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The Value of Creditor Governance: Debt Renegotiations In and Outside Distress

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  • Arnold, Marc
  • Westermann, Ramona

Abstract

This paper analyzes a structural model of a levered firm that can renegotiate debt outside and in distress. The firm renegotiates outside distress to waive its financing covenant when raising investment funds and renegotiates in distress to avoid bankruptcy costs. Incorporating the ability to renegotiate both outside and in distress is crucial to explaining timing patterns of debt renegotiations. Capturing realistic incentives and timing patterns of renegotiations allows us to quantify the value of creditor governance. We explain a rich set of empirical facts in terms of influence of renegotiable debt on security values and corporate policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Arnold, Marc & Westermann, Ramona, 2015. "The Value of Creditor Governance: Debt Renegotiations In and Outside Distress," Working Papers on Finance 1514, University of St. Gallen, School of Finance, revised Jul 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:usg:sfwpfi:2015:14
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Christophe J. Godlewski, 2019. "Debt Renegotiation and the Design of Financial Contracts," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 191-215, June.
    2. Christophe GODLEWSKI, 2018. "The effects of bank loan renegotiation on corporate policies and performance," Working Papers of LaRGE Research Center 2018-01, Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie (LaRGE), Université de Strasbourg.
    3. Christophe J. GODLEWSKI, 2017. "Initial conditions and the private debt renegotiation process," Working Papers of LaRGE Research Center 2017-03, Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie (LaRGE), Université de Strasbourg.
    4. Teodora Paligorova & João Santos, 2016. "Non-Bank Investors and Loan Renegotiations," Staff Working Papers 16-60, Bank of Canada.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Debt Covenants; Corporate Investment; Capital Structure;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation

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