Distressed debt prices and recovery rate estimation

This paper has two purposes. First, it uses distressed debt prices to estimate recovery rates at default. In this regard, estimates are obtained for three recovery rate models: recovery of face value, recovery of Treasury, and recovery of market value. We show that identifying the “economic” default date, as distinct from the recorded default date, is crucial to obtaining unbiased estimates. The economic default date is defined to be the first date when the market prices the firm’s debt as if it has defaulted. An implication is that the standard industry practice of using 30-day post default prices to compute recovery rate yields biased estimates. Second, we construct and estimate a distressed debt pricing model. We use this model to implicitly estimate the parameters of the embedded recovery rate process and to price distressed debt. Our distressed debt pricing model fits market prices well, with an average pricing error of less than one basis point.      

Pricing and static hedging of American-style knock-in options on defaultable stocks

This paper applies the static hedge portfolio approach (SHP) of Chung et al. (2013) in two new directions. First, the SHP approach is generalized from the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model of Cox (1975) to the jump to default extended CEV (JDCEV) framework of Carr and Linetsky (2006). For this purpose, the recovery value of the American-style down-and-in put is hedged through the one attached to a European-style plain-vanilla contract whereas for an up-and-in put it is necessary to use the recovery component of the corresponding European-style up-and-in option. Second, the SHP methodology is adapted from single to double barrier American-style knock-in options by matching the value of the hedging portfolio along both lower and upper barriers. Finally, and to benchmark the accuracy of the novel SHP pricing solutions, the optimal stopping approach of Nunes (2009) is also extended to price American-style double knock-in options under the JDCEV framework. Such extension highlights the relevant credit derivative component embedded in American-style knock-in equity puts.     

Default matrices: A complete measurement of banks’ consumer credit delinquency

Despite the manifold utilities of monitoring credit default rates, little attention is usually devoted to the underlying default definition. This paper proposes working simultaneously with different default severities, related to several past-due ranges, by means of transition matrices (to be named default matrices). In this way, default, as well as recovery, is depicted in a multidimensional flow, with the purpose of avoiding missing relevant information. The challenge lies on performing comparisons between default matrices, for which new metrics are proposed. In this paper, default matrices are built to measure consumer credit delinquency at four large Brazilian banks, allowing a detailed comparison of their credit migration experiences. The study is also able to draw relevant information from comparisons between estimations techniques (discrete and survival approaches) and between default criteria.     

Pricing default swaps: Empirical evidence

In this paper we compare market prices of credit default swaps with model prices. We show that a simple reduced form model outperforms directly comparing bonds' credit spreads to default swap premiums. We find that the model yields unbiased premium estimates for default swaps on investment grade issuers, but only if we use swap or repo rates as proxy for default-free interest rates. This indicates that the government curve is no longer seen as the reference default-free curve. We also show that the model is relatively insensitive to the value of the assumed recovery rate.     

The information content of CDS implied volatility and associated trading strategies

Using the theoretical link between put options and credit default swaps (CDS) in a very general setting, we develop a robust measure of CDS implied volatility (CIV) that captures the information content of CDS markets. Specifically, we use the unit recovery claim to bridge CDS and deep out-of-the-money put options of the same firm and then back out CIV via the binomial tree. Our CIV measure strongly co-moves with the option implied volatility (OIV), with a correlation coefficient of 0.8. Based on the standardized difference between CIV and OIV, we construct CDS and option trading strategies. Without taking transaction costs into account, the long–short CDS trading strategy achieves an annualized return of 58.29% and a Sharpe ratio of 2.97, which cannot be explained by non-parametric skewness and volatility risk.     

ESO compensation: The roles of default risk, employee sentiment, and insider information

This paper derives a pricing model for employee stock options (ESO) that includes default risk and considers employee sentiment. Using ESO data from 1992 to 2004, the study finds that the average executive's subjective value is about 55% of the Black-Scholes value. Only employees who over-estimate firm returns (or insiders who know that the firm is under-valued) by about 10% per annum will prefer ESOs over cash compensation. Our model also shows that work incentives offered by ESOs may be far lower than those implied by Black-Scholes but that ESOs may induce less risk-taking behavior, contrary to typical moral hazard arguments. Findings may impact relevant accounting regulations as well as compensation decisions.     

