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Journal of Financial Economics Vol. 149 No. 2 2023

Loan guarantees, bank underwriting policies and financial stability

Elena Carletti1; Agnese Leonello2; Robert Marquez3

1 Bocconi University · 2 European Central Bank · 3 University of California, Davis

open access

Abstract

Loan guarantees represent a form of government intervention to support bank lending. However, their use raises concerns as to their effect on bank risk-taking incentives. In a model of financial fragility that incorporates bank capital and a bank incentive problem, we show that loan guarantees reduce depositor runs and improve bank underwriting standards, except for the most poorly capitalized banks. We highlight a novel feedback effect between banks’ underwriting choices and depositors’ run decisions, and show that the effect of loan guarantees on banks’ incentives is different from that of other types of guarantees, such as deposit insurance.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfineco.2023.04.013
Volume
149
Issue
2
Pages
260-295
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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