Using Wharton's FDIC Research Database

This document is one of two papers on Wharton's FDIC Research Database. Working paper #95-24 reviews the structure and data elements of the database. Supplement #95-24 facilitates its installation and use.

The diffusion of financial innovations: an examination of the adoption of small business credit scoring by large banking organizations

Financial innovation has been described as the “life blood of efficient and responsive capital markets.” Yet, there have been few quantitative investigations of financial innovation and the diffusion of these new technologies. Of the latter, there have been only three prior quantitative studies, and all three used the same data set on automated teller machines! ; This paper makes a significant contribution to the financial innovation literature by examining the diffusion of a recent important innovation of the 1990s: banks’ use of credit scoring for small business lending. The authors examine the responses of 95 large banking organizations to a survey that asked whether they had adopted credit scoring for small business lending as of June 1997 (56 had done so) and, if they had adopted it, when they had done so. The authors estimate hazard and tobit models to explain the diffusion pattern of small business credit scoring models. Explanatory variables include several market, firm, and managerial factors of the banking organizations under study. ; The hazard model indicates that larger banking organizations introduced innovation earlier, as did those located in the New York Federal Reserve district; both results are consistent with expectations. The tobit model confirms these results and also finds that organizations with fewer separately chartered banks but more branches introduced innovation earlier, which is consistent with theories stressing the importance of bank organizational form on lending style. Though the managerial variables signs are consistent with our expectations, none yields significant results.Credit scoring systems ; Financial modernization ; Commercial loans ; Bank loans

The Diffusion of Financial Innovations: An Examination of The Adoption of Small Business Credit Scoring by Large Banking Organizations

Financial innovation has been described as the "life blood of efficient and responsive capital markets." Yet, there have been few quantitative investigations of financial innovation and the diffusion of these new technologies. Of the latter, there have been only three prior quantitative studies, and all three used the same data set on ATMs! This paper makes a significant contribution to the financial innovation literature by examining the diffusion of a recent important innovation of the 1990s: banks' use of credit scoring for small business lending. We examine the responses of 95 large banking organizations to a survey that asked whether they had adopted credit scoring for small business lending as of June 1997 (55 had done so) and, if they had adopted it, when they had done so. We estimate hazard and tobit models to explain the diffusion pattern of small business credit scoring models. Explanatory variables include several market, firm, and managerial factors of the banking organizations' under study. The hazard model indicates that larger banking organizations innovated earlier, as did those located in the New York Federal Reserve district; both results are consistent with our expectations. The tobit model confirms these results and also finds that organizations with fewer separately chartered banks but more branches innovated earlier, which is consistent with theories stressing the importance of bank organizational form on lending style. Though the managerial variables' signs are consistent with our expectations, none yields significant results.Credit Scoring; Small Business Lending; Financial Innovation; Technology Diffusion

The Diffusion of Financial Innovations: An Examination of the Adoption of Small Business Credit Scoring By Large Banking Organizations

Financial innovation has been described as the "life blood of efficient and responsive capital markets." Yet, there have been few quantitative investigations of financial innovation and the diffusion of these new technologies. Of the latter, there have been only three prior quantitative studies, and all three used the same data set on ATMs! This paper makes a significant contribution to the financial innovation literature by examining the diffusion of a recent important innovation of the 1990s: banks' use of credit scoring for small business lending. We examine the responses of 95 large banking organizations to a survey that asked whether they had adopted credit scoring for small business lending as of June 1997 (56 had done so) and, if they had adopted it, when they had done so. We estimate hazard and tobit models to explain the diffusion pattern of small business credit scoring models. Explanatory variables include several market, firm, and managerial factors of the banking organizations' under study. The hazard model indicates that larger banking organizations innovated earlier, as did those located in the New York Federal Reserve district; both results are consistent with our expectations. The tobit model confirms these results and also finds that organizations with fewer separately chartered banks but more branches innovated earlier, which is consistent with theories stressing the importance of bank organizational form on lending style. Though the managerial variables' signs are consistent with our expectations, none yields significant results

Relationship Lending and Denovo Banks: An examination of Bank Lending to Small Farm Borrowers

In this paper we examine the lending by small banks to small farms. We find that relationships, as measured by the length of tenure of farm operators, are positively related to bank lending. We also find that denovo banks have a positive tendency to lend to small farms, similar to the tendency of denovo banks to lend to small businesses generally. When existing relationships between borrowers and incumbent lenders are stronger, however, denovo banks have greater difficulties in lending to small farms. Finally, we find that, even within the category of small banks, lending to small farms (as a percentage of a bank's assets) tends to decrease as the bank increases in size. We believe that small farms are a category of small enterprises that have been underresearched in the lending literature and that further study of these relationships would yield new and interesting results

Relationship Lending and Denovo Banks: An examination of Bank Lending to Small Farm Borrowers

In this paper we examine the lending by small banks to small farms. We find that relationships, as measured by the length of tenure of farm operators, are positively related to bank lending. We also find that denovo banks have a positive tendency to lend to small farms, similar to the tendency of denovo banks to lend to small businesses generally. When existing relationships between borrowers and incumbent lenders are stronger, however, denovo banks have greater difficulties in lending to small farms. Finally, we find that, even within the category of small banks, lending to small farms (as a percentage of a bank's assets) tends to decrease as the bank increases in size. We believe that small farms are a category of small enterprises that have been underresearched in the lending literature and that further study of these relationships would yield new and interesting results

The Effects of Megamergers on Efficiency and Prices: Evidence from a Bank Profit Function

Bank, merger, efficiency, profit, price, antitrust,