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Review of Financial Studies Vol. 32 No. 11 2019

Bank Capital, Borrower Power, and Loan Rates

João A. C. Santos; Andrew Winton

Abstract

[We examine how bank capital and borrower bargaining power affect loan spreads. Consistent with previous studies, higher bank capital has a negative impact on loan rates, but borrower cash flow has a significant effect on this impact: compared with high-capital banks, lowcapital banks charge more for borrowers with low cash flow, but offer greater marginal discounts as these borrowers’ cash flow rises. These effects are largely focused on more bank-dependent borrowers. We find some evidence that low-capital banks charge a higher premium for bank-dependent borrowers’ systematic risk, but not for their total equity risk or default risk.]

Volume
32
Issue
11
Pages
4501-4541
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib

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