Multi-bank loan pool contracts: enhancing the profitability of small commercial banks

The study shows that multi-bank loan pool contracts improve the risk-return profile of banks' loan business. Banks write simple contracts on the proceeds from pooled loan portfolios, taking into account the free-rider problems in joint loan production. Thereby especially smaller banks benefit greatly from diversifying credit risk while limiting the efficiency loss due to adverse incentives. Calibration results are presented for a sample of German savings banks: the formation of loan pools reduces the volatility in default rates, proxying for credit risk, of loan portfolios by roughly 80%. Under reasonable assumptions, the gain in return on equity (in certainty equivalent terms) is around 200 basis points annually.