Adverse Selection versus Moral Hazard in Financial Contracting: Evidence from collateralized and non-collateralized loans

We test the existence of adverse selection and moral hazard in financial contracting by examining the choice of borrowers between collateralized and non-collateralized loans. Using comprehensive loan-level data from all loans underwritten by a large public bank in Japan, we examine the borrowers' behavior before and after the introduction of non-collateralized loans that expand the choice set for borrowers. We find an increase in credit risk for firms that switch to non-collateralized loans after the introduction, which is consistent with moral hazard. In contrast, we find mixed and unclear evidence for the existence of adverse selection.