This study examines the effect of bank loan monitoring on public bond contract design. We find that bond yield spreads are lower and that bond issuance amounts are larger when a borrower has recently obtained a private loan, consistent with bond issuers benefiting from the screening and ongoing...

This study examines the effect of individual auditor quality (below the partner level) on overall audit quality. We aggregate audit employee-level performance evaluations to create a measure of auditor quality at the office level. We find that high quality audit offices are associated with a...

We investigate whether banks rely on the information content in equity analysts' annual earnings forecasts when assessing the risk of potential borrowers. While a long literature finds that analysts provide useful information to market participants, it is not clear that banks, which have access...

The operating activities section of the statement of cash flows presents a long-standing teaching challenge for accounting educators. The direct method is easy to understand yet difficult to prepare; the indirect method is harder to understand but easier to prepare. Many instructors address the...

Although the cash flow statement has been required in public financial reports since 1988 in the United States (and since 1994 according to International Financial Reporting Standards), these important cash flow data are still often overlooked in standard financial analyses. Accounting net...

The newspaper industry has struggled in recent decades, as readers and marketing revenue have migrated to digital outlets. Facing these pressures, many US newspapers have downsized or closed completely. We examine changes in firm behavior after they experience a shock to the local newspaper...

This study examines the relevance of modified audit opinions (MAO) in private debt contracting. We use the auditor's explanatory language to partition MAOs into Inconsistency opinions, resulting from an accounting change or a restatement; and Inadequacy opinions, arising from a material...