Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/43196 
Year of Publication: 
2008
Series/Report no.: 
CFS Working Paper No. 2008/31
Publisher: 
Goethe University Frankfurt, Center for Financial Studies (CFS), Frankfurt a. M.
Abstract: 
Securitization is a financial innovation that experiences a boom-bust cycle, as many other innovations before. This paper analyzes possible reasons for the breakdown of primary and secondary securitization markets, and argues that misaligned incentives along the value chain are the primary cause of the problems. The illiquidity of asset and interbank markets, in this view, is a market failure derived from ill-designed mechanisms of coordinating financial intermediaries and investors. Thus, illiquidity is closely related to the design of the financial chains. Our policy conclusions emphasize crisis prevention rather than crisis management, and the objective is to restore a 'comprehensive incentive alignment'. The toe-hold for strengthening regulation is surprisingly small. First, we emphasize the importance of equity piece retention for the long-term quality of the underlying asset pool. As a consequence, equity piece allocation needs to be publicly known, alleviating market pricing. Second, on a micro level, accountability of managers can be improved by compensation packages aiming at long term incentives, and penalizing policies with destabilizing effects on financial markets. Third, on a macro level, increased transparency relating to effective risk transfer, risk-related management compensation, and credible measurement of rating performance stabilizes the valuation of financial assets and, hence, improves the solvency of financial intermediaries. Fourth, financial intermediaries, whose risk is opaque, may be subjected to higher capital requirements.
Subjects: 
Financial Crisis 2007/08
Bank Regulation
First Loss Position
Rating Process
Securitization
Transparency
JEL: 
D82
G14
G21
G28
G30
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
491.75 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.