Bankruptcy auctions: costs, debt recovery, and firm survival

This paper provides some first, large-sample evidence on the Swedish auction bankruptcy system. Compared to U.S. Chapter 11 cases, the small-firm bankruptcy auctions examined here are substantially quicker, have lower costs, and avoid deviations from absolute priority. Three-quarters of the firms are auctioned as going concerns, which is similar to Chapter 11 survival rates. Moreover, based on market values, creditors in going-concern auctions recover a similar fraction of face value as creditors of much larger firms in Chapter 11 reorganizations. The evidence presented here suggests that the auction bankruptcy system is a surprisingly efficient restructuring mechanism for small firms. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. JEL classification. G33; G34; K22.