Why do you trust me? A structural equation model of trustworthiness in financial advisory

The paper provides a comprehensive model of trust formation in financial advisory using a dataset of 1,184 Italian advisors that differ across some specific characteristics (bank advisors or tied agents, market maturity of the bank/institution they work for, classified as new player or incumbent). The goal is twofold: on one side, we aim at demonstrating the validity of a trust-formation model that explicitly accounts for both a professional and a relational component; on the other, we wish to investigate whether different types of financial advisory induce different trust formation processes. The latter goal is of particular relevance with respect to the introduction of the MiFiD II Directive, as different trust formation processes may rely on features that are differentially affected by the regulatory changes. Through the estimation of a structural equation model, we are able to prove both its validity and the differential impact of the two dimensions in the trust-formation process. In particular, we find that the novelties introduced by the legislator, favouring the anticipated reciprocation dimension, could help increasing competition in the advisory industry. In fact, this dimension is the one that plays a fundamental role for the advisors of new entrant institutions and that could help support their accreditation in the market.