The objective of this paper is to identify the role of memory as a screening device in repeated contracts with asymmetric information in financial intermediation. We use an original dataset from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We propose a simple empirical method to capture...

We study the loan contracing problem of Gale and Hellwig (1985) under general assumptions of risk aversion and possibly diverse subjective beliefs of the borrower and lender about the income of the investment. We characterize the optimal contract and show that (i) the contractual payoff in...

How do financial constraints influence innovative activities of firms? In a two-period model of price competition with differentiated products we first analyze the incentives to innovate when both firms are self-financed. We then assume that one of the firms is financially constrained and...

Integrating economic, social and environmental dimensions into business dynamics from the stakeholders’ point of view is becoming increasingly important as a strategic business value shared by European institutions. However, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not a challenge for all...

The global financial meltdown brought to light a number of weaknesses in the U.S. financial system. Not all financial institution types will be taking large sums of taxpayer money to address their crippling decisions. Credit unions in the U.S. represent a type of financial cooperative that will...

Le faible niveau moyen d’efficience des institutions bancaires habituellement trouvé dans les études empiriques a été qualifié de « boîte noire » par Berger et Mester (1997). Cette étude cherche à identifier si les caractéristiques de l’environnement de même que celles qui sont...

Credit Unions have a number of advantages to offer customers relative to many banks and one of the reasons may be due to the way that their employees work. This paper will investigate whether employees at credit unions are more productive than bank employees. Theoretical arguments as to why this...

The article examines the determinants of capital-assets ratios for credit unions in the United States, before and after the implementation of current framework for capital adequacy regulation in the year 2000. Credit unions appear to hold capital in excess of what is required by current capital...

This paper presents a comprehensive review on the activity of credit cooperatives in those countries where this sector has a long tradition and reached an important development. It describes the historical evolution in each country with special focus on the regulatory issues. The main...