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Incentive Pay and Bank Risk-taking: Evidence from Austrian, German, and Swiss Banks

In: NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2014

Author

Listed:
  • Matthias Efing
  • Harald Hau
  • Patrick Kampkötter
  • Johannes Steinbrecher

Abstract

We use payroll data on 1.2 million bank employee years in the Austrian, German, and Swiss banking sector to identify incentive pay in the critical banking segments of treasury/capital market management and investment banking for 66 banks. We document an economically significant correlation of incentive pay with both the level and volatility of bank trading income-particularly for the pre-crisis period 2003--7 for which incentive pay was strongest. This result is robust if we instrument the bonus share in the capital markets divisions with the strength of incentive pay in unrelated bank divisions like retail banking. Moreover, pre-crisis incentive pay appears too strong for an optimal trade-off between trading income and risk which maximizes the NPV of trading income.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Efing & Harald Hau & Patrick Kampkötter & Johannes Steinbrecher, 2014. "Incentive Pay and Bank Risk-taking: Evidence from Austrian, German, and Swiss Banks," NBER Chapters, in: NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2014, pages 123-140, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:13459
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    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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