Small business loan securitization and interstate risk sharing

Do credit risk transfers in general, and loan sales and securitizations in particular, by financial institutions enhance credit availability and financial stability? Or do they allow assets of poor credit quality to spread to unprotected investors, and thus create financial crises and destroy values? In this paper, we contribute to the continuing debate by examining the effect of small business loan securitizations on interstate personal income insurance. Using data of U.S. banks for the period 1995–2008, we find that small business loans securitizations contribute to the smoothening of state personal income volatility, and that this contribution is stronger in states where small businesses play a more important role in the local economy.     

Loan Officer Turnover and Credit Availability for Small Firms

This paper presents empirical evidence on the role loan officers play in facilitating small firm access to commercial bank loans. If loan officers use soft information (for example, assessments of character, information from customers and suppliers) to make lending decisions that would not otherwise be made on the basis of hard information (for example, tax returns or financial statements), then, frequent turnover in loan officers should be associated with an adverse effect on credit availability. This relationship is confirmed empirically using survey data of U.S. small firms in 1995 and 2001, where loan officer turnover is positively related to the turndown rate on the most recent loan application. Although loan officer turnover could be influenced by the turndown rate (for example, an owner changes banks and gets a new loan officer as a result of a recent turndown), its negative effect on credit availability persists under several different tests.     

Does Bank Consolidation Hurt the Small Business Borrower?

The recent wave of mergers in the commercial banking sector in the United States has led to tremendous industry consolidation. Some fear that such consolidation will leave the small business borrower with fewer opportunities to obtain bank credit. This study uses regression analysis to empirically determine if consolidation has caused larger banks to abandon relationship loans extended to small businesses over time. If so, this leaves small business borrowers with two distinctly different choices, a low interest rate loan from a large bank for those small business borrowers who qualify or a high interest rate loan from a small bank for those who do not. The results of this study support this theory, and find consolidation has raised small business loan rates at small banks and lowered rates at large banks, ceteris paribus.     

Small Business Borrowing and the Owner–Manager Agency Costs: Evidence on Finnish Data

This study investigates the impact that managerial ownership has on loan availability and credit terms. We find that managerial ownership is common in a sample of small and medium‐sized Finnish firms. Our results suggest that an increase in managerial ownership decreases loan availability. The results on loan interest rates suggest that though an increase in managerial ownership initially increases interest rates, the effect is reversed at higher levels of ownership. Collateral requirements increase monotonically with managerial ownership. Overall, the results suggest that banks view that there are agency costs involved with managerial ownership even in small and medium‐sized firms and that this is taken into account when lending to these firms.     

Small Business Credit Scoring and Its Pitfalls: Evidence from Japan

This paper studies the Japanese credit scoring market using data on 2,000 small and medium‐sized enterprises and a small business credit scoring (SBCS) model widely used in the market. After constructing a model for determining a bank's profit maximization, some simulation exercises are conducted, and pitfalls of lending based on SBCS are indicated. The simulation results suggest that the reason why SBCS loan losses occur would be the combination of adverse selection and window‐dressing problems. In addition, omitted variable bias and transparency of financial statements are important.     

Small Firm Financing in Sweden, 1960–95

This article analyses the financial environment facing small firms in Sweden, 1960–95. The Swedish approach to small firms makes no clear distinction between the functions of non-market and market organisations or between private and public lenders. Their typical financial contracts are essentially similar: open-ended and based on commercial considerations. The long-standing commitment which is observed from both types of creditors implies a continuous exchange of information, carried in the form of regional business networks. The two types of organisations share risks in the financing of new projects, and the role of bank credit as a signal when applying for public credit reinforces the perception of a business network in which private and public organisations collaborate. This stresses the importance of analysing venture capitalists as an entity rather than as isolated actors. A triad relationship between firms, public and private lenders distinguishes the Swedish case. The mixture of state-based and market-based finance has a long tradition related to the Swedish model of a mixed economy.     

Credit access for high-risk borrowers in financially concentrated markets: Do SBA loan guarantees help?

