BANK BUSINESS MODELS AND PERFORMANCE DURING CRISIS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

This paper investigates the impact of business models on bank performance during the period 2007-2008 among 156 banks from Central and Eastern European countries. The findings show that banks with higher capitalization perform better and present a lower probability of default. The orientation towards the traditional lending activities as well as a higher degree of income diversification boosts performance. Using a Difference-in-Difference framework we also highlight the importance of bank business strategies for bank performance across different bank characteristics (ownership, size) and macroeconomic conditions (financial crisis, EU membership status, regulatory framework.