Small and micro enterprises are usually majority owned by entrepreneurs. Using a unique sample of loan applications from such firms, we study the role of owners' gender in the credit decision of banks and the post-credit decision firm outcomes. We find that, ceteris paribus, female entrepreneurs...

This study examines whether the flow volatility experienced by institutional investors affects firms' financing costs. Using Greenwood and Thesmar's (2011) stock price fragility, a proxy for firm exposure to its institutional investors' flow volatility, we find that firms with high stock price...

This paper investigates how lenders react to borrowers' rating changes under heterogeneous conditions and different regulatory regimes. Our findings suggest that corporate downgrades that increase capital requirements for lending banks under the Basel II framework are associated with increased...

We examine the effect of firm credit rating downgrades on the pricing and structure of syndicated bank loans following rating downgrades in the firms' countries of domicile. We find that the sovereign ceiling policies used by credit rating agencies create a disproportionally adverse impact on...

We re-investigate the special role of local banks in shaping the financial constraints of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Using a comprehensive dataset from an emerging economy, including the information on local bank corrective programs, we find that local banks remain privileged...

We empirically examine three channels in the relation between banks' CDS trading and loan sales. The substitute channel predicts a negative relation between CDS hedging and loan sales, and the complementary channel predicts a positive relation. The credit-enhancement channel predicts a positive...

This paper investigates whether firms' pollution records influence their financing costs. Evidence shows that lending banks demand significantly higher loan spreads, higher total borrowing costs, shorter loan maturities, smaller loan sizes, and greater collateral from firms with higher levels of...

We examine the connection between the number of bank relationships and firms' performance using a unique data set on Italian small firms for which banks are a major source of financing. Our evidence indicates that return on equity and return on assets decrease as the number of bank relationships...