The roll of accounting in debt contract renegotiations : evidence from positive shocks

Abstract

Using a hand-collected sample of private debt contracts between U.S. publicly traded firms and financial institutions, I examine the role of accounting in the renegotiation of debt contracts following a positive shock to the borrower's credit quality. I find that, following a positive shock to their credit quality, firms with more timely reporting of good news are more likely to renegotiate their loan contracts and they do so sooner than firms with less timely good news reporting. Further, these effects are more pronounced for firms whose positive shocks can be more credibly communicated through financial reporting. My paper contributes to the literature on the role of accounting information in debt contract renegotiations.