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Hidden gems and borrowers with dirty little secrets: Investment in soft information, borrower self-selection and competition

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  • Gropp, Reint
  • Guettler, Andre

Abstract

This paper empirically examines the role of soft information in the competitive interaction between relationship and transaction banks. Soft information can be interpreted as a valuable signal about the quality of a firm that is observable to a relationship bank, but not to a transaction bank. We show that borrowers self-select to relationship banks depending on whether their observed soft information is positive or negative. Competition affects the investment in learning the soft information from firms by relationship banks and transaction banks asymmetrically. Relationship banks invest more; transaction banks invest less in soft information, exacerbating the selection effect.

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  • Gropp, Reint & Guettler, Andre, 2018. "Hidden gems and borrowers with dirty little secrets: Investment in soft information, borrower self-selection and competition," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 26-39.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:87:y:2018:i:c:p:26-39
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2017.09.014
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    3. Salomon Faure & Hans Gersbach, 2021. "On the money creation approach to banking," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 265-318, September.
    4. Saul Estrin & Susanna Khavul & Mike Wright, 2022. "Soft and hard information in equity crowdfunding: network effects in the digitalization of entrepreneurial finance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1761-1781, April.
    5. Eric Tassel, 2022. "Relationship Lending and Liquidation Under Imperfect Information," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 61(1), pages 151-165, February.
    6. Wiegand, Manuel, 2015. "Friendship and money, oil and water? Credit constraints and "Family and Friends" finance," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112965, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Oliver Rehbein & Simon Rother, 2020. "The Role of Social Networks in Bank Lending," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 033, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    8. Faure, Salomon & Gersbach, Hans, 2016. "Money creation and destruction," CFS Working Paper Series 555, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    9. Ambrocio, Gene & Hasan, Iftekhar, 2018. "Private information and lender discretion across time and institutions," Research Discussion Papers 17/2018, Bank of Finland.
    10. Filomeni, Stefano & Udell, Gregory F. & Zazzaro, Alberto, 2020. "Communication frictions in banking organizations: Evidence from credit score lending," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
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    12. Drexler, Alejandro & Guettler, Andre & Taskin, Ahmet Ali, 2023. "Competition between arm’s length and relational lenders: Who wins the contest?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    13. Ambrocio, Gene & Hasan, Iftekhar, 2018. "Private information and lender discretion across time and institutions," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 17/2018, Bank of Finland.
    14. Alessandro Bitetto & Stefano Filomeni & Michele Modina, 2021. "Understanding corporate default using Random Forest: The role of accounting and market information," DEM Working Papers Series 205, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    15. Mosk, T.C., 2014. "Essays on banking," Other publications TiSEM d424ec24-1bfd-4be0-b19a-3, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    16. Ambrocio, Gene & Hasan, Iftekhar, 2019. "What drives discretion in bank lending? Some evidence and a link to private information," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 323-340.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Soft information; Discretionary lending; Relationship lending; Competition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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