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Review of Financial Studies Vol. 35 No. 7 2022

The Relationship Dilemma: Why Do Banks Differ in the Pace at Which They Adopt New Technology?

Prachi Mishra1; Nagpurnanand Prabhala2; Raghuram G. Rajan3

1 International Monetary Fund · 2 The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School · 3 Booth School of Business, University of Chicago

Abstract

India introduced credit scoring technology in 2007. We study its adoption by the two main types of banks operating there: new private banks (NPBs) and state-owned public sector banks (PSBs). Soon after the technology is introduced, NPBs start checking the credit scores of most borrowers before lending. PSBs do so equally quickly for new borrowers but very slowly for prior clients, although lending without checking scores is reliably associated with more delinquencies. We show that an important factor explaining the difference in adoption rates is the stickiness of past bank structures and managerial practices. Past practices inhibit better practices today.

DOI
10.1093/rfs/hhab118
Volume
35
Issue
7
Pages
3418-3466
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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