Corporate violations and bank debt cost: The insurance effect of corporate social responsibility

In enhancing oversight within China's capital markets, it has become imperative to investigate the economic ramifications of corporate transgressions in the banking sector. This study applied the tenets of the insurance effect theory to scrutinize the transmission mechanism delineating the impact of corporate violations on bank debt costs, with a specific focus on the ameliorative role played by corporate social responsibility (CSR). The findings underscored a positive correlation between corporate violations and bank debt costs, while CSR emerged as a mitigating factor in this relationship. Notably, organizations demonstrating proactive engagement in CSR activities exhibited a capacity to attenuate the adverse influence of violations on bank debt costs. However, it was discerned that the insurance effect of CSR diminished when companies recurrently breached regulatory norms. These outcomes contribute substantively to fortifying capital market supervision, urging enterprises to conscientiously fulfill their social responsibilities to engender a more cautious approach from financial institutions.