IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/4841.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

David and Goliath: small banks in an era of consolidation. Evidence from Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Bongini, Paola
  • Di Battista, Maria Luisa
  • Zavarrone, Emma

Abstract

Consolidation in the banking industry has caused concern about the survival of small banks. However, empirical evidence shows that often small banks are performing better than larger banks in terms of loan growth and profitability. This paper addresses the main question of “how David can be successful in a Goliath’s world” analysing two broad sets of issues, tested on a sample of Italian small banks. We first address the question of whether peculiarities of small banks, e.g their ability to lever on relationship lending, are good explanatory variables of their loan growth. Second, we investigate the relationship between loan growth and profitability and credit risk to point out which small banks can continue to be a viable competitor of larger bank.

Suggested Citation

  • Bongini, Paola & Di Battista, Maria Luisa & Zavarrone, Emma, 2006. "David and Goliath: small banks in an era of consolidation. Evidence from Italy," MPRA Paper 4841, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:4841
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/4841/1/MPRA_paper_4841.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peek, Joe & Rosengren, Eric S., 1998. "Bank consolidation and small business lending: It's not just bank size that matters," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 799-819, August.
    2. Berger, Allen N. & Miller, Nathan H. & Petersen, Mitchell A. & Rajan, Raghuram G. & Stein, Jeremy C., 2005. "Does function follow organizational form? Evidence from the lending practices of large and small banks," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 237-269, May.
    3. Robert DeYoung & William Hunter & Gregory Udell, 2004. "The Past, Present, and Probable Future for Community Banks," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 25(2), pages 85-133, April.
    4. Allen N. Berger & Gregory F. Udell, 2002. "Small Business Credit Availability and Relationship Lending: The Importance of Bank Organisational Structure," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(477), pages 32-53, February.
    5. Berger, Allen N. & Saunders, Anthony & Scalise, Joseph M. & Udell, Gregory F., 1998. "The effects of bank mergers and acquisitions on small business lending," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 187-229, November.
    6. DeYoung, Robert & Goldberg, Lawrence G. & White, Lawrence J., 1999. "Youth, adolescence, and maturity of banks: Credit availability to small business in an era of banking consolidation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(2-4), pages 463-492, February.
    7. 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.
    8. Berger, Allen N. & Demsetz, Rebecca S. & Strahan, Philip E., 1999. "The consolidation of the financial services industry: Causes, consequences, and implications for the future," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(2-4), pages 135-194, February.
    9. Angelini, P. & Di Salvo, R. & Ferri, G., 1998. "Availability and cost of credit for small businesses: Customer relationships and credit cooperatives," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 925-954, August.
    10. Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1990. "Peer Monitoring and Credit Markets," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 4(3), pages 351-366, September.
    11. Paola Sapienza, 2002. "The Effects of Banking Mergers on Loan Contracts," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 329-367, February.
    12. Emilia Bonaccorsi di Patti & Ginette Eramo & Giorgio Gobbi, 2005. "Piccole e grandi banche nel mercato del credito in Italia," Banca Impresa Società, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 3-34.
    13. Focarelli, Dario & Panetta, Fabio & Salleo, Carmelo, 2002. "Why Do Banks Merge?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(4), pages 1047-1066, November.
    14. Bonaccorsi di Patti, Emilia & Gobbi, Giorgio, 2001. "The changing structure of local credit markets: Are small businesses special?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2209-2237, December.
    15. Mitchell A. Petersen & Raghuram G. Rajan, 1995. "The Effect of Credit Market Competition on Lending Relationships," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 407-443.
    16. William R. Keeton, 1995. "Multi-office bank lending to small businesses: some new evidence," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, vol. 80(Q II), pages 45-57.
    17. Ongena, S. & Smith, D.C., 2000. "Bank relationships : A review," Other publications TiSEM 993b88a5-9a0f-42de-9cec-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    18. Pietro Alessandrini & Manuela Croci & Alberto Zazzaro, 2009. "The Geography of Banking Power: The Role of Functional Distance," Springer Books, in: Damiano Bruno Silipo (ed.), The Banks and the Italian Economy, chapter 0, pages 93-123, Springer.
    19. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Timothy Besley & Timothy W. Guinnane, 1994. "Thy Neighbor's Keeper: The Design of a Credit Cooperative with Theory and a Test," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 109(2), pages 491-515.
