IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/lui/casmef/1904.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Risk Weighted Ownership Index: an ex-ante measure of banks' risk and performance

Author

Listed:
  • Luca Bellardini

    (University of Rome Tor Vergata)

  • Pierluigi Murro

    (LUISS University)

  • Daniele Previtali

    (University of Naples Parthenope)

Abstract

Attributing ratings to the top-20 owners, we construct a Risk-Weighted Ownership index (RWO) to measure the profitability and risk-taking behaviour of the ownership structure at banks. Collecting data from 19 European countries plus the UK over the 2008-2017 period, preliminary results show strong evidence that RWO measures are significant in explaining bank performance and risk, at both an accounting and a market-based level. Overall, these results suggest that not only markets and regulators should look at bank’s owners: instead, it is far more relevant to assess the contribution carried by top-owners to bank risk, both individually and collectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Luca Bellardini & Pierluigi Murro & Daniele Previtali, 2019. "The Risk Weighted Ownership Index: an ex-ante measure of banks' risk and performance," Working Papers CASMEF 1904, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, LUISS Guido Carli.
    • Handle: RePEc:lui:casmef:1904
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://economiaefinanza.luiss.it/sites/economiaefinanza.luiss.it/files/1904wp.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bouvatier, Vincent & Lepetit, Laetitia & Strobel, Frank, 2014. "Bank income smoothing, ownership concentration and the regulatory environment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 253-270.
    2. Balla, Eliana & Rose, Morgan J., 2019. "Earnings, risk-taking, and capital accumulation in small and large community banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 36-50.
    3. Hand, John R M & Holthausen, Robert W & Leftwich, Richard W, 1992. "The Effect of Bond Rating Agency Announcements on Bond and Stock Prices," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(2), pages 733-752, June.
    4. Andres, Pablo de & Vallelado, Eleuterio, 2008. "Corporate governance in banking: The role of the board of directors," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 2570-2580, December.
    5. Garel, Alexandre & Petit-Romec, Arthur, 2017. "Bank capital in the crisis: It's not just how much you have but who provides it," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 152-166.
    6. Fahlenbrach, Rüdiger & Stulz, René M., 2011. "Bank CEO incentives and the credit crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 11-26, January.
    7. Bhattacharya Sudipto & Thakor Anjan V., 1993. "Contemporary Banking Theory," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 2-50, October.
    8. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1986. "Large Shareholders and Corporate Control," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages 461-488, June.
    9. Bouvatier, Vincent & Lepetit, Laetitia & Strobel, Frank, 2014. "Bank income smoothing, ownership concentration and the regulatory environment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 253-270.
    10. Hamid Mehran & Alan Morrison & Joel Shapiro, 2011. "Corporate governance and banks: what have we learned from the financial crisis?," Staff Reports 502, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    11. John H. Boyd & Chun Chang & Bruce Smith, 1998. "Moral hazard under commercial and universal banking," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, issue Aug, pages 426-471.
    12. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    13. DeYoung, Robert & Peng, Emma Y. & Yan, Meng, 2013. "Executive Compensation and Business Policy Choices at U.S. Commercial Banks," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 48(1), pages 165-196, February.
    14. Bekaert, Geert & Hoerova, Marie, 2016. "What do asset prices have to say about risk appetite and uncertainty?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 103-118.
    15. René M. Stulz, 2015. "Risk-Taking and Risk Management by Banks," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 27(1), pages 8-18, March.
    16. Holthausen, Robert W. & Leftwich, Richard W., 1986. "The effect of bond rating changes on common stock prices," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 57-89, September.
    17. Laeven, Luc & Levine, Ross, 2009. "Bank governance, regulation and risk taking," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 259-275, August.
    18. Gorton, Gary & Rosen, Richard, 1995. "Corporate Control, Portfolio Choice, and the Decline of Banking," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1377-1420, December.
    19. Anginer, Deniz & Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Mare, Davide S., 2018. "Bank capital, institutional environment and systemic stability," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 97-106.
    20. Saunders, Anthony & Strock, Elizabeth & Travlos, Nickolaos G, 1990. "Ownership Structure, Deregulation, and Bank Risk Taking," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(2), pages 643-654, June.
    21. Zhu, Wenyu & Yang, Jiawen, 2016. "State ownership, cross-border acquisition, and risk-taking: Evidence from China’s banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 133-153.
    22. Ilia D. Dichev & Joseph D. Piotroski, 2001. "The Long‐Run Stock Returns Following Bond Ratings Changes," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(1), pages 173-203, February.
    23. Saghi-Zedek, Nadia, 2016. "Product diversification and bank performance: Does ownership structure matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 154-167.
