Corporate Liquidity under Basel III: The Credit Line Channel

The Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) rule imposed unprecedented liquidity requirements on banks. I show that the regulation curtails banks’ ability to originate credit lines, with banks seeking to pass on increased maintenance costs to borrowers. I introduce novel metrics drawn from a machine learning analysis of contractual agreements and demonstrate that banks retain greater control in credit lines. The result is a decline in credit line origination and a market that is unfavorable to borrowers. Financially unconstrained firms drive borrowing declines and turn to debt-financed cash for corporate liquidity, rendering them riskier. My results are novel in revealing changes to corporate liquidity preferences and risk profiles when intermediation is costly