This paper investigates whether there is any consistency between banks' financial strength ratings (bank rating) and their risk-return profiles. It is expected that banks with high ratings tend to earn high expected returns for the risks they assume and thereby have a low probability of...

The current financial crisis has been characterized as a “Minsky” moment, and as such provides the conditions required for a reregulation of the financial system similar to that of the New Deal banking reforms of the 1930s. However, Minsky’s theory was not one that dealt in moments but...

The extension of the subprime mortgage crisis to a global financial meltdown led to calls for fundamental reregulation of the United States financial system. However, that reregulation has been slow in implementation and the proposals under discussion are far from fundamental. One explanation...

The paper presents an econometric study of the two bank ratings assigned by Moody's Investors Service. We find the models based solely on public information can approximate the ratings reasonably well. It is demonstrated that Moody’s has a special approach for banks in developing countries and...

After the financial markets slumped worldwide in 2008, securitizations were seen as a major cause of the conflagration. The securitization market dried up because this financial instrument was no longer trusted. At the time, no one thought securitizations had any future as a financial...

This paper explores the implications of systemic risk in Credit Structured Finance (CSF). Risk measurement issues loomed large during the 2007-08 financial crisis, as the massive, unprecedented number of downgrades of AAA senior bond tranches inflicted severe losses on banks, calling into...

We examine the interaction between the legal protection of investors, corporate governance within firms, institutional development between countries, and investable premia in emerging markets. In a multi country setting and using a novel dataset we find that better-governed firms experience...

This study provides comparative perspectives on the current and prospective situation of financial market development in ASEAN, the PRC, and India, identifies key priorities for strengthening financial infrastructure to promote financial development and regional integration, and produces policy...

Although Basel II fortified the first two pillars with market transparency enhancing Pillar III disclosures and encouraged the usage of major Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) such as Moody's, Standard and Poor's, and Fitch as quasi governmental authorities to overcome asymmetric informational...

The current standardized approach for assessing credit risk under Basel III depends on ratings assigned by credit rating agencies (CRAs). However, this approach presents three problems. First, the definitions of ratings used by CRAs to assess the likelihood of default and recovery rates are not...