Debt financing choices: theory and evidence from Europe

We examine the factors that influence borrower’s choice between structured finance (SF) and straight debt finance (SDF). Using a sample of 12,075 Western European loans and bonds issued between 2000 and 2011, we find that borrowers choose SF when they seek long-term financing and funding cost reduction. Our results document that floatation costs, information asymmetry, and renegotiation and liquidation risks affect non-financial firms’ financing decisions. We also find that banks choose securitization to raise relatively large amounts of debt and improve economic performance. Our overall findings support hypotheses of SF as mechanism for asymmetric information problem and principal-agent conflict reduction.