Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that one party in a financial transaction will fail to pay the other party. Credit risk can arise in a number of different settings. Firms may extend credit to suppliers and customers. Credit card debt and home mortgages create credit risk. One of the most common forms of credit risk is the risk that a corporation or government will fail to make interest payments or to fully repay the principal on bonds they have issued. This type of risk is known as default risk, and in the case of national governments it is also referred to as sovereign risk.