The capital structure of lending institutions has become an increasingly prominent issue in the world of finance. Contemporaneously, microfinance institutions (MFIs) have risen to the forefront as invaluable lending institutions in the development process. Since capital constraints have hindered...

We document that rating agencies have become more conservative in assigning ratings to corporate bonds over the period 1985 to 2009. Holding firm characteristics constant, average ratings have dropped by 3 notches (e.g., from A+ to BBB+) over time. This increased stringency has affected both...

This paper empirically analyzes whether both personal and corporate taxation have an influence on companies´ capital structure decisions. We investigate the effect of the difference in taxation of debt and equity financing on capital structure. Our empirical results, based on a panel of...

This paper proposes a probit model to test capital structure theories. Our model is designed to circumvent a methodological problem in traditional regression analysis stemming from the use of scaling (e.g., in the form of financial ratios) that has plagued capital structure studies for more than...

We test the predictions of Titman (1984) and Berk, Stanton, and Zechner (2010) by examining the effect of leverage on labor costs. Leverage has a significantly positive impact on cash, equity-based, and total compensation of chief executive officers (CEOs). Compensation of new CEOs hired from...

This paper demonstrates that intangible assets play an important role in financial policy. Using a proprietary database of consumer brand evaluation, I show that positive consumer attitude toward a firm's products alleviates financial frictions and provides additional net debt capacity, as...

This article provides evidence about the determinants of capital structure in developing countries through studying non-financial Jordanian firms. We detect that capital structure choice in Jordan is influenced by similar set of factors suggested in the developed markets, namely, institutional...

We suggest that the limited access to the public debt market is a reason for the violations of pecking order behavior documented in literature. We show that as information asymmetry increases, two effects take place. On the one hand, firms do desire to increase the debt issuance. On the other...

This paper examines the effect of capital structure on the competitive position of firms in the product market, as measured by the market share. Theoretical predictions suggest that this effect depends on whether Cournot or Bertrand competition determines firms' interactions. We present evidence...

Our study investigates how ultimate ownership structure and the corporate tax rate affect the equilibrium trade-off relation between manager ownership and debt in reducing agency costs. Considering the presence of the controlling shareholder, we find that higher corporate tax rates strengthen...