Operational risk
WHAT IS THIS? Operational risks are those arising from people, processes and systems – the biggest form of exposure for many industries, but one that was neglected by financial firms until the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995. It was added to the Basel capital framework in 2004, but attempts to model operational risk were dealt a heavy blow by the huge, unforeseen losses suffered by banks in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
Goldman’s op RWAs climb $13bn on 1MDB settlement
Bank settled with Malaysian government for $2.5 billion in July
Op risk data: Goldman 1MDB settlement swells 2020 loss tally
Also: Deutsche fined over Epstein KYC failings; collateral fraud in focus. Data by ORX News
Covid forces banks to focus on vendor risk
Firms eyeing financial well-being of critical suppliers, and seeking alternatives
Fed’s approach to stressing op risk frustrates banks
Regulator’s stress test results overshoot banks’ numbers, threatening capital plans
Benchmarking operational risk stress testing models
This paper outlines several approaches to benchmarking operational loss projections under stressed scenarios using both accounting metrics and historical loss experience.
What is essential is invisible to the eye: prioritizing near misses to prevent future disasters
Near misses represent a primary information source to analyze the operational risk exposure of a company, since they can reveal gaps in the control environment. The model proposed in this paper aims at identifying the most dangerous events that could…
Investors rethink ops resilience for a pandemic-proof future
Shift to remote working sees asset managers focus on comms, tech and cyber risks
Op risk data: losses plummet during lockdown
Also: Wirecard dominates legacy losses; SEB hit with massive AML fine. Data by ORX News
Lawmakers have to sort ‘tough legacy’ Libor products – survey
Challenges agreeing contract amendments and lack of term rates for the risk-free alternatives are also barriers to transition
Strategic and technology risks: the case of Co-operative Bank
This paper studies the growth by acquisition strategy embarked upon by a mid-sized UK bank, the Co-operative Bank; this strategy was a disaster, leaving a heretofore successful bank in dire trouble and on the block for buyers at a substantial discount to…
Risk Live playback: BlackRock’s Fishwick on buy-side risk
BlackRock’s co-head of risk discusses challenges facing firms today, including compliance and op risks
An emergent taxonomy for operational risk: capturing the wisdom of crowds
In this paper, the author takes a data-driven approach and combines the individual active taxonomies of sixty large financial institutions (fifty-eight for construction and two for validation) to create a coherent new reference taxonomy: the ORX…
Banks eye post-pandemic shake-up of op risk scenarios
Firms seek better handle on impact of global shocks, and hope to avert regulatory attention
How UBS kept workers plugged in during the pandemic
Swiss bank’s A3 virtual desktop system offers a blueprint for remote working
Esma calls for full audits of cloud providers
Regulator says firms must negotiate access rights to books and premises of providers
Op risk data: Morgan Stanley falls foul of Dutch tax office
Also: JP Morgan settles crypto fees class action; banks debate Covid-19 scenarios. Data by ORX News
Data error inflated Wells Fargo’s op risk capital by $5 billion
Sharp fall in Q1 RWAs followed removal of duplicate data
Mental health: the new frontline for risk management
Rise in stress and anxiety among locked-down staff could open up banks to range of risks
Though Covid crisis rages, US banks’ op RWAs fall
Wells Fargo sees op RWAs fall $2.9 billion
Investors trade the drama out of the crisis
How LGIM, Axa IM, Manulife and other buy-siders tackled the toughest markets since 2008
Big banks worry small lenders could derail Libor switch
As UK regulator reiterates 2021 warning, dealers say Covid-19 is forcing smaller lenders to divert resources
Op risk data: IBK snagged in money-laundering ops to Iran
Also: foul play called on Hapoalim’s football bribery scheme. Data by ORX News
Banks race to adapt AML systems for the coronavirus age
Lenders expect regulatory lashing if controls fail to keep pace with changes in criminal behaviour