Briefing
The Differing Effects of the Business Cycle on Small and Large Banks
Grochulski, Borys; Schwam, Daniel; Steelman, Aaron; Zhang, Yuzhe (2018-11)
Small banks and large banks respond differently to business cycle fluctuations. The average net interest margin (NIM) at large banks is negatively correlated with the business cycle, while the average NIM at small banks is positively correlated with the business cycle. In a popular view, small banks are different from large banks because of their close relationships with their borrowers. But a decomposition of the cyclical properties of NIM into the asset and liability sides of the balance sheet suggests that small banks' procyclical NIM is due to their ability to keep funding costs less ...
Richmond Fed Economic Brief , Issue November

Journal Article
Cyclical Properties of Bank Margins: Small versus Large Banks
Grochulski, Borys; Zhang, Yuzhe; Schwam, Daniel (2018-01)
We study cyclical properties of the net interest margin (NIM) in the US banking sector in the aggregate as well as separately for small and large banks. In the aggregate and among large banks, NIM is countercyclical. Among small banks, however, NIM is procyclical. Further, we find that this result is driven by differences in the cyclical dynamics of small and large banks' funding costs rather than asset yields.
Economic Quarterly , Issue 1Q , Pages 1-33