Bank spread with uncertain deposit level and risk aversion

This paper derives a model of the banking firm under uncertainty and risk aversion. The selection of the bank's optimal spread between loan and deposit rates is emphasized. The model's results provide some implications for bank asset quality, capital regulation and deposit insurance. For example, it is shown that increases in the level of equity capital tend to increase the bank's spread under DARA. This implies an improvement in bank asset quality. On the other hand, as the deposit supply function becomes more volatile, the bank's spread narrows, which implies a decline in the quality of the bank's assets.