We propose a new measure of systemic financial distress that incorporates idiosyncratic and systemic risks in the financial system network. Using this measure, we develop an integrated stress test of bank liquidity and solvency risks based on the dynamics of financial distress within the banking system network. We apply this stress test framework to the US banking system and identify systemic vulnerability of individual banks as well as the resilience of the system as a whole to an economic shock. The framework helps us identify and monitor systemic interdependencies between banks. The proposed stress testing framework is useful for practical macroprudential monitoring and is informative for policy making.

We study whether borrowers' opaque practices, such as tax aggressiveness, are affected by their lenders' engagement in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Our findings suggest that borrowers' tax aggressiveness is negatively associated with bank mergers as banks increasingly rely on hard information in monitoring and lending practices following mergers. This relationship is more pronounced for borrowers that are more opaque in their information environments and have a greater need for credit, and when banks that have a greater intention to monitor borrowers and rely more on soft-information-based monitoring prior to the mergers. Our study contributes to the growing literature on whether and how bank consolidations affect borrowers' decision making.