The value of banking relationships during a financial crisis: Evidence from failures of Japanese banks

Previous literature suggests that banking relationships can enhance the value of client firms in the presence of asymmetric information problems. Hence, severance of banking ties due to a bank failure can have adverse consequences for the clients of the failed bank. In this paper, we provide evidence on the value of banking relationships by examining the impact of three large bank failures in Japan on their clients and the clients of surviving banks. We find that, as in previous studies, the market value of customers of the failed banks is adversely affected on the date of the failure announcements. In addition, the effects are related to the financial characteristics of both the client firms and their primary banks. Firms that have greater access to alternative sources of funding experience a less severe adverse impact from bank failure announcements. Similarly, clients of banks that are more profitable, better capitalized, and have lower loan loss reserves suffer less from the failure announcements. However, we also find that these effects are not significantly different from the effects experienced by all firms in the economy. That is, the bank failures represent “bad news” for all firms in the economy, not just for the customers of the failed banks.     

Comparison of Bank Profitability in China and the USA

This paper examines and compares the profitability of banks in the USA and China. The USA has the largest market‐based banking system and the financial system of China is still bank‐based. Our analysis indicates that in terms of profitability, banks in China outperformed those in the USA during our study period (2008–2014). Real estate loans had an adverse effect on US bank profitability during the financial crisis and no effect after the crisis but consistently improved the profitability of Chinese banks. Interest margins have no effect on US bank profitability but a consistently positive effect on Chinese banks, confirming that China is a traditional bank‐based economy. Interbank loans have a positive and significant effect on Chinese bank profitability, while interbank domestic loans have a negative effect on US bank profitability. Finally, size had a positive effect on US banks after the financial crisis period, confirming the scale economies of large US banks, but a negative effect on Chinese banks, indicating diseconomies of scale.     

The relationship between revenue diversification and bank performance: Do financial structures and financial reforms matter?

This paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating the impact of revenue diversification on bank performance through a broad array of financial reforms, including credit controls, interest rate controls, entry barriers, banking supervision, privatization, and financial account restrictions. This analysis is the first to investigate whether financial structures (bank- or market-based systems) change the effect of diversification on individual bank performance. We use a panel dataset sample from 29 Asia-Pacific countries covering the period between 1995 and 2009, for a total of 2372 banks. Unlike the results of previous studies based on data from the U.S. and Europe, this study confirms the hypothesis of the portfolio diversification effect for the Asia-Pacific banking industry. For bank-based groups, bank performance can be improved through diversification, supporting the “bank-based view” hypothesis. Finally, under different financial systems, the relationships among revenue diversity, financial reforms, and bank performances are multidimensional.     

David Hume on Banking and Hoarding

David Hume opposes banks and favors hoarding. The only bank he reluctantly approves of is a public, 100% reserve bank. Other banks increase money supply and prices, hindering exports and economic growth. For Hume, a 100% reserve public bank would lead to “the destruction of paper‐credit” ([1752] 1985, p. 285), fostering economic growth instead by preventing inflation. Additionally, a 100% reserve bank hoards a large quantity of gold and silver, which is available in case of national emergency.     

中国银行业的市场结构与银行绩效关系研究——基于33家商业银行面板数据的实证检验

以33家商业银行1997—2004年的数据为研究对象,以赫芬达尔指数作为衡量市场结构指标,本文对中国银行业市场结构与银行绩效关系进行了研究。研究结果表明,市场集中度降低对四大国有商业银行盈利能力没有产生显著性影响,但削弱了其他股份制商业银行和城市商业银行的盈利能力。市场集中度与所有银行净利息边际存在显著的负相关关系,不能跨地域经营的城市商业银行净利息边际显著低于其他商业银行。因此应该适度放开城市商业银行经营的地城限制。并防止过度竞争。     

