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Understanding Differences Between Financial Distress and Bankruptcy

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  • Platt, Harlan D.
  • Platt, Marjorie B.

Abstract

For the most part, research purporting to address the issue of financial distress has actually studied samples of bankrupt companies. Financial distress and bankruptcy are different. In contrast, this paper starts with a sample of companies that are financially distressed but not yet bankrupt. The sample was obtained by screening the Compustat industry database with a three-tiered identification system. The screen bifurcated companies into financially and non-financially distressed groups. A multi-tiered screen reduces the incidence of mistakenly identifying a non-distressed company as financially distressed. The paper then compares factors indicating the likelihood of future bankruptcies to those indicating future financial distress. To do this, an early warning financial-distress model was developed and compared to a methodologically similar existent model of bankruptcy. The final financial distress model included only one variable present in the bankruptcy model and four new variables. The limited overlap of explanatory factors between the models questions the similarity of financial distress and bankruptcy. Statistical tests lend support to the notion that the bankruptcy process is not just a continuation of a downward spiraling cycle of financial distress. Our hypothesis is that financial distress is something that happens to companies as a consequence of operating decisions or external forces while bankruptcy is something that companies choose to do to protect their assets from creditors.

Suggested Citation

  • Platt, Harlan D. & Platt, Marjorie B., 2006. "Understanding Differences Between Financial Distress and Bankruptcy," Review of Applied Economics, Lincoln University, Department of Financial and Business Systems, vol. 2(2), pages 1-17.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:reapec:50146
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.50146
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Ugur, Mehmet & Solomon, Edna & Zeynalov, Ayaz, 2022. "Leverage, competition and financial distress hazard: Implications for capital structure in the presence of agency costs," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    5. Shilpa Shetty H. & Theresa Nithila Vincent, 2024. "Corporate Default Prediction Model: Evidence from the Indian Industrial Sector," Vision, , vol. 28(3), pages 344-360, June.
    6. Konstantaras, Konstantinos & Siriopoulos, Costas, 2011. "Estimating financial distress with a dynamic model: Evidence from family owned enterprises in a small open economy," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 239-255, October.
    7. Xinlin Wang & Zs'ofia Kraussl & Mats Brorsson, 2024. "Datasets for Advanced Bankruptcy Prediction: A survey and Taxonomy," Papers 2411.01928, arXiv.org.
    8. Nina Ponikvar & Katja Zajc Kejžar & Darja Peljhan, 2018. "The role of financial constraints for alternative firm exit modes," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 85-103, June.
    9. Jože Damijan & Jozef Konings & Črt Kostevc & Katja Zajc Kejžar, 2022. "Explaining the Low Level of Investment in Slovenia," European Economy - Discussion Papers 169, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    10. Jarmila Horváthová & Martina Mokrišová & Martin Bača, 2023. "Bankruptcy Prediction for Sustainability of Businesses: The Application of Graph Theoretical Modeling," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-20, December.
    11. Lu, Yang-Cheng & Shen, Chung-Hua & Wei, Yu-Chen, 2013. "Revisiting early warning signals of corporate credit default using linguistic analysis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 1-21.
    12. Sumani Sumani, 2019. "The Structure of Good Corporate Governance and Financial Indicators as Predictor of Financial Distress in Mining Sector Company in Indonesia," Research in Business and Management, Macrothink Institute, vol. 6(1), pages 1-12, February.
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