    24. Erkens, David H. & Hung, Mingyi & Matos, Pedro, 2012. "Corporate governance in the 2007–2008 financial crisis: Evidence from financial institutions worldwide," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 389-411.
    25. Bai, Xuelian & Hu, Nan & Liu, Ling & Zhu, Lu, 2017. "Credit derivatives and stock return synchronicity," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 79-90.
    26. Edward I. Altman, 1968. "Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis And The Prediction Of Corporate Bankruptcy," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(4), pages 589-609, September.
    27. Edward I. Altman, 1968. "The Prediction Of Corporate Bankruptcy: A Discriminant Analysis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 23(1), pages 193-194, March.
    28. Allen N. Berger & Björn Imbierowicz & Christian Rauch, 2016. "The Roles of Corporate Governance in Bank Failures during the Recent Financial Crisis," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(4), pages 729-770, June.
    29. Demsetz, Harold & Lehn, Kenneth, 1985. "The Structure of Corporate Ownership: Causes and Consequences," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 93(6), pages 1155-1177, December.
    30. Jonathan R. Macey & Maureen O'Hara, 2003. "The corporate governance of banks," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, vol. 9(Apr), pages 91-107.
    31. Robert Parrino & Allen M. Poteshman & Michael S. Weisbach, 2005. "Measuring Investment Distortions when Risk-Averse Managers Decide Whether to Undertake Risky Projects," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 34(1), Spring.
    32. Onali, Enrico & Galiakhmetova, Ramilya & Molyneux, Philip & Torluccio, Giuseppe, 2016. "CEO power, government monitoring, and bank dividends," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 89-117.
    33. Merton, Robert C., 1977. "An analytic derivation of the cost of deposit insurance and loan guarantees An application of modern option pricing theory," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 3-11, June.
    34. Buch, Claudia M. & DeLong, Gayle, 2004. "Cross-border bank mergers: What lures the rare animal?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(9), pages 2077-2102, September.
    35. Andrew Ellul & Vijay Yerramilli, 2013. "Stronger Risk Controls, Lower Risk: Evidence from U.S. Bank Holding Companies," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(5), pages 1757-1803, October.
    36. Iannotta, Giuliano & Nocera, Giacomo & Sironi, Andrea, 2013. "The impact of government ownership on bank risk," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 152-176.
    37. Aebi, Vincent & Sabato, Gabriele & Schmid, Markus, 2012. "Risk management, corporate governance, and bank performance in the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 3213-3226.
    38. Haw, In-Mu & Ho, Simon S.M. & Hu, Bingbing & Wu, Donghui, 2010. "Concentrated control, institutions, and banking sector: An international study," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 485-497, March.
    39. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    40. Simon H. Kwan, 2004. "Risk and return of publicly held versus privately owned banks," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, issue Sep, pages 97-107.
    41. Anderson, Ronald C. & Fraser, Donald R., 2000. "Corporate control, bank risk taking, and the health of the banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(8), pages 1383-1398, August.
    42. Martín-Oliver, Alfredo & Ruano, Sonia & Salas-Fumás, Vicente, 2017. "The fall of Spanish cajas: Lessons of ownership and governance for banks," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 244-260.
    43. Beltratti, Andrea & Stulz, René M., 2012. "The credit crisis around the globe: Why did some banks perform better?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 1-17.
    44. Switzer, Lorne N. & Tu, Qiao & Wang, Jun, 2018. "Corporate governance and default risk in financial firms over the post-financial crisis period: International evidence," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 196-210.
    45. Pennathur, Anita K. & Subrahmanyam, Vijaya & Vishwasrao, Sharmila, 2012. "Income diversification and risk: Does ownership matter? An empirical examination of Indian banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 2203-2215.
    46. Shehzad, Choudhry Tanveer & de Haan, Jakob & Scholtens, Bert, 2010. "The impact of bank ownership concentration on impaired loans and capital adequacy," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 399-408, February.
    47. Ferri, Giovanni, 2009. "Are New Tigers supplanting Old Mammoths in China's banking system? Evidence from a sample of city commercial banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 131-140, January.
    48. Akhigbe, Aigbe & McNulty, James E. & Stevenson, Bradley A., 2017. "Does the form of ownership affect firm performance? Evidence from US bank profit efficiency before and during the financial crisis," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 120-129.
    49. Maria Vassalou & Yuhang Xing, 2004. "Default Risk in Equity Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 59(2), pages 831-868, April.
    50. Pak, Olga, 2019. "The impact of state ownership and business models on bank stability: Empirical evidence from the Eurasian Economic Union," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 161-175.
    51. Nadia Saghi-Zedek, 2016. "Product diversification and bank performance: does ownership structure matter?," Post-Print halshs-01342528, HAL.
    52. Iannotta, Giuliano & Nocera, Giacomo & Sironi, Andrea, 2007. "Ownership structure, risk and performance in the European banking industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2127-2149, July.
    53. Fama, Eugene F, 1980. "Agency Problems and the Theory of the Firm," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(2), pages 288-307, April.
