SME Loan Pricing and Lending Relationships in Germany: A New Look

Strong lending relationships between banks and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the bank-based financial system of Germany. So far, they have been mainly described by the notion of an housebank and transactional features of long-term bank-customer relationships. The present paper takes a new look by considering also interactional variables which try to measure social relations between loan officer and firm manager. We find that these variables do affect loan pricing, but that their influence varies according to firm age and housebank status.Banking, Relationship Lending, Small Business Finance

Do Lending Relationships Matter? Evidence from Bank Survey Data in Germany

Strong lending relationships between banks and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the bank-based financial system of Germany. So far, they have been mainly described by the notion of a housebank and transactional features of long-term bank-customer relationships. In contrast, the present paper also considers interactional variables which try to measure social relations between loan officer and firm manager. Using bank survey data, the relationship and interaction variables prove to affect loan prices, collateral requirements and credit availability.

Kreditvergabe der Banken an kleine und mittelständische

Der vorliegende Beitrag fasst die Ergebnisse einer im Jahr 1997 getätigten schriftlichen Befragung deutscher Banken zu ihrer Kreditvergabe an kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen zusammen. Befragt wurden 1200 Firmenkundenbetreuer privater Großbanken, Sparkassen und Genossenschaftsbanken zu dem von ihnen jeweils zuletzt bearbeiteten Kreditantrag. Im Mittelpunkt der Analyse steht die Organisation und Vorgehensweise der Kreditwürdigkeitsprüfung, die Geschäftsbeziehung zwischen Bank und Kunde und die Konditionengestaltung bei der Kreditvergabe.Bank lending, small business finance, lending relationships, loan contracting

Las clausulas abusivas en los contratos por adhesion

73 p.El contrato por adhesión es una buena fuente de estudio debido a las particularidades que posee y que lo diferencian de la noción clásica de contrato. La principal diferenciación es la forma en que una de las partes expresa su voluntad, esto es, por medio de la adhesión. Hasta hace poco la doctrina no se ponía de acuerdo en determinar su naturaleza jurídica, así algunos autores señalaban que la adhesión no constituía voluntad o era insuficiente para generar un contrato, mientras que otros sostenían que la adhesión es una forma de manifestación de la voluntad del adherente que genera el contrato por adhesión. Pero la naturaleza jurídica no es el único tema a discutir. Un tema importante y de gran utilidad práctica son las cláusulas abusivas que puede contener este contrato, ya que al omitirse la negociación es el oferente quien distribuye los derechos y las cargas, lo que le otorga una cierta peligrosidad al permitir la introducción de cláusulas abusivas. Hasta el año 1997 el marco normativo de las cláusulas abusivas era escaso, se limitaba a la teoría general del contrato, a la breve ley 18.223 y a algunos decretos supremos que indirectamente le eran aplicables. Fue en ese año que se dictó la ley 19.496 que establece normas especiales que regulan las cláusulas abusivas en este contrato, sin embargo, estas normas no son suficiente ya que escapan de ella múltiples supuestos no sancionados. Teniendo presente que ningún legislador puede prever todos los casos, puesto que algunos son impredecibles, una buena solución es establecer una cláusula abierta que pudiera integrar aquellos que escapan de la enumeración legal. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo establecer el marco normativo que otorga nuestra legislación a las cláusulas abusivas en los contratos por adhesión. Para el estudio del tema se tuvo en cuenta tres fuentes: la ley 19.496, los principios generales del derecho como la buena fe, el orden público y las buenas costumbres; y el derecho comparado. Quizás si hubiera existido una jurisprudencia abundante se podría haber agregado el criterio aplicado por nuestros tribunales para el control de cláusulas abusivas en los contratos por adhesión, sin embargo, es casi inexistente