The non-neutrality of debt in investment timing: a new NPV rule

Summary Limited liability debt financing of irreversible investments can affect investment timing through an entrepreneur’s option value, even after compensating a lender for expected default losses. This non-neutrality of debt arises from an entrepreneur’s unique investment opportunity, and it is shown in a standard model of irreversible investment that includes the equilibrium effect of a competitive lending sector. The analysis is partial, in that it takes as exogenously given an entrepreneur’s use of debt. Intuitively, limited liability lowers downside risk for the entrepreneur by truncating the lower tail of risks, and lowers the investment threshold. Compensating the lender for expected default losses reduces project profitability to the entrepreneur, and increases the investment threshold. The net effect is negative, because lower downside risk has an additional impact on the option value of delaying investment. The standard NPV rule in real options theory implicitly assumes debt to be neutral. With non-neutrality of debt, an investment threshold is higher than investment cost, but lower than the standard NPV rule. Comparisons with other standard investment thresholds show similar relationships.     

IRB法下公司敞口组合的风险驱动因子计量研究

巴塞尔银行监管委员会针对防范信贷组合信用风险所需要的资本制定的内部评级法,通过风险驱动因子的变化来反映组合回报的变化,并根据风险权重函数,通过风险加权资产转化为与每一项信用风险敞口更准确匹配的资本要求.本文对违约概率、违约损失率、违约敞口、期限因素以及违约相关性等信贷组合信用风险的风险驱动因子的度量进行了综合研究.     

Reduced Form Mortgage Pricing as an Alternative to Option-Pricing Models

This paper extends the traditional hazard technique of estimating prepayment and default by allowing their baselines to be stochastic processes, rather than known paths of time, as is typically assumed. By working in the reduced form, this method offers an alternative to the empirical valuation of mortgages more easily implemented than the standard structural form approach of options pricing.     

自由现金流量创造力与违约风险——来自A股公司的经验证据

本文基于我国A股上市公司数据,研究了企业自由现金流量创造力与违约风险之间的关系。研究发现:(1)企业自由现金流量创造力越强,其违约风险越低。经过一系列稳健性检验后,该结论依旧成立。(2)自由现金流量创造力越强的企业往往有更低的债务规模、更高的资产收益率和更低的股票波动,因而其违约风险更低。(3)自由现金流量创造力与违约风险的负相关关系,主要存在于货币政策紧缩时期以及外部信息环境较差的企业。本文发现意味着,监管部门和投资者应重视上市公司自由现金流量创造力不足所带来的潜在债务违约风险,通过不断提高公司自由现金流量创造力,助力我国宏观经济与微观企业高质量发展。     

Corporate bond default risk: A 150-year perspective

We study corporate bond default rates using an extensive new data set spanning the 1866-2008 period. We find that the corporate bond market has repeatedly suffered clustered default events much worse than those experienced during the Great Depression. For example, during the railroad crisis of 1873-1875, total defaults amounted to 36% of the par value of the entire corporate bond market. Using a regime-switching model, we examine the extent to which default rates can be forecast by financial and macroeconomic variables. We find that stock returns, stock return volatility, and changes in GDP are strong predictors of default rates. Surprisingly, however, credit spreads are not. Over the long term, credit spreads are roughly twice as large as default losses, resulting in an average credit risk premium of about 80 basis points. We also find that credit spreads do not adjust in response to realized default rates.     

Debt deflation effects of monetary policy

We assess the role that monetary policy plays in the decision to default using a General Equilibrium model with collateralized loans, trade in fiat money and production. The monetary authority extends long-term credit against risky collateral along with its traditional monetary operations. The value of collateral depends on traditional monetary policy and agents can optimally choose to default depending on the relative value of the collateral to the face value of the loan. Default results in foreclosure, higher borrowing costs, inefficient investment and a decrease in total output. We show that pre-crisis contractionary monetary policy interacts with Fisherian debt-deflation dynamics and can increase the probability that a crisis occurs.     

The role of asset payouts in the estimation of default barriers

In the barrier option model of corporate security valuation, the firm’s creditors impose a default-triggering barrier on the firm value to protect their claim. Two disputed issues in the literature are whether the implied default barrier is positive, and whether it is above or below the book value of the firm’s liabilities. We extend the model of Brockman and Turtle (2003) by embedding asset payouts in the valuation of shareholders’ equity. Using a sample of US stocks from the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ exchanges, our paper exploits market and firm information to compute the implied default barrier for thirty 2-digit SIC groups, including industrials and banks. Our results show that the implied default barrier is lower than it is in the received literature, and it can be less than total liabilities, even zero for some firms. The implied physical default probabilities are significantly lower in the presence of payouts, providing a closer fit to the historical corporate default rates, particularly for issuers of speculative-grade bonds.     

