The Credit Risk of Complex Derivatives

Investors, issuers and arrangers are now active participants in the 'next generation' of derivatives as a means of managing risk, lowering funding costs, facilitating participation in the upside or downside of a market, or enhancing yield. Such participation is accomplished not only through now-standard derivative products such as interest rate/currency swaps and over-the-counter options, but by a host of new products and strategies. These 'next generation' derivatives have expanded to include equity derivative swaps, exotic options and complex swap structures. In addition , tailor-made packages of derivatives often include over-the-counter options combined in a variety of ways to produce very specific results. As participation in this field grows, there is an increasing need by financial institutions, regulators and 'end users' to understand the credit risks being assumed by participating in these new products and markets. Erik Banks explores the qualitative and quantitative aspects of these complex derivatives, develops a working framework for quantifying credit risk, and applies the logic and framework to assess the credit risks inherent in each of these new complex derivatives.