The prices of or spread on credit default swaps (CDS) theoretically represent the pure credit risk of a firm. Callen, Livnat and Segal (2007) note that although the CDS premium is related to credit ratings issued by the rating agencies, rather wide variation in CDS spreads are observed for firms...

An important research question examined in the credit risk literature focuses on the proportion of corporate yield spreads attributed to default risk. This topic is reexamined in the light of the different issues associated with the computation of transition and default probabilities obtained...

In the recent theoretical literature on lending risk, the coordination problem in multi-creditor relationships have been analyzed extensively. We address this topic empirically, relying on a unique panel data set that includes detailed credit-file information on distressed lending relationships...

This paper addresses the relationship between stock markets and credit default swaps (CDS) markets. In particular, I aim to gauge if the co-movement between stock prices and sovereign CDS spreads increases with the deterioration of the credit quality of sovereign debt. The analysis of...

The ground-breaking Black-Scholes-Merton model has brought about a generation of derivative pricing models that have been successfully applied in the financial industry. It has been a long standing puzzle that the structural models of credit risk, as an application of the same modeling paradigm,...

We examine price discovery in the Credit Default Swap and corporate bond market. By using a Markov switching framework we are able to analyze the dynamic behavior of the information shares during tranquil and crisis periods. The results show that price discovery takes place mostly on the CDS...

Firm political contributions are associated with lower credit default swap spreads for contributing firms. To address endogeneity, we employ novel instruments and use a set of exogenous events on campaign contribution restrictions: (a) the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)...

This study examines the impact of changes in the yield curve factors on the Credit Default Swap (CDS) spreads of the U.S. industrial sectors. Stock returns and the crude oil-based volatility index are used in a quantile regression framework to test the validity of Merton’s model. The results...