The ex ante theory of collateral states that better informed lenders, such as informal lenders, rely less on collateral …. We test this by contrasting the use of collateral between formal and informal lenders in the same market. Indeed, formal … lenders rely more often on collateral, controlling for conventional determinants of collateral. Moreover, better information …

bank's choice of collateral standards in its lending facilities. Optimism on the side of banks, entailing a higher … collateral value of bank loans, can lead to excessive lending and bank default. Pessimism, though, can entail insufficient … lending and productivity losses. With an appropriate haircut on collateral, the central bank can perfectly neutralize the …

We offer a new test of the ex ante theory of collateral. Theory states that lenders rely less on collateral if they … have better information about borrowers. We test this by contrasting the use of collateral between formal and – better … informed – informal lenders in a developing financial market. Indeed, formal lenders rely about 40% more often on collateral …

We establish that a monopoly bank never uses collateral as a screening device. A pooling equilibrium always exists in … which all borrowers pay the same interest rate and put zero collateral. Absence of screening leads to socially inefficient …