Is the Corporate Loan Market Globally Integrated? A Pricing Puzzle
47 Pages Posted: 6 Sep 2004
Date Written: August 2004
Abstract
We offer evidence that interest rate spreads on syndicated loans to corporate borrowers are economically significantly smaller in Europe than in the U.S., other things equal. Differences in borrower, loan and lender characteristics associated with equilibrium mechanisms suggested in the literature do not appear to explain the phenomenon. Borrowers overwhelmingly issue in their natural home market and bank portfolios display significant home "bias." This may explain why pricing discrepancies are not competed away, but the fundamental causes of the discrepancies remain a puzzle. Thus, important determinants of loan origination market outcomes remain to be identified, home "bias" appears to be material for pricing, and corporate financing costs differ in Europe and the U.S.
Keywords: Loans, corporate debt, home bias, market integration, globalization
JEL Classification: G30, G20, G15
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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