Securities Lending as Wholesale Funding: Evidence from the U.S. Life Insurance Industry

Abstract

The securities lending market for corporate bonds relies on the willingness of institutional investors to lend their bond holdings. Life insurers are major suppliers of bonds in the securities lending market. By lending their bonds against cash collateral, insurers create short-term liabilities that are prone to runs. We show that, controlling for bond borrowers' demand, the maturity of an insurer's cash collateral reinvestment portfolio determines its decision to lend individual bonds. Insurers' cash collateral reinvestment strategy, as part of their interest rate risk management, drives supply in the securities lending market. Our results suggest a new source of financial fragility.

Keywords: securities lending, wholesale funding, corporate bonds, repo, interest rate risk management, life insurers

JEL Classification: G11, G22, G23