IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/quaeco/v86y2022icp87-97.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of shared auditors in loan contracts

Author

Listed:
  • Aguir, Wael
  • Ater, Brandon
  • Anabila, Andrew A.
  • Sobngwi, Christian Kuiate

Abstract

We investigate the private debt contracting implications of when the lender and borrower share the same audit firm. Specifically, we posit that when the lender and borrower share the same audit firm, this shared auditor relationship provides lenders with privileged access to a trustworthy third party that can be used to verify information about borrowers’ financial information and leads to gains in contracting efficiency to the benefit of both the lender and borrower. Our findings indicate that the shared auditor relationship is associated with a decrease in the cost of debt and the likelihood of future default. Our findings highlight the role played by external auditors in facilitating lenders’ screening and monitoring efforts in private debt contracts for public firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Aguir, Wael & Ater, Brandon & Anabila, Andrew A. & Sobngwi, Christian Kuiate, 2022. "The role of shared auditors in loan contracts," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 87-97.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:86:y:2022:i:c:p:87-97
    DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2022.05.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1062976922000746
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.qref.2022.05.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Saavedra, 2019. "Is Tax Volatility Priced by Lenders in the Syndicated Loan Market?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 767-789, August.
    2. Graham, John R. & Li, Si & Qiu, Jiaping, 2008. "Corporate misreporting and bank loan contracting," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 44-61, July.
    3. Berger, Allen N. & Scott Frame, W. & Ioannidou, Vasso, 2011. "Tests of ex ante versus ex post theories of collateral using private and public information," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 85-97, April.
    4. Baylis, Richard M. & Burnap, Peter & Clatworthy, Mark A. & Gad, Mahmoud A. & Pong, Christopher K.M., 2017. "Private lenders’ demand for audit," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 78-97.
    5. Benedikt Franke & Sonja Müller, 2019. "Private Debt and Timely Loss Recognition," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 423-450, May.
    6. Solomon, I & Shields, MD & Whittington, OR, 1999. "What do industry-specialist auditors know?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(1), pages 191-208.
    7. Jeong†Bon Kim & Dan A. Simunic & Michael T. Stein & CHEONG H. YI, 2011. "Voluntary Audits and the Cost of Debt Capital for Privately Held Firms: Korean Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 585-615, June.
    8. Sattar A. Mansi & William F. Maxwell & Darius P. Miller, 2004. "Does Auditor Quality and Tenure Matter to Investors? Evidence from the Bond Market," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(4), pages 755-793, September.
    9. Amir Sufi, 2007. "Information Asymmetry and Financing Arrangements: Evidence from Syndicated Loans," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(2), pages 629-668, April.
    10. Hans B. Christensen & Valeri V. Nikolaev, 2012. "Capital Versus Performance Covenants in Debt Contracts," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 75-116, March.
    11. Krishnagopal Menon & David D. Williams, 2016. "Audit Report Restrictions in Debt Covenants," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(2), pages 682-717, June.
    12. Chan, Yuk-Shee & Thakor, Anjan V, 1987. "Collateral and Competitive Equilibria with Moral Hazard and Private Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(2), pages 345-363, June.
    13. Jere R. Francis & Wei Wang, 2021. "Common Auditors and Private Bank Loans," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 793-832, March.
    14. Blackwell, DW & Noland, TR & Winters, DB, 1998. "The value of auditor assurance: Evidence from loan pricing," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1), pages 57-70.
    15. Michael Schwert, 2018. "Bank Capital and Lending Relationships," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 73(2), pages 787-830, April.
    16. Shujing Li & Jiaping Qiu & Chi Wan, 2011. "Corporate globalization and bank lending," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(8), pages 1016-1042, October.
    17. Douglas W. Diamond, 1984. "Financial Intermediation and Delegated Monitoring," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 51(3), pages 393-414.
    18. Sudheer Chava & Michael R. Roberts, 2008. "How Does Financing Impact Investment? The Role of Debt Covenants," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(5), pages 2085-2121, October.
    19. Michael Minnis, 2011. "The Value of Financial Statement Verification in Debt Financing: Evidence from Private U.S. Firms," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(2), pages 457-506, May.
    20. Diamond, Douglas W, 1991. "Monitoring and Reputation: The Choice between Bank Loans and Directly Placed Debt," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(4), pages 689-721, August.
    21. Cai, Ye & Kim, Yongtae & Park, Jong Chool & White, Hal D., 2016. "Common auditors in M&A transactions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 77-99.
    22. Ryan Ball & Robert M. Bushman & Florin P. Vasvari, 2008. "The Debt‐Contracting Value of Accounting Information and Loan Syndicate Structure," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 247-287, May.
