ABSTRACT

Genesis of credit risk would not have trailed far behind development of trade and commerce in earliest human society. Therefore, it can easily be dated back at least three to four thousand years. Yet credit risk remains a risk type that still poses signicant challenges for assessment and management. There are several reasons for this, the most important of which is that credit risk, at all times past and present, has re ected the needs, aspirations, and goals of individuals, business enterprise and nancial intermediaries. It has also re ected the environment, both economic and social, the individuals and the business enterprise function in. As these aspirations and goals have evolved, and as the environment for these decisions has gotten increasingly more complex, the characteristics of credit risk have also continued to evolve. An evolving risk is expected to continue to pose challenges for accurately assessing and monitoring it, and to optimally manage it.