The Small Business Administration's (SBA) loan guarantee program was established to correct financial capital market inefficiencies and improve small business access to financial capital. However, the SBA loan guarantee program has been criticized for its failure to improve the performance of financial capital markets available to small businesses. This study considers the financial capital market failure created by lenders' monopoly power (specifically, financial market concentration) in financial capital markets. Based on this potential market failure, a model is derived to evaluate the behavior of lenders and borrowers in financial capital markets. Using the national Survey of Small Business Finance, this study compares the financial characteristics of small business borrowers with and without SBA loan guarantees, and provides a qualitative assessment of the SBA's ability to correct financial capital market inefficiencies. When considering only the interaction between borrower quality and the degree of financial market concentration, high-risk borrowers in high concentration financial markets have a higher probability of receiving an SBA loan guarantee than low-risk borrowers in low concentration financial markets. However, when other factors influencing the demand for financial capital are included in the model, only the borrower attributes (credit risk and age) are significant. While the SBA loan guarantee program appears to partially mitigate the effects of the market failure caused by financial market concentration for high-risk borrowers, the program appears to be better designed to address borrower risk, rather than credit market failure.     

The Creation and Growth of Small Business Service Firms in Post-Industrial Britain

Since 1980, the United Kingdom has experienced a dramatic growth in firms and employment in information-intensive business services, such as management consultancy and market research. This article reports the results of the first substantial nation-wide investigation into the nature and causes of small professional business service firm growth in Britain, undertaken in 1991. It reveals marked differences in the characteristics, markets and competitive requirements of such firms, compared with small manufacturing firms. The demand for their services comes predominantly from large companies, and is more focussed on financial and other services and government. But small firms are also making increasing use of business services. Specialised expertise, reputation and educational and professional qualifications are essential prerequisites for the establishment of new business service firms. Their success is also being enhanced by increasing use of informal networking, collaborative partnerships, and subcontracting.     

Small Firm Investment and Financing Decisions: An Option Value Approach

This paper reviews and discusses recent developments undergone by investment theory, and tries to address both financial and real decisions within an uncertain environment, here, the Italian economy. According to the recent "option value" approach to investment, if differing degrees of reversibility characterize the accumulation process by groups of firms (small and larger firms), we should expect their investment decisions to differ under uncertainty. On the other hand, asset reversibility has an influence on firm financing policy, given the observed relationship between asset and liability composition. Assuming a different degree of investment reversibility for small and larger firms, we explore how they react to interest rate uncertainty using the Italian experience during the 1980s as a benchmark. The main result of this paper is that interest rate uncertainty exerts a negative influence on firms' investment demand. The relationship is stronger for large firms than for small firms. Another result is that firm leverage also shows a negative relationship with interest rate uncertainty.     

The Small Business Sector in Recent Recoveries

Small businesses account for half of private GDP, half of the private workforce, and most new jobs. This paper documents that small businesses have fared unusually poorly in the current recovery, dragging down output and employment growth, even while large businesses and agriculture have prospered. The reasons for the poor performance of small business are documented and analyzed with data from surveys of the National Federation of Independent Business. The findings contradict much conventional wisdom relating to six broad aspects of small business activity: employment and hiring plans, expectations and investment, past sales and earnings, inventories, prices, and credit conditions. The implication of the findings is that a robust economic recovery for the entire U.S. economy will depend on public policy that is tailored to permit and encourage small business expansion.     

Lending to Small and Medium-Sized Firms: Is There an East-West Gap in Germany?

The financing of small and medium-sized firms is important for the catching-up of the East German to the West German economy since reunification. We explore whether it is restricted by unfavorable bank loan terms, using bank-survey data on lending decisions to small and medium-sized firms. A comparison of the terms of lending between the former East German and West German states yields a lending gap given by higher loan prices and collateral requirements in East Germany. This gap can be explained by differences in credit risks and lending strategies of banks.     

浅析贷款风险的防范与化解

目前我国银行存在贷款风险隐患 ,解决贷款风险的根本出路在于深化改革 ,建立起符合市场经济要求的银企关系、信用体系、法制体系和培养一支高素质的金融队伍。由体制转型带来的贷款风险问题 ,将随着市场经济和金融事业的进一步发展而得到根本解决。     

Behavioral credit scoring model for technology-based firms that considers uncertain financial ratios obtained from relationship banking

The Korea government offers technology credit guarantee service to many technology-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) suffering from funding problems. Many advanced application credit scoring models have been developed based on technology to reduce the high default rates of this service. However, a credit scoring model which can reflect changes in firms after a loan has been granted has not yet been developed. In the study reported here, we propose a behavioral credit scoring model that reflects the debt-paying ability of recipient firms, which is observed as a time series of financial ratios of firms via the relationship banking activities. We utilize this time series, as well as missing patterns of financial information, as additional predictors of loan defaults. We compare our proposed behavioral credit scoring models, fitted at different points of elapsed time, to the application credit scoring model. Finally, we suggest the best behavioral credit scoring model for technology-based SMEs. Our study can contribute to the reduction of the risk involved in credit funding for technology-based SMEs.     

