This paper presents a unified model of the default and prepayment behavior of homeowners in a proportional hazard framework. The model uses the option-based approach to analyze default and prepayment and considers these two interdependent hazards as competing risks. The results indicate the...

Option theory predicts that mortgage prepayment or default will be exercised by homeowners if the call or put option is sufficiently "in the money." This analysis: tests the extent to which the option approach explains default and prepayment behavior; evaluates the importance of modeling both...