Recourse to independent directors by private equity investors is not tied to performance increases. We draw this conclusion from analyzing a unique data set representative of the European context: all deals made by Italian closed-end funds from 1999 to 2003. Our study shows, in fact, that...

We verify the existence of a relation between loss given default rate (LGDR) and macroeconomic conditions by examining 11,649 bank loans concerning the Italian market. Using both the univariate and multivariate analyses, we pinpoint diverse macroeconomic explanatory variables for LGDR on loans...

Analyzing 153 venture-backed and non-venture-backed companies that went public in Italy between 1995 and 2004, we tested two hypotheses about the role of venture capital in developing innovations within firms. The first concerns the relevance of innovation and whether it is present when venture...

We study the drivers of financial sophistication in small family firms. Sophistication is defined as the use of non-basic financial products such as options, swaps, debt restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions (Mamp;A) advisory services. Our analysis is based on a unique dataset with...

Using data from 708 small and medium Italian firms during the period of 2002-2004, we find that in family firms a nonfamily CFO drives firm performance in a positive direction. Family firms with a nonfamily CFO perform better than both family firms with a family CFO and nonfamily firms. The best...

M&A transactions expose both the bidder and target shareholders to a number of major risks both prior to the close of the deal and during the post-close integration phase. The main pre-closing risk is the possibility that fl uctuations of bidder and target stock prices will affect the terms of...

"In this paper we test two hypotheses concerning the presence of innovation in venture capital investments and the growth of innovative venture backed firms. To examine these hypotheses we considered sample of 37 Italian venture backed firms that went public on the Italian Stock Exchange between...

Banks capitalization has assumed greater importance after the new minimum capital standards required by Basel 3 and 2011 Eba Recommendations.This question could overshadow other important issues, such as those referred to the strategic models banks should adopt towards firms and individuals

We study the drivers of financial sophistication in small family firms. Sophistication is defined as the use of non-basic financial products such as options, swaps, debt restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services. Our analysis is based on a unique dataset with detailed...

We analyze the relationship between contracts and returns in private equity (PE) investments. Contractual control in the form of covenants tends to be employed to identify good deals. Better quality firms are more likely to have covenant-rich contracts, as they are less concerned by the...