U.S. banks have increasingly diversified into activities traditionally considered as non-core for the banking sector. This paper investigates whether diversification influences banks' investment (credit) policy and profitability. Diversified banks appear to benefit from “coinsurance,” supply...

Using comprehensive data on London Interbank Offer Rate (Libor) submissions from 2001 through 2012, we document systematic evidence consistent with banks manipulating Libor to profit from Libor related positions and, to a degree, to signal their creditworthiness during the distressed times for...

The largest commercial bank stocks, ranked by total size of the balance sheet, have significantly lower risk-adjusted returns than small- and medium-sized bank stocks, even though large banks are significantly more levered. We uncover a size factor in the component of bank returns that is...