IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0317191.html

ESG rating disagreement and bank loan availability: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Jidong Qin
  • Meijia Wang

Abstract

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings are receiving increasing attention in credit markets. However, ESG rating disagreement erects obstacles for companies in obtaining capital resources. This study investigates the impact of ESG rating disagreement on bank loan availability uses data of Chinese listed firms from 2014 to 2022, and employs models with multiple regression analyses and fixed effects. We find that greater ESG rating disagreement leads to a decrease in newly obtained bank loans. The mechanism analysis confirms that ESG rating disagreement amplifies information asymmetry and increases operational uncertainty, thereby raising the information and credit risks faced by banks, leading to a decrease in bank loan availability. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the negative effect of ESG rating disagreement on bank loan availability is more pronounced in firms with poor financing capabilities, poor information environments, and fierce competitive macro environments. Our findings contribute to the literature on ESG rating disagreement from credit markets, which are important for a more comprehensive and objective understanding of ESG rating disagreement.

Suggested Citation

  • Jidong Qin & Meijia Wang, 2025. "ESG rating disagreement and bank loan availability: Evidence from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0317191
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317191
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0317191
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0317191&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0317191?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Li, Li & Zhang, Du & Li, Rongrong, 2024. "ESG rating disagreement and corporate innovation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    2. Graham, John R. & Li, Si & Qiu, Jiaping, 2008. "Corporate misreporting and bank loan contracting," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 44-61, July.
    3. George Serafeim & Aaron Yoon, 2023. "Stock price reactions to ESG news: the role of ESG ratings and disagreement," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 1500-1530, September.
    4. Carnevale, Concetta & Drago, Danilo, 2024. "Do banks price ESG risks? A critical review of empirical research," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    5. Guangyu Huang & Fei Ye & Yina Li & Lujie Chen & Minhao Zhang, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and bank credit loans: Exploring the moderating effect of the institutional environment in China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 707-742, June.
    6. Limei Che & Ole-Kristian Hope & John Christian Langli, 2020. "How Big-4 Firms Improve Audit Quality," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4552-4572, October.
    7. Iftekhar Hasan & Liang Song, 2014. "Public disclosure and bank loan contracting: evidence from emerging markets," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(1), pages 2-19, April.
    8. He, Feng & Ding, Cong & Yue, Wei & Liu, Guanchun, 2023. "ESG performance and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    9. Chen, Peter F. & He, Shaohua & Ma, Zhiming & Stice, Derrald, 2016. "The information role of audit opinions in debt contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 121-144.
    10. Wang, Congcong & Wang, Chong & Long, Huaigang & Zaremba, Adam & Zhou, Wenyu, 2024. "Green bond credit spreads and bank loans in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    11. Liang, Qingwen & Yin, Yugang & Liu, Yahui & Zhao, Qicheng, 2024. "Narrative R&D disclosure and bank loans: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    12. Chen, Zhao & Poncet, Sandra & Xiong, Ruixiang, 2020. "Local financial development and constraints on domestic private-firm exports: Evidence from city commercial banks in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 56-75.
    13. Wang, Jianli & Wang, Shaolin & Dong, Minghua & Wang, Hongxia, 2024. "ESG rating disagreement and stock returns: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    14. Apergis, Nicholas & Poufinas, Thomas & Antonopoulos, Alexandros, 2022. "ESG scores and cost of debt," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    15. Pedersen, Lasse Heje & Fitzgibbons, Shaun & Pomorski, Lukasz, 2021. "Responsible investing: The ESG-efficient frontier," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 572-597.
    16. Iftekhar Hasan & Liang Song, 2014. "Public disclosure and bank loan contracting: evidence from emerging markets," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(1), pages 2-19, April.
    17. Gigante, Gimede & Manglaviti, Davide, 2022. "The ESG effect on the cost of debt financing: A sharp RD analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    18. Ding, Xin & Ren, Yajing & Tan, Wenhao & Wu, Haomin, 2023. "Does carbon emission of firms matter for Bank loans decision? Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    19. Ruoyu He & Xueli Chen & Cheng Chen & Jianqiao Zhai & Lixin Cui, 2021. "Environmental, Social, and Governance Incidents and Bank Loan Contracts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    20. Avramov, Doron & Cheng, Si & Lioui, Abraham & Tarelli, Andrea, 2022. "Sustainable investing with ESG rating uncertainty," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 642-664.
