IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v39y2015icp57-75.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diversification and determinants of international credit portfolios: Evidence from German banks

Author

Listed:
  • Böninghausen, Benjamin
  • Köhler, Matthias

Abstract

Bank credit portfolios are concentrated on relatively few countries despite potential gains from diversifying internationally. Based on unique data for German banks, we examine whether this concentration is due to country-specific frictions that increase the attractiveness of some destinations relative to others. We therefore compare banks' actual portfolios to mean-variance benchmark portfolios that might be observed in the absence of such frictions. Our results show that banks overweight countries with more developed institutions and sound banking regulations. This suggests that improvements and global convergence of institutional frameworks could contribute to more internationally integrated banking markets and more diversified credit portfolios.

Suggested Citation

  • Böninghausen, Benjamin & Köhler, Matthias, 2015. "Diversification and determinants of international credit portfolios: Evidence from German banks," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 57-75.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:39:y:2015:i:c:p:57-75
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2015.06.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056015001033
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2015.06.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edward I. Altman & Andrea Resti & Andrea Sironi, 2002. "The link between default and recovery rates: effects on the procyclicality of regulatory capital ratios," BIS Working Papers 113, Bank for International Settlements.
    2. Claudia M. Buch, 2005. "Distance and International Banking," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(4), pages 787-804, September.
    3. R. Gaston Gelos & Shang‐Jin Wei, 2005. "Transparency and International Portfolio Holdings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(6), pages 2987-3020, December.
    4. De Santis, Roberto A. & Gérard, Bruno, 2006. "Financial integration, international portfolio choice and the European Monetary Union," Working Paper Series 626, European Central Bank.
    5. George Clarke & Robert Cull & Maria Soledad Martinez Peria & Susana M. S·nchez, 2003. "Foreign Bank Entry: Experience, Implications for Developing Economies, and Agenda for Further Research," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 18(1), pages 25-59.
    6. Brealey, R. A. & Kaplanis, E. C., 1996. "The determination of foreign banking location," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 577-597, August.
    7. Pontines, Victor & Siregar, Reza Y., 2014. "How should we bank with foreigners? An empirical assessment of lending behavior of international banks to six East Asian economies," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 552-568.
    8. Aviat, Antonin & Coeurdacier, Nicolas, 2007. "The geography of trade in goods and asset holdings," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 22-51, March.
    9. Papaioannou, Elias, 2009. "What drives international financial flows? Politics, institutions and other determinants," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 269-281, March.
    10. Düwel, Cornelia & Frey, Rainer & Lipponer, Alexander, 2011. "Cross-border bank lending, risk aversion and the financial crisis," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2011,29, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    11. Asli Demirgüč-Kunt & Luc Laeven & Ross Levine, 2004. "Regulations, market structure, institutions, and the cost of financial intermediation," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, pages 593-626.
    12. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2002. "Government Ownership of Banks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 265-301, February.
    13. Tullio Jappelli & Marco Pagano, 2008. "Financial Market Integration under EMU," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 312, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    14. Dario Focarelli & Alberto Franco Pozzolo, 2005. "Where Do Banks Expand Abroad? An Empirical Analysis," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(6), pages 2435-2464, November.
    15. Barth, James R.*Caprio,Gerard*Levine, Ross, 2001. "The regulation and supervision of banks around the world - a new database," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2588, The World Bank.
    16. Yamori, Nobuyoshi, 1998. "A note on the location choice of multinational banks: The case of Japanese financial institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 109-120, January.
    17. Portes, Richard & Rey, Helene & Oh, Yonghyup, 2001. "Information and capital flows: The determinants of transactions in financial assets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4-6), pages 783-796, May.
    18. Kalemli-Ozcan, Sebnem & Papaioannou, Elias & Peydró, José-Luis, 2010. "What lies beneath the euro's effect on financial integration? Currency risk, legal harmonization, or trade?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 75-88, May.
    19. Mitchell A. Petersen & Raghuram G. Rajan, 2002. "Does Distance Still Matter? The Information Revolution in Small Business Lending," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2533-2570, December.
    20. Cerutti, Eugenio & Dell'Ariccia, Giovanni & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2007. "How banks go abroad: Branches or subsidiaries?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1669-1692, June.
    21. Philip R. Lane, 2006. "Global Bond Portfolios and EMU," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 2(2), May.
    22. Claudia M. Buch & John C. Driscoll & Charlotte Ostergaard, 2010. "Cross‐Border Diversification in Bank Asset Portfolios," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 79-108, March.
