This paper analyzes the costs and benefits of a no-fault-default debt structure as an alternative to the typical bankruptcy process. We show that the deadweight costs of bankruptcy can be avoided or substantially reduced through no-fault-default debt, which permits a relatively seamless transfer...

Credit risk assessment is a crucial part of macroprudential analysis, with the aggregate nonperforming loan (NPL) ratio serving as a proxy for the economy-wide probability of default of the banking sector's overall loan exposure. Therefore, the factors driving the NPL ratio deserve a lot of...

The paper argues that although key improvements in credit risk modelling have been made - motivated by Basel-II capital adequacy standard - yet the current turmoil in the global credit markets couldn't be forecasted and subsequently avoided. The aim of the study is to investigate the cyclical...

We find that Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) see through transitory shocks to credit risk that stem from transitory shocks to equity prices, while market-based measures of credit risk do not. For a given stock return, CRAs are significantly less likely to downgrade firms with transitory shocks...

This paper examines the determinants of the outcomes of the default recovery process. We find that a new variable that incorporates not only the percentage of debt more senior to the debt instrument, but also debt at the same rank, is the most important factor driving the recovery rate. It is...

Purpose The ownership structure in Japanese firms has experienced a significant change recently, fueled primarily by regulatory changes. This has important repercussions on corporate performance and risk. This paper examines the impact of insider ownership on the default risk of Japanese firms....

This paper uses a unique data set from credit files of six leading German banks to provide some empirical insights into their rating systems used to classify corporate borrowers. On the basis of the New Basle Capital Accord, which allows banks to use their internal rating systems to compute...

Changes in collateralization have been implicated in significant default (or near-default) events during the financial crisis, most notably with AIG. We have developed a framework for quantifying this effect based on moving between Merton-type and Black-Cox-type structural default models. Our...

Ratings measure the counterparty risk for an issuer or an issue while CDs are a market evaluation of the same risk exposure. The market evaluation could be not aligned with the rating agencies' judgment and the difference could be relevant. The article presents an empirical analysis on a sample...