We investigate the impact of CEO network centrality, a central position in a social network, on bank risk. Using a sample of 471 bank holding companies (BHCs) in the US from 1999 to 2018, we find that CEO network centrality is negatively related to bank risk and this is due to CEOs with higher levels of network centrality implementing less risky policies. Additionally, we find that information flow and CEO power are two channels through which CEO network centrality reduces bank risk. Our empirical results still hold when we employ a battery of methods to mitigate endogeneity issues. Our research further extends a new strand of studies focusing on the specific position/hierarchy of executives/directors in a social network.

We examine the impact of social networks between independent directors and the CEO on firm risk. Employing the deaths and retirements of socially connected independent directors and the passage of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act for two identifications, we find that board-CEO social networks have a positive impact on firm risk. Specifically, CEOs who are socially connected to their independent directors are motivated to adopt riskier investment, operating and financing strategies. This positive influence is more pronounced for prior under-performing firms and for CEOs with low power or overconfidence, indicating that board-CEO social networks act as career insurance and a power-enhancing mechanism to encourage managerial risk-taking.