This survey introduces a two-volume, 1,900-page reprint collection of articles recently published by Elsevier/North-Holland journals. Volume 1 begins with a comprehensive overview of the empirical evidence, followed by introductions to the econometrics of event studies and various techniques for...

A common method of valuing the equity in highly leveraged transactions is the flows-to-equity method. When applying this method various formulas can be used to calculate the time-varying cost of equity. In this paper we show that some commonly used formulas are inconsistent with the assumptions...

The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate whether companies can use acquisition as a strategy to reduce their probability of takeover. A subsidiary issue is whether such a strategy has any impact on their subsequent probability of bankruptcy. The determinants of making an acquisition,...

This study provides new stylized facts on the determinants of corporate failure and acquisition in Germany. It also offers important lessons for the design of empirical studies. We show that firms experiencing failure or acquisition are significantly different from surviving firms on a number of...

This paper is the first to examine the determinants of acquisitions for the U.S. thrift industry during a period of market liberalization and widespread takeover activity, 1994 to 2000.(...)

We analyze how the structure of executive compensation affects the risk choices made by bank CEOs. For a sample of acquiring US banks, we employ the Merton distance to default model to show that CEOs with higher pay-risk sensitivity engage in risk-inducing mergers. Our findings are driven by two...

In a leveraged buyout, a company goes deep in debt and grants liens on its assets to finance the purchase of itself. The debt burden increases the company's risk of insolvency. The company's unsecured creditors are exposed to that risk without compensation. The parties to the leveraged buyout -...

Core institutions of UK corporate governance, in particular those relating to takeovers, board structure and directors' duties, are strongly orientated towards a norm of shareholder primacy. Beyond the core, in particular at the intersection of insolvency and employment law, stakeholder...

Our objective in this paper is to provide a pedagogical discussion of the process by which creditors take control of distressed firms. Distress or vulture investing requires a high level of business acumen combined with deep knowledge of accounting, finance, and corporate and restructuring law....