This paper empirically examines the benefits of relationship banking to banks, in the context of consumer credit markets. Using a unique panel dataset that contains comprehensive information about the relationships between a large bank and its credit card customers, we estimate the effects of...

The information asymmetry between the borrower and the lender is a well-studied issue in the credit contracts. Various mechanisms (credit rationing, short-term debt, relationship banking, collateralization) have been discussed in the literature to reduce the asymmetry. This paper examines the...

In 2002 and 2003, many Chinese banks implemented reforms that delegated authority to individual loan officers. The change followed China's entrance into the WTO and offers a plausibly exogenous shock to loan officer incentives to produce information. We find that the bank's internal risk rating...