18-June-2008
English, , 747kb
Traditionally, bond insurers have provided guarantees of payments on municipalbonds, where defaults have been very limited. But since the late 1990s they havebecome increasingly involved as guarantors of elements of various structuredfinancial products: in particular, the credit enhancements provided by theseentities have played an important role in making securities based on sub-primeloans attractive to a wide range of investors. It