Information and Communication Technology Adoption and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Growth in New Zealand

This paper reports on an investigation of the potential to use the financial ratios of New Zealand small businesses to discriminate their location as an aid in the accurate targeting of regional economic development programs. To the extent that there are clearly identifiable differences in performance and financial structure of urban and nonurban firms, this could be significant for small business policy development and the efficient implementation of strategies.     

Comparing Attitudes Toward Ethical Dilemmas in Small Business

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of attitudes between Russian and U.S. undergraduate students on ethical issues in managing Russian small firms engaged in business transactions with U.S. firms. Based on the real life situations, Russian and American respondents were asked to select decision alternatives dealing with ethical dilemmas. Significant differences were found between the two groups. Russians do not recognize significant differences between various alternatives, despite the disparity in the severity of these alternatives for resolving business problems. Russians, compared to Americans, tend to prefer more forceful decision alternatives resorting to business practices that would be considered unethical in the U.S. This is attributable to differences in the countries' history, political, legal, and cultural environment. The transitional nature of the Russian economy affects decision-making and business ethics.     

商业性小额贷款公司能惠及三农和微小客户吗?

利用42家小额贷款公司的调查数据,剖析小额贷款公司的业务活动特征和影响小额贷款公司贷款覆盖深度的因素。通过描述统计和计量模型分析,研究发现:小额贷款公司倾向于服务微小企业和农村大户,其贷款以短期、非信用贷款为主,利率水平较高;采用的信贷技术、营业费用率、所在地区经济发展水平和金融市场的竞争程度对小额贷款公司的贷款覆盖深度有显著影响,而资产规模和资产回报率对小额贷款公司的贷款覆盖深度影响不显著。     

The New Industrial Organization and Small Business

The small business sector is an important part of the American economic landscape, in both absolute and relative terms. Despite its absolute growth, however, the sector accounts for a diminishing share of private sector activity. But its importance, and changes in importance, vary across industrial sectors of the economy.Drawing on the theoretical and empirical insights developed in recent books by John Sutton, we suggest that the presence or absence of endogenous strategic behaviors of the larger firms with respect to advertising, promotion, research and development, and other sunk cost expenditures may well play an important role in explaining the differing levels of small business importance, both cross-sectionally and over time. We conclude the paper with suggestions for research directions that could shed further light on these ideas.     

On Lending to Small Firms

Lending to small firms is difficult because of the problems of information asymmetry. Innovative ways to address these problems have the potential to increase credit availability to these firms. The papers in this section provide a discussion of two different innovations in small business financing: increased usage of credit scoring technology and the introduction of microfinance lending institutions. Though these two approaches make use of different technologies, they provide a valuable picture of how lending to small firms is evolving over time.     

How Small Business Advisory Program Delivery Methods (Collective Learning,Tailored, and Practice‐Based Approaches) Affect Learning and Innovation

Past studies relate small business advisory program effectiveness to advisory characteristics such as advisory intensity and scope. We contribute to existing literature by seeking to identify the impact of different advisory program methods of delivery on learning and subsequent firm innovation behavior. Our research is based on a survey of 257 Australian firms completing small business advisory programs in the three years preceding the research. We explore the range of small business advisory program delivery methods in which our surveyed firms participated and, with reference to the literature on organizational learning and innovation, we analyze predictors of firms' learning ability and innovativeness based on the identified delivery methods. First, we found that business advisory programs that involved high levels of collective learning and tailored approaches enhanced firms' perceptions of their learning of critical skills or capabilities. We also found that small business advisory programs that were delivered by using practice‐based approaches enhanced firms' subsequent organizational innovation. We verified this finding by testing whether firms that have participated in small business advisory services subsequently demonstrate improved behavior in terms of organizational innovativeness, when compared with matched firms that have not participated in an advisory program.     

Small firms finance in France

The data concerning interest rates paid by small and medium sized firms on credit and financial markets as well as the available balance-sheets confirm the idea that firms have difficulties to get financial resources. This paper tries to put in light the financial disparities among firms when a discrimination resting on size characterises the functioning of credit market. The first section presents the main financial characteristics of French SMEs: the low level of equities, the heaviness of short term debts and the over use of payment delays. Section 2 shows how French and European authorities reacted in order to improve the financial situation of SME's and to reduce their liquidity constraint, changing tax policy and promoting the creation of new means of financing.