This paper studies performance-sensitive debt (PSD), the class of debt obligations whose interest payments depend on some measure of the borrower's performance. For example, step-up bonds compensate credit rating downgrades with higher interest rates, and reward credit rating upgrades with lower interest rates. In an endogenous default setting, we develop an algorithm to value PSD obligations allowing for general payment profiles, and obtain closed-form pricing formulas in important special cases, including step-up bonds. Moreover, we provide a criterion to compare different PSD obligations in terms of their efficiency. In particular, we find that step-up bonds lead to earlier default and lower the market value of the issuing firm's equity, compared to fixed-coupon bonds of the same market value. Lastly, we analyze the implications of our results for the policy of credit-rating agencies.JEL Classification: G32, G12

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This paper provides a formal model of contingent convertible bonds (CCBs), a new instrument offering potential value as a component of corporate capital structures for all types of firms, as well as being considered for the reform of prudential bank regulation following the recent financial crisis. CCBs are debt instruments that automatically convert to equity if and when the issuing firm or bank reaches a specified level of financial distress. CCBs have the potential to avoid bank bailouts of the type that occurred during the subprime mortgage crisis when banks could not raise sufficient new capital and bank regulators feared the consequences if systemically important banks failed. While qualitative discussions of CCBs are available in the literature, this is the first paper to develop a formal model of their properties. The paper provides analytic propositions concerning CCB attributes and develops implications for structuring CCBs to maximize their general benefits for corporations and their specific benefits for prudential bank regulation.