Bank affiliation and lottery-like characteristics of mutual funds

This study investigates the impact of commercial bank affiliation on mutual funds' lottery-like characteristics. Existing literature has extensively explored the benefits or costs of commercial bank affiliation in the asset management industry. Using a sample of Chinese mutual funds between 2003 and 2019, we reveal that bank affiliation significantly decreases these characteristics, and this phenomenon exhibits better performance. Our evidence suggests that affiliated funds benefit from information advantages. Notably, affiliated funds attract cash inflows by enhancing their performance rather than catering to investors' lottery preferences. These results emphasize the role of gambling behavior in the mutual fund industry by focusing on the significance of ownership, in this case, by commercial banks.