News/Regulation
Basel II won’t affect most US banks, central banker says
The Basel II bank capital Accord will have virtually no effect on most US banks, US Federal Reserve Board vice-chairman Roger Ferguson said today.
Primus lures in Swiss Re’s Schaumann plus other key staff
Hilmar Schaumann, a senior credit derivatives trader for Swiss Re in New York, has quit the firm to join Primus Financial Products, a wholesale provider of credit risk protection.
US minimum bank asset ratios suggested for larger banks
European banking supervisors might follow the example of US regulators and develop the concept of well-capitalised banks with higher minimum protective capital than required under the Basel bank capital adequacy Accord, according to some European…
Rates Markets Update: Swap activity dominated by interest rate speculation
Euro swap rates pushed up following increased expectations of an early European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate hike this week. Two-year swap yields rose by around 10 basis points on the week, five-year yields moved up 6bp, and 10-year to 30-year yields…
S&P alters its core earning methodology
Standard & Poor’s has reacted to criticism of its corporate rating methodology by changing its system for evaluating corporate earnings in the future. The New York-based rating agency will focus on core earnings – roughly defined as after-tax earnings…
Prosecutions of Enron staff highly unlikely, says ex-employee
A senior ex-Enron employee at the heart of the scandal that led to history's largest corporate bankruptcy told RiskNews' sister publication Energy & Power Risk Management that he expects no prosecution to be brought against Enron staff.
Credit Markets Update: Key investment grade names see sharp widening
The cost of protection on a number of European investment-grade names, including France Telecom, Fiat and Repsol, remained high on the credit derivatives market this week, as their spreads widened to more than 400 basis points.
OTC derivatives volumes up 11%, says BIS
Outstanding notional volumes for the over-the-counter derivatives market stood at $111 trillion at end-December 2001 – an 11% increase from the end of June 2001, according to the latest statistics released by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Risk managers leapfrog lending officers in bank hierarchy, says Greenspan
US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said risk managers are now overtaking loan officers in the decision-making hierarchy at financial institutions, with new quantitative risk management techniques a key factor behind this transition.
Regulators to review abolition of Basel II op risk floor
Global banking regulators have asked their technical experts to look at the conditions necessary to eliminate the floor limiting gains for banks using advanced approaches to measuring operational risk under Basel II.
‘Witch hunt’ by regulators hits energy investor confidence
Current investigations by regulators into as many as 150 energy companies after the crises of California and Enron, amount to a ‘witch hunt’, according to a senior executive at Dynegy.
Average 10% cut in SME loan charges possible under Basel II
Loans to smaller businesses under the Basel II bank Accord would on average require 10% less protective capital than loans to larger companies under plans being worked on by global banking regulators.
$7.3 billion in risk transferred in first index-linked synthetic CDO
JP Morgan Chase's groundbreaking index-linked synthetic collateralised debt obligation (CDO) transaction, dubbed Horizon, has transferred $7.3 billion in risk - making it one of the largest-ever synthetic CDOs. The bank had previously refused to disclose…
FSA proposes new capital adequacy framework
Britain’s principal business regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), is seeking comments on its proposed capital adequacy framework, which is designed to more closely align the amount of capital a company holds with the risks it takes.
No “new role” for RCC in Japanese NPL clean-up, claims ING
The decision by Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial (MTFG) to step up its sell-off of bad loans to the Resolution and Collection Corporation (RCC) will have little tangible effect on cleaning up Japanese financial institutions’ burgeoning non-performing loans …
FX volatility drought clears as US dollar softens
The volatility drought in the forex markets could be over, market participants told RiskNews ' sister publication FX Week , as sustained losses in the US dollar last week brought currency pairs out of the narrow ranges they have traded since the start of…
Rates Markets Update: Swap flows increase on economic news
Dollar-swaps saw big flows this week following a US Treasury announcement on Monday that it plans to borrow $120 billion to cover its budget shortfall. Ten-year swap spreads had come in from 57.5 basis points at the start of the week to 52bp midweek,…
Hedge funds open to retail investors in HK
A new ruling by Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) today will allow retail investors in the Special Administrative Region to buy hedge funds from the third quarter of this year.
UK's FSA to tackle operational risk
The UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) today launched its whistle-blowing initiative, designed to encourage financial industry workers to make disclosures about malpractice in the workplace.
San Paolo plans to launch first Italian single-manager hedge fund
Obiettivo SGR, a subsidiary of Italian banking organisation San Paolo IMI, plans to become the first single-manager hedge fund launched in Italy.