This paper exploits the 1990 change in capital adequacy regulations to construct more powerful tests of capital and earnings management effects on bank loan loss provisions. We find strong support for the hypothesis that loan loss provisions are used for capital management. We do not find...

This study documents evidence on the choice of loan loss provisions by bank managers. In particular, we reexamine three hypotheses investigated by prior studies. First, we examine whether the 1990 change in capital adequacy regulations affects the relation between capital and loan loss...

This study provides evidence on the Interest Rate Risk (IRR) management activities of commercial banks including their use of derivatives. We find that (i) banks primarily focus on managing interest rate sensitivity of net income rather than the interest rate sensitivity of stock returns, (ii)...

Banks have become increasingly active in off-balance sheet activities, but little is known about the usefulness of disclosures of these activities. The unique quality about contingent commitments is that fees associated with these instruments are reported in the balance sheet while the face...