Search Results
Conference Paper
Loss underreporting and the auditing role of bank exams
Using a unique set of banking data containing both originally reported and subsequently revised financial variables, we study the incidence of adverse revisions to accounting statements. As might be expected, our findings indicate banks are more likely to underreport financial losses when their financial performance is substandard. In addition, we provide evidence that supervisory exams have an important role in uncovering financial problems and ensuring bank accounting statements reflect them. Specifically, our estimations point to a significant auditing effect, through which exams can lead ...
Journal Article
Has the housing boom increased mortgage risk?
Journal Article
Between a rock and a hard place: the CRA-safety and soundness pinch
A statistical model of regulatory exam ratings provides evidence of conflict between Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) objectives, on one side, and safety and soundness standards, on the other. In his analysis of supervisory goals, Jeff Gunther finds that concentrating bank assets in loans and managing capital at relatively low levels tend to help CRA ratings while hurting CAMEL ratings. Also, banks with financial problems are more likely to receive substandard CRA ratings, even though a shift in resources away from CRA objectives may be necessary to facilitate financial recovery. These ...
Working Paper
Separating the likelihood and timing of bank failure
Report
Small Banks Squeezed
With consistent loan quality and resilient lending activity, community banks?and the traditional banking model they represent?can be a much-needed force for financial stability. Unfortunately, they?ve struggled to maintain market share, partly as a result of unintended consequences of public policy.
Report
Community Banks Withstand the Storm
Community banks, which rely on strong customer relationships and disciplined lending practices, weathered the financial crisis better than large, nontraditional banks. This superior performance suggests that a back-to-basics approach to banking could help the nation realize financial stability that lasts.
Journal Article
Financial statements and reality: do troubled banks tell all?
Each quarter, banks file a call report, or Report of Condition and Income, containing hundreds of accounting items pertaining to their financial condition. This article analyzes call report revisions to assess the extent to which regulatory exams promote accurate data. The findings indicate banks with new or emerging difficulties often significantly underreport these problems, intentionally or not. In addition, the findings point to a significant role for exams in uncovering financial problems and ensuring bank accounting statements reflect them. To the extent the loan-loss accounting in ...