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Procyclicality of U.S. Bank Leverage

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  • CHRISTIAN LAUX
  • THOMAS RAUTER

Abstract

In light of the current debate about the link between accounting and financial stability, we investigate the determinants of procyclical book leverage for U.S. commercial and savings banks. We find that total asset growth and GDP growth are both positively related to book leverage growth. Our evidence is not consistent with the notion that fair value accounting contributes to procyclical leverage or that historical cost accounting reduces procyclicality. Overall, the business model of banks is more important for procyclical leverage than accounting or regulatory risk weights.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Laux & Thomas Rauter, 2017. "Procyclicality of U.S. Bank Leverage," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 237-273, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:55:y:2017:i:2:p:237-273
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12163
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    Cited by:

    1. Joseph G. Haubrich, 2020. "How Cyclical Is Bank Capital?," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 58(1), pages 27-38, August.
    2. Yue, Heng & Zhang, Liandong & Zhong, Qinlin, 2022. "The politics of bank opacity," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2).
    3. Schroth, Josef, 2021. "Macroprudential policy with capital buffers," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 296-311.
    4. Amir Amel-Zadeh & Mary E. Barth & Wayne R. Landsman, 2017. "The contribution of bank regulation and fair value accounting to procyclical leverage," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1423-1454, September.
    5. Sara Longo & Antonio Parbonetti & Amedeo Pugliese, 2022. "Investors’ expectations around quantitative easing: does liquidity injection affect European banks equally?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(3), pages 957-996, September.
    6. Ally, Zawadi, 2023. "Drivers of Banks’ Debt Financing: The Panel Data Evidence from Large Commercial Banks in Tanzania," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 11(4), June.
    7. Yiwei Dou & Stephen G. Ryan & Biqin Xie, 2018. "The Real Effects of FAS 166/167 on Banks’ Mortgage Approval and Sale Decisions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 843-882, June.
    8. Balakrishnan, Karthik & De George, Emmanuel T. & Ertan, Aytekin & Scobie, Hannah, 2021. "Economic consequences of mandatory auditor reporting to bank regulators," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2).
    9. Jason Allen & Andrew Usher, 2020. "Investment dealer collateral and leverage procyclicality," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 489-505, February.
    10. Bischof, Jannis & Laux, Christian & Leuz, Christian, 2021. "Accounting for financial stability: Bank disclosure and loss recognition in the financial crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(3), pages 1188-1217.
    11. Hoque, Hafiz & Liu, Heng, 2022. "Capital structure of Islamic banks: How different are they from conventional banks?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    12. Daisuke Ikeda & Hidehiko Matsumoto, 2021. "Procyclical Leverage and Crisis Probability in a Macroeconomic Model of Bank Runs," IMES Discussion Paper Series 21-E-01, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan.
    13. Bischof, Jannis & Laux, Christian & Leuz, Christian, 2020. "Accounting for financial stability: Lessons from the financial crisis and future challenges," SAFE Working Paper Series 283, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    14. Ghulame Rubbaniy & Ali Awais Khalid & Stathis Polyzos & Balqees Naser Almessabi, 2022. "Cyclicality of capital adequacy ratios in heterogeneous environment: A nonlinear panel smooth transition regression explanation," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 1960-1979, September.
    15. Dursun-de Neef, H. Özlem & Schandlbauer, Alexander, 2020. "Procyclical leverage: Evidence from banks’ lending and financing decisions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    16. Chakravarty, Sugato & Ray, Rina, 2020. "On short-term institutional trading skill, behavioral biases, and liquidity need," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).

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