Determinants of agriculture-related loan default: Evidence from China

Abstract

This paper investigates agriculture-related loan default in 2002–2009 through a large data set from a leading Chinese state-owned bank. Using logit regression, we find the default rate on agriculture-related loans is significantly higher than that on non–agriculture-related loans. We find that base interest rates, loan maturity, the type of collateral, firm size, ownership structure, and managerial quality rating have a significant impact on agriculture-related loan default, but this also depends on how agriculture-related loans are defined. The results provide insight into the real impact of monetary policy on agriculture-related lending.