This papers develops a taxonomy of financially distressed and zombie firms using a rich dataset that combines detailed firm-level and bank-firm level information in Spain. A distressed firm exhibits both cash-flow and balance-sheet insolvency whereas a zombie firm is a distressed company that...

We show that U.S. banks do not engage in zombie lending to firms of deteriorating profitability, irrespective of capital levels and exposure to such firms. In contrast, unregulated financial intermediaries do, originating more and cheaper loans to these firms. We establish these results using...

We study the effect of rollover risk on the risk of default using a comprehensive database of U.S. industrial firms during 1986–2013 This article is the most thoroughgoing empirical research to date to support the existence of a rollover risk effect on the risk of default. A one standard...

Lending relationships are prevalent in credit markets and are a potentially important driver of bank value, but little is known about the quantitative significance of this source of intangible capital. To estimate the value of these relationships, we develop a model of the lender’s decision to...

Despite the importance of banks' role as delegated monitors, little is known about how non-price terms of loan contracts are structured to optimize information production in a lending relationship. Using a large sample of corporate loans, this paper examines the effect of relationship lending on...

This study explores the impact of investment characteristics, mainly investment location relative to the firm's primary market, on financing choices by real estate investment trusts (REITs). Using a large sample of commercial property acquisitions, we show that REITs are 4-8% less likely to use...

We find credit line drawdowns are an important source of long-term finance for capital expenditures and acquisitions for all but the highest rated firms. Unrated and to a lesser extent intermediate-rated firms draw down credit lines most frequently when capital market conditions are unfavorable....

We model corporate liquidity policy and show that aggregate risk exposure is a key determinant of how firms choose between cash and bank credit lines. Banks create liquidity for firms by pooling their idiosyncratic risks. As a result, firms with high aggregate risk find it costly to get credit...