This paper analyses a game theoretic model of tax competition in a system where tax authorities are revenue optimisers and countries are differentiated by size. The model accommodates more than two countries. In equilibrium, larger countries set higher tax rates non-cooperatively. By applying...

We demonstrate a link between the twin storms underlying the current financial crisis - the market for collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and the market for leveraged loans. We show that structural changes in credit markets that led to the explosion in CDOs created an increased supply of...

We examine how securitization markets affect the role of banks as monitors in corporate lending. We find that banks active in securitization impose looser covenants on borrowers at origination. After origination, these borrowers take on substantially more risk than borrowers of...

This paper investigates execution quality issues in corporate bond trading. Using an extensive sample of bond trades by insurance companies, we find that an insurance company entering a trade of similar size and on the same side for the same bond on the same day with the same dealer will receive...

We provide evidence concerning the use of historical cost (HCA) versus mark-to-market (MTM) accounting in regulating financial institutions. Accounting rules, through their interactions with capital regulations, alter financial institutions' trading behavior. The insurance industry provides a...

We analyze why firms use non-intermediated short-term debt by studying the commercial paper (CP) market. Using a comprehensive database of CP issuers and issuance activity, we show that firms use CP to provide start-up financing for capital investment. Firms' CP issuance activity is driven by a...

The leveraged buyout (LBO) boom of 2004-2007 was fueled by growth in collaterialized debt obligations (CDOs) and other forms of securitization. Banks that were active in structured credit underwriting lent more for LBOs, indicating that bank lending policies linked the LBO and CDO markets. LBO...