An Asset–Liability View of Banks’ Reputation

Sergio Scandizzo

“If the confidence of the public in the integrity of accountants’ reports is shaken, their value is gone.”
Arthur Andersen, 1932

In this chapter we examine the role played by reputation during and after the financial crisis, as a fundamental factor in some high-profile demises – therefore not only, as it is usually discussed, as a consequence of other risks, but as a primary cause – as well as a driver in the shaping of the governance of the financial system of today and tomorrow, at a time when many of the current and future legislative and regulatory developments are being and will be influenced by the reputation of the most high-profile institutions and of the financial industry as a whole.

BANKS’ REPUTATION AFTER THE CRISIS

How important is reputation for a bank today? If you ask any practitioner, if you survey the academic literature, if you read trade magazines or listen to consultants’ presentations, the answer seems univocal and straightforward: it’s not just important, it is critical. Banking is an industry based on confidence and trust; reputation is fundamental for building a franchise, retaining customers, and attracting employees. When reputation gets harmed, the

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