The impact of governance structure on bank performance: A cross-country panel analysis using statistical learning algorithms

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between governance structure and bank performance in normal and crisis times. Using statistical learning algorithms on R, we regressed the profitability indicators as dependent variables on board structure, bank-specific characteristics, and macroeconomic variables to examine the impact on profitability for 76 banks over 17 countries for the period from 2007 to 2019, including normal periods and the subprime crisis time. The findings show that the duality between CEO and chair has a negative and significant impact on bank performance during the full study period. BoD size and gender diversity within the BoD have no influence on bank performance but in crisis time, a woman CEO has a positive and significant impact on bank's performance.