Brian Blank PhD

Brian Blank PhD

Title:

  • Associate Professor of Finance

Contacts:

dblank@business.msstate.edu
Office: (662) 325-5910
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Overview

Summary:

Dr. Blank is an associate professor of finance. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business, where he developed expertise in researching corporate finance and governance. His dissertation focused on corporate political contributions. He has published in journals including the Journal of Corporate Finance, European Financial Management, Financial Review, the Journal of Financial Research, and the Journal of Housing Research. Local media outlets like WTVA, the Starkville Daily News, WMSV, and the Columbus Dispatch have interviewed Dr. Blank, in addition to national and international outlets including the BBC, the Dispatch, MarketWatch, Morning Wave in Busan, Xinhua News Agency, and ABC News. His research has also been covered in Forbes, Reuters, and Seeking Alpha, among others. He has also written articles for USA Today and The Conversation.

Dr. Blank's research has been invited to be presented at conferences such as the Financial Management Association, Eastern Finance Association, Southern Finance Association, Financial Management European Conference, European Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Alabama Association of Financial Planners, Allied Korea Finance Association, Financial Markets, and Corporate Governance Conference, Financial Management Association Doctoral Consortium, Association of Private Enterprise Education Annual Meeting, the University of Tennessee and University of Kentucky’s Jim and Jack Finance Conference, Mississippi-Memphis-MSU-Alabama Finance Conference (MMMA), Southwest Finance Association Annual Meeting, and the American Real Estate Society Annual Meetings. His research has also been nominated for best paper awards and earned semi-finalist recognitions including at the 2020 Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, in addition to receiving the 2016 American Accounting Association Ohio Region Meeting Andrews Best Paper Award.

Dr. Blank received his undergraduate education at the University of Alabama, where he also received Masters of Science degrees in Finance and Applied Statistics. Afterward, he began his career as a Consultant with Accounting, Economics & Appraisal Group, where he provided assistance to companies facing critical challenges including fraud, bankruptcy, and litigation. His projects included advising a financial institution victim of a $500 million Ponzi scheme; consulting for one of the ten largest United States-based financial institutions; performing due diligence for an international healthcare acquisition; and valuing a business interrupted by the most costly disaster in the history of the United States.

Education:

  • Ph.D., Finance, University of Tennessee, 2016
  • B.S.B.A., Mathematics & Finance, University of Alabama, 2010
  • M.S., Applied Statistics, University of Alabama, 2010
  • M.S., Finance, University of Alabama, 2010

Research interests:

Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance, Executive Incentives, Chief Executive Officers, Firm Political Engagement

