Probability of Default and Probability of Excellence, an Inverse Model of Rating - One More Tool to Overcome the Crisis : An Empirical Analysis

After rated as "excellent firms" which in 2010 showed good profitability and a solid financial balance, this essay aims to explore the possibility that a rating model already focused on bankruptcy prediction may also be a valuable tool for the selection of firms that after three years could turn to a state of excellence. Furthermore, the test is carried out and completed even starting from the opposite side: it detects the opportunity of a model calibrated on the prediction of successful firms to provide accurate results in the calculation of the probability of default. In this paper we empirically examine the determinants of a predictive econometric model, in a time frame of three years, using the statistical technique of logistic regression on a panel of 5,000 North Italian SMEs over the period 2007-2010