What are the main risks faced by banks and how does a bank attempt to manage these risks?
A Bank is a financial intermediary that acts as an economic firm producing goods and services. With this view in mind it’s easy to see that a bank exists to make a profit. In order for a bank to be successful and make a profit, it has to take risk. A bank that is averse to risk will be a stagnant institution unable to adequately serve its customers effectively and produce a profit. However, a banking institution that takes excessive or unnecessary risk is also likely to run into trouble. All risk is uncertain but with bounds the probability of an outcome can be predicted using expectation. A bank can also run into trouble if it decides to take a
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They can also reduce the risk that consumers who are approved a loan default by taking out security in the consumers. For example in the case of most mortgages and larger personal loans this is taken in the form of the consumers’ home. Doing this provides the consumer with a much greater incentive to keep up to date with repayments and not default.
Another type of risk faced by banks is Liquidity Risk. The liquidity risk faced by the bank is that it has to have the ability to meet any financial obligations it has, using its available equity, when they are called upon, without suffering heavy or crippling losses. If a bank were unable to satisfy its depositors’ demands a ‘bank run’ may occur. This occurs when depositors lose confidence in the bank and rush to withdraw their deposits. An example of this recently was with Northern Rock who lost their consumers’ confidence and triggered the first run on a British bank in over a hundred years. The resulting bank run caused a severe liquidity crisis, which then transformed into a solvency crisis for the bank. It was at this point the government had to intervene and bail the bank out to safeguard Northern Rocks customers’ savings. To make sure that a bank is able to come good on its liabilities it must constantly make sure that adequate liquidity is maintained, that is to maintain a balance between its primary liabilities (clients deposits at the bank), that could be called upon to be paid on demand, and
3. What type of bank risk would worry you the most as an account holder? How should the bank protect itself against that risk? (2-4 sentences. 1.0 points)
3. What type of bank risk would worry you the most as an account holder? How should the bank protect itself against that risk? (2-4 sentences. 1.0 points)
The banking industry has undergone major upheaval in recent years, largely due to the lingering recessionary environment and increased regulatory environment. Many banks have failed in the face of such tough environmental conditions. These conditions
3. What type of bank risk would worry you the most as an account holder? How should the bank protect itself against that risk? (2-4 sentences. 1.0 points)
Because debt financing is used in most if not all RE transactions, mortgages are necessary for eliminating uncertainty; Not only for the borrower but the lender as well. The lender can be certain of what risks are involved and this allows them to determine the risk premium in the interest rate. The borrower benefits immensely from the mortgage as it reduces the cost of borrowing, it details financial rights and obligations, and increases chances of a positive outcome.
Lack of liquidity inhibits financial institutions from operating at full tilt. One of many examples: Lack of liquidity limits Banks from acquiring low interest rates capital at the FED’s discount window. Not having to borrow from the Fed or other bank because of a banks assets fall below capital requirements is another boost to a banks annual bottom
homeowners to pay off the price of their home in ways that are financially comfortable to them,
True. I believe risk management has become one of the primary concerns for bank management. Banks deal with an overwhelmingly large number of exchange securities, for example, ( loans, treasury bills, forex trading, ect...) This causes bank managers to have skills to properly analyse and manage what securities they trade and what type of contracts they enter into, ( such as in hedging etc...). If banks do not shift their focus on such new financial instruments they might go bankrupt as a result of excessive risks in such securities. Hence the focus of bank supervision has shifted to risk management, rather than on capital requirements. Although both are key to running a successful bank.
From a macroeconomic perspective, banks and other financial institutions are of critical importance. Not only do they make loans to homeowners and businesses, but these institutions make loans to each other and also influence the money supply. With this in mind, the government as well as the general population have a great interest in insuring the stability of these institutions. So, in our case, when banks are seriously threatened with collapse, even through fault of their own, the state has an ethical duty to ensure their survival through any means necessary. This is a consequence of the deep connections these institutions have with all facets of our society. One clear ramification would be decreased access to loans, if a bank is failing, it will be more hesitant or even cease to make loans to homeowners and small businesses. What is more devastating is the effect this will have on our
RBC engages a strong risk culture, with an understanding of risk awareness and responsibility. They use several methods to manage and alleviate their vulnerability to different types of risk. This bank’s risk-management process includes in-depth risk measurement, risk control, and risk governance, with setting the right risk culture at the top with their Board of Directors through their “Three Lines of Defence Model ,” (See Exhibit 4).
Yes, market perception of liquidity is more important for an investment bank than for traditional manufacturing or distribution business. In terms of liabilities, most investment banks fund themselves in the interbank markets where they borrow money from each other, and this type of funding is usually short-term. The assets on the investment bank balance sheet are generally more long-term. Therefore, it is essential that these investment banks have enough liquidity in their assets to compensate for the maturity mismatch between their assets and liabilities. When investment banks, like Bear Stearns, were being funded in the interbank market while holding illiquid mortgage backed securities, the perceived illiquid situation would trigger the phenomenon of “run on the banks” as the others banks doubted their ability to pay back liabilities in time. Institutions will start to stop lending and ask for money which will increase liquidity need with limited methods to fund for this need.
banking system similar resembles the interconnected aspects forming in the 19th century US banking system, and ultimately, the same outcome will bring about a panic. Due to the nature of such an interconnected system, when Bank A goes on a run, it caused correspondent banks to pull their money out of Bank A until Bank A can no longer afford to make payments and it fails. This stems a panic as people notice Bank A failed and begin pulling their money out of all the banks at once, fearing their bank is the next one to go bankrupt, causing the money to simply leave the system opposed to move around internally. These consequences force the banks to seek outside money, of which they went to their correspondent banks in London which received funding
Extensive research has determined that the banking industry is in an unstable state. The industry’s profits have
One of the factors that contribute to the failing of many banks during the financial crisis is the lack of liquidity. However, a bank would not want to operate with a high level of liquidity because the liquidity assets often generate lower return than the illiquid assets.
Market risk is the risk associated with an investors day to day investments, that are affected by constant fluctuations in the markets. With investment banking, a banks reputation is a critical in its success, reputational risk describes the trustworthiness of a business. A firm with a poor reputation will not get as much business, meaning a bad reputation results in a loss in revenue. Concentration Risk is the risk showing the spread of a banks’ accounts to various debtors to whom the bank has lent to. The Basel II accord stated that ‘operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or from external events’. This risk covers the very wade basis of a company’s operations, there are many different factors involved here: people, employees actions and company processes.