In March 2009, the International Accounting Standards Board started an ambitious plan to make accounting for banks easier to understand. In no less than 97 pages, the IABS laid out its plan to reduce complexity in the reporting of financial instruments.* At the time, the IASB did the right thing. The standard in force was too complex.… Read More No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy
Frances Coppola this week posted on her blog an explanation of Capital, liquidity and the countercyclical buffer, in plain English. Frances posted because of Caroline Binham’s use of language in a Financial Times article. Caroline, according to Frances, is wrong. So wrong even that she takes it out on Caroline, blaming her for not being… Read More The language of Capital and Equity
With the EBA and the ECB announcing results of the stress test and the AQR next week, and with feeble banks shivering, you may consider setting aside a couple of hours this week to read the terms and conditions of bank capital instruments. Maybe your investment in capital securities of EU banks is at risk, maybe not.… Read More Homework for the upcoming week: EU bank capital rules.
With Matt Levine I share the fascination for the deal that featured in last week’s This American Life and in Propublica. I also wonder why actually this deal would be shady, as the Propublica story wants us to believe. Though Matt does a fair amount of explaining, the deal involves a simple transaction, recorded by two one journal entry. It… Read More How shady actually was the Santander-Goldman deal?
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