Recent debate about the pro-cyclical effects of bank capital requirements, has ignored the important role that bank loan loss provisions play in the overall framework of minimum capital regulation. It is frequently observed that under-provisioning, due to inadequate assessment of expected credit losses, aggravates the negative effect of minimum capital requirements during recessions, because capital must absorb both expected, and unexpected losses. Moreover, when expected losses are properly reflected in lending rates, but not in provisioning practices, fluctuations in bank earnings magnify true oscillations in bank profitability. The relative agency problems faced by different stakeholders, may help explain the prevailing, and often unsatisfactory institutional arrangements. The authors test their hypotheses with a sample of 1,176 large commercial banks - 372 of them in non-G10 countries - for the period 1988-99. After controlling for different country-specific macroeconomic, and institutional features, they find robust evidence among G10 banks, of a positive association between loan loss provisions, and banks' pre-provision income. Such evidence is not confirmed for non-G10 banks, which on average, provision too little in good times, and are forced to increase provisions in bad times. The econometric evidence shows that the protection of outsiders' claims - the claims of minority shareholders in common law countries, and of fiscal authorities in countries with high public debt - on bank income, has negative effects on the level of bank provisions.

The general recognition that bank capital should provide a buffer for unexpected losses assumes that expected losses are considered in setting loan loss provisions. Failure to provide coherent and internationally accepted regulation of provisions for loan losses reduces the usefulness of minimum capital regulations, especially in emerging economies.Recent debate about the pro-cyclical effects of bank capital requirements has ignored the important role that bank loan loss provisions play in the overall framework of minimum capital regulation. It is frequently observed that underprovisioning, due to inadequate assessment of expected credit losses, aggravates the negative effect of minimum capital requirements during recessions because capital must absorb both expected and unexpected losses. Moreover, when expected losses are properly reflected in lending rates but not in provisioning practices, fluctuations in bank earnings magnify true oscillations in bank profitability.The relative agency problems faced by different stakeholders may help explain the prevailing and often unsatisfactory institutional arrangements. Cavallo and Majnoni test their hypotheses with a sample of 1,176 large commercial banks - 372 of them in non-G10 countries - for the period 1988-99. After controlling for different country-specific macroeconomic and institutional features, they find robust evidence among G10 banks of a positive association between loan loss provisions and banks' pre-provision income. Such evidence is not confirmed for non-G10 banks, which on average provision too little in good times and are forced to increase provisions in bad times.The econometric evidence shows that the protection of outsiders' claims - the claims of minority shareholders in common law countries and of fiscal authorities in countries with high public debt - on bank income has negative effects on the level of bank provisions.This paper - a product of the Financial Sector Strategy and Policy Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to study the impact of financial regulation on economic development.

Ratings, Rating Agencies and the Global Financial System brings together the research of economists at New York University and the University of Maryland, along with those from the private sector, government bodies, and other universities. The first section of the volume focuses on the historical origins of the credit rating business and its present day industrial organization structure. The second section presents several empirical studies crafted largely around individual firm-level or bank-level data. These studies examine (a) the relationship between ratings and the default and recovery experience of corporate borrowers, (b) the comparability of credit ratings made by domestic and foreign rating agencies, and (c) the usefulness of financial market indicators for rating banks, among other topics. In the third section, the record of sovereign credit ratings in predicting financial crises and the reaction of financial markets to changes in credit ratings is examined. The final section of the volume emphasizes policy issues now facing regulators and credit rating agencies.

This paper shows that banks use accounting discretion to overstate the value of distressed assets. Banks' balance sheets overvalue real estate-related assets compared to the market value of these assets, especially during the U.S. mortgage crisis. Share prices of banks with large exposure to mortgage-backed securities also react favorably to recent changes in accounting rules that relax fair-value accounting, and these banks provision less for bad loans. Furthermore, distressed banks use discretion in the classification of mortgage-backed securities to inflate their books. Our results indicate that banks' balance sheets offer a distorted view of the financial health of the banks.

As risk-taking is an essential part of the banking industry, banks must practise efficient risk management to ensure survival in uncertain financial climates. Banking operations are specifically affected by fluctuations in interest rates which cause financial imbalance; thus banks are now required to put in place an effective management structure that incorporates risk management efficiency measures that help mitigate the wide range of risks they face. In this book, the authors have developed a new modelling approach to determine banks’ financial risk management by offering detailed insights into the integrated approach of dollar-offset ratio and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), based on derivatives usage. It further analyses the efficiency measurement under stochastic DEA approaches, namely (i) Bootstrap DEA (BDEA), (ii) Sensitivity Analysis and (iii) Chance-Constrained DEA (CCDEA). As demonstrated in the modelling exercise, this integrated approach can be applied to other cases that require risk management efficiency measurement strategies. Additionally, this is the first book to comprehensively review the derivative markets of both the developed and developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, by examining the differences of risk management efficiency of the banking institutions in these countries. Based on this measurement approach, strategies are provided for banks to improve their strategic risk management practices, as well as to reduce the impacts from external risks, such as changes in interest rates and exchange rates. Furthermore, this book will help banks to keep abreast of recent developments in the field of efficiency studies in management accounting, specifically in relation to hedge accounting, used by banks in the Asia-Pacific region.

A step-by-step, real world guide to the use of Value at Risk (VaR) models, this text applies the VaR approach to the measurement of market risk, credit risk and operational risk. The book describes and critiques proprietary models, illustrating them with practical examples drawn from actual case studies. Explaining the logic behind the economics and statistics, this technically sophisticated yet intuitive text should be an essential resource for all readers operating in a world of risk. Applies the Value at Risk approach to market, credit, and operational risk measurement. Illustrates models with real-world case studies. Features coverage of BIS bank capital requirements.

This annual series from the Brookings Institution and the Financial Institutions Center at the Wharton School provides timely and insightful analyses of the financial services industry. The fourth volume in the series focuses on integrating emerging market countries into the global financial system. Contents include: "The Regulation and Supervision of Banks around the World" James R. Barth (Auburn University), Gerald Caprio Jr. (World Bank), and Ross Levine (University of Minnesota) "Effective Property Rights and Economic Development: Next Steps" Hernando De Soto (Institute for Liberty and Democracy, Peru) and Robert E. Litan (Brookings Institution) "Infrastructure Requirements in the Area of Bankruptcy Law" Clas Wihlborg (University of Gothenburg), Shubhashis Gangopadhyay (Indian Statistical Institute), and Qaizar Hussain (International Monetary Fund) "Relevance and Need for International Regulatory Standard" Edward Kane (Boston College) "Regulatory Infrastructure Covering Financial Markets" Reena Aggarwal (Georgetown University) "The Importance of Emerging Capital Markets" Richard M. Levich (NYU) "The Relevance and Need for International Accounting Standards" Ray Ball (University of Chicago) Robert E. Litan is vice president and director of the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution. Richard Herring is director of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies and codirector of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center.