Małgorzata Olszak

What drives heterogeneity of procyclicality of loan loss provisions in the EU

Using the two step system GMM Blundell and Bond estimator this paper documents a large cross-bank and cross-country variation in the relationship between loan loss provisions (LLP) and the business cycle and explores bank management specific, bank-activity specific and country specific (institutional and regulatory) features that explain this diversity in the European Union. Our results indicate that LLP in large, publicly traded and commercial banks, as well as in banks reporting consolidated statements, are more procyclical. Better investor protection and more restrictive bank capital regulations reduce the procyclicality of LLP. We do not find support for the view that better quality of market monitoring mitigates the sensitivity of LLP to business cycle. Our findings clearly indicate the empirical importance of income smoothing, capital management and credit risk management for decreased procyclicality of LLP.

The Effects of Capital on Bank Lending in Large EU Banks – The Role of Procyclicality, Income Smoothing, Regulations and Supervision

This paper aims to find out what the impact is of bank capital ratios on loan supply in the EU and what factors explain the potential diversity of this impact. Applying the Blundell and Bond (1998) two step GMM estimator, we show that, in the EU context, the role of capital ratio for loan growth is stronger than previous literature has found for other countries. Our study sheds some light on whether procyclicality of loan loss provisions and income smoothing with loan loss provisions contribute to procyclical impact of capital ratio on loan growth. We document that loan growth of banks that have more procyclical loan loss provisions and that engage less in income smoothing is more sensitive to capital ratios. This sensitivity is slightly increased in this sample of banks during contractions. Moreover, more restrictive regulations and more stringent official supervision reduce the magnitude of the effect of capital ratio on bank lending. Taken together, our results suggest that capital ratios are an important determinant of lending in large EU banks.

Cross-country linkages as determinants of procyclicality of loan loss provisions

Procyclicality in banking may result in financial instability and therefore be destructive to economic growth. The sensitivity of different banking balance sheet and income statement variables to the business cycle is diversified and may be prone to increasing integration of financial markets. In this paper, we address the problem of the influence of financial integration on the transmission of economic shocks from one country to another and consequently on the sensitivity of loan loss provisions (LLPs) to the business cycle. The application of the seemingly unrelated regression equations (SURE) approach to 13 OECD countries in 1995–2009 shows that the procyclicality of LLPs is statistically significant almost in the whole sample of countries. Regardless of the econometric specification, the income-smoothing, capital management and risk management hypotheses are hardly supported by the data. However, in SURE specification, the relationship of bank-specific variables is of higher statistical significance than in the country regression approach. Hence, cross-country interconnectedness is not only economically, but also empirically important when analyzing cross-country diversifications of LLPs.

THE IMPACT OF CAPITAL RATIO ON LENDING OF EU BANKS – THE ROLE OF BANK SPECIALIZATION AND CAPITALIZATION

In this paper we aim to find out whether bank specialization and bank capitalization affect the relationship between loans growth and capital ratio, both in expansions and in contractions. We hypothesize that the impact of bank capital on lending is relatively strong in cooperative banks and savings banks. We also expect that this effect is nonlinear, and is stronger in “low” capital banks than in “high” capital banks. In order to test our hypotheses, we apply the two-step GMM robust estimator for data spanning the years 1996–2011 on individual banks available in the Bankscope database. Our analysis shows that lending of poorly capitalized banks is more affected by capital ratio than lending of well-capitalized banks. Loans growth of cooperative and savings banks is more capital constrained that lending of commercial banks. Capital matters for the lending activity in contractions only in the case of savings and “low” capital banks.

Cross Country Linkages as Determinants of Procyclicality of Loan Loss Provisions – Empirical Importance of SURE Specification

Procyclicality in banking may result in financial instability and therefore be destructive to economic growth. The sensitivity of different banking balance sheet and income statement variables to the business cycle is diversified and may be prone to increasing integration of financial markets. In this paper we address the problem of the influence of financial integration on the transmission of economic shocks from one country to another and consequently on the sensitivity of loan loss provisions to the business cycle. We also aim to find out whether earnings management hypotheses are supported throughout the whole business cycle. Application of the SURE approach to 13 OECD countries in 1995-2009 shows that the procyclicality of LLP is statistically significant almost in thewhole sample of countries. Independent of the econometric specification, the earnings management hypotheses are hardly supported.

