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// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Rebel A. Cole a banker? He's always rebelling against low interest.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rebel A. Cole
Born
Rebel Allen Cole

(1958-08-25) August 25, 1958 (age 67)
Asheville, NC
OccupationProfessor
Education
  • Bachelor's of Arts in Economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Ph.D. in Business Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
GenreFinance
Notable works
  • Agency costs and ownership structure (Journal of Finance, 2000)
  • The importance of relationships to the availability of credit (Journal of Banking and Finance, 1998)
  • Cookie-cutter versus character: The micro structure of small-business lending by large and small banks (Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis, 2004)
SpouseCaroline Lee
Relatives
  • Gail K. Godwin
  • Franchelle Millender
Website
rebelcole.com

Rebel A. Cole is an American economist and professor of finance whose research focuses on banking, commercial real estate, and small business finance. He is best known for his work on corporate governance, bank performance, and the availability of credit to small businesses. His research has been cited in major news outlets and used in policy discussions related to banking regulation and small business lending.

Early Life and Education

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Cole was born in Asheville, North Carolina in 1958. He attended the Asheville School and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From UNC, he received an A.B. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Business Administration with specialization in Finance.

Career

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Cole began his professional career in 1987 as a financial economist at the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, followed by a stint as a financial economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and then as a financial analyst in the Division of Banking Supervision & Regulation at the Federal Reserve Board where he led the development of SEER—the Fed's statistical early warning system for bank failures.[1] After completing development of SEER in 1993, Cole became the co-principal investigator of the 1993 National Survey of Small Business Finance.[2] In this position, he began what has become more than 30 years of research on the availability of credit to small firms.

In 1998, Cole returned to academia as a professor of finance--first at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, then at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, at DePaul University in Chicago, and, finally, to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, where he serves as the Lynn Eminent Scholar Chaired Professor of Finance.

While at FAU, Cole developed a COVID-19 tracker website for the state of Florida, which provided detailed county- and state-level information on Florida COVID-19 testing, hospitalizations and deaths during 2020 - 2021. [3] [4] [5]

Cole also has served as a consultant to international organizations, advising the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank, primarily on issues related to banking supervision and financial stability.

Research

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According to Google Scholar, Cole has written more than 100 articles that have been cited by other scholars more than 15,000 times[6] and almost 4,000 times according to Web of Science.[7] Cole's articles have appeared in leading academic journals including as The Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and the Review of Finance.[8] He is best known for his works on agency costs & ownership structure, access to credit by small businesses, and bank failures. His research interests focus on corporate governance, entrepreneurship, financial institutions and real estate. [9] [10]

Media Coverage

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Cole’s research and commentary on banking, financial regulation, and small business credit have been cited in major national and international news outlets. His analyses have appeared in The Wall Street Journal [11] [12][13] [14] [15] [16] The Financial Times [17][18] The New York Times [19] [20] The Washington Post [21] [22] Reuters [23] [24] [25] [26] Forbes Magazine [27] [28] [29] Bloomberg [30] [31] These stories have covered topics such as bank failures, credit availability, financial stability, and regulatory policy.

Cole has also appeared in broadcast interviews on CNN, [32] First Business News, Fox Business News,[33] the PBS Nightly Business Report, NBC's Today Show, as well as on local Chicago and Florida stations. [34] [35]

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Cole was frequently cited for his analysis of the economic and financial effects of the crisis, including commentary on small business lending, credit markets, and banking conditions. [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

In 2025, Cole was placed on administrative leave by Florida Atlantic University following public controversy surrounding social media posts related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.[43] He subsequently filed a federal lawsuit alleging violations of his First Amendment rights. [44] After an external investigation, the university determined that his posts were constitutionally protected speech and reinstated him to his position. [45].

Selected Publications

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  • Cole, Rebel A. Jason Damm, John Hackney, Masim Suleymanov. 2025. It's not (only) personal, it's business: Personal bankruptcy exemptions and local small business credit. Review of Finance, rfae037
  • Cole, Rebel A., David Javakhadze, and Greg Tindall. 2024. Real effects of shareholder proposals: Innovation in the context of climate change. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-28.
  • Cole, Rebel A. and Lawrence J. White. 2012. Déjà Vu all over again: The causes of U.S. commercial bank failures this time around. Journal of Financial Services Research 42, 5-29.
  • Berkman, Henk, Rebel A. Cole and Lawrence J. Fu. 2010. Political connections and minority-shareholder protection: Evidence from securities-market regulation in China. Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis 45, 1391–1417.
  • Berkman, Henk, Rebel A. Cole and Lawrence J. Fu. 2009. Expropriation through loan guarantees to related parties: Evidence from China. Journal of Banking & Finance 33, 141–156.
  • Cole, Rebel A., Lawrence G. Goldberg and Lawrence J. White. 2004. Cookie-cutter versus character: The micro structure of small-business lending by large and small banks. Journal of Financial & Quantitative Analysis 39, 227–251.
  • Ang, James, Rebel A. Cole and James Lin. 2000. Agency costs and ownership structure. The Journal of Finance 55, 81–106.
  • Cole, Rebel A. and Hamid Mehran. 1998. The effect of changes in ownership structure on performance: Evidence from the thrift industry. Journal of Financial Economics 50, 291–317.
  • Cole, Rebel A. 1998. The importance of relationships to the availability of credit. Journal of Banking & Finance 22, 959–997.
  • Cole, Rebel A. and Jeffery W. Gunther. 1998. Predicting bank failures: A comparison of on- and off-site monitoring systems. Journal of Financial Services Research 13, 103–117.
  • Cole, Rebel A. and Jeffery W. Gunther. 1995. Separating the likelihood and timing of bank failure. Journal of Banking& Finance 19, 1073–1089.
  • Fenn, George W. and Rebel A. Cole. 1994. Announcements of asset-quality problems and contagion effects in the life insurance industry. Journal of Financial Economics 35, 181–198.

