Publications

fall 2008
Article

The Intermediation of Financial Risks: Evolution in the Catastrophe Reinsurance Market

By: Kenneth A. Froot

In this paper, I provide evidence concerning the imperfections in the reinsurance market. I try to get at some of the root causes of these imperfections, e.g., the behavior of ratings firms and the agency problems associated with the corporate form of ownership. I also... View Details

Keywords: Catastrophe Risk; Corporate Finance; Banking And Insurance; Hedging; Banking; Financial Markets; Insurance; Policy; Risk Management; Natural Disasters; Cost of Capital; Asset Pricing; Insurance Industry

September 2011
Article

Information Risk and Fair Value: An Examination of Equity Betas

By: Edward J. Riedl and George Serafeim

Using a sample of U.S. financial institutions, we exploit recent mandatory disclosures of financial instruments designated as fair value level 1, 2, and 3 to test whether greater information risk in financial instrument fair values leads to higher cost of capital. We... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Assets; Cost of Capital; Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Corporate Disclosure; Information; Risk and Uncertainty; Value; United States

SSRN

09 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Hold or Fold? Sizing Up Business Risk

brought in. You are now seeing budgets and deadlines being hit, and customer feedback is more enthusiastic. The kinds of results you want—financial returns—haven't changed. The next round of financing is coming up and you have been asked... View Details

Keywords: by Eileen C. Shapiro & Howard H. Stevenson

September – October 2011
Article

Managing the Multiple Dimensions of Risk-Part II: The Office of Risk Management

By: Anette Mikes and Robert S. Kaplan

In the second article of our two-part series, we explore the concept of an Office of Risk Management along with a case study of an innovative risk management function at JP Morgan Private Bank. We also look at the "softer" components of risk management, including a... View Details

Keywords: Banks and Banking; Innovation and Invention; Management Style; Managerial Roles; Risk Management

1993
Chapter

Management of Risk Capital in Financial Firms

By: Robert C. Merton and André Perold

Keywords: Risk Management; Capital; Financial Institutions; Financial Services Industry

October 2021
Article

Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks

By: Caroline Flammer, Michael W. Toffel and Kala Viswanathan

This paper examines whether—in the absence of mandated disclosure requirements—shareholder activism can elicit greater disclosure of firms’ exposure to climate change risks. We find that environmental shareholder activism increases the voluntary disclosure of climate... View Details

Keywords: Transparency; Reporting; Shareholder Engagement; Shareholder Activism; Climate Change; Risk and Uncertainty; Environmental Management; Investment Activism; Corporate Disclosure; Communication Strategy; Information Publishing; Measurement and Metrics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Problems and Challenges; United States

May 1985
Article

Financial Risk and the Burdens of Contracts

By: Dutch Leonard and Richard Zeckhauser

Keywords: Finance; Risk and Uncertainty; Contracts

fall 1993
Article

Theory of Risk Capital in Financial Firms

By: Robert C. Merton and André Perold

Keywords: Theory; Risk and Uncertainty; Capital; Business Ventures; Financial Services Industry

01 Feb 1997
News

Merton Discusses Risk Management at Dean's Seminar

increasingly must make sophisticated financial decisions. Last November, Robert C. Merton, the George Fisher Baker Professor of Business Administration at HBS, discussed this problem and elaborated on the importance of risk management in... View Details

Keywords: Elizabeth McNair

September 2002 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Genzyme's Gaucher Initiative: Global Risk and Responsibility

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Andrew N. McLean

In Egypt, Genzyme's humanitarian commitment to treat all sufferers of the rare Gaucher disease worldwide first confronts its commercial imperative to recoup the huge investment required to bring the drug Cerezyme to market. Here Tomye Tierney must decide how to balance... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Investment; Emerging Markets; Negotiation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Sales; Commercialization; Expansion; Value Creation

Educators

2011
Book

Moving Forward: The Future of Consumer Credit and Mortgage Finance

By: Nicolas P. Retsinas and Eric Belsky

The recent collapse of the mortgage market revealed fractures in the credit market that have deep roots in the system's structure, conduct, and regulation. The time has come for a clear-eyed assessment of what happened and how the system should be strengthened and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Capital Markets; Credit; Financial Markets; Mortgages; Personal Finance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Demand and Consumers; Financial Services Industry

22 Jun 2014
News

Pension funds urged to publish climate risks

January 2004 (Revised April 2011)
Teaching Note

Farmington Industries,Inc.: Managing Currency Exposure Risk (TN)

By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen

Teaching Note to 104053. View Details

Keywords: Currency Exchange Rate; Electronics Industry; Mexico

2007
Working Paper

New Framework for Measuring and Managing Macrofinancial Risk and Financial Stability

By: Dale F. Gray, Robert C. Merton and Zvi Bodie

This paper proposes a new approach to improve the way central banks can analyze and manage the financial risks of a national economy. It is based on the modern theory and practice of contingent claims analysis (CCA), which is successfully used today at the level of... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Macroeconomics; Central Banking; Risk Management

Read Now

July 2021 (Revised February 2022)
Technical Note

RegTech: A New Way to Manage Risks

By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese and James Barnett

A note on regulatory technology (RegTech) describing its evolution, use cases, and the competitive environment in 2021. View Details

Keywords: Regulatory Technology; Change; Financial Management; Governance Compliance; Governance Controls; Technology; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry

Educators

02 Jun 2020
News

Protesters Weigh Virus Risks on Crowded Streets

18 Jun 2018
Working Paper Summaries

A Measure of Risk Appetite for the Macroeconomy

Keywords: by Carolin E. Pflueger, Emil Siriwardane, and Adi Sunderam

Web

Banking System - Behavioral Finance & Financial Stability

Income from trading activities was strongly negative in several years during the financial crisis. Source: Bank Holding Company Y9C Data Accounting Measures of Risk The ratio of risk-weighted assets to assets decreased after the financial... View Details

1993
Article

Interest Rate Parity and the Exchange Risk Premium

By: E. S. Mayfield and R. Murphy

Keywords: Interest Rates; Risk and Uncertainty