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Government guarantees and bank risk taking incentives

Author

Listed:
  • Markus Fischer

    (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main)

  • Christa Hainz

    (ifo Institute for Economic Research)

  • Jörg Rocholl

    (ESMT European School of Management and Technology)

  • Sascha Steffen

    (ESMT European School of Management and Technology)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the effect of the removal of government guarantees on bank risk taking. We exploit the removal of guarantees for German Landesbanken which results in lower credit ratings, higher funding costs, and a loss in franchise value. This removal was announced in 2001, but Landesbanken were allowed to issue guaranteed bonds until 2005. We find that Landesbanken lend to riskier borrowers after 2001. This effect is most pronounced for Landesbanken with the highest expected decrease in franchise value. Landesbanken also significantly increased their off-balance sheet exposure to the global ABCP market. Our results provide implications for the debate on how to remove guarantees.

Suggested Citation

  • Markus Fischer & Christa Hainz & Jörg Rocholl & Sascha Steffen, 2014. "Government guarantees and bank risk taking incentives," ESMT Research Working Papers ESMT-14-02, ESMT European School of Management and Technology.
    • Handle: RePEc:esm:wpaper:esmt-14-02
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    2. Tobias Körner, 2017. "Board Accountability and Risk Taking in Banking: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 52(3), pages 155-190, December.
    3. Gropp, Reint & Guettler, Andre & Saadi, Vahid, 2020. "Public bank guarantees and allocative efficiency," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 53-69.
    4. Robert S. Chirinko, 2022. "Is a State Bank a Useful Economic Development Tool in the United States?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10098, CESifo.
    5. Miquel-Flores, Ixart & Reghezza, Alessio & Buchetti, Bruno & Perdichizzi, Salvatore, 2024. "Greening the economy: how public-guaranteed loans influence firm-level resource allocation," Working Paper Series 2916, European Central Bank.
    6. Brandao-Marques, Luis & Correa, Ricardo & Sapriza, Horacio, 2020. "Government support, regulation, and risk taking in the banking sector," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    7. Borsuk, Marcin & Kowalewski, Oskar & Pisany, Paweł, 2024. "State-owned banks and international shock transmission," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    8. Senkarcin, Matej, 2015. "German Landesbanks in the Post-guarantee Reality," Working Papers 15-14, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, Weiss Center.
    9. Viral V. Acharya & Lea Borchert & Maximilian Jager & Sascha Steffen, 2023. "Kicking the Can Down the Road: Government Interventions in the European Banking Sector," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_446, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    10. Manuela M. Dantas & Kenneth J. Merkley & Felipe B. G. Silva, 2023. "Government Guarantees and Banks' Income Smoothing," Papers 2303.03661, arXiv.org.
    11. Behr, Patrick & Schmidt, Reinhard H., 2015. "The German banking system: Characteristics and challenges," SAFE White Paper Series 32, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    12. Kick, Thomas & Celerier, Claire & Ongena, Steven, 2017. "Changes in the Cost of Bank Equity and the Supply of Bank Credit," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168164, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    13. Viral V Acharya & Lea Borchert & Maximilian Jager & Sascha Steffen, 2021. "Kicking the Can Down the Road: Government Interventions in the European Banking Sector," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(9), pages 4090-4131.
    14. Manuela M. Dantas & Kenneth J. Merkley & Felipe B. G. Silva, 2023. "Government Guarantees and Banks’ Income Smoothing," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 63(2), pages 123-173, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Government guarantees; exits; risk taking; franchise value; financial crisis; loans;
    All these keywords.

    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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