Interest-only and principal-only mortgage strips as interest-rate contingent claims

Interest-only (IO) and principal-only (PO) mortgage strips are valued in a stochastic interest-rate environment. The prepayment rate of the underlying mortgages is affected by two considerations not present in the pure financially rational model: (1) The property owner's holding period is assumed to follow a Gamma distribution, resulting in the possibility of prepayment due to the sale of the property (i.e., prepayment that is too early based on market interest rates); and (2) borrowers are assumed to face heterogeneous transaction costs related to refinancing the existing mortgage, and delay refinancing when market conditions make it optimal to do so (refinancing too late). Properties of IO/PO strips are identified by the finite difference method.     

Valuing and hedging fixed rate mortgage commitments

A fixed rate loan commitment that is binding on the lender but not on the loan applicant is equivalent to a put option. This article uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to establish a value for fixed rate loan commitments and to derive the hedge ratio for the lending institution to hedge the interest rate risk associated with the commitments in the FHLMC forward market for mortgages. The effectiveness of the resulting hedge is tested in a simulation, where it is found that the result is a 71% reduction in the variance of the value of the lender's gain or loss associated with the commitment period.     

Valuing Fixed-Income Options and Mortgage-Backed Securities with Alternative Term Structure Models

To value mortgage-backed securities and options on fixed-income securities, it is necessary to make assumptions regarding the term structure of interest rates. We assume that the multi-factor fixed parameter term structure model accurately represents the actual term structure of interest rates, and that the values of mortgage-backed securities and discount bond options derived from such a term structure model are correct. Differences in the prices of interest rate derivative securities based on single-factor term structure models are therefore due to pricing bias resulting from the term structure model. The price biases that result from the use of single-factor models are compared and attributed to differences in the underlying models and implications for the selection of alternative term structure models are considered.     

Posterior predictive p-values for classical null hypotheses

We show that for the purpose of testing a classical null hypothesis the posterior predictive check of Rubin (1984) may be inadequate. This inadequacy is caused by the estimation of the nuisance parameters under the null hypothesis. We show that this problem can be solved if the parameters are estimated under the encompassing model.     

Stock Market Response to Voluntary Liquidations and Reorganizations of Real Estate Corporations

Announcements of voluntary liquidation or reorganization by real estate corporations are analyzed. There is a positive stock price response to announcement of liquidation, and a negative stock price response to announcements of reorganization. Results were the same before and after the 1978 Bankruptcy Reform Act took affect.     

Renminbi internationalization as a response to the global imbalance

The build-up of huge foreign exchange reserve makes China a net creditor and also brings in significant challenges to the Chinese economy. Considering the internationalization of the renminbi as China’s response to the global imbalance, this paper analyzes the effect of renminbi internationalization on the formation of reserves and compares its benefits and costs in rebalancing China’s external position with those of outward direct investment. It assesses the current progress in the practice of using the renminbi in cross-border trade settlement and in the development of the offshore renminbi market. It further examines the possibility of the renminbi serving as a global reserve currency in the future.     

Mortgage Refinancing with Asymmetric Information

Information asymmetry exists between the lender and the borrower regarding the holding period of the mortgaged real estate; the lender does not know how long the borrower plans to own the house. This information asymmetry allows the cost of obtaining a mortgage to deviate from its value to the borrower. As a result, the exercise price of the option to refinance becomes the cost to the borrower of obtaining a new mortgage instead of the outstanding balance of the existing mortgage as used in previous models. The option to refinance is a sequential option; after the borrower refinances, a new option is obtained to refinance again in the future. A mortgage refinancing model is developed taking information asymmetry and sequential refinancing into account. The model is used to solve for (1) the value to the borrower of a callable mortgage and (2) the minimum interest rate differential between the contract rate of the existing mortgage and the market interest rate needed to justify refinancing.     

Cultivating the strategic use of information technology: lessons from hong kong

An executice decelopment programme which facilitates the strategic management of information resources is described. this programme uses a contriubution of mini-lectures and experiential learning in a workshop, format to help senior managers play an information technolofy (IT) leadership role in their entepires. It is noted that the growing importance of information and its associated technology has increased the need for a proactice management approach in current and near-future business environments. The growing possibilities which are resulting from rapid progress in IT must be linked with businerr needs and competitive imperatices to achieve a strategic impact with IT, as illustrated by; classic example of strategir-level information systems. The leadership development programme considen a framework for developing a strategic vision of IT in a particular enterprise and then facilitates the planning strategie infirmation .system to support that vision, using a entical success factors approach.