Political Influence and the Banking Sector: Evidence from Korea*

This paper uses panel data to compare the performance of Korean banks with and without effective government control of the appointment of chief operating officers. A privatization programme succeeded in spreading ownership of banks widely among the public, but government retention of an ownership stake in an institution meant de facto control by government. Despite charging lower loan rates, banks controlled by government experience higher bad loans ratios. This is in line with expectations of regulatory forbearance and government protection for recipients of political loans. Banks controlled by government are less efficient than privately controlled banks and bad loan variables are higher at banks with lower efficiency scores.     

Shadow Banking,Chinese Style

Shadow banks are broadly defined as entities which conduct credit intermediation outside the formal banking system. Poorly regulated, engaging in opaque forms of intermediation, deeply interconnected with the official banking system, and operating with implicit government guarantees, they pose a major source of systemic risk. Yet shadow banks provide an important service by channeling credit to excluded investors, and can complement the formal banking sector. What explains the rapid proliferation of shadow banks in China? How large are they and what forms do they take? What types of risks do they pose to the financial system? And how best can China utilise the services of shadow banks while at the same time ensuring that they do not create systemic risks for the financial system?     

Employee perceptions of performance appraisals: a comparative study on Indian banks

Performance appraisal is the most critical human resource practice and an indispensable part of every organization; however, the practice continues to generate dissatisfaction among employees and is often viewed as unfair and ineffective. Indian banking sector is one of the biggest and fastest growing financial service sectors. The post-liberalization era has witnessed significant changes in the structure and operations of banks operating in India. Arrival of new private and foreign banks has given a cause to public sector banks to be more competitive, effective and innovative in their approach. Past researches have compared public and private sector banks and have indicated that new private sector banks are outscoring public sector banks in terms of technical and economic efficiency parameters. However, no study could be found that compared public and private banks in India on fairness perceptions of performance appraisal system. Therefore, this research studied the differences between public and private sector banks with respect to perception of fairness of the performance appraisal system and performance appraisal satisfaction. Perception of fairness of the performance appraisal system has been studied through nine factors. The study used independent samples t-test and qualitative analysis to study the mean differences between the two banks. Results indicated that private sector bank employees perceive greater fairness and satisfaction with their performance appraisal system as compared to public sector bank employees.     

Regulation Avoidance in the Banking Industry: The Case of 364 Day Lines of Credit

The purpose of this case is to offer a demonstration of Kane's regulatory dialectic and to discuss a line of credit that is a result of the interaction between the regulators and the regulated. Banks have been affected by new capital requirements. Calculation of these requirements considers not only on-balance sheet activities but off-balance sheet activities. Prior to these requirements, banks issued one year lines of credit for 365 days. These lines of credit have since been replaced with 364 day lines of credit. With maturity less than one year, the percentage of lines of credit considered in the calculations for required capital is reduced from 50% to 20%. Lines of credit are well established financial instruments and there is no reason, other than the changes in regulations, to make banks change the maturity dates by one day.     

The Effect of Financial Liberalization on the Efficiency of Financial Institutions: The Case of Jordanian Commercial Banks

SUMMARY

Jordan undertook major financial sector liberalization starting in the early of 1990s. The effect of this reform on the efficiency of the banking sector is evaluated. A non-parametric method of Data Development Analysis (DEA) has been used to arrive at the efficiency scores for a panel data sample covering eight Jordanian commercial banks over the period 1984 to 2001. The findings suggest that liberalization program was followed by an observable increase in efficiency. Another finding of the study is that large banks demonstrated the faster productivity growth during the liberalization. The study has important implications such as guiding the government policy regarding deregulation and liberalization.     

The impact of government intervention on the stabilization of domestic financial markets and on U.S. banks’ asset composition

The 2007–2009 financial crisis that evolved from various factors including the housing boom, aggressive lending activity, financial innovation, and increased access to money and capital markets prompted unprecedented U.S. government intervention in the financial sector. We examine changes in banks’ balance sheet composition associated with U.S. government intervention during the crisis. We find that the initial round of quantitative easing positively impacts bank liquidity across all bank samples. Our results show a positive impact of repurchase agreement market rates on bank liquidity for small and medium banks. We conclude that banks have become more liquid in the post-crisis period, especially the larger banks (large and money center banks). We show that real estate loan portfolio exposures have reverted to pre-crisis levels for money center banks and remained flat for all other bank samples.     

