Probability of default (PD)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Basel II

Bank for International Settlements
Basel Accord - Basel I
Basel II

Background

Banking
Monetary Policy - Central Bank
Risk - Risk management
Regulatory Capital
Tier 1 - Tier 2

Pillar 1: Regulatory Capital

Credit Risk
Standardized - F-IRB - A-IRB
PD - LGD - EAD
Operational Risk
Basic - Standardized - AMA
Market Risk
Duration - Value at Risk

Pillar 2: Supervisory Review

Economic Capital
Liquidity Risk - Legal Risk

Pillar 3: Market Disclosure

Disclosure

Business and Economics Portal

Probability of Default or PD is a parameter used in the calculation of Economic Capital or Regulatory Capital under Basel II for a banking institution. This is an attribute of bank's client.

[edit] Definition

The Probability of Default is the likelihood that a loan will not be repayed and fall into default. PD is calculated for each client who has a loan (for wholesale banking) or for a portfolio of clients with similar attributes (for retail banking). The credit history of the counterparty / portfolio and nature of the investment are taken into account to calculate the PD. There are many alternatives for estimating the probability of default. Default probabilities may be estimated from a historical data base of actual defaults using modern tecniques like logistic regression. Default probabilities may also be estimated from the observable prices of credit default swaps, bonds, and options on common stock. The simplist approach, taken by many banks, is to use external ratings agencies such as Egan Jones, Fitch, Moody's Investors Service, or Standard and Poors for estimating PDs from historical default experience. For small business default probability estimation, logistic regression is again the most common technique for estimating the drivers of default for a small business based on a historical data base of defaults. These models are both developed internally and supplied by third parties. A similar approach is taken to retail default, using the term "credit score" as a euphemism for the default probability which is the true focus of the lender.

[edit] How to calculate the Probability of Default

The following steps are commonly used

  • Analyse the credit risk aspects of the counterparty / portfolio;
  • Map the counterparty to an internal risk grade which has an associated PD: and
  • Determine the facility specific PD. This last step will gives a weighted Probability of Default for facilities that are subject to a guarantee or protected by a credit derivative. The weighting takes account of the PD of the guarantor or seller of the credit derivative.

[edit] External links