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Customers and investors: A framework for understanding the evolution of financial institutions

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  • Merton, Robert C.
  • Thakor, Richard T.
Abstract
Financial institutions are financed by both investors and customers. Investors expect an appropriate risk-adjusted return for providing financing and risk bearing. Customers, in contrast, provide financing in exchange for specific services, and want the service fulfillment to be free of the intermediary's credit risk. We develop a framework that defines the roles of customers and investors in intermediaries, and use it to build an economic theory that has the following main findings. First, with positive net social surplus in the intermediary-customer relationship, the efficient (first best) contract completely insulates the customer from the intermediary's credit risk, thereby exposing the customer only to the risk inherent in the contract terms. Second, when intermediaries face financing frictions, the second-best contract may expose the customer to some intermediary credit risk, generating “customer contract fulfillment” costs. Third, the efficiency loss associated with these costs in the second best rationalizes government guarantees like deposit insurance even when there is no threat of bank runs. We further discuss the implications of this customer-investor nexus for numerous issues related to the design of contracts between financial intermediaries and their customers, the sharing of risks between them, ex ante efficient institutional design, regulatory practices, and the evolving boundaries between banks and financial markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Merton, Robert C. & Thakor, Richard T., 2019. "Customers and investors: A framework for understanding the evolution of financial institutions," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 4-18.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinin:v:39:y:2019:i:c:p:4-18
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfi.2018.06.002
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    Cited by:

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    4. Berger, Allen N. & Boot, Arnoud W.A., 2024. "Financial intermediation services and competition analyses: Review and paths forward for improvement," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    5. Thakor, Anjan V., 2020. "Fintech and banking: What do we know?," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    6. Calebe de Roure & Loriana Pelizzon & Anjan Thakor, 2022. "P2P Lenders versus Banks: Cream Skimming or Bottom Fishing? [Loan officer incentives, internal rating models and default rates]," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 11(2), pages 213-262.
    7. Thakor, Anjan V., 2018. "Post-crisis regulatory reform in banking: Address insolvency risk, not illiquidity!," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 107-111.
    8. Jason Roderick Donaldson & Giorgia Piacentino & Anjan Thakor, 2021. "Intermediation Variety," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(6), pages 3103-3152, December.
    9. Song, Fenghua & Thakor, Anjan, 2022. "Ethics, capital and talent competition in banking," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    10. Bunderson, Stuart & Thakor, Anjan V., 2022. "Higher purpose, banking and stability," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    11. Biswas, Sonny & Koufopoulos, Kostas, 2022. "Bank capital structure and regulation: Overcoming and embracing adverse selection," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(3), pages 973-992.
    12. Boot, Arnoud & Hoffmann, Peter & Laeven, Luc & Ratnovski, Lev, 2021. "Fintech: what’s old, what’s new?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    13. Song, Fenghua & Thakor, Anjan V., 2019. "Bank culture," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 59-79.
    14. Anjan V. Thakor, 2021. "Ethics, Culture, and Higher Purpose in Banking: Post-Crisis Governance Developments," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 17(71), pages 1-31, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Customers; Investors; Credit risk; Financial intermediaries; Real-world financial contracts; Information-insensitivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • H81 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Governmental Loans; Loan Guarantees; Credits; Grants; Bailouts

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