Anatomy of Financial Distress: An Examination of Junk-Bond Issuers

41 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2000 Last revised: 10 Oct 2022

See all articles by Paul Asquith

Paul Asquith

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Economics, Finance, Accounting (EFA); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Robert H. Gertner

University of Chicago - Finance; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

David S. Scharfstein

Harvard Business School - Finance Unit; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: December 1991

Abstract

This paper examines the events following the onset of financial distress for 102 public junk bond issuers. We find that out-of-court debt relief mainly comes from junk bond - holders; banks almost never forgive principal, though they do defer payments and waive debt covenants. Asset sales are an important means of avoiding Chapter 11 reorganization; however, they may be limited by industry factors. If a company simply restructures its bank debt, but either does not restructure its public debt or does not sell major assets or merge, the company goes bankrupt. The structure of a company's liabilities affects the likelihood that it goes bankrupt; companies whose bank and private debt are secured as well as companies with complex public debt structures are more prone to go bankrupt. Finally, there is no evidence that more profitable distressed companies are more successful in dealing with financial distress; they are not less likely to go bankrupt, sell assets, or reduce capital expenditures.

Suggested Citation

Asquith, Paul and Gertner, Robert H. and Scharfstein, David S., Anatomy of Financial Distress: An Examination of Junk-Bond Issuers (December 1991). NBER Working Paper No. w3942, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=227358

Paul Asquith (Contact Author)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Economics, Finance, Accounting (EFA) ( email )

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Robert H. Gertner

University of Chicago - Finance ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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David S. Scharfstein

Harvard Business School - Finance Unit ( email )

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United States
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617-496-8443 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.people.hbs.edu/dscharfstein/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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