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Does the Master's Eye Make the Horse Fat? Maintenance of Collateral and Asset Care under Purchase and Leasing Contracts

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Abstract

The paper presents a theory of leasing in which asset use and maintenance shape the firm's decision between purchasing or leasing productive assets. When the maintenance of the asset cannot be carefully specified as part of the loan agreement, its level may be suboptimal, and jeopardise the return to the financiers in case of default, thus eroding the benefit of collateral pledging, particularly relevant for financially constrained firms. Operating leasing allows to overcome such shortcoming, as the maintenance is delegated to the lessor. However, this delegation generates a novel moral hazard problem on the lessee, who, by not paying for maintenance, does not internalise the use incentive and may practice inefficiently low levels of care and cause asset depletion. The paper characterises circumstances in which it may be optimal to lease rather than buy and rationalises some observed features of leasing contracts.

Suggested Citation

  • Annamaria Menichini & Maria Grazia Romano, 2018. "Does the Master's Eye Make the Horse Fat? Maintenance of Collateral and Asset Care under Purchase and Leasing Contracts," CSEF Working Papers 520, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    • Handle: RePEc:sef:csefwp:520
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alessandro Gavazza, 2011. "Leasing and Secondary Markets: Theory and Evidence from Commercial Aircraft," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 119(2), pages 325-377.
    2. Miller, Merton H & Upton, Charles W, 1976. "Leasing, Buying, and the Cost of Capital Services," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 31(3), pages 761-786, June.
    3. Igal Hendel & Alessandro Lizzeri, 2002. "The Role of Leasing under Adverse Selection," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(1), pages 113-143, February.
    4. Chemmanur, Thomas & Jiao, Yawen & Yan, An, 2010. "A theory of contractual provisions in leasing," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 116-142, January.
    5. Igawa, Kazuhiro & Kanatas, George, 1990. "Asymmetric Information, Collateral, and Moral Hazard," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(04), pages 469-490, December.
    6. Sharpe, Steven A. & Nguyen, Hien H., 1995. "Capital market imperfections and the incentive to lease," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 271-294.
    7. Andrea L. Eisfeldt & Adriano A. Rampini, 2009. "Leasing, Ability to Repossess, and Debt Capacity," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 1621-1657, April.
    8. Henry Schneider, 2010. "Moral Hazard in Leasing Contracts: Evidence from the New York City Taxi Industry," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(4), pages 783-805.
    9. Klein, Benjamin & Crawford, Robert G & Alchian, Armen A, 1978. "Vertical Integration, Appropriable Rents, and the Competitive Contracting Process," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(2), pages 297-326, October.
    10. Gavazza, Alessandro, 2010. "Asset liquidity and financial contracts: Evidence from aircraft leases," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 62-84, January.
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    12. Smith, Clifford W, Jr & Wakeman, L MacDonald, 1985. " Determinants of Corporate Leasing Policy," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(3), pages 895-908, July.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Collateral; Financial constraints; Leasing; Maintenance.;

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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