News/Regulation
Mirant raises prospect of bankruptcy
Energy company Mirant asked its bank lenders to approve a pre-packaged bankruptcy plan in June, suggesting the Atlanta-based company could be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Credit risk models enhance link between credit and equity prices, say BIS
The growing use of credit risk models is helping to strengthen the link between credit and equity prices, said the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Credit risk models enhance link between credit and equity prices, say BIS
The growing use of credit risk models is helping to strengthen the link between credit and equity prices, said the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
EU finally publishes third CAD draft
After nearly a month of delays, the EU Commission finally published the fourth consultation on its capital adequacy directive (CAD) this afternoon.
AIG forex under merger threat
AIG Trading’s foreign exchange group faces an uncertain future, as parent company Connecticut-based American Insurance Group (AIG) prepares to merge its AIG Trading and AIG Financial Products subsidiaries, sources close to the firm told RiskNews ’ sister…
Central bank reports more leverage in swaps market
The second half of 2002 saw a sharp rise in leverage in the interest rate swap market, according to the June issue of the Bank of England's Financial Stability Review.
Risk ALM USA: mortgage investors’ extension risk balloons
The combination of a concentration of mortgage assets in ever-fewer hands and a dearth of hedging tools for short-duration mortgage portfolios has dramatically increased banks’ extension risk, according to Kamal Abdullah, senior vice president – fixed…
Bank of England research backs Merton model
Analysts in the Bank of England's domestic finance division believe a Merton model for modelling credit risk is "a useful tool for assessing the riskiness of individual companies".
Lehman and Agricultural Bank of China close synthetic CDO
Lehman Brothers International Europe, the European arm of US investment bank Lehman Brothers, has launched an arbitrage synthetic collateralised debt obligation (CDO) referenced to a $1 billion portfolio of 120 entities that will be managed by the…
Basel II heralds a new ‘golden age’ for risk, says BofE's Jackson
Basel II is creating a new lingua franca for risk that will usher in a “golden age” of risk management, said Patricia Jackson, special adviser to the Bank of England, at Risk magazine’s Basel II Forum in London today. The debates surrounding the wording…
JP Morgan Chase launches buy-side risk management product
JP Morgan Chase is launching a new risk management service, MorganRisk, to enable buy-side clients to gauge market risk in their own investment portfolios using the same proprietary methodologies used by the US bank.
Fannie Mae issues statement on derivatives accounting policy
US mortgage agency Fannie Mae issued a statement today highlighting its policy on derivatives accounting, in a move to distance itself from the controversy that has enveloped rival mortgage agency, Freddie Mac.
Regulators could stifle retail derivatives development, warns speaker
Overly strict financial regulations could stifle the development of derivatives products for retail investors, warned a keynote speaker at an international derivatives conference today, co-hosted by the Futures and Options Association (FOA) and the…
Regulators could stifle retail derivatives development, warns speaker
Overly strict financial regulations could stifle the development of derivatives products for retail investors, warned a keynote speaker at an international derivatives conference today, co-hosted by the Futures and Options Association (FOA) and the…
Spitzer calls for greater institutional investor involvement
New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, widely known on Wall Street for having led recent legal attacks on conflicts of interest between underwriting and stock analysis at investment banks, told attendees of the PRMIA 2003 summit today that…
Euronext.liffe struggles with regulatory harmony
Regulation from continental Europe has acted as a "straightjacket" around Euronext.liffe’s efforts to bring all its derivatives products together on a single electronic trading platform, according to Nick Weinreb, head of group regulation at Euronext…
Risk USA speakers call for loan commitments to be marked to market
Bank loan commitments should be marked to market, according to speakers attending the first day of Risk magazine's ninth annual Risk USA conference in Boston today.
Hancock calls for more enterprise-wide risk management
Peter Hancock, the former chief financial officer and head of risk management at JP Morgan, who now runs financial boutique Integrated Finance, believes risk managers should spend more time developing enterprise-wide risk systems that can help top…
Derivatives concentrated in largest US banks, says OCC
Seven banks in the US account for almost 96% of the total notional amount of derivatives in the commercial banking system, the Office of the Comptroller (OCC) of the Currency has said in a report.
Spitzer calls for greater institutional investor involvement
New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, widely known on Wall Street for having led recent legal attacks on conflicts of interest between underwriting and stock analysis at investment banks, told attendees of the PRMIA 2003 summit today that…
Securitisation will not be damaged by Basel II, says Mercer Oliver Wyman
Securitisation and related forms of credit risk transfer are unlikely to suffer in the long-term under the Basel II proposals, according to a report published today by financial and risk management consultancy, Mercer Oliver Wyman.
Securitisation will not be damaged by Basel II, says Mercer Oliver Wyman
Securitisation and related forms of credit risk transfer are unlikely to suffer in the long-term under the Basel II proposals, according to a report published today by financial and risk management consultancy, Mercer Oliver Wyman.
JP Morgan Chase launches 'equity default swaps'
JP Morgan Chase has developed an 'equity default swap', an equity-triggered derivatives product structured like a credit default swap.
Basel Committee conference solidifies support for Pillar I approach
The long-awaited conference on operational risk issues, organised by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervisions' risk management group, helped solidify support among both bankers and international regulators for the inclusion of operational risk in…