经济政策变化是否影响了银行资产证券化发展?——基于经济政策不确定性的视角

以经济政策不确定性为主要特征的经济政策频繁变化将对银行产生不利冲击,并通过银行行为的变化推动资产证券化发展。文章以2011-2018年中国银行业数据为研究样本,基于经济政策不确定性对经济政策频繁变化进行衡量,充分识别经济政策不确定性与银行资产证券化发展的内在关系,以及相应的异质性特征。结果表明：（1）经济政策不确定性越大,银行发展资产证券化的动机越强;（2）影响机制检验发现,银行期限错配、风险承担及盈利水平的不利变化,是经济政策不确定性影响银行资产证券化发展的中介效应;（3）经济政策不确定性对银行资产证券化发展的促进作用,在非上市银行、城商行及农商行中更为显著。文章认为,鉴于银行发展资产证券化的目的在于应对外部环境及其对自身微观行为的不利冲击,监管部门应针对资产证券化的功能定位监管措施,并且尽量营造透明公平的环境,稳定银行机构对未来政策的预期,同时中小银行也要积极推动经营转型,主动增强适应宏观经济环境的能力。文章从经济政策不确定性这一宏观视角出发,拓展了银行资产证券化的研究维度,基于银行微观结构的变化深化了对经济政策变化及不确定性影响效应的认知。     

Cost X-efficiency in China's banking sector

Employing the stochastic frontier approach, this paper investigates cost X-efficiency in China's banking sector over the period 1985–2002. The objective is to assess whether different ownership types and banking reforms affect X-efficiency. A two-stage regression model is estimated to identify the significant variables influencing X-efficiency. Overall, the results show that banks are operating 40–60% below the X-efficiency frontier. On average, the joint-stock banks are found to be more X-efficient than the state-owned commercial banks, but individual scores present a far more complex picture. It appears that X-efficiency was higher during the first phase of bank reform. Recent policies aimed at increased privatisation, greater foreign bank participation, and liberalised interest rates should help to improve the cost X-efficiency of China's banks.     

Can Chinese banks compete after accession to WTO?

Our answer is no, not at least without fundamental changes on the roles of Chinese banks and on the current unfavourable bank regulations towards domestic banks. As a result of China's accession to World Trade Organization (WTO), foreign banks could compete directly with Chinese banks with little barriers from December 2006. We argue that foreign banks’ expertise and experience in modern banking activities coupled with their interests and regulatory advantages in the traditional Renminbi (RMB) business will lead to a loss of RMB deposits and loans from local banks. Given that Chinese banks are currently ridden with large non-performing loans and low capital adequacy, the foreign bank entry will exert further pressure on the banks’ profitability and solvency. It is likely that the health of Chinese banks will deteriorate further in the post-WTO era.     

外资银行进入对信贷资源配置的影响——以新欧盟成员国为例

本文从信贷规模、信贷结构变化两方面分析了外资银行进入新欧盟成员国后,大大提高了东道国的信贷资源供给,使得东道国信贷规模扩大;随着外资银行对东道国渗透程度的增加,其业务重点将逐渐从对优质客户资源的争夺转为向中小企业拓展信贷业务。随着信贷评估制度和技术的改善,家庭部门信贷比例也不断上升。外资银行进入对提高东道国信贷资源配置效率有着重大意义。     

合谋激励与国有商业银行改革

作为一个典型的企业组织,商业银行面临一个多重代理问题,代理人合谋是团队道德风险的主要形式。本文利用多重代理的理论分析框架和大量事实证明,国有商业银行合谋问题非常严重。文章最后从反合谋角度提出国有商业银行改革的若干建议,包括建立合格股东和董事会把公司的经营管理权交给出资人和出资人的代表、实行组织机构精简与分拆上市(而非总体上市)、强化规则和股东权力并弱化总行和分行自由处置权、引入期权激励大幅提高银行管理层收入、银行内部组织结构更扁平化并适当授权给分行、建立提高员工参与程度的机制等。     

Bank Income Diversification,Asset Correlation and Systemic Risk

This paper explores whether the asset correlations among the non-interest activities of banks are the key causes for enhancing the bank diversification-systemic risk nexus. Our empirical evidence indicates that banks' income diversification significantly raises systemic risk. After removing those banks with high asset correlations, the effect of individual banks' diversification on banking systemic risk turns insignificant or even inverse. The results show that high asset correlations among banks could introduce bank failures, thereby leading to higher systemic risk in the financial sector.     

