Using novel data on 1,240 credit agreements, we investigate sources of contractual complexity in the leveraged loan market. While negative covenants are widespread, carve-out and deductible clauses that weaken them are as frequent. We propose simple measures of contractual weakness, which...

The collapse of Lehman Brothers illustrated the importance of managing prime broker counterparty risks for hedge funds. Liquidity shocks to prime brokers can lead to cycles of deleveraging that produce losses at funds and potentially have harmful effects on financial market function and credit...

The Farm Credit System (FCS) is an important source of financing for many rural communities in the United States. As a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), the FCS has a mandate to provide credit to farmers, ranchers, and aquatic producers at fair market terms. In recent decades, the System's...

This paper investigates issuance and possible design of sustainable bank debt instruments. While these types of securities have found their place in corporate industry, banks’ decision to issue debt linked to ESG targets needs to be weighed against regulatory requirements on loss absorbing...

Using data on 988 peer-to-peer lending platforms in China, we examine cross-side network effects (CNEs)---arguably the most important factor for multi-sided marketplaces---throughout platforms’ lifecycle in a dynamic industry characterized by entries, exits, and network externalities. We find...

I provide empirical evidence that the effect of high-cost credit access on household material well-being depends on if a household is experiencing temporary financial distress. Using detailed data on household consumption and location, as well as geographic variation in access to high cost...

Fintech promises improvements in access to credit for small businesses through more efficient search and better pricing. Using novel data from a marketplace platform of 115,000 loan offers from 46 online lenders I show that the primary contribution of fintech is not in precisely measuring and...

I propose a theoretical framework in which lenders may suffer repayment preference shocks that encourage early and costly termination of a loan contract. Covenant-lite loans limit the circumstances in which lenders can withdraw or renegotiate credit agreements, and thus insulate lenders from...

This paper analyzes the effects of the cut in the legal maximum interest rate (from 27.4% to 24%) that occurred in February of 2018 on loan interest rates, the default rates, and the loan approval rate of borrowers in the non-banking sector. We use the difference-in-difference identification...

This paper provides a dissection of the Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) market and examines the significance of covenants in facilitating the provision of credit. Since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, the leveraged loan market has witnessed unprecedented growth. CLOs play an...