Publications

Exposition

  • How Do Credit Scores Work. The Conversation. Page 1. 2023

Journal Article

Presentations

Paper

  • "Hierarchical Pay Incentives and Firm Performance." BFGA Conference, Behavioral Research in Finance, Governance and Accounting, Virtual. 2023
  • "Hierarchical Pay Incentives and Firm Performance." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. 2023
  • "Hierarchical Pay Incentives and Firm Performance." EFMA Annual Meeting, European Financial Management Association, Cardiff, Wales. 2023
  • "Proxy Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." FIRS Annual Meeting, Financial Intermediation Research Society, Vancouver, Canada. 2023
  • "Hierarchical Pay Incentives and Firm Performance." FMA Europe Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Aalborg, Denmark. 2023
  • "Hierarchical Pay Incentives and Firm Performance." RSFE Conference, Research Symposium on Finance and Economics, Virtual. 2023
  • "Pension Fund Activism Behind the Scenes." UT Seminar Series, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 2023
  • "Hierarchical Pay Incentives and Firm Performance." Financial Markets and Corporate Governance Conference, Deakin University, Virtual. 2023
  • "Insider Trading Amidst Political Uncertainty." Midwest Finance Association Annual Meeting, Midwest Finance Association, Chicago, IL. 2023
  • "Proxy Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." University of Delaware Corporate Governance Conference, University of Delaware and European Corporate Governance Institute, Newark, DE. 2023
  • "Insider Trading Amidst Political Uncertainty." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Key West, FL. 2022
  • "Pension Fund Activism Behind the Scenes." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Key West, FL. 2022
  • "Insider Trading amidst Political Uncertainty." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Atlanta, GA. 2022
  • "Pension Fund Activism Behind the Scenes." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Atlanta, GA. 2022
  • "Proxy Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Atlanta, GA. 2022
  • "Proxy Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." Securities and Exchange Commission DERA Seminar Series, Securities and Exchange Commission DERA, Virtual. 2022
  • "Pension Fund Activism Behind the Scenes." Allied Korea Finance Association, Allied Korea Finance Association, Virtual. 2022
  • "Pension Fund Activism Behind the Scenes." Financial Markets & Corporate Governance Conference, Financial Markets & Corporate Governance Conference, Virtual. 2022
  • "Pension Fund Activism Behind the Scenes." Rhode Island Seminar Series, Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. 2022
  • "Structural Changes in US Mortgage Origination and Agency Securitization: Evidence from GNMA-Guaranteed Loans." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Captiva, FL. 2021
  • "Insider Trading Regulation and Innovation." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting: Special Doctoral Student Session, Financial Management Association, Denver, CO. 2021
  • "Insider Trading Amidst Political Uncertainty." Financial Management Association Doctoral Student Consortium, Financial Management Association, Denver, CO. 2021
  • "Reputational Damage and Government Economic Incentives." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Virtual. 2020
  • "Insider Trading Regulation and Innovation." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Virtual. 2020
  • "Reputational Damage and Government Economic Incentives." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Virtual. 2020
  • "Structural Changes in US Mortgage Origination and Agency Securitization: Evidence from GNMA-Guaranteed Loans." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, New York, New York. 2020
  • "Reputational Damage and Government Economic Incentives." Eastern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Eastern Finance Association, Boston, MA. 2020
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." MMMA Finance Conference, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. 2020
  • "Implications of Changing U.S. Mortgage Market and Agency Securitization: Evidence from GNMA Lending." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Orlando, FL. 2019
  • "Implications of Changing U.S. Mortgage Market and Agency Securitization: Evidence from GNMA Lending." American Real Estate Society Annual Meeting, American Real Estate Society, Scottsdale, Arizona. 2019
  • "Insider Trading Regulation and Innovation." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Asheville, NC. 2018
  • "Operating Leverage, Credit Ratings and the Cost of Debt." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Asheville, NC. 2018
  • "Worth the Fight? The Role of Internal Competition on New CEOs’ Compensation." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Asheville, NC. 2018
  • "Worth the Fight? The Role of Internal Competition on New CEOs’ Compensation." European Conference, Financial Management Association , Kristiansand, Norway. 2018
  • "When CEOs Adapt: How Managerial Recession Experience Impacts Corporate Policies and Performance." European Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, European Financial Management Association, Milan, Italy. 2018
  • "Worth the Fight? The Role of Internal Competition on New CEOs’ Compensation." European Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, European Financial Management Association, Milan, Italy. 2018
  • "Structural Changes in the U.S. Mortgage Market." American Real Estate Society Annual Meeting, American Real Estate Society, Bonita Springs, FL. 2018
  • "Operating Leverage, Credit Ratings and the Cost of Debt." MMM Finance Conference, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. 2018
  • "Operating Leverage, Credit Ratings and the Cost of Debt." Miami University Seminar Series, Miami University, Oxford, OH. 2017
  • "When CEOs Adapt: How Managerial Recession Experience Impacts Corporate Policies and Performance." Southern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Southern Finance Association, Key West, FL. 2017
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Boston, MA. 2017
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." Cleveland State University Seminar Series, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH. 2016
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." Miami Univeristy Seminar Series, Miami Univeristy, Oxford, OH. 2016
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." Mississippi State University Seminar Series, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS. 2016
  • "Horse Race or Heir Apparent: The Role of Internal Competition on New CEOs’ Compensation." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Las Vegas, NV. 2016
  • "Insider Herding." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Las Vegas, NV. 2016
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." Financial Management Association Consortium, Financial Management Association, Las Vegas, NV. 2016
  • "Operating Leverage and Credit Ratings." American Accounting Association Ohio Region Meeting, American Accounting Association , Cleveland, OH. 2016
  • "Horse Race or Heir Apparent: The Role of Internal Competition on New CEOs’ Compensation." Eastern Finance Association Annual Meeting, Eastern Finance Association, Baltimore, MD. 2016
  • "Operating Leverage and Credit Ratings." Warren Neal Corporate Governance Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 2016
  • "Insider Herding." Washington State University Seminar Series, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. 2016
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." Samford University Seminar Series, Samford University, Birmingham, AL. 2015
  • "Horse Race or Heir Apparent: The Role of Internal Competition on New CEOs’ Compensation." University of Tennessee Seminar Series, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 2015
  • "Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Orlando, FL. 2015
  • "Do Political Contributions Impact Shareholder Wealth? Evidence from State Campaign Finance Reforms." University of Alabama Seminar Series, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. 2015
  • "Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." Mississippi State University Seminar Series, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS. 2015
  • "Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." University of Kentucky & University of Tennessee Jim and Jack Finance Conference, University of Tennessee and University of Kentucky, Knoxville, TN. 2015
  • "Exempt Solicitation Campaigns." Warren Neal Corporate Governance Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 2015
  • "When CEOs Adapt: How Managerial Recession Experience Impacts Firm Strategy." Financial Management Association Annual Meeting, Financial Management Association, Nashville, TN. 2014
  • "When CEOs Adapt: How Managerial Recession Experience Impacts Firm Strategy." Warren Neal Corporate Governance Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 2014