The use of credit derivatives by banks was appealing to them…
The use of credit derivatives by banks was appealing to them for the following reasons:I. It was a way to remove and decrease their exposure to credit risk.II. It was an opaque, relatively unregulated market.III. The spreads that they earned were high (return on a CDS minus return on a T-Bill).IV. All of their net positions were balance sheet items (i.e. all transactions were on their balance sheet).