Board monitoring and covenant restrictiveness in private debt contracts during the global financial crisis

We examine the association between board independence and restrictiveness of covenants in U.S. private debt contracts around the global financial crisis (GFC). We show that board independence is associated with less restrictive covenants suggesting lenders willingness to delegate some monitoring of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abu Bakar, Intan Suryani, Khan, Arifur, Mather, Paul R., Tanewski, George A.
Format: Article
Language:English
English
English
Published: Blackwell Publishing 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/81638/19/81638_Board%20monitoring%20and%20covenant%20restrictiveness%20in%20private_new.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/81638/2/81638_Board%20monitoring%20and%20covenant%20restrictiveness_SCOPUS.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/81638/3/81638_Board%20monitoring%20and%20covenant%20restrictiveness_WOS.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/81638/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acfi.12357
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Summary:We examine the association between board independence and restrictiveness of covenants in U.S. private debt contracts around the global financial crisis (GFC). We show that board independence is associated with less restrictive covenants suggesting lenders willingness to delegate some monitoring of firms with independent boards. More nuanced analysis between the pre-GFC, GFC and post-GFC periods shows mixed results and we suggest that, during the GFC and its aftermath, lenders place more emphasis on ex ante screening relative to ex post monitoring. We contribute to the literature by providing evidence on covenant use and lenders choices in periods of credit rationing. © 2018 AFAANZ