"A frictionless, structural view of default has the unrealistic implication that recovery rates on bonds, measured at default, should be close to 100 percent. This suggests that standard "frictions" such as default delays, corporate-valuation jumps, and bankruptcy costs may be important drivers of recovery rates. A structural view also suggests the existence of nonlinearities in the empirical relationship between recovery rates and their determinants. We explore these implications empirically and find direct evidence of jumps, and also evidence of the predicted nonlinearities. In particular, recovery rates increase as economic conditions improve from low levels, but decrease as economic conditions become robust. This suggests that improving economic conditions tend to boost firm values, but firms may tend to default during particularly robust times only when they have experienced large, negative shocks"--Abstract.

This paper presents an analytical and empirical analysis of a parsimonious model framework that accounts for a dependence of bond and bank loan recoveries on systematic risk. We extend the single risk factor model by assuming that the recovery rates also depend on this risk factor and follow a logit?normal distribution. The results are compared with those of two related models, suggested in Frye (2000) and Pykhtin (2003), which pose the assumption of a normal and a log-normal distribution of recovery rates. We provide estimators of the parameters of the asset value process and their standard errors in closed form. For the parameters of the recovery rate distribution we also provide closed-form solutions of a feasible maximum-likelihood estimator for the three models. The model parameters are estimated from default frequencies and recovery rates that were extracted from a bond and loan database of Standard&Poor's. We estimate the correlation between recovery rates and the systematic risk factor and determine the impact on economic capital. Furthermore, the impact of measuring recovery rates from market prices at default and from prices at emergence from default is analysed. As a robustness check for the empirical results of the maximum-likelihood estimation method we also employ a method-of-moments. Our empirical results indicate that systematic risk is a major factor influencing recovery rates. The calculation of a default?weighted recovery rate without further consideration of this factor may lead to downward-biased estimates of economic capital. Recovery rates measured from market prices at default are generally lower and more sensitive to changes of the systematic risk factor than are recovery rates determined at emergence from default. The choice between these two measurement methods has a stronger impact on the expected recovery rates and the economic capital than introducing a dependency of recovery rates on systematic risk in the single risk factor model.

This paper analyzes the determinants of the recovery ratios and survival times (time until default) for U. S. corporate bonds. We show that seniority, the type of industry in which the firm operates, and the type of restructuring attempted after default are the major determinants of the cross-sectional distribution of individual bond recovery ratios. On an industry level, physical asset obsolescence, industry growth, and industry concentration are the most important factors. We also analyze survival times for corporate bonds and find that initial time to maturity and the general economic conditions at maturity and default explain a large fraction of the cross-sectional variation of survival times.

This paper analyzes the determinants of the recovery ratios and survival times (time until default) for U. S. corporate bonds. We show that seniority, the type of industry in which the firm operates, and the type of restructuring attempted after default are the major determinants of the cross-sectional distribution of individual bond recovery ratios. On an industry level, physical asset obsolescence, industry growth, and industry concentration are the most important factors. We also analyze survival times for corporate bonds and find that initial time to maturity and the general economic conditions at maturity and default explain a large fraction of the cross-sectional variation of survival times.

"A frictionless, structural view of default has the unrealistic implication that recovery rates on bonds, measured at default, should be close to 100 percent. This suggests that standard "frictions" such as default delays, corporate-valuation jumps, and bankruptcy costs may be important drivers of recovery rates. A structural view also suggests the existence of nonlinearities in the empirical relationship between recovery rates and their determinants. We explore these implications empirically and find direct evidence of jumps, and also evidence of the predicted nonlinearities. In particular, recovery rates increase as economic conditions improve from low levels, but decrease as economic conditions become robust. This suggests that improving economic conditions tend to boost firm values, but firms may tend to default during particularly robust times only when they have experienced large, negative shocks"--Abstract.

A thorough compendium of credit risk modelling approaches, including several new techniques that extend the horizons of future research and practice. Models and techniques are illustrated with empirical examples and are accompanied by a careful explanation of model derivation issues. An ideal resource for academics, practitioners and regulators.