Determinants and consequences of intellectual capital efficiency in the U.S. banking industry

Abstract

This study investigates the determinants and consequences of intellectual capital efficiency in the U.S. banking industry. We find that banks’ individual institutional memory of bad times reduces their intellectual capital efficiency. We also find that intellectual capital efficiency restricts banks’ risk-taking behaviors and enhances their accounting conservatism. Finally, we find that intellectual capital efficiency helps banks attract more wholesale funding deposits. In addition, we test the impact of three components of intellectual capital efficiency on bank accounting conservatism, and find that both human capital efficiency and relational capital efficiency significantly impact on bank accounting conservatism. Valuation Insight: The paper finds that intellectual capital adds substantial value to commercial banks. The efficiency of the intellectual capital is reduced in the presence of memory of bad times, it also restricts risk-taking behavior and enhances accounting conservatism, and helps banks attract more wholesale funding deposits.