In recent years, there has been a dramatic decrease in the sale of new automobiles on the market of the Republic of Croatia. When considering certain periods, the sale reached its peak in 2008, with 88,265 vehicles sold. In 2013, the sale was reduced by 68.5%, and 27,802 vehicles were sold. 2014 and 2015 saw a slight recovery with 35,715 vehicles sold. This increase was related to the fact that the state, through certain ministries, bought new automobiles and thus made 20% of the above-mentioned number. Devastation in the market of new automobiles was accompanied by an increase in the sale of used vehicles, both in the country (which was caused by the fact that vehicle lease agreements of the State Administration expired, replaced by the above-mentioned share in the sales of new vehicles) and from abroad. This caused an increase in the average vehicle age in the Republic of Croatia. Consequently, the secondary market for automotive parts has been experiencing organic growth at high rates, thus determining obvious propulsiveness. The five largest companies in the secondary market for automotive parts in the Republic of Croatia generate annual revenue of HRK 1,253,655,892 (EUR 166423) through wholesale and retail. As the result of these sales methods, we have a very diverse client base in all the major companies on the market with the fundamental problem of credit risk, mainly due to the fact that the highest percentage of revenue is generated through operations with automobile repair workshops, whose balance sheet indicators are extremely poor. In such circumstances, it is essential to use a more serious approach to the problem of determining clients’ creditworthiness, as the basis for better liquidity. This paper presents a model for the assessment of clients’ creditworthiness, as a possible solution to the problem of illiquidity in the Croatian secondary market for automotive parts. The model provides for the establishment of the client base, with a combination of elements of qualitative analysis and financial and quantitative analysis to assess credit risk, as well as continuous monitoring of the base. By applying this model, the credit risk of every client, as the fundamental cause of illiquidity in this sector, would be noticed on time and measures for its reduction would be taken.
Balance Sheet Channel with Information-Trading Frictions in Secondary Markets
