes and bank efficiency: International evidence

There exists a lively debate as for the appropriate architecture of the financial supervision regime, with a long list of theoretical advantages and disadvantages associated with each one of its key dimensions. The present study investigates whether and how bank profit efficiency is influenced by the central bank’s involvement in financial supervision, the unification of financial authorities, and the independence of the central bank. The results show that efficiency decreases as the number of the financial sectors that are supervised by the central bank increases. Additionally, banks operating in countries with greater unification of supervisory authorities are less profit efficient. Finally, central bank independence has a negative impact on bank profit efficiency.     

Determinants of bank efficiency during unstable macroeconomic environment: Empirical evidence from Malaysia

The present study investigates for the first time the efficiency of Malaysian banking sector around the Asian financial crisis 1997. The efficiency estimates of individual banks are evaluated by using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. To examine the robustness of the estimated efficiency scores under various alternatives and to differentiate how efficiency scores vary with changes in inputs and outputs, the present study focuses on three major approaches viz., intermediation approach, value added approach, and operating approach. The analysis further links the variation in calculated efficiencies to a set of explanatory variables, i.e. bank size, profitability, and ownership. The empirical findings clearly bring forth the high degree of inefficiency in the Malaysian banking sector, particularly a year after the East Asian crisis. The results suggest that the decline in technical efficiency is more abrupt under the intermediation approach relative to the value added approach and operating approach. The regression results focusing on bank efficiency and other bank specific traits suggest that efficiency is negatively related to expense preference behavior and economic conditions, while bank efficiency is positively related to loans intensity.     

Valuation and systemic risk consequences of bank opacity

We examine the effects of opacity on bank valuation and synchronicity in bank equity returns over the years 2000–2006 prior to the 2007 financial crisis. As expected, investments in opaque assets are more profitable than investments in transparent assets, and taking profitability into account, have larger valuation discounts relative to transparent assets. The valuation discounts on opaque asset investments decline over the 2000–2006 period only to be followed by a sharp reversal in 2007. The decline is coincident with a rise in bank equity share prices, decrease in transparent asset holdings by banks, and greater return synchronicity – evidence consistent with a feedback effect.     

The prediction of bank acquisition targets with discriminant and logit analyses: Methodological issues and empirical evidence

This paper uses discriminant and logit analyses to develop prediction models to identify bank acquisition targets. We consider several methodological issues, such as whether the choice of the estimation technique, the selection of variables, the use of raw versus industry relative data, the train-and-test sampling scheme, and the criteria for model evaluation affect the predictive accuracy of the developed models. Both estimation methods generate remarkably similar model performance rankings, while differences are revealed in the relative importance of variables when using raw versus industry relative data. We find that in most cases there is a fair amount of misclassification, consistent with previous studies in non-financial sectors, which is hard to avoid given the nature of the problem.     

The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans

This study examines the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and bank debt. Our focus on banks exploits their specialized role as delegated monitors of the firm. Using a sample of 3996 loans to US firms, we find that firms with social responsibility concerns pay between 7 and 18 basis points more than firms that are more responsible. Lenders are more sensitive to CSR concerns in the absence of security. We document a mixed reaction to discretionary CSR investments. Low-quality borrowers that engage in discretionary CSR spending face higher loan spreads and shorter maturities, but lenders are indifferent to CSR investments by high-quality borrowers.     

Foreign bank entry and firms’ access to bank credit: Evidence from China

This paper studies the impact of foreign bank entry on domestic firms’ access to bank credit using a within-country staggered geographic variation in the policy of foreign bank lending in China. The paper finds that after foreign bank entry profitable firms use more long-term bank loans; whereas firms with higher value of potential collateral do not. It also finds that non-state-owned firms become able to substitute some trade credit with long-term bank loans. The findings suggest that less opaque firms and non-state-owned firms benefit more from foreign bank entry and that collateral may only play a limited role in mitigating the problem of information asymmetry when creditors’ rights are not well protected in a host country.     

A computational approach to the optimal structure of bank input prices

Most bank deposits contain an embedded option which permits the depositor to withdraw funds at will. Demand deposits generally allow costless withdrawal, while time deposits often require payment of an early withdrawal penalty. Managing the risk that depositors will exercise their withdrawal option is an important aspect of input pricing. This paper acknowledges the threat of deposit withdrawal and then solves for the optimal structure of bank deposit rates.     

Arrogance can be a virtue: Overconfidence,information acquisition,and market efficiency

In behavioral finance, overconfidence has been established as a prevalent psychological bias, which can make markets less efficient by creating mispricing in the form of excess volatility and return predictability. In this paper, we develop a model in which overconfidence causes investors to overinvest in information acquisition when this information could improve market efficiency by driving prices closer to true values. We study the impact of overconfidence on mispricing and information acquisition, comparing their net effect on prices. We derive several novel implications. First, overconfidence generally improves market pricing provided the level of overconfidence is not too high. Pricing can also improve even when overconfidence is arbitrarily high, depending on the amount of private information acquired relative to publicly available information.