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A comparative analysis of machine learning algorithms for predicting probabilities of default

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  • Adrian Iulian Cristescu
  • Matteo Giordano

Abstract

Predicting the probability of default (PD) of prospective loans is a critical objective for financial institutions. In recent years, machine learning (ML) algorithms have achieved remarkable success across a wide variety of prediction tasks; yet, they remain relatively underutilised in credit risk analysis. This paper highlights the opportunities that ML algorithms offer to this field by comparing the performance of five predictive models-Random Forests, Decision Trees, XGBoost, Gradient Boosting and AdaBoost-to the predominantly used logistic regression, over a benchmark dataset from Scheule et al. (Credit Risk Analytics: The R Companion). Our findings underscore the strengths and weaknesses of each method, providing valuable insights into the most effective ML algorithms for PD prediction in the context of loan portfolios.

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  • Adrian Iulian Cristescu & Matteo Giordano, 2025. "A comparative analysis of machine learning algorithms for predicting probabilities of default," Papers 2506.19789, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2506.19789
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