We examine the impact of mergers on default risk. Despite the potential for asset diversification, we find that, on average, a merger increases the default risk of the acquiring firm. This result cannot solely be explained by the tendency for generally safe acquirers to purchase riskier targets...

This study examines the level of unsecured borrowing done by the firms that ultimately rescued Long-Term Capital Management in the days leading up to the hedge fund's rescue. Although these banks borrowed less at the height of the crisis, evidence suggests that this reduction in borrowing was...