Machine learning (ML) methods are shown to provide better predictions than simpler linear methods. Still, academics and practitioners in finance tend to use linear methods as they are considered easier to interpret. I show how to make ML methods equally interpretable by using an explainable...

We use a vector error correction model to study the long-term relationship between aggregate expected default frequency and the macroeconomic development, i.e. CPI, industry production and short-term interest rate. The model is used to forecast the median expected default frequency of the...

Company bankruptcies are an inseparable element of market economy. We may observe the tendency to view bankruptcy as a problem of weak and usually small entities facing problems when trying to meet the challenge posed by strong competition. Big companies, however, also fall, and their bankruptcy...

Using a local adaptive Forward Intensities Approach (FIA) we investigate multiperiod corporate defaults and other delisting schemes. The proposed approach is fully datadriven and is based on local adaptive estimation and the selection of optimal estimation windows. Time-dependent model...

A forward intensity model for the prediction of corporate defaults over different future periods is proposed. Maximum pseudo-likelihood analysis is then conducted on a large sample of the US industrial and financial firms spanning the period 1991-2011 on a monthly basis. Several commonly used...

Bankruptcy prediction modeling and studies are known to have existed since the 1960s. In this report a brief overview is given of the theory with reference to Altman's use of Multivariate Discrimination in the formulation of his Z-score model. This study looks at the impact of time in the...

In this paper we use a reduced form model for the analysis of Portfolio Credit Risk. For this purpose, we fit a Dynamic Factor model, DF, to a large dataset of default rates proxies and macrovariables for Italy. Multi step ahead density and probability forecasts are obtained by employing both...

In this paper we use a reduced form model for the analysis of Portfolio Credit Risk. For this purpose, we fit a Dynamic Factor model, DF, to a large dataset of default rates proxies and macrovariables for Italy. Multi step ahead density and probability forecasts are obtained by employing both...

We argue that the true transition-to-default dynamic in banks' credit portfolios can only be fully described with a multiple-spell discrete-time hazard model. This paper develops such a model for default prediction. The model permits the use of all data available to the bank or to the bank...

This study aims to shed light on the debate concerning the choice between discrete-time and continuous-time hazard models in making bankruptcy or any binary prediction using interval censored data. Building on the theoretical suggestions from various disciplines, we empirically compare widely...