Finance

- 2024
- Working Paper
Corporate Actions as Moral Issues

By: Zwetelina Iliewa, Elisabeth Kempf and Oliver Spalt

We study how a representative sample of the U.S. population evaluates a broad range of corporate actions from a nonpecuniary perspective. Our core findings, based on large-scale online surveys, are that (i) self-reported nonpecuniary concerns are large, both for stock market investors and non-investors; (ii) concerns about the treatment of workers and CEO pay rank highest, higher than concerns about workforce diversity and fossil energy usage; (iii) moral universalism (Enke (2024)) emerges as a key driver of nonpecuniary preferences, explaining substantial variation both across participants as well as across corporate actions. Combined, our findings provide new evidence on the importance of moral concerns as a driver of nonpecuniary preferences in the context of corporate actions.
- 2024
- Working Paper
Corporate Actions as Moral Issues

By: Zwetelina Iliewa, Elisabeth Kempf and Oliver Spalt

We study how a representative sample of the U.S. population evaluates a broad range of corporate actions from a nonpecuniary perspective. Our core findings, based on large-scale online surveys, are that (i) self-reported nonpecuniary concerns are large, both for stock market investors and non-investors; (ii) concerns about the treatment of workers...
- December 2024 (Revised January 2025)
- Case
Balancing Returns and Responsibilities at Raya Partners

By: Arthur Segel, Ephraim Mernick, Derek C. M. van Bever and Olivia Barba

Raya Partners, a private equity firm, faces a crucial decision regarding Asa Specialty Coatings Company (ASCC). The dilemma involves shifting ASCC's manufacturing operations to Mexico, a move that would boost profitability and reduce emissions but result in significant layoffs in Vermont, impacting employees and the local community. Adrienne, Raya Partners' Chief Investment Officer, grapples with balancing financial gains, social responsibilities, and environmental considerations. The decision also tests Raya Partners' commitment to its ESG policy. Adrienne must devise a transparent communication strategy, explore fair severance packages, and consider ways to alleviate the financial burden. Ultimately, the choice made will define Raya Partners' values and shape ASCC's future.
- December 2024 (Revised January 2025)
- Case
Balancing Returns and Responsibilities at Raya Partners

By: Arthur Segel, Ephraim Mernick, Derek C. M. van Bever and Olivia Barba

Raya Partners, a private equity firm, faces a crucial decision regarding Asa Specialty Coatings Company (ASCC). The dilemma involves shifting ASCC's manufacturing operations to Mexico, a move that would boost profitability and reduce emissions but result in significant layoffs in Vermont, impacting employees and the local community. Adrienne, Raya...
- 2024
- Working Paper
The Real Effects of Bankruptcy Forum Shopping

By: Samuel Antill and Aymeric Bellon

Many non-Delaware firms strategically file for bankruptcy in Delaware. Should this "forum shopping" be allowed? This question has motivated six congressional bill proposals over decades of policy debate. Using a novel natural experiment and Census-Bureau microdata, we inform this debate. Comparing observably similar firms within a Delaware-adjacent state, we show that physical proximity to Delaware predicts forum shopping. Instrumenting with proximity, we find that forum shopping causally: (i) prevents closures and liquidations, (ii) shortens bankruptcies, (iii) boosts creditor recovery, and (iv) increases post-bankruptcy employment by 62%. Proximity to Delaware is uncorrelated with pre-bankruptcy employment trends, validating the exclusion restriction.
- 2024
- Working Paper
The Real Effects of Bankruptcy Forum Shopping

By: Samuel Antill and Aymeric Bellon

Many non-Delaware firms strategically file for bankruptcy in Delaware. Should this "forum shopping" be allowed? This question has motivated six congressional bill proposals over decades of policy debate. Using a novel natural experiment and Census-Bureau microdata, we inform this debate. Comparing observably similar firms within a...

About the Unit

Our strategy is to assemble and nurture a faculty whose interests and skills complement each other, and who work well together:

a) to produce a broad range of finance-related research that is published in top-tier scientific and practitioner journals, and that addresses issues of present and future importance to managers (including regulators and policy makers);

b) to develop highly-relevant and intellectually rigorous MBA and executive education courses; and

c) to mentor future academics through the Business Economics doctoral program.

Our applied focus and access to business organizations are major advantages which are reinforced by our students and our case-based approach. We have a faculty with broad expertise, and we have resources, field contacts, and institutional support, all of which we can leverage to do richer work and be more productive than we could at other institutions.

Recent Publications

Corporate Actions as Moral Issues

By: Zwetelina Iliewa, Elisabeth Kempf and Oliver Spalt

2024 |
Working Paper |
Faculty Research

We study how a representative sample of the U.S. population evaluates a broad range of corporate actions from a nonpecuniary perspective. Our core findings, based on large-scale online surveys, are that (i) self-reported nonpecuniary concerns are large, both for stock market investors and non-investors; (ii) concerns about the treatment of workers and CEO pay rank highest, higher than concerns about workforce diversity and fossil energy usage; (iii) moral universalism (Enke (2024)) emerges as a key driver of nonpecuniary preferences, explaining substantial variation both across participants as well as across corporate actions. Combined, our findings provide new evidence on the importance of moral concerns as a driver of nonpecuniary preferences in the context of corporate actions.

