10-09-2014, 10:22 AM
RISK MANAGEMENT IN BANKING SECTOR AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
RISK MANAGEMENT.pdf (Size: 206.76 KB / Downloads: 422)
ABSTRACT
Risk Management is the application of proactive strategy to plan, lead, organize, and
control the wide variety of risks that are rushed into the fabric of an organization„s daily and
long-term functioning. Like it or not, risk has a say in the achievement of our goals and
in the overall success of an organization. Present paper is to make an attempt to identify the risks
faced by the banking industry and the process of risk management. This paper also examined the
different techniques adopted by banking industry for risk management. To achieve the objectives
of the study data has been collected from secondary sources i.e., from Books, journals and online
publications, identified various risks faced by the banks, developed the process of risk
management and analyzed different risk management techniques. Finally it can be concluded
that the banks should take risk more consciously, anticipates adverse changes and hedges
accordingly, it becomes a source of competitive advantage, and efficient management of the
banking industry
INTRODUCTION
Risk is defined as anything that can create hindrances in the way of achievement of certain
objectives. It can be because of either internal factors or external factors, depending upon the
type of risk that exists within a particular situation. Exposure to that risk can make a situation
more critical. A better way to deal with such a situation; is to take certain proactive measures to
identify any kind of risk that can result in undesirable outcomes. In simple terms, it can be said
that managing a risk in advance is far better than waiting for its occurrence.
Risk Management is a measure that is used for identifying, analyzing and then responding to a
particular risk. It is a process that is continuous in nature and a helpful tool in decision making
process. According to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Risk
Management is not just used for ensuring the reduction of the probability of bad happenings but
it also covers the increase in likeliness of occurring good things. A model called “Prospect
Theory” states that a person is more likely to take on the risk than to suffer a sure loss.
PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH
Risk Analysis and Risk Management has got much importance in the Indian Economy
during this liberalization period. The foremost among the challenges faced by the banking sector
today is the challenge of understanding and managing the risk. The very nature of the
banking business is having the threat of risk imbibed in it. Banks' main role is intermediation
between those having resources and those requiring resources. For management of risk at
corporate level, various risks like credit risk, market risk or operational risk have to be
converted into one composite measure. Therefore, it is necessary that measurement of
operational risk should be in tandem with other measurements of credit and market risk
so that the requisite composite estimate can be worked out. So, regarding to international
banking rule (Basel Committee Accords) and RBI guidelines the investigation of risk analysis
and risk management in banking sector is being most important.
OBJECTIVES THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of the study.
i. To identify the risks faced by the banking industry.
ii. To trace out the process and system of risk management.
iii. To examine the techniques adopted by banking industry for risk management
TYPES OF RISKS IN BANKING SECTOR
In view of growing complexity of banks„ business and the dynamic operating
environment, risk management has become very significant, especially in the financial
sector. Risk at the apex level may be visualized as the probability of a banks„ financial health
being impaired due to one or more contingent factors. While the parameters indicating
the banks„ health may vary from net interest margin to market value of equity, the factor
which can cause the important are also numerous. For instance, these could be default in
repayment of loans by borrowers, change in value of assets or disruption of operation
due to reason like technological failure. While the first two factors may be classified as
credit risk and market risk, generally banks have all risks excluding the credit risk and market
risk as operational risk.
Credit Risk
Credit Risk is the potential that a bank borrower/counter party fails to meet the obligations on
agreed terms. There is always scope for the borrower to default from his commitments for one or
the other reason resulting in crystalisation of credit risk to the bank. These losses could take the
form outright default or alternatively, losses from changes in portfolio value arising from actual
or perceived deterioration in credit quality that is short of default. Credit risk is inherent to the
business of lending funds to the operations linked closely to market risk variables. The objective
of credit risk management is to minimize the risk and maximize bank‟s risk adjusted rate of
return by assuming and maintaining credit exposure within the acceptable parameters.
The management of credit risk includes
a) Measurement through credit rating/ scoring,
b) Quantification through estimate of expected loan losses,
c) Pricing on a scientific basis and
d) Controlling through effective Loan Review Mechanism and Portfolio Management
TOOLS OF CREDIT RISK MANAGEMENT
The instruments and tools, through which credit risk management is carried out, are detailed
below:
a) Exposure Ceilings: Prudential Limit is linked to Capital Funds – say 15% for individual
borrower entity, 40% for a group with additional 10% for infrastructure projects undertaken by
the group, Threshold limit is fixed at a level lower than Prudential Exposure; Substantial
Exposure, which is the sum total of the exposures beyond threshold limit should not exceed
600% to 800% of the Capital Funds of the bank (i.e. six to eight times).
b) Review/Renewal: Multi-tier Credit Approving Authority, constitution wise delegation of
powers, Higher delegated powers for better-rated customers; discriminatory time schedule for
review/renewal, Hurdle rates and Bench marks for fresh exposures and periodicity for renewal
based on risk rating, etc are formulated.
