Extension Risk

April 10 (Bloomberg) -- Just when you thought it was safe to head back into the financial water, another market threatens to go sour, potentially leaving investors holding the bag for more than $9 billion of tarnished European bank debt.

Once again, the landmine is in a sleepy corner of the global debt markets. Once again, things that never happen are happening. And, once again, those lovely mathematical models used to measure risk may turn out to be as useful as chocolate teapots.

European banks raised a bunch of money in the past decade by selling callable notes, known as LT2s. The clue to their ability to turn toxic is the word ``callable,'' meaning borrowers have the option to repay the bonds early, on preset dates.

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