Nonbank Lending and Credit Cyclicality
59 Pages Posted: 18 Jun 2020 Last revised: 8 Jun 2021
Date Written: June 17, 2020
Abstract
We document three facts about nonbank lending in the syndicated loan market. First, nonbank lending is more than twice as cyclical as bank lending. Second, declines in nonbank lending explain most of the declines in syndicated lending during the Great Recession and COVID-19 crisis. Third, cyclicality in nonbank lending is matched by cyclicality in nonbank funding flows. The higher nonbank cyclicality is not explained by either the health or monitoring ability of banks, nor by bank-borrower relationships. Instead, it appears to be driven by nonbank funding instability. We highlight frictions in CLOs and mutual funds that contribute to this instability.
Keywords: Nonbanks, credit cyclicality, CLOs, mutual funds, leveraged lending, COVID-19, Great Recession
JEL Classification: G21, G23, E32, E44, G01
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation