We analyse whether soliciting multiple ratings leads to lower syndicated loan spreads. Our results document that banks apply, on average, lower spreads to multi-rated firms. This effect depends on the reduction of information asymmetry about borrowers' creditworthiness (information production...

This paper examines whether the regulatory approach adopted by banks to calculate capital requirements has a different impact on the loan rates for public and private companies when financial market conditions change. Using Italian data for the period 2008-18, the analysis documents that the...

We analyze the difference between credit default swap (CDS) and syndicated loan spreads, defined as the “CDS-loan basis”. Our results indicate that the CDS-loan basis is greater when the cost of information asymmetry is higher, such as for riskier borrowers and in economic downturns. Our...

This paper discusses the competing forces that are reshaping the European banking industry and the medium-term consequences for profitability and competition within the sector. The paper highlights that banks are rethinking their business model to address four challenges to emerge in the last...

We study the public loan guarantee programs implemented in Italy in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Guided by a theoretical model and relying on a unique loan-level dataset covering the period between December 2019 and March 2021, including both guaranteed and non-guaranteed loans, we...

This paper analyzes the risk-taking behavior of open-end corporate bond funds after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the policy interventions that followed it. Using monthly security-level information on portfolio holdings at the global level in 2020, we show that funds more exposed to...

This paper examines the impact of the regulatory approach adopted to calculate capital requirements on banks’ lending policies. Since the capital absorption of loans to high-risk borrowers is greater under the internal ratings-based (IRB) method than under the standardized approach (SA), IRB...