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The end of the waterfall: Default resources of central counterparties

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  • Cont, Rama

Abstract

Central counterparties (CCPs) have become pillars of the new global financial architecture following the financial crisis of 2008. The key role of CCPs in mitigating counterparty risk and contagion has in turn cast them as systemically important financial institutions whose eventual failure may lead to potentially serious consequences for financial stability, and prompted discussions on CCP risk management standards and safeguards for recovery and resolutions of CCPs in case of failure. We contribute to the debate on CCP default resources by focusing on the incentives generated by the CCP loss allocation rules for the CCP and its members and discussing how the design of loss allocation rules may be used to align these incentives in favour of outcomes which benefit financial stability. After reviewing the ingredients of the CCP loss waterfall and various proposals for loss recovery provisions for CCPs, we examine the risk management incentives created by different ingredients in the loss waterfall and discuss possible approaches for validating the design of the waterfall. We emphasise the importance of CCP stress tests and argue that such stress tests need to account for the interconnectedness of CCPs through common members and cross-margin agreements. A key proposal is that capital charges on assets held against CCP default funds should depend on the quality of the risk management of the CCP, as assessed through independent stress tests.

Suggested Citation

  • Cont, Rama, 2015. "The end of the waterfall: Default resources of central counterparties," Journal of Risk Management in Financial Institutions, Henry Stewart Publications, vol. 8(4), pages 365-389, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aza:rmfi00:y:2015:v:8:i:4:p:365-389
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Christian Kubitza & Loriana Pelizzon & Mila Getmansky Sherman, 2021. "Loss Sharing in Central Clearinghouses: Winners and Losers," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 066, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    2. Maximilian Jager & Frederick Zadow, 2023. "Clear(ed) Decision: The Effect of Central Clearing on Firms Financing Decision," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_445, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
    3. Jessie Jiaxu Wang & Agostino Capponi & Hongzhong Zhang, 2022. "A Theory of Collateral Requirements for Central Counterparties," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6993-7017, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    CCP; central clearing; central counterparty; systemic risk; default risk; counterparty risk; default fund; OTC derivatives; mechanism design; regulation; EMIR;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G2 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit

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