The effect of scale and mode of ownership on the financial performance of the Turkish banking sector: results of a DEA-based analysis

Turkey and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to a stand-by arrangement at the outset of 2000. Consequently, Turkey implemented an exchange-rate based stabilization program to combat its high inflation. However, two financial crises followed: one in November, 2000 and the other in February, 2001. As the result some banks became problematic. This necessitated restructuring of the banking sector to increase its financial efficiency.This paper presents a financial performance index for commercial banks. The index allows one to observe the effects of scale and of the mode of ownership (public/domestic, private/domestic/foreign) on bank behavior and, therefore, on bank performance in a developing economy. It documents the effects of financial liberalization, cross-country movements, and the impact of financial crises originating in neighboring countries e.g. Russia. The study applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to selected fundamental financial ratios using 1989-99 data from commercial banks in Turkey. Year-by-year results explain the effects on this sector of major shifts in both national macro-economic policy and various international developments. The banks that were taken over by the regulatory government agency most recently in the analyzed period were observed to perform poorly with respect to their DEA performance index values.     

Asset price volatility and banks

This paper examines the operation of Diamond–Dybvig banks when depositors have access to the asset market. Previous studies have shown that banks are redundant in this environment since it is impossible to prevent the strategic withdrawals. This paper shows that the strategic withdrawals can be prevented if the market risk, due to asset price volatility, is considered. Banks provide deterministic returns to the depositors since the aggregate withdrawals are predictable, and therefore, banks can choose the portfolio such that no asset liquidation is involved. However, an individual consumer with stochastic liquidity need is vulnerable to the price volatility if he holds the asset directly. Therefore, banks improve the consumers’ welfare by providing the insurance against not only the liquidity shock but also the market risk. Banks are not redundant.     

PHILANTHROPY AND ENTERPRISE IN THE BRITISH CREDIT UNION MOVEMENT

Through the 1990s hundreds of credit unions were established to serve indebted communities throughout Britain. These volunteer-run financial co-operatives did not meet growth expectations because of restrictive legislation, inadequate development models and well-intentioned but unproductive state intervention. British credit unions are more successful when they develop as market-oriented social enterprises able to build effective partnerships with banks, government and the private sector to serve low-income communities.     

Emergence of a core-periphery structure in a simple dynamic model of the interbank market

This paper studies a simple dynamic model of interbank credit relationships. Starting from a given balance sheet structure of a banking system with a realistic distribution of bank sizes, the necessity of establishing interbank credit connections emerges from idiosyncratic liquidity shocks. Banks initially choose potential trading partners randomly, but over time form preferential relationships via an elementary reinforcement learning algorithm. As it turns out, the dynamic evolution of this system displays a formation of a core-periphery structure with mainly the largest banks assuming the roles of money center banks mediating between the liquidity needs of many smaller banks. Statistical analysis shows that this evolving interbank market shares the majority of the salient characteristics of interbank credit relationship that have been put forth in recent literature. Preferential interest rates for borrowers with strong attachment to a lender may prevent the system from becoming extortionary and guarantee the survival of the small peripherical banks.     

转换成本、网络规模与信用卡产业竞争策略比较

近年来，我国信用卡产业呈现出市场集中度逐年下降的趋势。信用卡市场的竞争融合了网络效应、兼容性及转换成本等因素，而在兼容性一定的环境下，不同银行的竞争策略往往不同。本文通过防降价均衡模型估计出2010—2012年我国九家上市银行的信用卡转换成本，并对网络规模扩张、转换成本定位以及竞争成效等进行分组比较。结果表明，股份制商业银行利用较低的转换成本吸引新客户，实现了更高的业务规模增长率；四大国有商业银行则利用高转换成本锁定其已有客户，并以高速扩张网络规模来竞争新客户，使其同股份制商业银行的业务规模增长率差异逐年下降。这说明网络产业中不同市场地位的厂商可将转换成本定位与网络规模扩张作为差异化策略，以此实现竞争优势。     

Risky bank lending and countercyclical capital buffers

We study the properties of a monetary economy with an essential role for risky bank lending. Banks issue deposits and lend to entrepreneurs. Because banks׳ lending rate cannot be made contingent on aggregate shocks, and because banks face capital adequacy regulations, they require a capital buffer against loan losses. Capital adequacy regulations are modeled on the Basel-III rules, including a minimum capital adequacy ratio, an endogenous capital conservation buffer, and a countercyclical capital buffer. We find that a countercyclical capital buffer leads to a significant increase in welfare. It also reduces the need for countercyclical adjustments in policy interest rates.     

商业银行发展碳金融业务的对策研究

当前,碳金融业务在国外银行业中的发展已日趋成熟,而在我国银行业中的发展却相对滞后。在研究国外银行业碳金融业务现状的基础上,运用SWOT法分析商业银行发展碳金融业务的优劣势、机会和威胁,并得出相关对策:一方面充分发挥优势;另一方面应加强政府扶持、健全碳交易市场,拓宽业务领域,防范业务风险,注重人才培养。     

On bank privatization: The case of Egypt

This paper discusses the controversy regarding the privatization of the banking sector in Egypt. It provides an overview of the structure and evolution of the banking system, in the context of the series of reform measures undertaken by the Egyptian authorities over the past decades. The paper assesses the performance of the state-owned banks versus private banks over the period 1995–2005. Microprudential indicators, such as capital adequacy, asset quality, earnings, and profitability, reveal that state-owned banks lag behind in terms of efficiency and performance, compared to their private counterparts. Results also suggest that retaining government ownership can adversely affect banks performance. The paper explores the factors hindering the smooth implementation of bank privatization. The authors indicate that the financial sector reform currently adopted is comprehensive; however it is confronted with various political, social, and economic risks, which raise concerns regarding its sustainability. The paper then draws on the existing literature to provide guidance to policy makers, regarding effective and successful implementation of bank privatization.     

