Examining the syndicate loans market for publicly traded U.S. firms I show that tax avoidance is positively related to loan spreads. Importantly, however, I document that the positive link between tax avoidance and loan spreads is largely eliminated for loans with effective risk mitigating...

We examine whether performance-sensitive debt (PSD) is used to reduce hold-up problems in long-term lending relationships. We find that the use of PSD is more common in the presence of a long-term lending relationship and if the borrower has fewer financing alternatives available. In syndicated...

Performance-sensitive debt (PSD) contracts link a loan's interest rate to a measure of the borrower's credit relevant performance, e.g. if the borrower's debt to cash ow ratio deteriorates, the interest rate increases according to a predetermined schedule. We derive and empirically test a...

I develop a dynamic capital structure model in which shareholders determine a firm's leverage ratio, debt maturity, and default strategy. In my model, the firm's debt matures all at once. Therefore, after repaying the principal shareholders own all the firm's cash flows and can pick a new...

Systemically important banks are subject to at least two departures from the neutrality of debt versus equity financing: the tax deductibility of interest payments and implicit funding subsidies. This paper fills a gap in the literature by comparing their mechanism and interaction within a...

This paper develops a continuous time asset pricing model of debt and equity in a framework where equityholders decide when to default but creditors decide when to liquidate. This framework is relevant for environments where creditors exert a significant influence on the timing of liquidation,...

The recent interest in the valuation of the benefits from debt financing arises from the disagreement in the financial literature about the meaning of “value of tax shields.” Although it is accepted that the tax deductibility of interest increases the value of the firm, the correct valuation...

The value of tax shields (VTS) defines the increase in the company's value as a result of the tax saving obtained by the payment of interest. However, there is no consensus in the existing literature regarding the correct way to compute the VTS. Most authors think of calculating the VTS in terms...

How valuable are restrictive debt covenants in reducing the agency costs of debt? I exploit the revealed preference decision to refinance fixed-coupon bonds, which weighs observable interest rate savings against the unobservable costs of a change in restrictive covenants. Variation in this...