Revisiting Risk-Weighted Assets

Revisiting Risk-Weighted Assets
Author: Vanessa Le Leslé
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2012-03-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1475524099

In this paper, we provide an overview of the concerns surrounding the variations in the calculation of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) across banks and jurisdictions and how this might undermine the Basel III capital adequacy framework. We discuss the key drivers behind the differences in these calculations, drawing upon a sample of systemically important banks from Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. We then discuss a range of policy options that could be explored to fix the actual and perceived problems with RWAs, and improve the use of risk-sensitive capital ratios.

Revisiting Risk-Weighted Assets

Revisiting Risk-Weighted Assets
Author: Vanessa Le Leslé
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2012-03-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1475502656

In this paper, we provide an overview of the concerns surrounding the variations in the calculation of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) across banks and jurisdictions and how this might undermine the Basel III capital adequacy framework. We discuss the key drivers behind the differences in these calculations, drawing upon a sample of systemically important banks from Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. We then discuss a range of policy options that could be explored to fix the actual and perceived problems with RWAs, and improve the use of risk-sensitive capital ratios.

How Risky Are Banks' Risk Weighted Assets? Evidence From the Financial Crisis

How Risky Are Banks' Risk Weighted Assets? Evidence From the Financial Crisis
Author: Mr.Sonali Das
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1463933797

We study how investors account for the riskiness of banks' risk-weighted assets (RWA) by examining the determinants of stock returns and market measures of risk. We find that banks with higher RWA had lower stock returns over the US and European crises. This relationship is weaker in Europe where banks can use Basel II internal risk models. For large banks, investors paid less attention to RWA and rewarded instead lower wholesale funding and better asset quality. RWA do not, in general, predict market measures of risk although there is evidence of a positive relationship before the US crisis which becomes negative afterwards.

Heterogeneity of Bank Risk Weights in the EU

Heterogeneity of Bank Risk Weights in the EU
Author: Rima Turk-Ariss
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2017-06-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484302958

Concerns about excessive variability in bank risk weights have prompted their review by regulators. This paper provides prima facie evidence on the extent of risk weight heterogeneity across broad asset classes and by country of counterparty for major banks in the European Union using internal models. It also finds that corporate risk weights are sensitive to the riskiness of an average representative firm, but not to a market indicator of a firm’s probablity of default. Under plausible yet severe hypothetical scenarios for harmonized risk weights, counterfactual capital ratios would decline significantly for some banks, but they would not experience a shortfall relative to Basel III’s minimum requirements. This, however, does not preclude falling short of meeting additional national supervisory capital requirements.

Revisiting Risk-Weighted Assets

Revisiting Risk-Weighted Assets
Author: Vanessa Le Leslé
Publisher:
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

In this paper, we provide an overview of the concerns surrounding the variations in the calculation of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) across banks and jurisdictions and how this might undermine the Basel III capital adequacy framework. We discuss the key drivers behind the differences in these calculations, drawing upon a sample of systemically important banks from Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. We then discuss a range of policy options that could be explored to fix the actual and perceived problems with RWAs, and improve the use of risk-sensitive capital ratios.

The Chicago Plan Revisited

The Chicago Plan Revisited
Author: Mr.Jaromir Benes
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 71
Release: 2012-08-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1475505523

At the height of the Great Depression a number of leading U.S. economists advanced a proposal for monetary reform that became known as the Chicago Plan. It envisaged the separation of the monetary and credit functions of the banking system, by requiring 100% reserve backing for deposits. Irving Fisher (1936) claimed the following advantages for this plan: (1) Much better control of a major source of business cycle fluctuations, sudden increases and contractions of bank credit and of the supply of bank-created money. (2) Complete elimination of bank runs. (3) Dramatic reduction of the (net) public debt. (4) Dramatic reduction of private debt, as money creation no longer requires simultaneous debt creation. We study these claims by embedding a comprehensive and carefully calibrated model of the banking system in a DSGE model of the U.S. economy. We find support for all four of Fisher's claims. Furthermore, output gains approach 10 percent, and steady state inflation can drop to zero without posing problems for the conduct of monetary policy.

Estimating the Costs of Financial Regulation

Estimating the Costs of Financial Regulation
Author: Mr.Andre Santos
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 43
Release: 2012-09-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 147551008X

Staff Discussion Notes showcase the latest policy-related analysis and research being developed by individual IMF staff and are published to elicit comment and to further debate. These papers are generally brief and written in nontechnical language, and so are aimed at a broad audience interested in economic policy issues. This Web-only series replaced Staff Position Notes in January 2011.

Benefits and Costs of Bank Capital

Benefits and Costs of Bank Capital
Author: Jihad Dagher
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2016-03-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1513539337

The appropriate level of bank capital and, more generally, a bank’s capacity to absorb losses, has been at the core of the post-crisis policy debate. This paper contributes to the debate by focusing on how much capital would have been needed to avoid imposing losses on bank creditors or resorting to public recapitalizations of banks in past banking crises. The paper also looks at the welfare costs of tighter capital regulation by reviewing the evidence on its potential impact on bank credit and lending rates. Its findings broadly support the range of loss absorbency suggested by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the Basel Committee for systemically important banks.

JPMorgan Chase Whale Trades

JPMorgan Chase Whale Trades
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1320
Release: 2013
Genre: Banks and banking
ISBN:

When Gambling for Resurrection is Too Risky

When Gambling for Resurrection is Too Risky
Author: Divya Kirti
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 59
Release: 2017-08-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484314395

Rather than taking on more risk, US insurers hit hard by the crisis pulled back from risk taking, relative to insurers not hit as hard by the crisis. Capital requirements alone do not explain this risk reduction: insurers hit hard reduced risk within assets with identical regulatory treatment. State level US insurance regulation makes it unlikely this risk reduction was driven by moral suasion. Other financial institutions also reduce risk after large shocks: the same approach applied to banks yields similar results. My results suggest that, at least in some circumstances, franchise value can dominate, making gambling for resurrection too risky.