Trust companies generate leverage cycle dynamics by intermediating less regulated credit to the financial markets in China. We find that the leverage factor constructed from trust companies can explain the time-series and cross-sectional asset returns. The leverage factor derived from securities...

Nonbank mortgage companies (NMCs) use high levels of short-term leverage, leading to concerns about their individual fragility and systemic risk. We find that NMCs also hold very risky assets, with revenue growth ranging from -30% to +100% at the 10th-90th percentile. Surprisingly, we also...