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Corporate governance and default risk of firms cited in the SEC’s Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases

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  • Zhiyan Cao
  • Fei Leng
  • Ehsan Feroz
  • Sergio Davalos

Abstract

We examine the relationship between corporate governance and default risk for a sample of firms cited in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases (AAERs). Using hazard analysis of actual default incidence and OLS regressions of a continuous variable capturing a firm’s “closeness to default,” we document changes in the relationships between various governance characteristics and default risk from the pre-AAER period to the post-AAER period. Specifically, smaller board size, greater board independence, greater gender diversity of the board, and lower concentration of institutional ownership are all shown to have a more favorable effect on lowering default risk in the post-AAER period relative to the pre-AAER period. Our comparative analysis of a group of firms with accounting restatements (but not cited in the AAERs) does not show similar changes in the relationships between the various corporate governance characteristics and default risk from the pre-restatement to the post-restatement period. This suggests that the regulatory sanctions experienced by AAER firms may have prompted creditor reevaluation of the firms’ information environment and the perceived efficacy of various corporate governance mechanisms in mitigating default risk. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Zhiyan Cao & Fei Leng & Ehsan Feroz & Sergio Davalos, 2015. "Corporate governance and default risk of firms cited in the SEC’s Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 113-138, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:rqfnac:v:44:y:2015:i:1:p:113-138
    DOI: 10.1007/s11156-013-0401-9
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    4. Lagasio, Valentina & Brogi, Marina & Gallucci, Carmen & Santulli, Rosalia, 2023. "May board committees reduce the probability of financial distress? A survival analysis on Italian listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Yin Liu & Huiqi Gan & Khondkar Karim, 2020. "Corporate risk-taking after adoption of compensation clawback provisions," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 617-649, February.
    6. Meng, Qingbin & Huang, Haozheng & Li, Xinyu & Wang, Song, 2023. "Short-selling and corporate default risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 398-417.
    7. Abinzano, Isabel & Martinez, Beatriz & Poletti-Hughes, Jannine, 2023. "Women in power with power: The influence of meaningful board representation on default risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    8. Jim-Yuh Huang & Kao-Yi Shen & Joseph C.P. Shieh & Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng, 2019. "Strengthen Financial Holding Companies’ Business Sustainability by Using a Hybrid Corporate Governance Evaluation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-27, January.
    9. Emma L. Schultz & David T. Tan & Kathleen D. Walsh, 2017. "Corporate governance and the probability of default," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57, pages 235-253, April.
    10. Daniella Juric & Brendan O’Connell & Michaela Rankin & Jacqueline Birt, 2018. "Determinants of the Severity of Legal and Employment Consequences for CPAs Named in SEC Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 545-563, February.
    11. Chunlai Ye & Lin-Hui Yu, 2018. "The effect of restatements on trading volume reactions to earnings announcements," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 129-180, January.
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    13. Florian Maier & B. Burcin Yurtoglu, 2022. "Board Characteristics and the Insolvency Risk of Non-Financial Firms," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-19, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate governance; Default risk; Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases; Information asymmetry; G33; G34; M41; D82;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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