Access to Finance Blog

Do Banks Offer Complex Mortgages to Mislead Customers?

Banks are often accused of making money off complex products that consumers don’t understand. In my book, I discuss how 2 million UK households were sold payment protection insurance policies that they’d never be able to claim on (e.g. due to being self-employed), but customers never understood this. Perhaps the most important product that a …

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How Political Connections Can Hurt, Rather Then Help, Firm Value

We often think of political connections as clearly favoring a company. Perhaps the most extreme example is Donald Trump owning around 500 businesses (collectively known as the Trump Organization), which may affect the decisions that he takes as President. But political connections can extend far beyond a politician owning a business himself. A politician, or …

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What Drives the Cost of Default Insurance?

One of the many negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is that companies may default. Companies going bankrupt are indeed less important than deaths, but they still have human consequences. Employees lose jobs, suppliers lose customers (and then may themselves default), and investors lose money. We often downplay the third effect for two reasons. One …

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Do Workers on Boards Protect Jobs in a Downturn?

A hot topic is whether companies should have workers on their boards, to ensure they act in the interest of stakeholders, not just shareholders. This debate was ongoing even before COVID-19 – for example, Theresa May initially suggested that she’d mandate worker representation when she became UK Prime Minister, but then decided against it. It’s …

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The Inconsistency of ESG Ratings: Implications for Investors

(This article was initially featured on the blog for my book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”) Investors are increasingly scrutinizing the ESG performance of companies. This is a positive development – if CEOs know that investors evaluate them on ESG factors, not just short-term earnings, they’ll prioritise these factors …

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