Counterparty Credit Risk and Credit Value Adjustment

Failures of large financial institutions and sovereigns, leading to bankruptcies and dramatic bailouts have thrust counterparty credit risk heavily into the spotlight as the key element of financial risk management. The sudden realisation of extensive counterparty risks has severely compromised the balance sheets of banks globally, the health of global financial markets and state of the general economy. Understanding and managing counterparty risk and CVA (credit value adjustment) has become a key problem for all financial institutions. Counterparty Credit Risk and Credit Value Adjustment: A Continuing Challenge for Global Financial Markets, Second Edition explains the history of the subject and its emergence as the key financial risk during the global financial crisis. The basics of counterparty risk management, including aspects such as potential future exposure, netting and collateral, are defined. Banks and other financial institutions have been developing their capabilities for pricing counterparty risk and these elements are considered in detail via a characterisation of credit value adjustment. Wrong-way counterparty risks are addressed in detail in relation to interest rate, foreign exchange, commodity and credit derivative products and regulatory capital for counterparty risk, including the recent Basel III requirements for CVA VAR is discussed. The implications of an institution valuing their own default via debt value adjustment (DVA) and funding costs (FVA) are also considered at length. The management of counterparty risk within an institution by a CVA desk is also discussed with the associated portfolio management and hedging of CVA described in full. Finally, the design and benefits of central clearing, a recent development to attempt to control the rapid growth of counterparty risk, is considered. The first edition of this book has become a standard reference on the subject of counterparty credit risk. The second edition has been completely re-written to cover the recent extensive changes in theory, market practice and regulation and the new topics of risk-free valuation, funding considerations and Basel III capital requirements. The book is unique in being practically focused but also covers the more technical aspects. It is an invaluable complete reference guide for any market practitioner, policy maker, academic or student with any responsibility or interest within the area of counterparty credit risk and CVA. The book has a supporting website, www.cvacentral.com, which contains spreadsheets, mathematical appendices and other supporting documentation, all of which are freely downloadable.