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Judge ideology and debt contracting

Author

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  • Kubick, Thomas R.
  • Lockhart, G. Brandon
  • Mauer, David C.

Abstract

We examine the effect of ex ante litigation risk on the price and non-price terms of loan contracts. Since expected litigation is endogenous, we focus on federal circuit court judge ideology to generate plausibly exogenous variation in the outcome of a class action lawsuit. We find that loans issued by firms headquartered in circuits with a higher likelihood of drawing a liberal panel of judges in a class action lawsuit have higher loan spreads, shorter maturity, and a larger number of and more restrictive covenants. To strengthen our claim that judge ideology affects loan contracting through its effect on the outcome of a class action lawsuit, we show that the influence of judge ideology on price and nonprice terms of loans is strongly influenced by factors that influence the probability of a class action lawsuit. Overall, our results bolster the case that litigation risk has a causal effect on debt contracting.

Suggested Citation

  • Kubick, Thomas R. & Lockhart, G. Brandon & Mauer, David C., 2023. "Judge ideology and debt contracting," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:152:y:2023:i:c:s0378426623000833
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2023.106859
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Judge ideology; Litigation risk; Bank loans; Debt contracting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law
    • K41 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Litigation Process

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