    23. M. Ayhan Kose & Christopher Otrok & Eswar Prasad, 2012. "Global Business Cycles: Convergence Or Decoupling?," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 53(2), pages 511-538, May.
    24. Berger, Allen N. & Dai, Qinglei & Ongena, Steven & Smith, David C., 2003. "To what extent will the banking industry be globalized? A study of bank nationality and reach in 20 European nations," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 383-415, March.
    25. 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.
    26. Portes, Richard & Rey, Helene, 2005. "The determinants of cross-border equity flows," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 269-296, March.
    27. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/c8dmi8nm4pdjkuc9g708pipbp is not listed on IDEAS
    28. Harry Markowitz, 1952. "Portfolio Selection," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 7(1), pages 77-91, March.
    29. Herrero, Alicia Garcia & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2007. "The mix of international banks' foreign claims: Determinants and implications," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1613-1631, June.
    30. Merton, Robert C, 1974. "On the Pricing of Corporate Debt: The Risk Structure of Interest Rates," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 29(2), pages 449-470, May.
    31. Barth, James R. & Caprio, Gerard Jr. & Levine, Ross, 2004. "Bank regulation and supervision: what works best?," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 205-248, April.
    32. Laura Alfaro & Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Vadym Volosovych, 2008. "Why Doesn't Capital Flow from Rich to Poor Countries? An Empirical Investigation," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(2), pages 347-368, May.
    33. Ralph De Haas & Iman Van Lelyveld, 2014. "Multinational Banks and the Global Financial Crisis: Weathering the Perfect Storm?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(s1), pages 333-364, February.
    34. Gian-Maria Milesi-Ferretti & Cédric Tille, 2011. "The great retrenchment: international capital flows during the global financial crisis [‘The great trade collapse: what caused it and what does it mean?’]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 26(66), pages 289-346.
    35. Driessen, Joost & Laeven, Luc, 2007. "International portfolio diversification benefits: Cross-country evidence from a local perspective," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1693-1712, June.
    36. Sven Blank & Claudia M Buch, 2007. "The Euro and Cross-Border Banking: Evidence from Bilateral Data," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 49(3), pages 389-410, September.
    37. Altunbas, Yener & Gambacorta, Leonardo & Marques-Ibanez, David, 2009. "Securitisation and the bank lending channel," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(8), pages 996-1009, November.
    38. Haselmann, Rainer, 2006. "Strategies of foreign banks in transition economies," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 7(4), pages 283-299, December.
    39. Goldberg, Lawrence G. & Saunders, Anthony, 1981. "The determinants of foreign banking activity in the United States," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 17-32, March.
    40. Barth, James R. & Caprio, Gerard, Jr. & Levine, Ross, 2008. "Bank regulations are changing : for better or worse ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4646, The World Bank.
    41. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    42. Mariassunta Giannetti & Yishay Yafeh, 2012. "Do Cultural Differences Between Contracting Parties Matter? Evidence from Syndicated Bank Loans," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(2), pages 365-383, February.
    43. Baele, Lieven & Pungulescu, Crina & Ter Horst, Jenke, 2007. "Model uncertainty, financial market integration and the home bias puzzle," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 606-630, June.
    44. Gerard Caprio & James Barth & Ross Levine, 2008. "Bank Regulations Are Changing: But For Better or Worse?," Center for Development Economics 2008-04, Department of Economics, Williams College.
    45. Sylvia Heuchemer & Stefanie Kleimeier & Harald Sander, 2009. "The Determinants of Cross-Border Lending in the Euro Zone," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 51(4), pages 467-499, December.
    46. Goldberg, Lawrence G & Saunders, Anthony, 1980. "The Causes of U.S. Bank Expansion Overseas: The Case of Great Britain," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 12(4), pages 630-643, November.
    47. Buch, Claudia M. & Lipponer, Alexander, 2007. "FDI versus exports: Evidence from German banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 805-826, March.
    48. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/c8dmi8nm4pdjkuc9g708pipbp is not listed on IDEAS
    49. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Ross Levine, 2010. "Financial Institutions and Markets across Countries and over Time: The Updated Financial Development and Structure Database," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 24(1), pages 77-92, January.
    50. de Haas, Ralph & van Lelyveld, Iman, 2006. "Foreign banks and credit stability in Central and Eastern Europe. A panel data analysis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1927-1952, July.
    51. Allen N. Berger, 2000. "The \"big picture\" of bank diversification," Proceedings 669, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    52. Lieven Baele, 2004. "Measuring European Financial Integration," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 20(4), pages 509-530, Winter.
    53. Lensink, Robert & Meesters, Aljar & Naaborg, Ilko, 2008. "Bank efficiency and foreign ownership: Do good institutions matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 834-844, May.
    54. James R Barth & Gerard Caprio & Ross Levine, 2008. "Bank Regulations are Changing: For Better or Worse?," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 50(4), pages 537-563, December.
