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Journal of Corporate Finance Vol. 45 2017

Direct and indirect risk-taking incentives of inside debt

Stefano Colonnello1,2; Giuliano Curatola3; Ngoc Giang Hoang4

1 Halle Institute for Economic Research · 2 Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg · 3 Goethe University Frankfurt · 4 Utrecht University

Abstract

We develop a model of compensation structure and asset risk choice, where a risk-averse manager is compensated with salary, equity and inside debt. We seek to understand the joint implications of this compensation package for managerial risk-taking incentives and credit spreads. We show that the size and seniority of inside debt not only are crucial for the relation between inside debt and credit spreads but also play an important role in shaping the relation between equity compensation and credit spreads. Using a sample of U.S. public firms with traded credit default swap contracts, we provide evidence supportive of the model's predictions.

DOI
10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2017.05.012
Volume
45
Pages
428-466
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex openalex crossref

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