Citation

Hippo: Weathering the Storm of the Home Insurance Crisis (B)

By: Lauren Cohen, Grace Headinger and Sophia Pan

January 2025 |
Supplement |
Faculty Research

Rick McCathron, CEO of Hippo, was optimistic about the InsurTech's path to profitability after navigating the financial uncertainties of 2022. By bundling their home insurance services with third-parties and established insurance incumbents, Hippo was adopting a vertical strategy aimed at diversifying risk and expanding their customer base. However, questions remained: Was this the right approach to driving sustainable growth? And in the context of the growing challenges posed by climate change, was the firm adequately safeguarding its future?

Citation

Lind Equipment (B)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

January 2025 |
Supplement |
Faculty Research

Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Citation

Purchase

Lind Equipment (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

January 2025 |
Supplement |
Faculty Research

Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Citation

Purchase

Balancing Returns and Responsibilities at Raya Partners

By: Arthur Segel, Ephraim Mernick, Derek C. M. van Bever and Olivia Barba

December 2024 (Revised January 2025) |
Case |
Faculty Research

Raya Partners, a private equity firm, faces a crucial decision regarding Asa Specialty Coatings Company (ASCC). The dilemma involves shifting ASCC's manufacturing operations to Mexico, a move that would boost profitability and reduce emissions but result in significant layoffs in Vermont, impacting employees and the local community. Adrienne, Raya Partners' Chief Investment Officer, grapples with balancing financial gains, social responsibilities, and environmental considerations. The decision also tests Raya Partners' commitment to its ESG policy. Adrienne must devise a transparent communication strategy, explore fair severance packages, and consider ways to alleviate the financial burden. Ultimately, the choice made will define Raya Partners' values and shape ASCC's future.

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Communication Strategy; Private Equity; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mexico; Vermont

Citation

Educators

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The Real Effects of Bankruptcy Forum Shopping

By: Samuel Antill and Aymeric Bellon

2024 |
Working Paper |
Faculty Research

Many non-Delaware firms strategically file for bankruptcy in Delaware. Should this "forum shopping" be allowed? This question has motivated six congressional bill proposals over decades of policy debate. Using a novel natural experiment and Census-Bureau microdata, we inform this debate. Comparing observably similar firms within a Delaware-adjacent state, we show that physical proximity to Delaware predicts forum shopping. Instrumenting with proximity, we find that forum shopping causally: (i) prevents closures and liquidations, (ii) shortens bankruptcies, (iii) boosts creditor recovery, and (iv) increases post-bankruptcy employment by 62%. Proximity to Delaware is uncorrelated with pre-bankruptcy employment trends, validating the exclusion restriction.

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Government Legislation; Policy; Geographic Location; Delaware

Citation

Assessing Assessors

By: Huaizhi Chen and Lauren Cohen

2024 |
Working Paper |
Faculty Research

Property tax revenues – the largest discretionary source of revenue for local governments - adjust at a pace that is inconsistent with property values in the US. We show that this form of revenue smoothing may be rooted in the political economy of municipalities. Measures of local budget stressors are positively related to upward assessments of a property’s value. Moreover, municipalities are significantly more likely to reassess in up markets as opposed to down – consistent with maximizing tax base and revenue collected. Using micro-level evidence from just-passing school referenda in Illinois, these shocks to municipal liabilities lead to significant increases in property assessments without any associated increases in market values or transactions. Passing a referendum over the prior 3 years increases the probability that a house is reassessed upward by 23%. This flexible form of revenue smoothing creates avenues for personal rent extraction. We find that local tax assessors: 1) have tax assessments on their own properties significantly lower than neighboring properties; and 2) these tax assessments grow significantly slower than neighbors – lowering their tax bills. We further document a significant connection between the underassessment of tax assessors’ own properties and the tax-maximizing assessment gaps documented in the districts they operate.

Keywords: Revenue; Taxation; Value; Local Range; Prejudice and Bias

Citation

Find at Harvard

Are Bankruptcy Professional Fees Excessively High?

By: Samuel Antill

December 2024 |
Article |
Review of Financial Studies

Chapter 7 is the most popular bankruptcy system for U.S. firms and individuals. Chapter 7 professional fees are substantial. Theoretically, high fees might be an unavoidable cost of incentivizing professionals. I test this empirically. I study trustees, the most important professionals in Chapter 7, who liquidate assets in exchange for legally-mandated commissions. Exploiting kinks in the commission function, I estimate a structural model of moral hazard by trustees. I show that a policy change lowering trustee fees would harm trustee incentives, reducing liquidation values. Nonetheless, such a policy would dramatically improve creditor recovery, increasing small-business-lender recovery by 15.7%.

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Motivation and Incentives; Policy