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Loan guarantee and portfolio greening: evidence from European credit registers

Author

Listed:
  • Buchetti, Bruno
  • Miquel-Flores, Ixart
  • Perdichizzi, Salvatore
  • Reghezza, Alessio
  • Lin, Luca X.

Abstract

Using pan-European credit register data, we analyze the sharp increase in public guaranteed lending (PGL) during the COVID-19 loan guarantee programs and show that banks leverage PGL to expand lending to low-emission firms. This behavior is driven by industries less affected by COVID-19, banks with ”browner” portfolios, and younger firms. Notably, compared to high-emission firms, banks’ internal risk assessments in PGL to low-emission firms are less frequently updated and exhibit weaker predictive power for future credit quality deterioration, indicating lax monitoring efforts. These findings highlight the additional information production costs associated with green lending and shed light on why banks may be slow to transition to greener portfolios. JEL Classification: G20, G21, G28

Suggested Citation

  • Buchetti, Bruno & Miquel-Flores, Ixart & Perdichizzi, Salvatore & Reghezza, Alessio & Lin, Luca X., 2024. "Loan guarantee and portfolio greening: evidence from European credit registers," Working Paper Series 2916, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20242916
    Note: 2642726
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    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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