Liquidity,bank runs,and fire sales under local thinking

We examine the implications on banking crises when markets are populated by agents that neglect tail risks and form expectations conditioned on a favorable subset of possible states of the economy. We find that optimal bank liquidity is lower than would be the case under rational expectations, and, consequently, the banking system is more vulnerable to adverse shocks, which lead to bank runs. Asset pledgeability of surviving banks is also affected so that their capacity to raise external funds for purchasing assets of distressed banks is weakened. Further, we examine the case when asset returns are correlated through securitization. In this case adverse shocks are felt uniformly across the banking sector and banks that survive with the help of a public liquidity backstop will become risk-averse and reluctant to purchase distressed assets. Finally, we explore a government funded asset purchase program, that is implemented with an asset price target.     

上市商业银行股权结构与经营绩效的实证研究

银行业在国民经济中发挥了极其重要的作用,研究商业银行经营绩效问题具有重要的现实意义。而其中,股权结构对银行绩效有着重要影响。文章采用因子分析法,通过回归分析得出上市银行股权结构与经营绩效关系的结论。进一步分析原因并联系实际,提出改善我国上市银行股权结构的相关政策建议。     

Bank failure prediction models: for the developing and developed countries

Banks make good use of capital and have characteristics different from profit businesses. Mismanagement causes collapse, which negatively affects investors, depositors, and employees, and disrupts economic order. Consequences may also affect other industries, triggering financial distress. Therefore, evaluating operational risks in banks and developing an early warning system are critical. This study evaluates data from 858 international banks (including banking holding companies) from 2005 to 2008 and applies a logistic model to analyze critical factors. Results show that equity-to-assets (ETA) and interest income – interest expense/income (NIN) had negative relationships with financial distress. Banks accept deposits and make loans. A higher proportion of NIN shows stable business volume, which could avert financial distress. Therefore, ETA and NIN were indicative of banking financial distress and best predicted trends in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and European Union (EU) banks.     

INTERCHANGE FEES IN PAYMENT CARD SYSTEMS: A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract This paper surveys the recent literature about interchange fees in payment card systems. Interchange fees are used by payment platforms to allocate the total cost of a payment card transaction between the cardholder's bank, the issuer, and the merchant's bank, the acquirer. Each time a consumer pays by card, its bank receives an interchange fee from the merchants' bank. Banks argue that interchange fees are needed to encourage the use of electronic payment instruments, whereas merchants claim that they artificially inflate the cost of accepting cards. This paper sheds light on the ongoing debate that opposes banks to the regulatory institutions or the competition authorities in various countries, by reviewing the theoretical results of the literature and highlighting some unanswered issues.     

金融发展的路径依赖与利率市场化

我国金融改革虽然取得了一定的成绩,但仍未突破以银行为主导的金融发展路径,存贷款利差扩大成为利率市场化的阻碍因素。本文运用金融发展的路径依赖理论对此进行了分析,指出在实行赶超型金融发展战略中,为不被旧的路径锁定,使利率市场化顺利进行,减少金融改革中银行业的风险,必须在既有路径中边发展边修正改造,变银行主导型为资本市场主导型金融体系,促使政府主导的供给型金融向市场主导的需求尾随型金融转变。     

Are small firms really credit constrained? Empirical evidence from Kosova

This article uses firm level data from an SME survey conducted by Riinvest Institute in 2006 in order to examine the determinants of obtaining bank finance conditional upon applying. The results of the survey show that not all the firms receive credit they apply for, suggesting a slight excess of demand over supply of credit. Unlike some other studies in transition economies this article corrects for sample selection bias. Econometric evidence indicates that commercial banks base their decision to loan firms primarily on the basis of collateral. Well performing firms are more likely to ask for credit because of better business prospects in the future, but profitability as a measure of firm performance does not seem to be sufficient signaling for banks in order to allocate credits. Banks seems to prefer more to secure themselves from likely opportunistic behavior of potentially “bad borrowers” with use of collateral. Findings are in line with theoretical and empirical arguments that systematic use of collateral can mitigate the adverse selection by banks in choosing whom to allocate the credit especially in country with turbulent political environment and weak property right system. However, unlike other studies findings suggest that the rhetoric of financial constraints to some extent has been exaggerated in a transition context.