Beyond bankruptcy: Does the US bankruptcy code provide a fresh start to entrepreneurs?

However, the one area of concern that persists after a filing is financing or credit access. In general, these firms have a nearly 24 percentage point higher likelihood of being denied a loan and are charged interest rates that are more than 1 percentage point higher than those charged to other businesses. A bankruptcy affects all types of financing, even trade credit, which is a significant form of lending between businesses. In fact, it appears that firms with a bankruptcy record are rationed out of the market, with all types of loans being denied at significantly higher rates than other firms. Further, my results show that bankruptcy leads to a class of discouraged borrowers who are significantly less likely to even apply for a loan.