What happened to the whipping boy of bank capital?

This week, financial markets were spooked by the write-down of Additional Tier 1 securities of Credit Suisse. Soon after the writedown, a discussion ensued regarding its legitimacy. One camp argues that investors in these securities should have read the instruction manual. See the pointy opinion piece in IFR by Prasad Gollakota, the former co-head of… Read More What happened to the whipping boy of bank capital?

Eyes Wide Shut: Did Bank Capital Grow under RBNZ’s Governor Orr?

And what does it mean for one bank in particular? Last week, audit firm KPMG published its quarterly Financial Institutions Performance Survey (or FIPS). It featured the deteriorating profitability of New Zealand’s banks. Bad news of course, and the New Zealand financial press quickly jumped on the survey. Radio New Zealand printed a headline sporting… Read More Eyes Wide Shut: Did Bank Capital Grow under RBNZ’s Governor Orr?

When will the RBNZ admit its capital ratio definitions are bent? (And copy APRA’s plan to straighten them?)

Once in a while I meet bankers and bank regulators, sometimes over a cup of coffee, sometimes over a glass of Pinot Noir. In fact, I will attend an event with RBNZ’s Adrian Orr tomorrow. He will speak at the brand new PwC centre in Wellington. When it comes to bank capital, the narrative shared… Read More When will the RBNZ admit its capital ratio definitions are bent? (And copy APRA’s plan to straighten them?)

Free rider problems and tax bills? The Kiwibank capital cock-up

On 15 March, New Zealand Kiwibank issued two odd statements regarding their Basel III compliant (or is it compliant) capital instruments. The announcements raised the prospect of disqualification of two capital instruments: the Tier 2 convertible subordinated bond issued on 6 June 2014 (Tier 2 Bond); and the Additional Tier 1 perpetual bond issued on 27 May… Read More Free rider problems and tax bills? The Kiwibank capital cock-up

That feeling when you notice that EU leverage ratio requirements are at risk

This week, the EBA and BCBS published the Basel III monitoring results. They show a further improvement of European banks’ capital positions, largely fulfilling the future regulatory capital requirements, with only a very small number of banks suffering from potential capital shortfalls. I found Figure 9 of the EBA report interesting. It shows the evolution… Read More That feeling when you notice that EU leverage ratio requirements are at risk