Changes in the effect of corporate tax avoidance on the cost of debt over the past 25 years

Purpose This study aims to examine how the effect of corporate tax avoidance on the cost of debt has changed in the period 1993–2017. Although it is known that tax avoidance has significantly increased during this period (Dyreng et al., 2017), little evidence exists on how this change alters the effect of tax avoidance on the cost of debt. This study investigates how changes in tax avoidance modify the association between tax avoidance and the cost of debt. Design/methodology/approach By using a comprehensive sample of 15,825 loan facilities issued to US public firms in the period 1993–2017, this study tests the time-series changes in the association between tax avoidance and the cost of debt. Findings This study finds that a positive association between tax avoidance and the cost of debt has been declined over the past 25 years. Accordingly, tax avoidance in general no longer increases the loan spread after the enactment of domestic production activities deduction. However, the risker end of tax avoidance does still increase the loan spread. Originality/value This study spotlights the time-series changes in the effect of corporate tax avoidance on the cost of debt, showing how lenders perception on corporate tax avoidance has altered in accordance with changes in corporate tax practice.

Critical risk factors of the project finance loan spread in the infrastructure sector: Experience from the ASEAN countries

This paper finds that in ASEAN-4, the micro loan characteristics: loan amount and LIBOR whilst the macro characteristics: inflation, net export and GDP growth influence the loan spread in the project finance. However, simultaneously at the country level, the determinants of the loan spread are distinctive to each country’s infrastructure industry characteristic. The paper’s main contribution relates to the determinants of the project finance loan spread at the country level and regional level, ASEAN-4. The purpose of this paper is to fathom the critical risk factors behind the project finance loan pricing differential across the ASEAN-4 countries. Hence, the policy makers, project developers and lenders can have a better understanding of the drivers behind the project finance loan spread pricing. The study adopted an ordinary least square (OLS) regression methodology and collected data from ASEAN-4 countries consisting of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.

The Influence of Interest Rate Liberalization on Commercial Banks and Its Countermeasures

<p>The liberalization of interest rate is an important part of the financial reform in China under the current economic situation, and it is the inevitable result of the economic development of China to a certain extent. With the deepening of interest rate liberalization reform in China, commercial banks have been affected to a certain extent; the deposit and loan spread, which accounts for the main income of commercial banks, has been narrowed, and the profit space of commercial banks has been further reduced. Therefore, this paper discusses the impact of interest rate liberalization on commercial banks and the choices that commercial banks should make under this situation.</p>

Risk-based price of mortgages

Purpose The purpose of this paper is the analysis of the mortgage prices derived from the increase of defaults and the withdrawal of floor clauses in the mortgages offered by banking institutions in Spain. More specifically, this manuscript focuses on the evolution of the spread applied to mortgages contracted with a variable interest rate. Design/methodology/approach Two models have been considered to make a proper estimation of the yield curve to assess the loss due to the withdrawal of the floor clauses and quantify the component of the price used to cover the interest rate risk. Two different scenarios have been considered to avoid an underestimation of the aforementioned valuation. Findings The authors have shown that the increase in the percentage of doubtful mortgages has led to an increase in the spread of adjustable-rate mortgages. Moreover, the authors have shown that around 40 per cent of spreads are used to cover the interest rate risk. Originality/value The main contribution of this manuscript is the quantification of the loss expected by lenders and its impact in the spread. Due to this fact, the loan spread can be disaggregated into a component dependent on the credit risk associated with the borrower, and another component dependent on the interest rate risk to which the lender is exposed.

Customer concentration, relationship, and debt contracting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of a firm’s customer base concentration on its loan contract terms and how this effect varies with the strength of its customer relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study is an archival research based on a sample of US public firms that have loan contract data between 1990 and 2008. Major customer sales data are used to construct customer concentration and customer relationship measures. A debt contract model is employed to relate loan spread and other contract terms to customer concentration and relationship. Findings This study finds that firms with more concentrated customer bases have higher loan spread and shorter loan maturity and are more likely to issue secured loans. These negative effects disappear when the supplier firm maintains strong relationship with its customers. Research limitations/implications Additional forward-looking measure of customer relationship could benefit future research. Practical implications A firm’s customer base characteristics can have significant impacts on the terms of its loan contracts. Findings from this study support the notion that customer relationship is an important intangible asset that is informative to stakeholders of the firm. Originality/value This study proposes a new measure of customer relationship based on the past repeated relationships between a firm and its major customers. It shows that customer characteristics may affect firms’ contracts with creditors: customer base concentration increases credit risk whereas strong customer relationship improves credit quality.

Financial Statement Comparability and Debt Contracting: Evidence from the Syndicated Loan Market

SYNOPSIS In this study, we examine whether and how borrowing firms' financial statement comparability affects the contracting features of syndicated loans. Using a sample of loans issued by U.S. public firms in the syndicated loan market over the period 1992–2008, we find strong and robust evidence that financial statement comparability is negatively associated with loan spread and the likelihood of pledging collateral, and positively associated with loan maturity and the likelihood of including performance pricing provisions in loan contracts. We also find that borrowing firms with greater financial statement comparability are able to complete the loan syndication process more swiftly, form loan syndicates enabling the lead lenders to retain smaller percentages of loan shares, and attract a greater number of lenders and, particularly, a greater number of uninformed participating lenders. Altogether, these findings are consistent with the view that financial statement comparability plays an important role in alleviating information asymmetry in the syndicated loan market. JEL Classifications: G12; G14; M41