    20. Keeton, William R., 1995. "Multi-Office Bank Lending To Small Businesses: Some New Evidence," 1995 Regional Committee NC-207, October 16-17, 1995, Kansas City, Missouri 131493, Regional Research Committee NC-1014: Agricultural and Rural Finance Markets in Transition.
    21. Jonathan Scott, 2004. "Small Business and the Value of Community Financial Institutions," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 25(2), pages 207-230, April.
    22. Boot, Arnoud W. A., 2000. "Relationship Banking: What Do We Know?," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 7-25, 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. Paola Bongini & Maria Luisa Di Battista & Emma Zavarrone, 2007. "The Value of Relationship Lending: Small Banks in an Era of Consolidation," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 36(3), pages 209-230, November.
    2. Degryse, H.A. & Cerqueiro, G.M. & Ongena, S., 2007. "Distance, Bank Organizational Structure and Credit," Other publications TiSEM 34c2f607-3395-4fd9-9c52-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Djedidi-Kooli, Salima, 2009. "L’accès au financement des PME en France : quel rôle joué par la structure du système bancaire ?," Economics Thesis from University Paris Dauphine, Paris Dauphine University, number 123456789/8354 edited by Etner, François.
    4. Alessandrini, Pietro & Calcagnini, Giorgio & Zazzaro, Alberto, 2008. "Asset restructuring strategies in bank acquisitions: Does distance between dealing partners matter?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 699-713, May.
    5. Pietro ALESSANDRINI & Giorgio CALCAGNINI & Alberto ZAZZARO, 2006. "Asset Restructuring Strategies in Bank Acquisitions: Evidence from the Italian Banking Industry," Working Papers 264, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    6. Tlili, Rim, 2012. "Comment justifier la multibancarité au sein des PME ?," Economics Thesis from University Paris Dauphine, Paris Dauphine University, number 123456789/10919 edited by Etner, François.
    7. Pietro Alessandrini & Luca Papi & Alberto Zazzaro, 2003. "Banks, regions and development," Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 56(224), pages 23-55.
    8. Pietro Alessandrini & Andrea F. Presbitero & Alberto Zazzaro, 2010. "Bank size or distance: what hampers innovation adoption by SMEs?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 10(6), pages 845-881, November.
    9. Pietro ALESSANDRINI & Andrea PRESBITERO & Alberto ZAZZARO, 2006. "Banks, Distances and Financing Constraints for Firms," Working Papers 266, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    10. Pietro Alessandrini & Luca Papi & Alberto Zazzaro, 2003. "Banche, territorio e sviluppo," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 56(221), pages 3-43.
    11. Mariarosaria Agostino & Lucia Errico & Sandro Rondinella & Francesco Trivieri, 2022. "Do cooperative banks matter for new business creation? Evidence on Italian manufacturing industry," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(3), pages 637-675, September.
    12. Bonaccorsi di Patti, Emilia & Gobbi, Giorgio, 2001. "The changing structure of local credit markets: Are small businesses special?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(12), pages 2209-2237, December.
    13. David P. Ely & Kenneth J. Robinson, 2004. "The impact of banks' expanded securities powers on small‐business lending," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1-2), pages 79-102.
    14. Allen N. Berger & Gregory F. Udell, 2002. "Small Business Credit Availability and Relationship Lending: The Importance of Bank Organisational Structure," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(477), pages 32-53, February.
    15. Mkhaiber, Achraf & Werner, Richard A., 2021. "The relationship between bank size and the propensity to lend to small firms: New empirical evidence from a large sample," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    16. Pietro Alessandrini & Andrea Filippo Presbitero & Alberto Zazzaro, 2008. "Global Banking and Local Markets," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 4, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    17. Luca Papi & Emma Sarno & Alberto Zazzaro, 2017. "The geographical network of bank organizations: issues and evidence for Italy," Chapters, in: Ron Martin & Jane Pollard (ed.), Handbook on the Geographies of Money and Finance, chapter 8, pages 156-196, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Pietro Alessandrini & Andrea F. Presbitero & Alberto Zazzaro, 2009. "Banks, Distances and Firms' Financing Constraints," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 13(2), pages 261-307.
    19. Elyasiani, Elyas & Goldberg, Lawrence G., 2004. "Relationship lending: a survey of the literature," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(4), pages 315-330.
    20. Carter, David A. & McNulty, James E., 2005. "Deregulation, technological change, and the business-lending performance of large and small banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 1113-1130, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Small banks; relationship lending; consolidation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets

    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:pra:mprapa:4841. 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: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    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.