Download This PaperThe Implications of Credit Risk Modeling for Banks’ Loan Loss Provisions and Loan-Origination Procyclicality
65 Pages Posted: 2 Jan 2012 Last revised: 18 Jan 2018
Date Written: January 2018
Abstract
Economic policymakers express concern that procyclical lending by banks imperils financial stability. Prior research finds that banks that record timelier loan loss provisions originate more loans during downturns, consistent with loan-loss-provision timeliness mitigating loan-origination procyclicality. Motivated by this concern and research, we examine whether banks’ credit risk modeling disciplines both their loan loss provisions and loan origination. We identify two forms of credit risk modeling from banks’ financial report disclosures: statistical modeling of the drivers of past loan losses and stress testing of future loan losses to adverse scenarios. We show that banks’ credit-risk-modeling disclosures are positively associated with their loan-loss-provision timeliness, with the ability of their provisions to predict future loan charge-offs, and with their loan origination during downturns. We further show that these associations vary in predictable ways across the two forms of credit risk modeling when we distinguish homogeneous from heterogeneous loans and stable periods from downturns.
Keywords: Credit Risk Modeling, Loan Loss Provisions, Timeliness, Procyclicality, Financial Crisis, Disclosure
JEL Classification: G21, G28, M41, M48
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Stephen G. Ryan (Contact Author)
New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )
44 West 4th Street, Suite 10-73
New York, NY 10012-1118
United States
212-998-0020 (Phone)
Dushyantkumar Vyas
University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management ( email )
105 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6 M5S1S4
Canada