This article reports a unique analysis of private engagements by an activist fund. It is based on data made available to us by Hermes, the fund manager owned by the British Telecom Pension Scheme, on engagements with management in companies targeted by its UK Focus Fund. In contrast with most...

The secured creditor control in the resolution of distress in small businesses can have two effects: it can reduce the ex-post cost of financial distress but, on the other hand, secured creditors and business owners may collude to divert value from junior creditors. This concern has been...

We study the impact of the enforcement of financial regulation by the UK’s regulatory authorities on the market price of penalized firms. Existing studies rely on analyses of multiple events that may distort the measurement of reputational losses. In the UK, the entire enforcement process...

A green paper discussion document.

Este documento demuestra que las políticas de un banco central local pueden atenuar los efectos del ciclo financiero global [Global Financial Cycle (GFC)]. Para su identificación, analizamos la variación del GFC y las intervenciones del Banco Central de Brasil en los mercados derivados de...

Summary of Banco de España Working Paper no. 2014

Family ownership was rapidly diluted in the twentieth century in Britain. Issuance of equity in the process of acquisitions was the main cause. In the first half of the century, it occurred in the absence of minority investor protection and relied on directors of target firms protecting the...

This article is the first study of long-run evolution of investor protection and corporate ownership in the United Kingdom over the twentieth century. Formal investor protection emerged only in the second half of the century. We assess the influence of investor protection on ownership by...

Corporate governance is one of the most topical and controversial areas of business and finance. This article provides an overview of the questions that it raises and proposed policy responses. It points to the diversity in systems of corporate governance around the world, the apparently...

The effectiveness of market discipline - the strong built-in incentives that encourage banks and financial systems to operate soundly and efficiently - commands much attention today, particularly in light of recent accounting scandals. As government discipline, in the form of regulation, seems...