Asymmetric benchmarking in bank credit rating

Chung-Hua Shen, Yu-Li Huang and Iftekhar Hasan

No 13/2012, Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers from Bank of Finland

Abstract: This study proposes an information asymmetry hypothesis to examine why bank credit ratings vary among countries even when bank financial ratios remain constant. Countries are divided among those with low and high information asymmetry. The former include high-income countries, those in North America and West Europe regions, and those with strong institutional environment quality, whereas the latter group possess the opposite characteristics. This study hypothesizes that the influences of financial ratios on ratings are enhanced in low information asymmetry countries but reduced in countries with high information asymmetry. The sample includes the long-term credit ratings issued by Standard and Poor's from 86 countries during 2002-2008. The estimated results show that the effects of financial ratios on ratings are significantly affected by information asymmetries. Countries wishing to improve the credit ratings of their banks thus should reduce information asymmetry.

Keywords: Bank rating; Financial ratio; Information asymmetry; Institutional quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 G32 G38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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