The paper analyzes the bank loans secured by recently incorporated small-sized firms based on a sample of Italian companies founded between 1992 and 2004. The study shows that the amount of the loan issued is influenced primarily by the size of the firm and the ability to provide collateral, that the influence of the perceived risk is weak, and that the length of the relationship has a non-linear impact on the size of the bank loan granted.
Keywords: Giovani imprese, prestiti bancari, garanzia collaterale, relazione J
Jel Code: L26, G21, G32