Basel capital requirements and bank behavior : evidence form Turkish banking systems

In this study I examine the effects of Basel capital requirements on the behavior of Turkish banks for the period between December 2002 and December 2013. Turkish banks are found to increase their lending rates by 17.33 basis points in case of a one-percent rise in equity to asset ratio. When the same analysis is applied to state, private and foreign banks, it is found that state banks behave differently and decrease their lending rates when they increase their equity to asset ratio. As a second analysis, I examine how banks react when they are exposed to regulatory pressure to increase their equity to asset ratio. I use simultaneous equations methodology to measure the effects of regulatory pressure. The findings indicate that private banks do not change their behavior, state banks increase their equity to asset ratio and foreign banks decrease their risk level when they are exposed to regulatory pressure.