Factors of Bank Dividend Policy

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Explanatory factors of bank dividend policy: revisited
John Theis and Amitabh S. Dutta
D. Abbott Turner College of Business, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dickens et al. model of bank holding company dividend policy. They identified five explanatory factors in a sample of bank holding companies (BHCs). Banking companies typically pay larger dividends and more often than industrial firms. Investors often look at the dividends as being important return variables. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, a sample of 99 firms with 2006 data from governmental reports and Yahoo is used in regression equations to test the relationship of the five identified variables with dividend yields. The analysis is extended to investigate non-linearities between dividend yield and insider ownership. Findings – The paper finds that the original model is robust, but not all variables keep their significance. Insider holdings have a non-linear relationship with dividend yields. Practical implications – The significant factors affecting bank dividend policy help dividend seeking investors find BHCs that return higher dividend yields. Originality/value – This paper reveals a non-linear link between insider holdings and dividend yields among BHCs. Keywords Insider holdings, Dividends, Business policy, Banks, Holding companies Paper type Research paper

Bank dividend policy

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1. Introduction This study reexamines the factors explaining bank holding company (BHC) dividend policy. In the initial paper, Dickens et al. (2003) identified five factors that helped explain bank dividend policy for a sample of banks in 1998. The first model in this study replicates the Dickens et al. (2003) study to verify whether their findings hold up for a different sample of banks in another period.

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