Risk magazine - March 2014
Articles in this issue
Issuers change their tune on structured note disclosures
Open to disclosure
Options cutting costs for some cross-currency swaps
Dealers found a way to protect some cross-currency swaps from heavy new capital requirements last year, by adding foreign exchange options into the structure – but the powers of the technique are limited. Matt Cameron reports
Sefs not expecting a big bang from Mat spark
As the Sef trading mandate arrives, platforms are primed for a jump in volumes – but with many clients currently avoiding Sefs, it may be a small bang, rather than a big one. Tom Osborn reports
Supervisors slam banks over 'top 20' counterparty results
After five years of work, a group of 19 big banks still get a failing grade from supervisors on their ability to pull together and report counterparty exposures. Is it all a question of cost? Fiona Maxwell reports
Bilateral compression takes off as banks tackle leverage
It used to mean the tearing-up of perfectly matching trades, but compression has become something bolder and more ambitious in recent months – at the same time, it has also become more confusing, and smaller banks fear they may have the wool pulled over…
The simple link from default to LGD
The simple link from default to LGD
US banks fear competitive impact of higher leverage ratio
US regulators have pledged to adopt the new Basel leverage ratio, but with higher minimums, sparking concerns that US banks will find it harder to compete in repo and other businesses. Lukas Becker reports
Options for collateral options
Options for collateral options
Hedge funds, leverage and mortgages: why Fannie and Freddie's new deals worry some experts
Hedge funds have been keen buyers of the new mortgage risk-sharing deals issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but as spreads have tightened, worries about leverage have grown. Some now argue mortgage finance requires a more stable source of capital. By…
Who is Timothy Massad?
He cooks, he’s quiet, he’s confident, and he will cope with everything Wall Street throws at him. That is the picture painted by former colleagues – and adversaries – of the US Treasury Department’s Timothy Massad, probable new chairman at the Commodity…
Banks have done too little, for too long on counterparty data
Regulators recently published the findings of a study of counterparty risk data at the world’s largest banks – it makes for depressing reading, says David Rowe, and is symptomatic of deeper problems plaguing the field of enterprise risk management.
WM Datenservice: "Emir was too fast"
Germany’s issuer of legal entity identifiers opened for business almost 12 months ago, but demand only surged in the weeks leading up to Europe’s February 12 reporting deadline
"What a mess": market reflects on start of Emir reporting
By any standards, Europe’s new reporting regime got off to a bad start. Many companies were not ready to comply; some repositories were not able to cope with those that were. Regulators, meanwhile, did not agree on what was in scope. Fiona Maxwell reports
People: RBS strategic review alarms senior staff, say recruiters
RBS expected to refocus on core businesses and home markets - investment bank could shrink further; new faces at the SEC; Mahmud takes top forex post at Citi; client execution hires at UBS; Aviva Investors replaces Ikram
Learning to share the swap market
Asset managers, hedge funds and proprietary trading shops all want access to platforms that currently serve dealers only - a test for rules on impartial access and, potentially, the start of a long-awaited revolution in over-the-counter markets. By…
Meet the new OTC market-makers
New swap trading platforms are often seen as a way of levering open the OTC market for a range of non-dealer market-makers – from opportunistic buy-side firms to aggressive Chicago prop shops. But how many of these firms are serious, and what difference…
In-depth introduction: Leverage ratio
Banks are under pressure to reduce the gross value of their derivatives portfolios, spurring greater use of bilateral compression exercises - and tougher standards in the US could put banks there under more pressure than their peers. By Lukas Becker
Massad stresses process and co-operation to senators
CFTC chairman nominee vows to follow APA
