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What Explains the Difference in Leverage between Banks and Nonbanks?

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  • Berg, Tobias
  • Gider, Jasmin

Abstract

Banks have much more leverage than nonbanks. In this article, we use a joint sample of banks and nonbanks between 1965 and 2013 to analyze the determinants of this leverage difference. We find that a single factor, asset risk, is able to explain up to 90% of this difference. Banks’ assets consist of a diversified portfolio of nonbank debt. Therefore, banks have much lower asset risk than do nonbanks. Because asset risk is a major determinant of capital structure choice, this factor is able to explain a large fraction of the difference between bank and nonbank leverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Berg, Tobias & Gider, Jasmin, 2017. "What Explains the Difference in Leverage between Banks and Nonbanks?," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(6), pages 2677-2702, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jfinqa:v:52:y:2017:i:06:p:2677-2702_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Pennacchi, George G. & Santos, João A.C., 2021. "Why do banks target ROE?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    2. Garel, Alexandre & Petit-Romec, Arthur & Vennet, Rudi Vander, 2022. "Institutional Shareholders and Bank Capital," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    3. Liangliang Jiang & Ross Levine & Chen Lin, 2023. "Does Competition Affect Bank Risk?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 55(5), pages 1043-1076, August.
    4. Franz Reiter & Dominika Langenmayr & Svea Holtmann, 2021. "Avoiding taxes: banks’ use of internal debt," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 28(3), pages 717-745, June.
    5. Berger, Allen N. & Roman, Raluca A. & Sedunov, John, 2020. "Did TARP reduce or increase systemic risk? The effects of government aid on financial system stability," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    6. Bremus, Franziska & Schmidt, Kirsten & Tonzer, Lena, 2020. "Interactions between bank levies and corporate taxes: How is bank leverage affected?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 118.
    7. Koetter, Michael & Krause, Thomas & Sfrappini, Eleonora & Tonzer, Lena, 2022. "Completing the European Banking Union: Capital cost consequences for credit providers and corporate borrowers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    8. Saeidinezhad, Elham, 2019. "Corporate Debt: Where is the Danger?," MPRA Paper 98547, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Feng, Cong & Patel, Pankaj C. & Xiang, Kexin, 2020. "The well-trodden path: Complementing market and entrepreneurial orientation with a strategic emphasis to influence IPO survival in the United States," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 370-385.
    10. Mike Adams & Wei Jiang & Tianshu Ma, 2024. "CEO power, corporate risk management, and dividends: disentangling CEO managerial ability from entrenchment," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 683-717, February.
    11. Khalil Ullah Mohammad & Shin-Ichi Nishiyama, 2021. "Impact of Financial Sector Opacity on the Capital Structure Choice of Asian Banks," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 11(3), pages 219-235, March.
    12. Bremus, Franziska & Ludolph, Melina, 2021. "The nexus between loan portfolio size and volatility: Does bank capital regulation matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    13. Bremus, Franziska & Schmidt, Kirsten & Tonzer, Lena, 2018. "Interactions between regulatory and corporate taxes: How is bank leverage affected?," IWH Discussion Papers 16/2018, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    14. Kuvshinov, Dmitry & Richter, Björn & Zimmermann, Kaspar, 2022. "The shifts and the shocks: bank risk, leverage, and the macroeconomy," Working Paper Series 2672, European Central Bank.
    15. Ben Hambly & Andreas Søjmark, 2019. "An SPDE model for systemic risk with endogenous contagion," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 535-594, July.
    16. Duan, Yuejiao & Fan, Xiaoyun & Wang, Yu, 2022. "Economic policy uncertainty and bank systemic risk: A cross-country analysis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    17. Balachandran, Balasingham & Williams, Barry, 2018. "Effective governance, financial markets, financial institutions & crises," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1-15.
    18. Sagara Dewasurendra & Pedro Judice & Qiji Zhu, 2019. "The Optimum Leverage Level of the Banking Sector," Risks, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-30, May.
    19. George Pennacchi & Alexei Tchistyi, 2018. "Contingent Convertibles with Stock Price Triggers: The Case of Perpetuities," 2018 Meeting Papers 331, Society for Economic Dynamics.

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