Project risk and the bank monitored credit line

Abstract In this paper we investigate the role a monitored credit line plays in managing a firm's liquidity needs and influencing the firm's project risk. We develop a theoretical model where a firm finances a risky project that is subject to a liquidity shock. External lenders are imperfectly informed about both project risk and the firm's liquidity, which leads to moral hazard. We identify conditions under which it is optimal for the firm to fund the project using a term loan from a less informed lender and manage liquidity using a line of credit from an informed lender.