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Information-based pricing in specialized lending

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  • Blickle, Kristian
  • He, Zhiguo
  • Huang, Jing
  • Parlatore, Cecilia

Abstract

We study how competition between asymmetrically informed banks, one specialized and one nonspecialized, affects loan prices. Both banks possess “general” signals regarding the borrower’s quality, which they use to screen loans. The specialized bank also has access to a “specialized” signal on which it bases its loan pricing. This private information-based pricing makes the specialized bank bid more aggressively, mitigating the informational rent effect that gives it monopolistic power. Our findings explain why loans from specialized lenders feature lower interest rates and better ex post performance. Supporting empirical evidence emphasizes the role of specialized information in shaping credit market outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Blickle, Kristian & He, Zhiguo & Huang, Jing & Parlatore, Cecilia, 2025. "Information-based pricing in specialized lending," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:172:y:2025:i:c:s0304405x25001436
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2025.104135
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    Cited by:

    1. Vives, Xavier & Ye, Zhiqiang, 2025. "Fintech entry, lending market competition, and welfare," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    2. Ding, Zijia & Liu, Qian & Che, Dexin, 2025. "Specialization in Bank lending and firm deleveraging: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    3. Kristian S. Blickle & Cecilia Parlatore & Anthony Saunders, 2025. "Deposit Specialization and Lending Behavior," Staff Reports 1175, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L52 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O36 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Open Innovation

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