    55. Figlewski, Stephen & Frydman, Halina & Liang, Weijian, 2012. "Modeling the effect of macroeconomic factors on corporate default and credit rating transitions," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 87-105.
    56. Williams, Barry, 1998. "Factors affecting the performance of foreign-owned banks in Australia: A cross-sectional study," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 197-219, February.
    57. Franklin Allen & Douglas Gale, 2001. "Comparative Financial Systems: A Survey," Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers 01-15, Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania.
    58. Philip Lane & Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, 2005. "The International Equity Holdings of Euro Area Investors," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp104, IIIS.
    59. Crouhy, Michel & Galai, Dan & Mark, Robert, 2000. "A comparative analysis of current credit risk models," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(1-2), pages 59-117, January.
    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. Böninghausen, Benjamin & Köhler, Matthias, 2012. "Diversification and determinants of international credit portfolios: Evidence from German banks," Discussion Papers 28/2012, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    2. Annick Pamen Nyola & Alain Sauviat & Amine Tarazi, 2022. "How does regulation affect the organizational form of foreign banks' presence in developing versus developed countries?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 2367-2419, April.
    3. Gajewski, Krzysztof & Olszewski, Krzysztof & Pawłowska, Małgorzata & Rogowski, Wojciech & Tchorek, Grzegorz & Zięba, Jolanta, 2012. "Integracja finansowa w Europie po wprowadzeniu euro. Przegląd literatury [Financial integration in Europe after the introduction of the euro. A literature overview]," MPRA Paper 42482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Claudia M. Buch & John C. Driscoll & Charlotte Ostergaard, 2010. "Cross‐Border Diversification in Bank Asset Portfolios," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 79-108, March.
    5. Georgios Fotopoulos & Helen Louri, 2011. "On the geography of international banking: the role of third-country effects," Working Papers 125, Bank of Greece.
    6. Tsai, Hsiangping & Chang, Yuanchen & Hsiao, Pei-Hsin, 2011. "What drives foreign expansion of the top 100 multinational banks? The role of the credit reporting system," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 588-605, March.
    7. Herrero, Alicia Garcia & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2007. "The mix of international banks' foreign claims: Determinants and implications," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1613-1631, June.
    8. Claudia M. Buch & Gayle L. DeLong, 2008. "Banking Globalization: International Consolidation and Mergers in Banking," IAW Discussion Papers 38, Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung (IAW).
    9. Niepmann, Friederike, 2015. "Banking across borders," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 244-265.
    10. Alberto Franco Pozzolo, 2009. "Bank Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: Causes, Consequences, and Recent Trends," Springer Books, in: Alberto Zazzaro & Michele Fratianni & Pietro Alessandrini (ed.), The Changing Geography of Banking and Finance, edition 1, chapter 0, pages 155-183, Springer.
    11. Stijn Claessens, 2017. "Global Banking: Recent Developments and Insights from Research," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 21(4), pages 1513-1555.
    12. Julia Merz & Michael Overesch & Georg Wamser, 2015. "Tax vs. Regulation Policy and the Location of Financial Sector FDI," CESifo Working Paper Series 5500, CESifo.
    13. Kalemli-Ozcan, Sebnem & Papaioannou, Elias & Peydró, José-Luis, 2010. "What lies beneath the euro's effect on financial integration? Currency risk, legal harmonization, or trade?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 75-88, May.
    14. Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Elias Papaioannou & José-Luis Peydró, 2013. "Financial Regulation, Financial Globalization, and the Synchronization of Economic Activity," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(3), pages 1179-1228, June.
    15. Focarelli, Dario & Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2008. "Cross-border M&As in the financial sector: Is banking different from insurance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 15-29, January.
    16. Mercado, Rogelio V., 2023. "Bilateral capital flows: Transaction patterns and gravity," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 39-54.
    17. Chen, Minghua & Wu, Ji & Jeon, Bang Nam & Wang, Rui, 2017. "Do foreign banks take more risk? Evidence from emerging economies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 20-39.
    18. Eichler, Stefan & Littke, Helge C.N. & Tonzer, Lena, 2017. "Central bank transparency and cross-border banking," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-30.
    19. Merz, Julia & Overesch, Michael & Wamser, Georg, 2017. "The location of financial sector FDI: Tax and regulation policy," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 14-26.
    20. Molyneux, Philip & Nguyen, Linh H. & Xie, Ru, 2013. "Foreign bank entry in South East Asia," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 26-35.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    International banking; International financial integration; Portfolio choice;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • F36 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Financial Aspects of Economic Integration
    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements

    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:eee:reveco:v:39:y:2015:i:c:p:57-75. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620165 .

    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.