Bank market concentration and bank efficiency in the European Union: a panel Granger causality approach

The relationships between bank market consolidation and bank efficiency are of particular relevance in the European Union (EU), but they remain controversial. Using a panel Granger causality approach, this paper contributes to the literature, testing not only the causality running from bank market concentration to bank efficiency, but also the reverse causality running from efficiency to concentration. The results obtained confirm the relative complexity of these causality relationships, although they generally point to a negative causation running both from concentration to efficiency and from efficiency to concentration. These findings are in line with the Structure Conduct Performance (SCP) paradigm and the suggestions that the increase of the banks’ market power will contribute to inefficiency, since these banks will face less competition to obtain more output results with less input costs. Our results suggest that within this panel of all 27 EU countries over a relatively long time period, from 1996 to the onset of the 2008 financial crisis, the more cost-efficient commercial and savings banks operated in less concentrated markets.     

The effectiveness of bank recapitalization policies in Japan

This study examines the effectiveness of bank recapitalization policies in Japan. Based on a reading of the “business revitalization plan” submitted by banks requesting government funds, we identify four primary goals for the capital injection plan in Japan: (1) to increase the bank capital ratios; (2) to increase write-offs of non-performing loans; (3) to increase lending, in particular to small and medium enterprises, in order to avoid a “credit crunch”; (4) to encourage restructuring. Using a panel of individual bank data, we empirically estimate the effectiveness of the Japanese government policy of public fund injection in achieving the first three of these stated goals. Our empirical analysis reveals that, in general, the capital injections into the large internationally active banks were more effective than those into the smaller domestic banks in Japan. In addition, the second round capital injection, administered in 1998, was more effective than the first round, administered in 1997. The first capital injection in 1997 mostly served as a stop-gap measure to help the large international banks clear the 8% capital adequacy ratio (BIS ratio) required under the Basel Accord and did not make much contribution to the other policy objectives. The second round of capital injections in 1998 were more effective, boosting capital adequacy ratios for the domestic as well as international banks and supporting other policy objectives as well by stimulating banks to write off bad loans and increase domestic lending, in particular to small and medium enterprises.     

Spillovers of banking regulation: the effect of the German bank levy on the lending rates of regional banks and their local competitors

During the financial crisis numerous European governments decided to rescue domestic banks with public funds to prevent a collapse of the banking system. To internalize the public costs, bank levies have been introduced in many countries. This paper analyzes the German bank levy which was implemented from 2011 till 2014. We examine not only if banks shift the cost of the levy to their customers’ lending rates, but also whether there are spillovers to their local competitors. The German savings and cooperative banks are a perfect setting to study such effects as they only operate within well-defined regions, allowing us to identify their local competitors. Additionally, only some of them are subject to the levy due to a tax allowance. Firstly, we find that a bank that has to pay the bank levy raises its lending rate by about 0.14 percentage points. Secondly, we examine whether the increased lending rates of paying banks spill over to their local competitors. We find this indirect effect to be about one third of the size. Lastly, adverse effects of the levy on paying banks’ loan supply growth are absorbed by their competitors to a certain extent.     