    21. Fan, Joseph P. H. & Titman, Sheridan & Twite, Garry, 2012. "An International Comparison of Capital Structure and Debt Maturity Choices," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(1), pages 23-56, February.
    22. Douglas A. Bosse & Robert A. Phillips & Jeffrey S. Harrison, 2009. "Stakeholders, reciprocity, and firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 447-456, April.
    23. Liu, Xiangqiang & Dai, Jiajie & Dong, Xiaohong & Liu, Jia, 2024. "ESG rating disagreement and analyst forecast quality," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    24. Michael D. Kimbrough & Xu (Frank) Wang & Sijing Wei & Jiarui (Iris) Zhang, 2024. "Does Voluntary ESG Reporting Resolve Disagreement among ESG Rating Agencies?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 15-47, January.
    25. Abdelmajid Hmaittane & Jean-Pierre Gueyie & Mohamed Mnasri & Hayat El Guengue, 2023. "Do Lenders Value a Corporate Sustainability Structure?—Evidence from the Cost of Bank Loans," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    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. Kangqi Jiang & Jie Zhang & Mengling Zhou & Zhongfei Chen, 2025. "ESG disagreement and corporate debt maturity: evidence from China," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-39, December.
    2. Yin, Libo & Zhu, Xiaoye & Su, Zhi & Guo, Hongliang, 2025. "Is disagreement beneficial for market efficiency? Evidence from ESG ratings," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    3. Tu, Qiang & Zuo, Limei & Liang, Anran & Yao, Ye & Liu, Diyi, 2025. "Does ESG rating divergence decrease enterprise productivity? Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(PB).
    4. Lou, Zhukun & Li, Sujie & Tong, Jingyi & Zhao, Jing, 2025. "ESG rating disagreement and the cost of equity capital," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    5. Guo, Chun & Luo, Jingbo, 2026. "Green supply chain management and ESG rating divergence: A quasi-natural experiment in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    6. Sun, Guanglin & Yan, Zian & Gong, Zejun & Li, Mengding, 2025. "The impact of ESG rating divergence on stock price crash risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    7. He, Feng & Duan, Lin & Lucey, Brian & Hao, Jing, 2025. "Biodiversity risk or climate risk? Which factor affects corporate ESG rating divergence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA).
    8. Wang, Lei & Sha, Yifan & Li, Yue & Wang, Tongyu, 2025. "The double-edged effects of the ESG rating on analyst forecast performance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    9. Bai, Xiao & Zhao, Wenyao & Tian, Geran, 2024. "ESG certification, green innovation, and firm value: A quasi-natural experiment based on SynTao Green Finance's ESG ratings: A pre-registered report," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    10. Li, Yunzhong & Zhao, Yu & Ye, Chengfang & Li, Xiaofan & Tao, Yunqing, 2024. "ESG ratings and the cost of equity capital in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    11. Ju, Chunhua & Fang, Xusheng & Shen, Zhonghua, 2025. "ESG rating divergence and stock price crash risk," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    12. Fan, Rui & Xu, Yuxuan & Yu, Liying & Qiu, Ran, 2025. "Sustainability needs trust: The role of social trust in driving corporate ESG performance," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1492-1509.
    13. Qian, Ming & Wei, Zeyi & Bai, Ruobing, 2025. "Does ESG narrative specificity mitigate rating disagreement? evidence from ESG reports in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).
    14. Jiang, Yichi & Zhang, Xuanyue & Yao, Shujie, 2025. "On ESG and corporate employment decision: Evidence from Chinese listed firms in 2009–2022," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 854-869.
    15. Zhang, Fan & Lai, Xiaobing & Guo, Chong, 2024. "ESG disclosure and investment-financing maturity mismatch: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    16. Wu, Liangpeng & Tang, Yujing & Meng, Lei & Zhu, Qingyuan & Zhou, Dequn, 2025. "Navigating ESG rating divergence: Implications for labor investment efficiency and firm adaptation strategy," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    17. Teng, Huiyang & Zhang, Jiawei & Li, Xiaoshuo & Li, Bin, 2025. "ESG rating divergence and future corporate ESG performance: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 108(PB).
    18. Chang, Zhenghao & Zhou, Hang & Ruan, Mengyu & Li, Qin, 2025. "When major customers matter: customer concentration and ESG rating disagreement," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3).
    19. Li, Zhanli & Yang, Zichao, 2025. "ESG rating disagreement and corporate Total Factor Productivity: Inference and prediction," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    20. Kong, Pengzhi & Cheng, Louis T.W. & Pan, Lulu & Shen, Jianfu & Yu, Qing, 2025. "Non-financial information uncertainty, firm growth, and market value during crisis: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

    More about this item

    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:plo:pone00:0317191. 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: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    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.