Do local differences in trust affect bank lending activities?

This study investigates the impact of local differences in trust on bank lending activities. Using a novel dataset of nearly 600 local Polish banks and their socioeconomic environments, we find that banks operating in regions with high-trust scores set lower loan interest rates and have lower labor-related costs compared to those operating in low-trust regions. Therefore, the empirical evidence suggests that local differences in trust influence not only bank-borrower relationships but also the human resources needed to gather and process credit information.