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Snow and Leverage

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  • Stomper, Alexander
  • Mueller, Holger
  • Giroud, Xavier
  • Westerkamp, Arne

Abstract

This paper examines whether reducing a debt overhang improves borrowers' operating performance using a sample of distressed and highly overleveraged Austrian ski hotels undergoing debt restructurings. The vast majority of the ski hotels experience substantial debt forgiveness, resulting in reductions in leverage of about 23% on average. These reductions in leverage, in turn, bring about statistically and economically significant improvements in operating performance of about 28% on average. Changes in leverage during the debt restructurings are instrumented with the level of snow in the years prior to the debt restructurings. The effect of snow is both statistically and economically significant: a one-standard deviation increase in snow is associated with a reduction in leverage of about 23%.

Suggested Citation

  • Stomper, Alexander & Mueller, Holger & Giroud, Xavier & Westerkamp, Arne, 2010. "Snow and Leverage," CEPR Discussion Papers 8148, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8148
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    6. Muermann, Alexander & Rauter, Thomas, 2016. "Prestige and loan pricing," CFS Working Paper Series 544, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    7. Vithessonthi, Chaiporn & Tongurai, Jittima, 2015. "The effect of leverage on performance: Domestically-oriented versus internationally-oriented firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 265-280.
    8. John P. Berns & Maria Figueroa-Armijos & Serge P. da Motta Veiga & Timothy C. Dunne, 2020. "Dynamics of Lending-Based Prosocial Crowdfunding: Using a Social Responsibility Lens," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 169-185, January.
    9. Orhan Akisik & Graham Gal, 2014. "Financial performance and reviews of corporate social responsibility reports," Mathematical Methods of Operations Research, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research (GOR);Nederlands Genootschap voor Besliskunde (NGB), vol. 25(3), pages 259-288, December.
    10. Corina Burunciuc & Halit Gonenc, 2020. "Reforms Protecting Minority Shareholders and Firm Performance: International Evidence," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-24, December.
    11. Dirk G Baur & Isaac Miyakawa, 2014. "The Stock Market, the Real Economy and Contagion," Working Paper Series 179, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney.
    12. Gianpaolo Parise, 2016. "Threat of entry and debt maturity: evidence from airlines," BIS Working Papers 556, Bank for International Settlements.
    13. David Yechiam Aharon & Yossi Yagil, 2019. "The Impact of Financial Leverage on the Cost of Equity," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 9(2), pages 175-188.
    14. Pandey, Rakesh & Vithessonthi, Chaiporn & Mansi, Mansi, 2015. "Busy CEOs and the performance of family firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 144-166.
    15. Donald E. Bowen III & Laurent Frésard & Jérôme P. Taillard, 2017. "What’s Your Identification Strategy? Innovation in Corporate Finance Research," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(8), pages 2529-2548, August.
    16. Likitwongkajon, Napaporn & Vithessonthi, Chaiporn, 2020. "Do foreign investments increase firm value and firm performance? Evidence from Japan," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    17. Dongil D. Keum, 2020. "Cog in the wheel: Resource release and the scope of interdependencies in corporate adjustment activities," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 175-197, February.
    18. Panagiotis Avramidis & Ioannis Asimakopoulos & Dimitris Malliaropulos, 2021. "Disrupted lending relationship and borrower's strategic default: evidence from the tourism industry during the Greek economic crisis," Working Papers 285, Bank of Greece.
    19. ONO Arito & YASUDA Yukihiro, 2017. "Forgiveness Versus Financing: The determinants and impact of SME debt forbearance in Japan," Discussion papers 17086, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Debt forgiveness; Debt overhang; Debt renegotiation; Debt restructuring;
    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
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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