Proline metabolism and transport in plant development

Proline fulfils diverse functions in plants. As amino acid it is a structural component of proteins, but it also plays a role as compatible solute under environmental stress conditions. Proline metabolism involves several subcellular compartments and contributes to the redox balance of the cell. Proline synthesis has been associated with tissues undergoing rapid cell divisions, such as shoot apical meristems, and appears to be involved in floral transition and embryo development. High levels of proline can be found in pollen and seeds, where it serves as compatible solute, protecting cellular structures during dehydration. The proline concentrations of cells, tissues and plant organs are regulated by the interplay of biosynthesis, degradation and intra- as well as intercellular transport processes. Among the proline transport proteins characterized so far, both general amino acid permeases and selective compatible solute transporters were identified, reflecting the versatile role of proline under stress and non-stress situations. The review summarizes our current knowledge on proline metabolism and transport in view of plant development, discussing regulatory aspects such as the influence of metabolites and hormones. Additional information from animals, fungi and bacteria is included, showing similarities and differences to proline metabolism and transport in plant

In planta function of compatible solute transporters of the AtProT family

The three proline transporters of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtProTs) transport the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine and the stress-induced compound γ-aminobutyric acid when expressed in heterologous systems. The aim of the present study was to show transport and physiological relevance of these three AtProTs in planta. Using single, double, and triple knockout mutants and AtProT-overexpressing lines, proline content, growth on proline, transport of radiolabelled betaine, and expression of AtProT genes and enzymes of proline metabolism were analysed. AtProT2 was shown to facilitate uptake of L- and D-proline as well as [14C]glycine betaine in planta, indicating a role in the import of compatible solutes into the root. Toxic concentrations of L- and D-proline resulted in a drastic growth retardation of AtProT-overexpressing plants, demonstrating the need for a precise regulation of proline uptake and/or distribution. Furthermore evidence is provided that AtProT genes are highly expressed in tissues with elevated proline content—that is, pollen and leaf epidermi

Leibhafte Kunst. Statuen und kulturelle Identität

Dreidimensionale lebensgroße Figuren gehören zu den wirkmächtigen und auffälligsten Artikulationsformen der griechischen und römischen Antike. Wegen ihrer Anschaulichkeit sowie wegen ihrer dauernden und körperhaften Präsenz sind sie besonders einflussreiche Konkretisierungen von religiösen Auffassungen, Machtverhältnissen und Wissensordnungen. Spätere Epochen der europäischen Kulturgeschichte haben sich in immer neuen Rückbezügen daran orientiert. Der vorliegende Band untersucht die Leistung der Statu­en als eine Konkretisierungsform von politischen, sozia­len und religiösen Vorstellungen. Den Ausgangspunkt bilden Phänomene der griechischen und römischen Antike, doch machen Beiträge aus der Kunstgeschichte, Ethnologie und Germanistik deutlich, dass das Thema weit über die Altertumswissenschaften hinaus interessant und wichtig ist. Gerade der Blick auf außereuropäische Ausdrucksformen macht deutlich, dass die Entwicklung der antiken Skulptur, die aus einer europäischen Per­spektive konsequent und selbstverständlich erscheint, nur eine unter vielen möglichen Optionen darstellte

In planta function of compatible solute transporters of the AtProT family

The three proline transporters of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtProTs) transport the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine and the stress-induced compound γ-aminobutyric acid when expressed in heterologous systems. The aim of the present study was to show transport and physiological relevance of these three AtProTs in planta. Using single, double, and triple knockout mutants and AtProT-overexpressing lines, proline content, growth on proline, transport of radiolabelled betaine, and expression of AtProT genes and enzymes of proline metabolism were analysed. AtProT2 was shown to facilitate uptake of L- and D-proline as well as [14C]glycine betaine in planta, indicating a role in the import of compatible solutes into the root. Toxic concentrations of L- and D-proline resulted in a drastic growth retardation of AtProT-overexpressing plants, demonstrating the need for a precise regulation of proline uptake and/or distribution. Furthermore evidence is provided that AtProT genes are highly expressed in tissues with elevated proline content—that is, pollen and leaf epidermis