Do Distressed Banks Really Gamble for Resurrection?

Fisher College of Business Working Paper No. 2019-03-010

Charles A. Dice Working Paper No. 2019-10

67 Pages Posted: 24 Apr 2019

See all articles by Itzhak Ben-David

Itzhak Ben-David

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Finance; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Ajay A. Palvia

Government of the United States of America - Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

René M. Stulz

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Finance; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 23, 2019

Abstract

We explore the actions of financially distressed banks in two distinct periods that include financial crises (1985-1994, 2005-2014) and differ in bank regulations, especially concerning capital requirements and enforcement. In contrast to the widespread belief that distressed banks gamble for resurrection, we document that distressed banks take actions to reduce leverage and risk, such as reducing asset and loan growth, issuing equity, decreasing dividends, and lowering deposit rates. Despite large differences in regulation between periods, the extent of deleveraging is similar, suggesting that economic forces beyond formal regulations incentivize bank managers to deleverage when their banks are in distress.

Keywords: banks, distress, gamble for resurrection, deleveraging, derisking

JEL Classification: G11, G21, G33

Suggested Citation

Ben-David, Itzhak and Palvia, Ajay A. and Stulz, Rene M., Do Distressed Banks Really Gamble for Resurrection? (April 23, 2019). Fisher College of Business Working Paper No. 2019-03-010, Charles A. Dice Working Paper No. 2019-10, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3376882 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3376882

Itzhak Ben-David

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Finance ( email )

2100 Neil Avenue
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773 988 1353 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://u.osu.edu/ben-david.1/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://fisher.osu.edu/fin/faculty/Ben-David/

Ajay A. Palvia

Government of the United States of America - Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) ( email )

550 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20429
United States

Rene M. Stulz (Contact Author)

Ohio State University (OSU) - Department of Finance ( email )

2100 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1144
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/fin/faculty/stulz

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

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