The Global Financial Crisis which started in 2007 is a defining economic event of our lifetime. Recessions and public bailouts of banking systems have resulted in concerns about the solvency of sovereigns in recent years as many Eurozone countries face substantial fiscal pressures. The exact...

This thesis consists of four chapters, all of which are related to credit risk and particularly modeling of default risk. The chapters can be read independently, and the intended audience differs somewhat among them. The first chapter is methodical; the intended audience consists of...

The first essay shows that corporate bond issuers derive value from bond underwriter relationship capital. A strong underwriter relationship enables the underwriter to credibly certify the issuer on the bond market which is fundamental for firms when issuing new debt and refinancing maturing...