References

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  1. ↑ Federal Reserve Bulletin 1995.
  2. ↑ Federal Reserve Board NSSBF Homepage.
  3. ↑ "FAU researchers create COVID tracker." Fox 35 News Orlando, FL. 2020-07-24
  4. ↑ "FAU researchers create new Covid-19 tracker." CBS 12 News Palm Beach, FL. 2020-07-21
  5. ↑ FAU College of Business Florida Covid Tracker Developer Page.
  6. ↑ Google Scholar Verified Webpage for Rebel A. Cole"
  7. ↑ Web of Science Author Profile for Rebel A. Cole"
  8. ↑ Google Scholar Page for Rebel A. Cole.
  9. ↑ SSRN Author Page for Rebel A. Cole.
  10. ↑ Publons Webpage for Rebel A. Cole.
  11. ↑ "Small Banks Are Losing to Big Banks. Their Customers Are About to Feel It. Mar. 30, 2023."
  12. ↑ "Small Businesses, Hit Hard by Pandemic, Are Being Starved of Credit. Dec. 30, 2020."
  13. ↑ "U.S. releases names of biggest PPP borrowers." Wall Street Journal Newspaper. July 6, 2020.
  14. ↑ "SBA loans to charge 0.5% interest, can be forgiven if used to save jobs." Wall Street Journal Newspaper. Mar. 21, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Bank loans aren't the best way to spark startups." Wall Street Journal Newspaper. Nov. 21, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Entrepreneurs may be a lot more creditworthy than they think." Wall Street Journal Newspaper. May 26, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Elon Musk’s bank loans show the divide in American finance."
  18. ↑ "Race and finance: America’s segregated banking sector."
  19. ↑ "Barclays, caught short, is now in a bind." New York Times, 2013-08-02.
  20. ↑ "Questions as banks increase dividends." New York Times, 2012-03-05.
  21. ↑ "Creating better Banks of America." Washington Post, 2011-09-20.
  22. ↑ "Disputed advice: Making payments on 2nd loan can discourage bank from helping on the first one." Washington Post, Sep. 25, 2010
  23. ↑ Trump's floated idea to shutter FDIC would be political heavy lift, say analysts. Dec. 12, 2024.
  24. ↑ Falling rates offer scant shelter from property storm. Sep. 5, 2024.
  25. ↑ Real estate pain for regional U.S. banks is piling up, say investors. Feb. 12, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Banks report continued pain in commercial real estate loans." Reuters. Oct. 18, 2023.
  27. ↑ Despite big CRE losses, the financial system is okay--for now.Jun.19, 2024.
  28. ↑ "The CFPB wants data on small business loans, bankers are outraged." Forbes Magazine. May 29, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Trying to goad more small business bank loans. Somebody will object." Forbes Magazine, 2018-01-31.
  30. ↑ Distressed Property Buyers Seek Out ‘Exceptional Bargains’. Jul. 10, 2024.
  31. ↑ "BofA Cuts May Aid PNC as Rivals Challenge Too-Big-to-Fail Firms." Bloomberg Business Week. Sep.14, 2011.
  32. ↑ CNN.
  33. ↑ "FBN Interview with Rebel Cole--Default on second mortgage to save your home." Fox Business News. Sep. 28, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Tracking Coronavirus: 245 more COVID-19 deaths reported by Florida health officials." Fox 35 News. Orlando, FL. 2020-08-04
  35. ↑ "Florida professor says COVID-19 death counts need more transparency." Fox 35 News Orlando, FL. 2020-07-16.
  36. ↑ "Coronavirus Florida: SBA loan program frustrates borrowers." Palm Beach Post Newspaper. 2020-04-06
  37. ↑ "Is Florida’s COVID-19 positivity rate accurate? Labs not reporting negative test results." ABC 7 News Sarasota, FL.2020-07-15.
  38. ↑ "More layoffs coming as businesses brace for COVID-19 lockdowns." Sun-Sentinel Newspaper. Jul. 16, 2020
  39. ↑ "Layoffs push more workers into Florida’s overwhelmed unemployment system." Sun-Sentinel Newspaper. Jun. 4, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Central Florida 100: Reopening schools and learning lessons from the past." Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. Jul 24, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Coronavirus Florida: Flailing corporations gobbled up small business loans. That OK?" Palm Beach Post Newspaper. May 7, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Floridians fared worst in study of pandemic unemployment relief." Bloomberg Law, 2020-10-15.
  43. ↑ "Second FAU professor placed on leave after controversial political posts." WPTV. September 16, 2025
  44. ↑ "FAU professor sues after being placed on leave over Charlie Kirk posts." University Press. November 14, 2025
  45. ↑ "FAU professor returns from leave as First Amendment case continues." University Press. November 18, 2025
[edit]
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