NON - FINANCIAL RISK
Non- financial risk refers to those risks that may affect a bank's business growth, marketability
of its product and services, likely failure of its strategies aimed at business growth etc. These
risks may arise on account of management failures, competition, non- availability of suitable
products/services, external factors etc. In these risk operational and strategic risk have a great
need of consideration.
OPERATIONAL RISK
Always banks live with the risks arising out of human error, financial fraud and natural disasters.
The recent happenings such as WTC tragedy, Barings debacle etc. has highlighted the potential
losses on account of operational risk. Exponential growth in the use of technology and increase
in global financial inter-linkages are the two primary changes that contributed to such risks.
Operational risk, though defined as any risk that is not categorized as market or credit risk, is the
risk of loss arising from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or from
external events. In order to mitigate this, internal control and internal audit systems are used as
the primary means.
Risk education for familiarizing the complex operations at all levels of staff can also reduce
operational risk. Insurance cover is one of the important mitigators of operational risk.
Operational risk events are associated with weak links in internal control procedures. The key to
management of operational risk lies in the bank‟s ability to assess its process for vulnerability
and establish controls as well as safeguards while providing for unanticipated worst-case
scenarios
PROCESS OF RISK MANAGEMENT
To overcome the risk and to make banking function well, there is a need to manage all kinds of
risks associated with the banking. Risk management becomes one of the main functions of any
banking services risk management consists of identifying the risk and controlling them, means
keeping the risk at acceptable level. These levels differ from institution to institution and
country to country. The basic objective of risk management is to stakeholders; value by
maximising the profit and optimizing the capital funds for ensuring long term solvency of the
banking organisation. In the process of risk management following functions comprises
TECHNIQUES OF RISK MANAGEMENT
GAP Analysis
It is an interest rate risk management tool based on the balance sheet which focuses on the
potential variability of net-interest income over specific time intervals. In this method a maturity/
re-pricing schedule that distributes interest-sensitive assets, liabilities, and off-balance sheet
positions into time bands according to their maturity (if fixed rate) or time remaining to their
next re-pricing (if floating rate), is prepared. These schedules are then used to generate indicators
of interest-rate sensitivity of both earnings and economic value to changing interest rates. After
choosing the time intervals, assets and liabilities are grouped into these time buckets according to
maturity (for fixed rates) or first possible re-pricing time (for flexible rate s). The assets and
liabilities that can be re-priced are called rate sensitive assets (RSAs) and rate sensitive liabilities
(RSLs) respectively. Interest sensitive gap (DGAP) reflects the differences between the volume
of rate sensitive asset and the volume of rate sensitive liability and given by,
GAP = RSAs – RSLs
The information on GAP gives the management an idea about the effects on net-income due to
changes in the interest rate. Positive GAP indicates that an increase in future interest rate would
increase the net interest income as the change in interest income is greater than the change in
interest expenses and vice versa. (Cumming and Beverly, 2001)
Duration-GAP Analysis
It is another measure of interest rate risk and managing net interest income derived by taking into
consideration all individual cash inflows and outflows. Duration is value and time weighted
measure of maturity of all cash flows and represents the average time needed to recover the
invested funds. Duration analysis can be viewed as the elasticity of the market value of an
instrument with respect to interest rate. Duration gap (DGAP) reflects the differences in the
timing of asset and liability cash flows and given by, DGAP = DA - u DL. Where DA is the
average duration of the assets, DL is the average duration of liabilities, and u is the
liabilities/assets ratio. When interest rate increases by comparable amounts, the market value of
assets decrease more than that of liabilities resulting in the decrease in the market value of
equities and expected net-interest income and vice versa. (Cumming and Beverly, 2001)
CONCLUSIONS
The following are the conclusions of the study.
Risk management underscores the fact that the survival of an organization depends heavily
on its capabilities to anticipate and prepare for the change rather than just waiting for the
change and react to it.
The objective of risk management is not to prohibit or prevent risk taking activity, but to
ensure that the risks are consciously taken with full knowledge, clear purpose and
understanding so that it can be measured and mitigated.
Functions of risk management should actually be bank specific dictated by the size and
quality of balance sheet, complexity of functions, technical/ professional manpower and the
status of MIS in place in that bank.
Risk Management Committee, Credit Policy Committee, Asset Liability Committee, etc are
such committees that handle the risk management aspects.
The banks can take risk more consciously, anticipates adverse changes and hedges
accordingly; it becomes a source of competitive advantage, as it can offer its products at a
better price than its competitors.
Regarding use of risk management techniques, it is found that internal rating system and risk
adjusted rate of return on capital are important.
The effectiveness of risk measurement in banks depends on efficient Management
Information System, computerization and net working of the branch activities.