European Central Bank

Consumer participation in the credit market during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

03/27/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

This paper analyses the consumer’s decision to apply for credit and the probability of the credit being accepted in the euro area during a period characterized by the unprecedented concomitance of events and changing borrowing conditions linked to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We use data between 2020Q1 and 2023Q2 from the ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey. We find that the credit demand is highest when the first lockdown ends and drops when supportive monetary compensation schemes are implemented.

Business as usual: bank climate commitments, lending, and engagement

03/22/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

This paper studies the impact of voluntary climate commitments by banks on their lending activity. We use administrative data on the universe of bank lending from 19 European countries. There is strong selection into commitments, with increased participation by the largest banks and banks with the most pre-existing exposure to high-polluting industries. Setting a commitment leads to a boost in a lender’s ESG rating. Lenders reduce credit in sectors they have targeted as high priority for decarbonization.

The impact of regulatory changes on rating behaviour

03/21/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

We examine rating behaviour after the introduction of new regulations regarding Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) in the European securitisation market. Employing a large sample of 12,469 ABS tranches issued between 1998 and 2018, we examine the information content of yield spreads of ABS at the issuance and compare the pre- and post-GFC periods. We find that the regulatory changes have been effective in tackling conflicts of interest between issuers and CRAs in securitisation. Rating catering seems to have disappeared in the post-GFC period.

US monetary policy is more powerful in low economic growth regimes

03/21/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

We use nonlinear empirical methods to uncover non-linearities in the propagation of monetary policy shocks. We find that the transmission on output, goods prices and asset prices is stronger in a low growth regime, contrary to the findings of Tenreyro and Thwaites (2016). The impact is stronger on private investment and durables and milder on the consumption of nondurable goods and services. In periods of low growth, a contractionary monetary policy implies lower expected Treasury rates and higher premia along the entire Treasury yield curve.

Shocked to the core: a new model to understand euro area inflation

03/19/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

The pandemic's disruption of global supply chains and the spike in natural gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were significant drivers of surging inflation. Traditional inflation models often ignore such supply-side shocks, even though they can have a significant and persistent impact on core inflation in the euro area (as measured by rates of change in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices excluding the energy and food components).

Shocked to the core: a new model to understand euro area inflation

03/19/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

Determinants of currency choice in cross-border bank loans

03/18/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

This paper provides insights into the determinants of currency choice in cross-border bank lending, such as bilateral distance, financial and trade linkages to issuer countries of major currencies, and invoicing currency patterns. Cross-border bank lending in US dollars, and particularly in euro, is highly concentrated in a small number of countries. The UK is central in the international network of loans denominated in euro, although there are tentative signs that this role has diminished for lending to non-banks since Brexit.

Spare tyres with a hole: investment funds under stress and credit to firms

03/14/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

We study the impact of a liquidity shock affecting investment funds on the financing conditions of firms. The abrupt liquidity needs of investment funds, triggered by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, prompted a retrenchment from bond purchases of firms and a withdrawal of short term funds from banks, impacting firm financing costs directly via bond markets, and indirectly via banks. According to our results, the spreads of corporate bonds held by investment funds increased.

Greening the economy: how public-guaranteed loans influence firm-level resource allocation

03/13/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

This study investigates the underlying reasons for banks’ continued support of fossil fuel-based firms and examines the role of public guaranteed loans (PGLs) in redirecting resources towards greener economic activities, thereby facilitating the climate transition process. Using a unique pan-European credit register dataset, we combine supervisory bank data with firm-level greenhouse gas emission data and financial information. Our analysis yields three main findings.

Consumers' payment preferences and banking digitalisation in the euro area

03/12/2024 European Central Bank Central banks

This paper contributes to understanding consumers' retail payment preferences and digitalisation in personal finances. We focus on the acceptance of cashless payments in everyday situations and the use of mobile banking apps in the euro area, where the payment services market has changed significantly in recent years. In particular, we study app-based tools for day-to-day (offline) purchases that involve small amounts of money as well as digital tools for managing personal finances.

European Central Bank

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