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Incentivizing calculated risk-taking :evidence from an experiment with commercial bank loan officers

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  • Cole, Shawn
  • Kanz, Martin
  • Klapper, Leora

Abstract

This paper uses a series of experiments with commercial bank loan officers to test the effect of performance incentives on risk-assessment and lending decisions. The paper first shows that, while high-powered incentives lead to greater screening effort and more profitable lending, their power is muted by both deferred compensation and the limited liability typically enjoyed by loan officers. Second, the paper presents direct evidence that incentive contracts distort judgment and beliefs, even among trained professionals with many years of experience. Loans evaluated under more permissive incentive schemes are rated significantly less risky than the same loans evaluated under pay-for-performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Cole, Shawn & Kanz, Martin & Klapper, Leora, 2012. "Incentivizing calculated risk-taking :evidence from an experiment with commercial bank loan officers," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6146, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6146
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Debt Markets; Access to Finance; Bankruptcy and Resolution of Financial Distress; Banks&Banking Reform; Microfinance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior

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