A Real Options Approach to Distressed Property Borrower-Lender Reconciliation

Abstract

We propose a real option framework to value distressed properties and restructure their loans. Our approach reconciles the interests of borrowers and lenders through a constrained optimization model yielding mutually beneficial restructure terms. Borrowers receive lower loan balances and payments, while lenders replace non-performing loans with performing loans that have higher market values. A numerical illustration shows that the market value of a restructured loan can exceed that of the original non-performing loan and the post-foreclosure cash flows when the lender repossesses the property.