Paradox of Empowerment: Reflections on a Case Study from Northern Ghana

In recent years the “development” industry has began to incorporate into its vocabulary notions about the “empowerment of the poor,” “participatory democracy,” “gender in development” etc. as part of a strategy for poverty alleviation in the developing world. This paper critically examines the notion of participation as the basis of empowerment in the context of a joint Canadian–Ghanaian financed rural development project in the Northern Region of Ghana. The paper argues that because of the inherent goodness of the notion of participation, it has become a substitute for the structural reforms needed for social change. The paper raises questions not just about the terms and mode of participation but further points out that reference to the term “village” or “community” as the basis of participation is simplistic and problematic. The paper also questions the feasibility of the institutional and administrative structures within which such concepts may be realized.     

Impact of international expansion strategy on the performance of Japanese banks

The effect of cross-border diversification on bank performance is part of the broader debate on how multinational banking and financial integration affect the global financial economy. Previous studies that examined this relationship present mixed results - namely that cross-border diversification improves bank performance but also increases bank risks that could lead to systemic failure. Even so, this line of debate has not been examined in the case of Japanese banks conducting international operations. The present study questions whether cross-border diversification improves the performance of Japanese banks and to what extent each cross-border expansion activity affects bank performance. The latter was largely ignored in previous studies. Our results show that cross-border diversification improves cost efficiency but decreases/harms the profit efficiency of the banks analyzed. In addition, we find that the expansion of foreign assets and foreign branch operations present funding risks and operational inefficiency. We offer two important recommendations. First, as a major player in international lending, the current expansion activities of Japanese banks require close monitoring and supervision to prevent systemic risk resulting from aggressive and risky overseas expansion activities. Second, the current expansion strategies of Japanese banks, especially the expansion of overseas assets and branch operations (retail banking), should be re-examined.     

小额贷款公司与商业银行间的合作机制研究——以安徽省为例

文章从小额贷款公司和商业银行业务间不同定位与交叉,说明双方之间存在着天然合作关系的可能性。在详细分析了小额贷款公司与商业银行之间的业务关系后,表明双方之间不仅在横向业务竞争上存在互补关系,同时在纵向关系上也存在类似于"批发"和"零售"关系。分析总结了双方在合作上存在四个方面的问题,并提出相关解决方案,为研究小额贷款公司与商业银行之间的合作机制奠定理论基础。     

高管团队特征与银行绩效的关系研究——基于银行创新的中介效应

基于28个上市银行2009—2018年的非平衡面板数据,构建固定效应模型和中介效应模型,实证研究高管团队特征、银行创新以及银行绩效三者之间的互动关系.研究结果表明,银行创新在高管团队平均年龄、平均任期与经营绩效的关系中起到部分中介效应,中介效应占比分别为27.21％ 和55.32％.银行创新能力在高管平均学历、女性高管占比与银行绩效之间的中介效应不显著.按照产权性质进行分组研究,发现国有银行与非国有银行创新能力所发挥的中介效应存在差异.     

Competitiveness and Efficiency of the Banking Sector and Economic Growth in Egypt

Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of financial reforms on competitiveness and production efficiency of the banking sector, as well as the short‐term and long‐term impact on economic growth, in Egypt during 1992–2007. The results suggest that the reforms have a positive and significant effect on competitiveness and production efficiency. Also, the evidence shows that state‐owned banks are generally less competitive than private banks and foreign banks are less competitive than domestic banks. The average x‐inefficiency of Egyptian banks is around 30 per cent, which is comparable to those reported for other African countries. Finally, there is evidence to suggest a significant relationship between financial bank productive efficiency and economic growth in the short run but not in the long run. Overall, the results support the argument for continuing the financial sector reform programme in Egypt.     

市场化程度、盈余管理与银行贷款定价

本文从盈余管理角度考察了财务报告质量对银行贷款定价的影响。研究发现,银行关注了企业报表中的盈余管理问题,盈余管理程度越高,企业获得的贷款利率越高;在市场化程度越高的地区,银行对企业盈余管理行为的识别能力越强。该研究结论不仅为会计信息的经济后果提供了经验证据,同时也暗示了债权人监督的有效性。