Dave Williams, Managing Director of S&P Capital IQ, talks about the different indicators used for credit evaluation. Credit ratings are a strong indicator of credit worthiness, but they are just one measure, which can create problems for credit managers looking for a holistic view of the counterparty risks they face. Indeed, singling out an individual [...]
by David Samuels, Managing Director, S&P Valuation and Risk Strategies In the wake of the financial crisis, banks across the world are having to reconsider their “risk appetites”. Current discussion on the banking crash has emphasised the idea that disaster may have been averted had bank boards exerted more top-down control. This conclusion is misleading [...]
Security over cash deposits in bank accounts: Are more Gray areas developing? By Amanda Jennings, partner, Dewey & LeBoeuf Taking security over bank accounts has been the subject of much court consideration over the years, largely focused upon whether, firstly, a charge over a cash deposit was legally possible and, secondly, whether that charge constituted [...]
Banking Times Q&A qith Damian Burleigh, managing director, S&P Valuation and Risk Strategies 1. What impact has the financial crisis and subsequent activity – such as bond issuance levels and the downgrading of Greece’s credit rating – had on fixed income trading volumes and demand for market data? Initially, the European bond market’s reaction to [...]
The recent changes introduced by the OFT in a bid to arrest the inefficiencies of the cash ISA market have been heartily welcomed by Consumer Focus, which has described the measures as the first step towards dragging the UK’s £158bn cash ISA market into the 21st century. Consumers could stand to save £14.5m by the [...]
As Deaf Awareness Week begins running from 28 June – 4 July), the RNID is encouraging banks and other financial services firms to ensure that they are providing full accessibility to those in the UK who are hard of hearing or deaf. With 9 million Britons in this position, they present a substantial proportion of [...]
New rules issued by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) have been welcomed by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). The rules pertain to mortgage advice, and seek to guarantee that those who offer such advice will be held accountable for their professional guidance. The FSA’s new rules will dictate how mortgage advisers and those who arrange [...]
New research from customer insight and database marketing specialist GI Insight has revealed that customers believe their banks have done a good job of getting to know them. This compares relatively well with other sectors (such as car manufacturers and estate agents), who have yet to engage to the same degree as the banks. The [...]
Investment manager Brewin Dolphin, which manages £23bn for more than 130,000 clients, has responded to the Coalition Government’s Budget, held earlier today. Executive Chairman Jamie Matheson has said that the retention of the annual free allowance for capital gains tax (CGT) will be met with relief on all sides. Many savers will continue to pay [...]
Metro Bank will become the first new bank on the high street in more than a century when it opens its doors on 29th July. The newcomer has indicated it intends to put customer service at the heart of its offering, and that it hopes to be the most convenient and pleasant place to bank. [...]
On 22 June the new Coalition Government is set to change the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) regime, potentially adversely affecting a large number of small investors and prudent savers, Brewin Dolphin has warned. Brewin Dolphin has called for the Government to proceed carefully, and to consider keeping the capital gains tax allowance at £10,000, taking [...]
Actimize, part of NICE Systems and provider of a single financial crime, risk and compliance software platform for the financial services industry, has issued a warning to the banking sector that it may have insufficient protection against fraud related to this year’s World Cup. A spike in fraudulent activity occurred when the FIFA World Cup [...]
Actimize AML specialist Joe Longoria argues that commercial and ethical imperatives compel institutions to make sure accurate data is disclosed for AML and counter-terrorism purposes. Section 314(a) of the US Patriot Act was a milestone in the fight against terrorist financing and money laundering. Since 2002, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement [...]
This is a strange recession. Few people expected that it would take the shape of a narrow ‘V’ and, despite the hope that recovery will continue there is still a residual fear that problems remain. Given the level of corporate debt and the depth of decline many people predicted that there would be more corporate [...]
In this article, James West, a director in the new Valuation & Risk Strategies group at Standard & Poor’s Fixed Income Risk Management Services division, discusses the findings from the latest survey into structured finance market participants’ valuation assumptions and methodologies. The results from the latest Valuation Consensus survey imply that investors are now more [...]
In this article, Peter Jones, global head of Valuation Scenario Services at Standard & Poor’s Fixed Income Risk Management Services (FIRMS) division, considers the valuation challenges facing the structured finance markets and shares the results of an ongoing survey into participants’ valuation input assumptions and methodologies Structured finance markets have predominantly been characterised by infrequent [...]
