An entrepreneur with information about firm quality seeks financing from an uninformed investor in order to pay a worker. I show that if the worker, too, knows the true quality of the firm, then certain long term wage agreements can credibly signal firm quality. Such wage agreements have a low...

In this paper we study the relation between firm-level disclosure quality and the availability of external finance to firms. Using data on Finnish firms that are mostly private and small, we first estimate ‘excess growth’ made possible by external finance. We then show that the excess growth...

In this paper we set forth a new perspective from which to understand and measure the brokerage of asymmetric information that intermediaries usually carry out. Firstly, we deal with partitions of a given set so as to lay grounds to our line of research. Secondly, we argue that trade splits up...

We consider a simple extension of the basic new-Keynesian setup in which we relax the assumption of frictionless financial markets. In our economy, asymmetric information and default risk lead banks to optimally charge a lending rate above the risk-free rate. Our contribution is threefold....

The introduction of the euro marks a milestone in the process of European financial market integration. This paper analyzes the implications of the euro for cross-border banking activities. A portfolio model is used which captures the role of banks as providers of informational and of...

We model 1927-1997 U.S. business failure rates using a time series approach based on unobserved components. Clear evidence is found of cyclical behavior in default rates. The cycle has a period of around 10 years. We also detect longer term movements in default probabilities and default...

We analyze how time-varying bank-specific capital requirements a ect banks' balance sheet adjustments as well as bank lending to the non-financial corporate sector. To do so, we relate Pillar 2 capital requirements to bank balance sheet data, a fully documented corporate credit register and firm...

The study assesses the macro-financial situation of Belarus. It analyses the Belarus financial sector, with a specific look at the banking sector. Moreover this study explores the private sector financing environment. In particular the study investigates the SMEs segment and looks at the needs...

Das Entstehen und die Entwicklung von jungen Unternehmen wird maßgeblich durch Finanzierungsprobleme behindert. Inhalt des vorliegenden Arbeitspapiers ist die Auseinandersetzung mit einem möglichen Lösungsansatz dieser Probleme. Es wird aufgezeigt, welche Möglichkeiten jungen innovativen...

Der Mittelstand befürchtet durch die Neufassung der Baseler Eigenkapitalrichtlinien für Kreditinstitute Finanzierungsschwierigkeiten. Welche Bedeutung haben Bankkredite gegenwärtig bei der Finanzierung mittelständischer Unternehmen? Wird es als Folge von Basel II zu einer Kreditverknappung...