Initial yields on both AAA-rated and non-AAA rated mortgage-backed security (MBS) tranches sold by large issuers are higher than yields on similar tranches sold by small issuers during the market boom years of 2004-2006. Moreover, the prices of MBS sold by large issuers drop more than those sold...

We compare the structure and performance of private (non-GSE) mortgage-backed securities sold by large issuers vs. those sold by small issuers over the period 2000-2006. Securities sold by large issuers have less subordination — a greater fraction of the deal receiving AAA rating — than...

We examine the role of financial analysts in helping fund managers make better investment decisions. First, we model how a fund manager utilizes reports on a stock produced by two analysts: a biased sell-side analyst who works for an outside brokerage firm, and an unbiased buy-side analyst who...

We examine the role of high-water mark provisions in hedge fund compensation contracts. In our model of competitive markets and asymmetric information on manager ability, a fee contract with a high-water mark can improve the quality of the manager pool entering the market. In addition, a...

We examine the privatization process of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the largest bank in the world by market capitalization, and its dual IPOs in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock exchanges in 2006. The Chinese government retains majority equity ownership of ICBC while...

The conventional wisdom up until the crisis was that efficient financial systems required privately owned banks and financial institutions. The events since 2007 have shown that financial systems such as China's, where banks are government owned but are also publicly listed can have a...

We provide a comprehensive review of China's financial system, and explore directions of future development. First, the financial system has been dominated by a large banking sector. In recent years banks have made considerable progress in reducing the amount of non-performing loans and...

We provide a comprehensive review of firms' financing channels (internal and external, domestic and international) around the globe, with the focus on alternative finance — financing from all the non-market, non-bank external sources. We argue that while traditional financing channels,...

Legal and institutional differences shape the ownership and terms of bank loans across the world. With strong creditor protection, we show that loans have concentrated ownership, long maturity and low interest rates. The impact of creditor rights on loans also depends on borrower characteristics...

We consider lending and investment under asymmetric information in a small, developing economy. We allow different forms of financing contracts to arise endogenously in the credit market. Financial intermediaries mitigate a moral hazard problem in investment choice through costly monitoring and...