This paper generalizes the existing asymptotic single-factor model to address issues related to industry heterogeneity, default clustering and parameter uncertainty of capital requirement in US retail loan portfolios. We argue that the Basel II capital requirement overstates the riskiness of...

Do large credit risk shocks spillover to small businesses and affect their real economic activity? Using information on small business credit risk, we find that small businesses experience increased default and bankruptcy rates following a shock to a customer industry. On an industry level, the...

In this paper, we empirically investigate the impact of the credit risk of Eurozone member countries on the stability of the Euro. In the absence of a common euro bond, euro-area credit risk is induced though the credit default swaps of the member countries. The stability of the euro is examined...