The Relevance and Utility of Distress Risk and Corporate Failure Forecasts -- Searching for the Holy Grail: Alternative Statistical Modelling Approaches -- The Rise of the Machines -- An Empirical Application of Modern Machine Learning Methods -- Corporate Failure Models for Private Companies,...

SME default prediction is a long-standing issue in the finance and management literature. Proper estimates of the SME risk of failure can support policymakers in implementing restructuring policies, rating agencies and credit analytics firms in assessing creditworthiness, public and private...