信用评级中的违约率、违约概率研究

信用评级是对个人、经济体与金融工具履行各种经济承诺的能力及可信任程度的综合评价，本文通过对KMV评级模型的研究，指出在信用评级中的关键指标——“违约率和违约概率”在评级中的重要意义。     

A first-passage-time model under regime-switching market environment

In this paper, we suggest a first-passage-time model which can explain default probability and default correlation dynamics under stochastic market environment. We add a Markov regime-switching market condition to the first-passage-time model of Zhou [Zhou, C., 2001. An analysis of default correlations and multiple defaults. Review of Financial Studies 14, 555–576]. Using this model, we try to explain various relationship between default probability, default correlation, and market condition. We also suggest a valuation method for credit default swap (CDS) with (or without) counterparty default risk (CDR) and basket default swap under this model.Our numerical results provide us with several meaningful implications. First, default swap spread is higher in economic recession than in economic expansion across default swap maturity. Second, as the difference of asset return volatility between under bear market and under bull market increases, CDS spread increases regardless of maturity. Third, the bigger the intensity shifting from bull market to bear market, the higher the spread for both CDS without CDR and basket default swap.     

民营企业债务违约是内因驱动吗？——基于短贷长投和多元化经营视角的分析

不同于以往从外部因素的角度关注民营企业债务问题,本文从企业自身行为出发分析了民企债务违约是否由内因驱动。具体地,本文考察了短贷长投和多元化经营对民营企业债务违约的影响。结果发现,总体上短贷长投以及多元化程度提高了民企债务违约的可能性。从传导机制上看,短贷长投和多元化降低了企业的盈利水平、提高了过度负债、增加了代理成本,并通过以上三个渠道提高了企业债务违约的可能性。从异质性结果来看,信贷紧缩会加大短贷长投对债务违约的促进作用。对于政府支持的行业而言,短贷长投和多元化引发的债务违约问题更严重。最后,更多的短贷长投和多元化在决策得当情况下不会引发债务违约风险。本文的结果表明,民营企业债务违约主要是由内因驱动,即由企业在“求大”“上层次”的心理下实施的粗放式发展模式驱动。本文对于追溯民企违约的根源、精准施策进而更好地支持民企发展具有一定的启示。     

信贷损失准备计提的理论分析

本文在预期损失与损失准备概念的基础上,通过对贷款价值、预期损失与违约升水之间关系的分析提出了信贷损失准备计提的理论与方法,指出基于未来现金流量折现法的信贷准备计提方法更能反映贷款的真实价值。最后结合银行信贷损失准备计提的实践,对理论方法与实践中的作法进行了简要的评析。     

违约风险模型对违约定义的敏感性研究

本文根据贷款信用风险四级分类和五级分类定义三种违约,运用商业银行的贷款企业会计数据分析了Logistic违约风险模型对违约定义的敏感性。实证研究表明,在三种违约定义下,违约模型的结构相似,但模型选择的变量和变量的显著水平存在差异,违约模型对违约定义具有敏感性。     

P2P借款人的定价偏差与被动违约风险——基于“人人贷”数据的分析

本文主要通过行为资产定价理论和"人人贷"2014-2018年的数据,研究网络借贷(P2P)借款人定价偏差的影响因素及其与被动违约风险之间的关系。定价偏差是将P2P借贷利率分解为效率部分和无效率部分,并通过成本随机前沿模型得到。结果表明:借款人定价存在显著偏差且在不同群体间有所差异;借款人的粉饰行为未能起到减小定价偏差的作用,甚至会起到反效果;当借款人的声誉成本高于还款成本时,此时的违约主要表现为被动违约;即使借款人主观还款意愿强烈,但定价偏差越大,借款人剩余收入就越吃紧,还款过程中逾期次数和欠债比例增加的可能性就越大,进而引发被动违约风险。     

基于Logistic模型的单个信用资产违约概率预测

在信用风险管理领域,由于中国商业银行信贷数据只满足Logistic模型的要求,因而预测单个信用资产违约率只能以Logistic模型为主线建模。以中国某商业银行1999~2005年的信贷数据为样本,实证分析得出,企业本身、宏观经济、地区及行业四方面因素对企业违约概率存在显著相关性。通过以上述四因素为变量,所构建的预测电力、公路、城镇建设三个行业信用资产违约概率的Logistic模型分析与预测单个信用资产违约的结果来看,四要素模型对中国商业银行的信用风险管理具有参照价值。