N°23-113: Value-Driven Bankers and the Granting of Credit to Green Firms

How do bankers treat green firms? Utilizing unique loan application and banker preference data from a mid-sized bank, we find that customer managers, serving as front-line bankers, provide more favorable recommendations for green firms, particularly when they hold strong green values. However, a minority of environmentally skeptical bankers counteract this trend. These brown managers fake green interests when their recommendations bear no weight, and conversely, diminish their endorsements to green firms when they do hold significance. Additionally, brown loan officers, acting as superiors to these managers, strive to offset positive green firm evaluations by downgrading them.