Do Regulations and Supervision Shape the Capital Crunch Effect of Large Banks in the EU

This paper extends the literature on the capital crunch effect by examining the role of public policy for the link between lending and capital in a sample of large banks operating in the European Union. Applying Blundell and Bond (1998) two-step robust GMM estimator we show that restrictions on bank activities and more stringent capital standards weaken the capital crunch effect, consistent with reduced risk taking and boosted bank charter values. Official supervision also reduces the impact of capital ratio on lending in downturns. Private oversight seems to be related to thin capital buffers in expansions, and therefore the capital crunch effect is enhanced in countries with increased market discipline. We thus provide evidence that neither regulations nor supervision at the microprudential level is neutral from a financial stability perspective. Weak regulations and supervision seem to increase the pro-cyclical effect of capital on bank lending.

Competition in Commercial Banks in Poland – Analysis of Panzar-Rosse H-Statistics

This paper aims to find out how intense is the competition in Polish commercial banks loan market. Using Panzar – Rosse H-statistics and applying several estimation techniques (GLS, one-step GMM and two-step GMM) we find that this intensity is sensitive to the estimator applied. Upon analysis of results, one can conclude that competition evolves differently across years in Poland. In some years, competition was relatively high, as the H-statistics reached the level of 0.75, which is relatively close to perfect competition. In other years it gradually decreased reaching its bottom line in 2010, and took upward trend in 2011 and 2012. Generally, the values of our competitive environment measure indicate at monopolistic competition in Poland.

Micro- and Macroprudential Liquidity Standards and Their Effects

This article focuses on liquidity standards whose significance has risen since the recent crisis of 2007/2008. The analysis concentrates on two areas. The first one is identification of common characteristics of liquidity standards recommended in Basel III and provisions included in directives and regulations in the European Union, as well as common traits of Polish supervisory liquidity rules and Basel III standards in this field. The other is identification of effects of liquidity standards. Analysis of Polish supervisory liquidity standards leads to conclusion that they have their counterparts in liquidity standards recommended by the Basel Committee. Simulations conducted by the Bank for International Settlements show that implementation of liquidity standards will bring more benefits than losses, for both banking (and financial) sector and the real economy. Unfortunately, contemporary empirical research only explains what are the effects of application of reserve requirements used in monetary policy. So little is known about the effects of other instruments whose track record is relatively short. However, even this scant evidence seems to support the prediction that reserve requirements could potentially be applied as a tool stabilizing financial sector and diminishing systemic risk.

Do Microprudential Regulations and Supervision Affect the Link Between Lending and Capital Ratio in Economic Downturns of Large Banks in the EU

This paper extends the literature on the capital crunch effect by examining the role of public policy for the link between lending and capital in a sample of large banks operating in the European Union during economic downturns. Applying Blundell and Bond (1998) two-step robust GMM estimator, we show that restrictions on bank activities and more stringent capital standards weaken the capital crunch effect, consistent with reduced risk-taking and boosted bank charter values. Official supervision also reduces the impact of capital ratio on lending in downturns; however, its effect is only marginally significant in the sample of unconsolidated banks. Private oversight seems to be related to thin capital buffers in expansions, and therefore the capital crunch effect is enhanced in countries with increased market discipline. We thus provide evidence that neither regulations nor supervision at the microprudential level is neutral from a financial stability perspective. Weak regulations and supervision seem to increase the pro-cyclical effect of capital on bank lending.

Does Banking Sector Structure Affect Bank Lending and Its Sensitivity to Capital Ratio? A Cross-country Study

Does the banking sector’s structure affect bank lending and its sensitivity to the capital ratio? Looking at banks operating in over 60 countries in the years 2000–2011, this chapter aims to resolve this puzzle. Its goal is also to find out whether country development and capital account openness, and inclusion in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region explain the potential diversity of the banking sector structure and lending nexus. To resolve this problem we apply a two-step generalized method of moments (GMM) robust estimator. We find that an increase in concentration of the banking sector results in reduced bank lending and that concentration seems to affect the link between lending and the capital ratio. This effect is particularly strong in CEE.