The Bank for International Settlements has published a working paper examining how a sale-of-business bank resolution affected credit supply after the 2017 failure of Spain's Banco Popular. Using bank-firm level data, the paper finds that the acquisition by Banco Santander broadly stabilized lending to Banco Popular's borrowers, including by preserving credit to riskier inherited firms that were most exposed to pullbacks by other lenders. The paper concludes that sale-of-business resolutions can limit disruption to the real economy, but that the outcome depends on the acquiring bank's capital capacity and business strategy. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the BIS or its member central banks. The study says banks not involved in the transaction cut lending to riskier Banco Popular borrowers by about 5% relative to safer borrowers, with credit to those firms falling by roughly 2% per quarter over the following year. Against that backdrop, Santander maintained inherited lending relationships and, relative to its own pre-existing clients, increased lending to inherited borrowers by about 4%, with the effect concentrated in the riskier segment. This support was achieved despite tighter capital conditions after the acquisition, through a reallocation within Santander's broader portfolio away from more capital-intensive exposures. The paper also finds that total credit to failed-bank borrowers was broadly preserved and that riskier inherited firms did not see a relative deterioration in investment or employment. The paper presents this as the first micro-level evidence on how the sale-of-business tool reshapes credit allocation under the post-Global Financial Crisis resolution framework. It highlights that stronger capital buffers at the acquirer and strategic alignment with preserving customer relationships are central to whether such resolutions can contain spillovers without public funds.
Bank for International Settlements2026-06-12
Bank for International Settlements publishes study finding sale of business bank resolutions can stabilize lending after Banco Popular failure
The Bank for International Settlements has published a working paper finding that the 2017 sale-of-business resolution of Banco Popular helped stabilize lending to affected firms. Other banks cut credit to riskier borrowers, but the acquiring bank preserved those relationships and reallocated lending within its own portfolio. The paper says the effectiveness of this resolution tool depends on the acquirer's capital strength and strategy.