    23. Steven Drucker & Manju Puri, 2005. "On the Benefits of Concurrent Lending and Underwriting," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(6), pages 2763-2799, December.
    24. Chen, Peter F. & He, Shaohua & Ma, Zhiming & Stice, Derrald, 2016. "The information role of audit opinions in debt contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 121-144.
    25. Puri, Manju, 1996. "Commercial banks in investment banking Conflict of interest or certification role?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 373-401, March.
    26. Carrizosa, Richard & Ryan, Stephen G., 2017. "Borrower private information covenants and loan contract monitoring," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 313-339.
    27. Dhaliwal, Dan S. & Lamoreaux, Phillip T. & Litov, Lubomir P. & Neyland, Jordan B., 2016. "Shared auditors in mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 49-76.
    28. Petersen, Mitchell A & Rajan, Raghuram G, 1994. "The Benefits of Lending Relationships: Evidence from Small Business Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 49(1), pages 3-37, March.
    29. DeFond, Mark & Zhang, Jieying, 2014. "A review of archival auditing research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 275-326.
    30. Bhanot, Karan & Mello, Antonio S., 2006. "Should corporate debt include a rating trigger?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 69-98, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jere R. Francis & Wei Wang, 2021. "Common Auditors and Private Bank Loans," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 793-832, March.
    2. Amiraslani, Hami & Donovan, John & Phillips, Matthew A. & Wittenberg-Moerman, Regina, 2023. "Contracting in the Dark: The rise of public-side lenders in the syndicated loan market," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1).
    3. Daniel Saavedra, 2023. "Do firms follow the SEC’s confidential treatment protocols? Evidence from credit agreements," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 1388-1412, September.
    4. Baylis, Richard M. & Burnap, Peter & Clatworthy, Mark A. & Gad, Mahmoud A. & Pong, Christopher K.M., 2017. "Private lenders’ demand for audit," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 78-97.
    5. Nicholas Hallman & John S. Howe & Wei Wang, 2023. "Analyst coverage and syndicated lending," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 1531-1569, September.
    6. Freudenberg, Felix & Imbierowicz, Björn & Saunders, Anthony & Steffen, Sascha, 2017. "Covenant violations and dynamic loan contracting," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 540-565.
    7. Chy, Mahfuz & Kyung, Hoyoun, 2023. "The effect of bond market transparency on bank loan contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(2).
    8. John Gallemore & Brandon Gipper & Edward Maydew, 2019. "Banks as Tax Planning Intermediaries," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 169-209, March.
    9. Jeong-Bon Kim & Byron Song & Judy Tsui, 2013. "Auditor size, tenure, and bank loan pricing," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 75-99, January.
    10. Chy, Mahfuz & De Franco, Gus & Su, Barbara, 2021. "The effect of auditor litigation risk on clients' access to bank debt: Evidence from a quasi-experiment," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1).
    11. Chen, Chong & Wu, Xueping, 2021. "Winning megadeals: The dual role of acquirer advisors in loan-financed mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    12. Karel Hrazdil & Jiyuan Li & Gerald Lobo & Ray Zhang, 2024. "CFO facial beauty and bank loan contracting," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(1), pages 975-1009, March.
    13. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Guay, Wayne R. & Weber, Joseph P., 2010. "The role of information and financial reporting in corporate governance and debt contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 179-234, December.
    14. Liangliang Jiang & Hui Zhou, 2017. "The role of audit verification in debt contracting: evidence from covenant violations," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 469-501, March.
    15. Zhiming Ma & Derrald Stice & Christopher Williams, 2022. "What's my style? Supply‐side determinants of debt covenant inclusion," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3-4), pages 461-490, March.
    16. Pappas, Kostas & Walsh, Eamonn & Xu, Alice Liang, 2019. "Real earnings management and loan contract terms," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 373-401.
    17. Michael Minnis & Andrew Sutherland, 2017. "Financial Statements as Monitoring Mechanisms: Evidence from Small Commercial Loans," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 197-233, March.
    18. Kang, Ya & Li, Oliver Zhen & Lin, Yupeng, 2021. "Tax incidence in loan pricing," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1).
    19. Kim, Young Sang & Kim, Yura & Yi, Ha-Chin, 2021. "Vice or virtue? The impact of earnings management on bank loan agreements," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 303-324.
    20. Jiang, Shuyi & Li, Jay Y., 2022. "He who lends knows," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Loan contracts; Cost of debt; Audit quality; Shared auditors;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • M42 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Auditing
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:86:y:2022:i:c:p:87-97. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620167 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.