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Bond covenants, bankruptcy risk, and the cost of debt

Author

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  • Mansi, Sattar A.
  • Qi, Yaxuan
  • Wald, John K.
Abstract
Are all covenants equally effective at reducing the bondholder-shareholder conflict? Examining the most frequently used bond covenants, we document that four out of 24 restrictions are associated with significantly higher bankruptcy risk. The use of these Default Indicating covenants can be partly explained by faulty contract design, greater recovery in bankruptcy, or within-creditor conflicts. Firms that use In-House Counsel to help structure their bond issue and those that use Big 4 Auditors are also less likely to include Default Indicating covenants in their bonds. Further tests show that the use of these Default Indicating covenants is associated with higher bond and CDS spreads. Overall, the results help explain the prior evidence on the relation between covenant use and the cost of debt.

Suggested Citation

  • Mansi, Sattar A. & Qi, Yaxuan & Wald, John K., 2021. "Bond covenants, bankruptcy risk, and the cost of debt," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:66:y:2021:i:c:s0929119920302431
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101799
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    8. Dutordoir, Marie & Pappas, Kostas & Xu, Alice Liang & Zeng, Cheng (Colin), 2023. "Covenants in convertible bonds: Boon or boilerplate?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Survival analysis; Bond covenants; Bankruptcy risk; Cost of debt;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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