Causes and consequences of the current "subprime" financial crisis are analysed. The large number of fraudulent and criminal mortgages obtained by means of false statements unverified by the mortgagees, explains why this crisis was not predicted. The crisis was enhanced by unwise regulations...

Italian Abstract: Le valutazioni sul debito sovrano emesse dalle agenzie di rating del credito possono avere una grande influenza sulle aspettative degli investitori. Durante la crisi del debito europeo, i paesi periferici della zona euro sono stati ripetutamente retrocessi. Secondo molti...

This paper analyses the financial and economic conditions of the companies in the portfolios of Italian private equity funds. Information from an ad hoc survey of Italian asset management companies, combined with accounting data for 2008 drawn from the Central Credit Register, is used to develop...

This paper examines private equity and venture capital in Italy. The first part looks at the main features of the Italian market and its recent evolution; the second part considers the results of a survey of firms and intermediaries designed to gather information regarding contract features and...