We examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on loan spreads of syndicated bank loans, with a particular interest in how CSR and credit ratings are interrelated as a joint determinant of loan spreads. Focusing on private debt contracts, we show that both CSR...

Do banks charge an environmental premium when lending to publicly listed firms? Using CDP's unique and comprehensive database on carbon emissions, we study whether firms which choose to voluntarily disclose their carbon emissions enjoy more favorable lending conditions than their non-disclosing...

The "ESG lending" market, where loan contract terms are contingent on borrower ESG performance (i.e., ESG-linked loans), or where loans are issued for specific green projects (i.e., Green loans), has grown exponentially from $6 billion in 2016 to $173 billion in 2019. Much of this growth is...