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Economic policy uncertainty and non-performing loans: The moderating role of bank concentration

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  • Karadima, Maria
  • Louri, Helen

Abstract

Following the financial and debt crises in the euro area and the delays in formulating a cohesive policy response, banks faced serious problems with the increase in non-performing loans (NPLs) being the most threatening. Economic policy uncertainty (EPU) has often been blamed for initiating and propagating NPLs. In this study, we attempt to estimate empirically if EPU has a significant effect on NPLs and if this effect can be restrained by another legacy of the crisis, namely bank concentration. By employing a panel dataset of 507 banks from four major euro area countries (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) during the period 2005–2017, we find that EPU has a positive impact on NPLs but this impact is significantly moderated by higher bank concentration.

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  • Karadima, Maria & Louri, Helen, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty and non-performing loans: The moderating role of bank concentration," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:38:y:2021:i:c:s1544612319312802
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2020.101458
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    Cited by:

    1. Karadima, Maria & Louri, Helen, 2021. "Determinants of non-performing loans in Greece: the intricate role of fiscal expansion," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 110741, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. González, Marta Ramos & Ureña, Antonio Partal & Fernández-Aguado, Pilar Gómez, 2023. "Forecasting for regulatory credit loss derived from the COVID-19 pandemic: A machine learning approach," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    3. Shabir, Mohsin & Jiang, Ping & Shahab, Yasir & Wang, Peng, 2023. "Geopolitical, economic uncertainty and bank risk: Do CEO power and board strength matter?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Bilgin, Mehmet Huseyin & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Demir, Ender & Tarazi, Amine, 2021. "Economic uncertainty and bank stability: Conventional vs. Islamic banking," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    5. Shabir, Mohsin & Jiang, Ping & Bakhsh, Satar & Zhao, Zhongxiu, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty and bank stability: Threshold effect of institutional quality and competition," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Aamir Aijaz Syed & Assad Ullah & Muhammad Abdul Kamal, 2024. "Does economic policy uncertainty impedes financial inclusion in BRICS economies: the mediating role of quality of governance," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 1-24, February.
    7. Kishwar Ali & Hu Hongbing & Chee Yoong Liew & Du Jianguo, 2023. "Governance perspective and the effect of economic policy uncertainty on financial stability: evidence from developed and developing economies," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1971-2002, June.
    8. Jiajia, Liu & Kun, Guo & Fangcheng, Tang & Yahan, Wang & Shouyang, Wang, 2023. "The effect of the disposal of non-performing loans on interbank liquidity risk in China: A cash flow network-based analysis," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 105-119.
    9. Hodula, Martin & Škrabić Perić, Blanka & Sorić, Petar, 2023. "Economic uncertainty and non-bank financial intermediation: Evidence from a European panel," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    10. Maria Karadima & Helen Louri, 2022. "Government debt accumulation and non-performing loans: An ARDL bounds testing approach," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 150-160.
    11. Ingrid-Mihaela Dragotă & Cosmin Octavian Cepoi & Lavinia Ştefan, 2023. "Threshold effect for the life insurance industry: evidence from OECD countries," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 48(4), pages 799-820, October.
    12. Chafic Saliba & Panteha Farmanesh & Seyed Alireza Athari, 2023. "Does country risk impact the banking sectors’ non-performing loans? Evidence from BRICS emerging economies," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-30, December.
    13. Van Dan Dang & Hoang Chung Nguyen, 2022. "Uncertainty And Bank Funding Liquidity Risk In Vietnam," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 67(234), pages 29-54, July – Se.
    14. Dang, Van Dan & Nguyen, Hoang Chung, 2022. "Bank profitability under uncertainty," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 119-134.
    15. Wang, Rui & Luo, Hang (Robin), 2022. "How does financial inclusion affect bank stability in emerging economies?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(PA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Non-performing loans; Economic policy uncertainty; Bank concentration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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