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A Theory of Debt Maturity: The Long and Short of Debt Overhang

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  • Douglas W. Diamond
  • Zhiguo He

Abstract

Debt maturity influences debt overhang: the reduced incentive for highly- levered borrowers to make real investments because some value accrues to debt. Reducing maturity can increase or decrease overhang even when shorter-term debt's value depends less on firm value. Future overhang is more volatile for shorter-term debt, making future investment incentives volatile and influencing immediate investment incentives. With immediate investment, shorter-term debt typically imposes lower overhang; longer-term debt can impose less if firm value is more volatile in bad times. For future investments, reduced correlation between the value of assets-in-place and profitability of investment increases the overhang of shorter-term debt.

Suggested Citation

  • Douglas W. Diamond & Zhiguo He, 2012. "A Theory of Debt Maturity: The Long and Short of Debt Overhang," NBER Working Papers 18160, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:18160
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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