We consider the optimal design of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in a dynamic setting in which a mortgage underwriter with limited liability can engage in costly hidden effort to screen borrowers and can sell loans to investors. We show that (i) the timing of payments to the underwriter is the...

This thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four essays on financial contracting theory.In the first essay, we argue that many adverse selection models of standard one-period loan contracts are not robust to changes in market structure.We argue that debt is not an optimal contract in...

Abstract Mandatory convertibles, which are equity-linked hybrid securities that automatically convert to common stock on a pre-specified date, have become an increasingly popular means of raising capital in recent years (about $20 billion worth issued in 2001 alone). This paper presents the...

This thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four essays on financial contracting theory. In the first essay, we argue that many adverse selection models of standard one-period loan contracts are not robust to changes in market structure. We argue that debt is not an optimal contract in...

Many adverse selection models of standard one-period debt contracts are based on the following seemingly innocuous assumptions. First, entrepreneurs have private information about the quality of their return distributions. Second, return distributions are ordered by the monotone likelihood-ratio...

We study how securities and trading mechanisms can be designed to optimally mitigate the adverse impact of market imperfections on liquidity. Asset owners seek to obtain liquidity by selling their claims on future cash-flows, on which they have private information. Our analysis encompasses both...