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Information Asymmetry, External Certification, and the Cost of Bank Debt

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Bellucci

    (Universita' degli Studi dell'Insubria and MoFiR)

  • Alexander Borisov

    (Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati and MoFiR)

  • Germana Giombini

    (Department of Economics, Society and Politics, University of Urbino Carlo Bo and MoFiR)

  • Alberto Zazzaro

    (Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Naples Federico II, CSEF, and MoFiR)

Abstract

This paper examines how the cost of bank debt reflects public information about borrower quality, and whether such information complements or substitutes the private information of banks. Using a sample of small business loans, and the award of a competitive public subsidy as an observable positive signal of external certification, we find that a certification is associated with a lower cost of debt for the recipients if the amount of private information of the lender is low. As the bank accumulates more information over the course of the lending relationship with a borrower, public information loses importance and no longer has a significant effect. Our results highlight a potential positive effect of external certification, and suggest that public and private information can be substitutes in the pricing of bank debt.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Bellucci & Alexander Borisov & Germana Giombini & Alberto Zazzaro, 2022. "Information Asymmetry, External Certification, and the Cost of Bank Debt," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 177, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    • Handle: RePEc:anc:wmofir:177
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    4. Fan, Wei & Ying, Qianwei & Meng, Guo, 2023. "The signaling effect of policy loans: Do commercial banks follow up or stand by?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    5. Wang, Yidi & Gu, Hongmei, 2024. "Impacts of trust on the cost of debt financing: The perspectives of in-group trust and out-group trust," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    6. Giorgio Calcagnini & Germana Giombini & Edgar J. Sanchez Carrera, 2024. "Bank Lending Policies and Green Transition," Working Papers - Economics wp2024_16.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    7. Goel, Tirupam & Telegdy, Álmos & Banai, Ádám & Takáts, Előd, 2024. "Subsidy-driven firm growth: Does loan history matter? Evidence from a European Union subsidy program," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Information; Financial Contracting; Interest rate; SMEs Financing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms

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