Liquidation Values and the Credibility of Financial Contract Renegotiation: Evidence from U.S. Airlines

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 2008
Volume: 123
Issue: 4
Pages: 1635-1677

Authors (2)

Efraim Benmelech (Northwestern University) Nittai K. Bergman (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

How do liquidation values affect financial contract renegotiation? While the "incomplete-contracting" theory of financial contracting predicts that liquidation values determine the allocation of bargaining power between creditors and debtors, there is little empirical evidence on financial contract renegotiations and the role asset values play in such bargaining. This paper attempts to fill this gap. We develop an incomplete-contracting model of financial contract renegotiation and estimate it using data on the airline industry in the United States. We find that airlines successfully renegotiate their lease obligations downward when their financial position is sufficiently poor and when the liquidation value of their fieet is low. Our results show that strategic renegotiation is common in the airline industry. Moreover, the results emphasize the importance of the incomplete contracting perspective to real-world financial contract renegotiation.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:123:y:2008:i:4:p:1635-1677.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24