In this paper, we use a semi-parametric two-stage model to examine the effect of bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank efficiency. This method, proposed by Simar and Wilson (2007), relaxes several deficiencies of previous two-stage analyses, which regress...

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between banking sector reform and bank performance - measured in terms of efficiency, total factor productivity growth and net interest margin - accounting for the effects through competition and bank risk-taking. To this end, we develop an...

During the global financial crisis, a large number of banks worldwide either failed or received financial aid thus inflicting substantial losses on the system. We contribute to the early warning literature by constructing a dynamic competing risks hazard model that explores the joint...

We develop a model of spatial competition to explore how changes in the market structure affect the incentives of banks to screen loan applicants. We take a post-crisis perspective that treats the number of banks as exogenous. Our findings reveal that the relaxation of competition distorts...

In the recent crisis, the U.S. authorities bailed out numerous banks, while let many others to fail as going concern entities. Even though both interventions fully protect depositors, a bail out represents an implied subsidy to shareholders, which is not yet the case with closures where...

The rising delinquencies in the U.S. subprime mortgage market in 2006 and the succeeding collapse in housing prices had a considerably negative impact on the functioning of the European financial systems and the smooth operation of European economies. Indeed, in the Euro-area, what started as a...

In this paper, we take a glimpse at the dark side of bank accounting statements by using a mathematical law which was established by Benford in 1938 to detect data manipulation. We shed the spotlight on the healthy, failed, and bailed out banks in the global financial crisis and test whether a...

Leverage is one of the key underlying features of banks' balance sheets. Traditionally, leverage arises directly through the use of deposited funds or other balance-sheet items, such as bonds and credit lines, as a supplementary tool of banks' equity capital in financing fresh loans and...