IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ecl/corcae/10-01.html

The Bayesian Approach to Default Risk: A Guide

Author

Listed:
  • Jacobs, Michael

    (US Department of the Treasury)

  • Kiefer, Nicholas M.

    (Cornell University)

Abstract

A Bayesian approach to default rate estimation is proposed and illustrated using a prior distribution assessed from an experienced industry expert. The principle advantage of the Bayesian approach is the potential for coherent incorporation of expert information--crucial when data are scarce or unreliable. A secondary advantage is access to efficient computational methods such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo. After a preliminary discussion of elicitation of expert beliefs, all steps in a thorough Bayesian analysis of a default rate are illustrated. Using annual default rate data from Moody's (1999-2009) and a prior elicited from an industry expert, we estimate three structural credit models in the asymptotic single risk factor (ASRF) class underlying the Basel II framework (Generalized Linear and Generalized Linear Mixed Models), using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacobs, Michael & Kiefer, Nicholas M., 2010. "The Bayesian Approach to Default Risk: A Guide," Working Papers 10-01, Cornell University, Center for Analytic Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:corcae:10-01
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://cae.economics.cornell.edu/10.01.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nickell, Pamela & Perraudin, William & Varotto, Simone, 2000. "Stability of rating transitions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(1-2), pages 203-227, January.
    2. McNeil, Alexander J. & Wendin, Jonathan P., 2007. "Bayesian inference for generalized linear mixed models of portfolio credit risk," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 131-149, March.
    3. Gordy, Michael B., 2003. "A risk-factor model foundation for ratings-based bank capital rules," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 199-232, July.
    4. Sanjiv R. Das & Darrell Duffie & Nikunj Kapadia & Leandro Saita, 2007. "Common Failings: How Corporate Defaults Are Correlated," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(1), pages 93-117, February.
    5. Garthwaite, Paul H. & Kadane, Joseph B. & O'Hagan, Anthony, 2005. "Statistical Methods for Eliciting Probability Distributions," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 100, pages 680-701, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Perez Montes, 2015. "Estimation of Regulatory Credit Risk Models," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 48(2), pages 161-191, October.
    2. Yi-Ping Chang & Chih-Tun Yu, 2014. "Bayesian confidence intervals for probability of default and asset correlation of portfolio credit risk," Computational Statistics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 331-361, February.
    3. Aneta Ptak-Chmielewska & Paweł Kopciuszewski, 2022. "New Definition of Default—Recalibration of Credit Risk Models Using Bayesian Approach," Risks, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. repec:jaf:journl:v:15:y:2024:i:1:n:768 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. V L Miguéis & D F Benoit & D Van den Poel, 2013. "Enhanced decision support in credit scoring using Bayesian binary quantile regression," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 64(9), pages 1374-1383, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nicholas M. Kiefer, 2011. "Default estimation, correlated defaults, and expert information," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 173-192, March.
    2. Nicholas M. Kiefer, 2017. "Correlated defaults, temporal correlation, expert information and predictability of default rates," Econometric Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(6-9), pages 699-712, October.
    3. Liu, Zhenqing & Luo, Yi & Duan, Mohan, 2025. "Macroeconomic factors, industrial enterprises, and debt default prediction: Based on the VAR-GRU model," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    4. Dimitris Gavalas & Theodore Syriopoulos, 2014. "Bank Credit Risk Management and Rating Migration Analysis on the Business Cycle," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Carlos Castro, 2012. "Confidence sets for asset correlations in portfolio credit risk," Revista de Economía del Rosario, Universidad del Rosario.
    6. Stefanescu, Catalina & Tunaru, Radu & Turnbull, Stuart, 2009. "The credit rating process and estimation of transition probabilities: A Bayesian approach," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 216-234, March.
    7. Lee, Yongwoong & Rösch, Daniel & Scheule, Harald, 2021. "Systematic credit risk in securitised mortgage portfolios," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    8. Jaehoon Hahn & Ho-Seong Moon, 2016. "Credit Cycle and the Macroeconomy: Empirical Evidence from Korea," Economic Analysis (Quarterly), Economic Research Institute, Bank of Korea, vol. 22(4), pages 76-108, December.
    9. Bandyopadhyay, Arindam, 2010. "Understanding the Effect of Concentration Risk in the Banks’ Credit Portfolio: Indian Cases," MPRA Paper 24822, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Wozabal, David & Hochreiter, Ronald, 2012. "A coupled Markov chain approach to credit risk modeling," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 403-415.
    11. Chew Lian Chua & G. C. Lim & Penelope Smith, 2008. "A Bayesian Simulation Approach to Inference on a Multi-State Latent Factor Intensity Model," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2008n16, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    12. Matteo Accornero & Giuseppe Cascarino & Roberto Felici & Fabio Parlapiano & Alberto Maria Sorrentino, 2018. "Credit risk in banks’ exposures to non‐financial firms," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 24(5), pages 775-791, November.
    13. Maria Stefanova, 2012. "Recovery Risiko in der Kreditportfoliomodellierung," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-8349-4226-5, March.
    14. Yang, Bill Huajian, 2014. "Modeling Systematic Risk and Point-in-Time Probability of Default under the Vasicek Asymptotic Single Risk Factor Model Framework," MPRA Paper 59025, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Oliver Blümke, 2020. "Estimating the probability of default for no‐default and low‐default portfolios," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 69(1), pages 89-107, January.
    16. Nguyen, Ha, 2023. "An empirical application of Particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo to frailty correlated default models," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 103-121.
    17. , L., 2013. "Fragility of reputation and clustering of risk-taking," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 8(3), September.
    18. Steffi Höse & Stefan Huschens, 2011. "Confidence Intervals for Asset Correlations in the Asymptotic Single Risk Factor Model," Operations Research Proceedings, in: Bo Hu & Karl Morasch & Stefan Pickl & Markus Siegle (ed.), Operations Research Proceedings 2010, pages 111-116, Springer.
    19. M. Dietsch & K. Düllmann & H. Fraisse & P. Koziol & C. Ott, 2016. "Support for the SME Supporting Factor - Multi-country empirical evidence on systematic risk factor for SME loans," Débats Economiques et financiers 23, Banque de France.
    20. Andreas Blöchlinger & Markus Leippold, 2011. "A New Goodness-of-Fit Test for Event Forecasting and Its Application to Credit Defaults," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(3), pages 487-505, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ecl:corcae:10-01. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cacorus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.