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Even the cuddliest, most regulator-friendly banks need to do plenty of maturity transformation. It’s right there at the top of the list marked “what banks are for”. But regulators are doing their best to legislate it out of existence in the banking and insurance system. Where else can we look?
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Taiwanese lenders pushing borrowers to increase the interest rates on their deals have the right idea. But they should get aggressive earlier in the process, using their bargaining power more strongly when it comes to the definition of market disruption clauses — and pricing.
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A rush of liability management exercises has highlighted the pressure banks are under to generate core capital quickly. But they should be careful not to lose sight of long term goals too.
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Last week saw a landmark event in covered bonds, with the first two Australian deals coming to market. But the new asset class has arrived stillborn. A rush to issue in spite of weak conditions has ruined the prospects for other deals.
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The ECB’s second purchase programme was one week old last Friday, having taken its first faltering steps on November 11. Its progress has been far from heartening.
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Without German support, it looks like the idea of a European guarantor syndicate idea has failed to get off the ground. Germany needs to shoulder its responsibility as the eurozone’s strongest economy. Otherwise the ailing eurozone will be beyond help.
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The European Commission has had it in for ratings agencies for some time. It misguidedly apportions at least some of the blame for the region’s sovereign debt woes on sovereign rating actions. Its revenge is an attempt to decrease the agencies’ influence. Some of its aims are good but cack-handed implementation may bring a whole new set of risks.
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Afme’s response to the capital calibrations in Solvency II doesn’t inspire much confidence in the European Commission. On optimistic assumptions, their drafting has been thoughtless rather than malicious, but neither possibility is pleasing. What else is slipping through the net?
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Regulators, investors and banks have painted themselves into an undercapitalised corner. But this isn’t a way out of the present deleveraging and bad asset bind. Countercyclical requirements are a tough political sell but not a bad solution.
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European banks have plenty of good assets, and US treasuries know it. It's time to connect the dots — and Barclays is showing the way.