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Insolvency Resolution and the Missing High-Yield Bond Markets

Bo Becker1; Jens Josephson2

1 Stockholm School of Economics · 2 Stockholm University

Review of Financial Studies 2016

In many countries, poorly functioning bankruptcy procedures force viable but insolvent firms to restructure out of court, where banks may have a bargaining advantage over other creditors. We model the choice of restructuring process and derive implications for the corporate mix of bank and bond financing. Empirical patterns match the model: inefficient bankruptcy in a country is associated with less bond issuance by risky, but not by safe, borrowers. This pattern holds for both levels of and changes in bankruptcy recovery. Our results establish a link between bankruptcy reform and corporate bond markets, especially high-yield markets. Received September 29, 2014; accepted February 1, 2016 by Editor David Denis.

DOI
10.1093/rfs/hhw014
Volume
29 (10)
Pages
2814-2849
Language
en
Export
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