Offshore operations and bank loan contracting : Evidence from firms that set up subsidiaries in offshore financial centers
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews (RGC: 21, 22, 62) › 21_Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Author(s)
Detail(s)
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 335-355 |
Journal / Publication | Journal of Corporate Finance |
Volume | 37 |
Online published | 19 Jan 2016 |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Link(s)
Abstract
We examine the effects of a multinational firm's subsidiary operations in offshore financial centers (OFCs) on bank loan contracting terms. Using a propensity score matched cross-country sample of firms with and without OFC subsidiaries, we find that firms with OFC subsidiaries receive less favorable loan terms than firms without OFC subsidiaries. The results from a difference-in-differences analysis and an analysis of a firm's mutation from a non-OFC firm to an OFC firm support the causal effect of offshore operations on the unfavorable loan terms. Furthermore, focusing on firms with OFC subsidiaries, we find that the intensity of offshore operations affects loan terms unfavorably. We also find that the unfavorable effect is more pronounced for more opaque firms and for firms that are headquartered in countries or jurisdictions with weaker legal enforcement. Our findings indicate that banks view offshore operations of borrowers as a credit risk-increasing factor.
Research Area(s)
- Agency problem, Information risk, Legal enforcement, Loan contracting, Offshore financial center, Offshore operation
Citation Format(s)
Offshore operations and bank loan contracting : Evidence from firms that set up subsidiaries in offshore financial centers. / Ge, Wenxia; Kim, Jeong-Bon; Li, Tiemei; Li, Yutao.
In: Journal of Corporate Finance, Vol. 37, 04.2016, p. 335-355.Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews (RGC: 21, 22, 62) › 21_Publication in refereed journal › peer-review