    54. Shaban, Mohamed & James, Gregory A., 2018. "The effects of ownership change on bank performance and risk exposure: Evidence from indonesia," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 483-497.
    55. Battaglia, Francesca & Gallo, Angela, 2017. "Strong boards, ownership concentration and EU banks’ systemic risk-taking: Evidence from the financial crisis," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 128-146.
    56. Helen Kang & Mandy Cheng & Sidney J. Gray, 2007. "Corporate Governance and Board Composition: diversity and independence of Australian boards," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(2), pages 194-207, March.
    57. Azofra, Valentín & Santamaría, Marcos, 2011. "Ownership, control, and pyramids in Spanish commercial banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 1464-1476, June.
    58. Grant Kirkpatrick, 2009. "The corporate governance lessons from the financial crisis," OECD Journal: Financial Market Trends, OECD Publishing, vol. 2009(1), pages 61-87.
    59. Han, Bing & Subrahmanyam, Avanidhar & Zhou, Yi, 2017. "The term structure of credit spreads, firm fundamentals, and expected stock returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 147-171.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Saghi-Zedek, Nadia & Tarazi, Amine, 2015. "Excess control rights, financial crisis and bank profitability and risk," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 361-379.
    2. Shkendije Himaj, 2014. "Corporate Governance in Banks and its Impact on Risk and Performance: Review of Literature on the Selected Governance Mechanisms," Journal of Central Banking Theory and Practice, Central bank of Montenegro, vol. 3(3), pages 53-85.
    3. Pathan, Shams & Haq, Mamiza & Faff, Robert & Seymour, Trent, 2021. "Institutional investor horizon and bank risk-taking," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Dong, Yizhe & Meng, Chao & Firth, Michael & Hou, Wenxuan, 2014. "Ownership structure and risk-taking: Comparative evidence from private and state-controlled banks in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 120-130.
    5. Chen, Hsiao-Jung & Lin, Kuan-Ting, 2016. "How do banks make the trade-offs among risks? The role of corporate governance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(S), pages 39-69.
    6. Mamduh Hanafi & Fitri Santi & Muazaroh, 2013. "The Impact of Ownership Concentration, Commissioners on Bank Risk and Profitability: Evidence from Indonesia," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 3(2), pages 183-202, December.
    7. Catarina Fernandes & Jorge Farinha & Francisco Vitorino Martins & Cesario Mateus, 2018. "Bank governance and performance: a survey of the literature," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(3), pages 236-256, July.
    8. Allen N. Berger & Björn Imbierowicz & Christian Rauch, 2016. "The Roles of Corporate Governance in Bank Failures during the Recent Financial Crisis," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(4), pages 729-770, June.
    9. Barry, Thierno Amadou & Lepetit, Laetitia & Tarazi, Amine, 2011. "Ownership structure and risk in publicly held and privately owned banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1327-1340, May.
    10. Dong, Yizhe & Girardone, Claudia & Kuo, Jing-Ming, 2017. "Governance, efficiency and risk taking in Chinese banking," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 211-229.
    11. Walter Gontarek & Yacine Belghitar, 2021. "CEO chairman controversy: evidence from the post financial crisis period," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 675-713, February.
    12. Martín-Oliver, Alfredo & Ruano, Sonia & Salas-Fumás, Vicente, 2017. "The fall of Spanish cajas: Lessons of ownership and governance for banks," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 244-260.
    13. Carlini, Federico & Cucinelli, Doriana & Previtali, Daniele & Soana, Maria Gaia, 2020. "Don't talk too bad! stock market reactions to bank corporate governance news," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    14. José María Díez-Esteban & Jorge Bento Farinha & Conrado Diego García-Gómez & Cesario Mateus, 2022. "Does board composition and ownership structure affect banks’ systemic risk? European evidence," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(2), pages 155-172, June.
    15. Wang, Mingzhu & Sun, Xiaojie, 2019. "Identity of large owner, regulation and bank risk in developing countries," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 106-133.
    16. Ballester, Laura & González-Urteaga, Ana & Martínez, Beatriz, 2020. "The role of internal corporate governance mechanisms on default risk: A systematic review for different institutional settings," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    17. Mavrakana, Christina & Psillaki, Maria, 2019. "Do board structure and compensation matter for bank stability and bank performance? Evidence from European banks," MPRA Paper 95776, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Mamatzakis, Emmanuel & Zhang, Xiaoxiang & Wang, Chaoke, 2017. "Ownership structure and bank performance: An emerging market perspective," MPRA Paper 80653, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Catarina Fernandes & Jorge Farinha & Francisco Vitorino Martins & Cesario Mateus, 2021. "The impact of board characteristics and CEO power on banks’ risk-taking: stable versus crisis periods," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 319-341, December.
    20. Raluca Roman, 2015. "Shareholder activism in banking," Research Working Paper RWP 15-9, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    bank; ownership; risk; corporate governance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:lui:casmef:1904. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Pierluigi Murro (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/deluiit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.