Thesis (M.Sc.)(Mathematics and Applied Mathematics)) -- University of Pretoria, 2008.

The Basel Committee has released a consultative document (Basel (2003)) on the management and supervision of interest rate risk (IRR). This document outlines a standardised model to calculate a duration-based proxy for IRR in depository institution balance sheets. We utilise this methodology to define an IRR measure which we denote BIRRM (Basel Interest Rate Risk Measure). It is the change in the value of a financial institution produced by a 200 basis-point increase in interest rates at all maturities, relative to Tier I and Tier II capital. This study has three primary objectives. Firstly, we utilise BIRRM to provide an overview of IRR exposure of Australian Credit Unions and Building Societies (CUBS) over the period September 1997 to September 2007. Secondly, we seek an understanding of the relationship between BIRRM and measures of CUBS' interest rate sensitivity over a period of rising interest rates (December 1998 to September 2000) and another period of falling rates (September 2000 to December 2001). Finally, we seek an understanding of the economic factors that influence IRR exposure decisions of CUBS by modelling the determinants of CUBS' IRR exposure. We find that IRR exposure of CUBS is relatively low and, on average, CUBS are exposed to falling interest rates. We also find significant relationships between BIRRM and measures of CUBS' interest rates sensitivity consistent with a priori expectations, supporting the use of the Basel Committee's measure of IRR in identifying CUBS with large IRR exposures. The models examining the determinants of CUBS' IRR have relatively low explanatory power. There are however significant relationships between a number of factors and CUBS' exposure to changing rates.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 80-82).

台灣逐漸步入高齡化社會，由於各種經濟社會因素，一般個人利用早年的儲蓄準備退休後的生活，已是不可避免的趨勢。衡諸個人自己獨力負擔退休生活所需的準備，不外乎是加入保險，藉助集體互助的力量達成，或是自力儲蓄，藉由金融工具的使用，累積財富。在政府宣示的亞太營運中心計劃勢必將帶動國內金融發展。屆時，行之歐美諸國已久的遞延年金商品可望引進台灣的保險業界，使自力儲蓄的個人能透過金融商品的多元化，選擇最有效用的金融商品，以謀取退休後的生活準備。鑑於美國業者經營遞延年金商品的教訓，在文獻的閱讀之中，筆者發現利率風險在精算界所受到的重視與發展成果值得國人借鏡，因此發奮研究利率風險在遞延年金商品中所扮演的角色，份量及其因應之道。希冀能在未來國內業者推行遞延年金之際，對經營此商品所面臨的風險能有清楚的認識，也希望監理機關能了解業者的需求而給予適度的協助。相信在健康的經營環境下，遞延年金商品會替消費者帶來莫大的福祉。本論文的研究方法為文獻探討，研究方向與目的有三：一、了解遞延年金商品的內容及其使用價值。二、辨識遞延年金商品的利率風險。三、探討如何衡量遞延年金商品利率風險與其管理的方法。 / When Taiwan stepped into old-aged society, as driven by variety of economic and social forces, an individual has to prepare for his(her) retirement during the ealier working years. By doing so, he(she) can enter into the insurance plans or mutual help-each-other societies, or by individual self-saving plans and use of new financial instruments. Now, the Taiwan Government initiate an Asian Operation Center Project that may have the domestic financial market boomed up. By that time, it's possible that Deffered annuity products sold in foreign countries like USA or those in Europe over many years will appear at Taiwan market and bring the Taiwan consumer more efficient ways of preparation for retirement. After the inspection of lessons learned by United States life insurance companies while these company were selling the Defferd Annuities, the author find that the interest rate risk are emphasized extensively in actuarial literatures and it's development is worth while the domestic companies to take lessons. Thus, the author study the problem with interest rate risk and the proper measures to manage the risk. It's hoped that in the coming future, at the time of Deffered Annuities, the domestic companies will already have clear understandings about the risks they face. And it's hoped that the government understand the insurance companies' needs and give them help. It's believed that in a sound environment, the consumer will benefit from the advent of Deffered Annuities. The research method used is literature research, and the direction and goal of the study is as follows: 1.Understand what's Deffered Annuity and it's uses. 2.Indentify the interest rate risks inherent in Deffered Annuities. 3.Examine the various measures to manage the interest rate risk.

ABSTRACT The problem of interest rate risk exposure has become increasingly important for financial institutions. There is a direct relation between the duration of life insurance products and its present value sensitivity to changes in market interest rates. This article describes the historical development of duration and its application in the study of life insurance products. This study examines the interest rate risk exposure of life insurance products.

This dissertation consists of three independent essays. Chapter 1, "The Effect of Mortgage Securitization on Foreclosure and Modification," assesses the impact of mortgage securitization on foreclosure and modification. My primary innovation is using the freeze of private mortgage securitization in the third quarter of 2007 to instrument for the probability that a loan is securitized. I find that privately securitized mortgages are substantially more likely to be foreclosed and less likely to be modified. Chapter 2, "Disagreement and Liquidity," analyzes how disagreement between investors affects the relationship between trading, liquidity, and asymmetric information. Traditional models predict that asymmetric information should destroy trade and liquidity. In contrast, I document empirical evidence that asymmetric information increases trading volumes in stock, corporate bond, and option markets. To resolve this puzzle, I propose a model of overconfident disagreement trading in which private information enhances trading and liquidity. Chapter 3, "Is Real Interest Rate Risk Priced? Theory and Empirical Evidence," asks whether investors demand compensation for holding assets whose returns covary with real interest rate shocks. Empirically, there is little evidence that real interest rate risk is priced in the cross section of stocks or across asset classes. Theoretically, interest rate risk can be positively or negatively priced depending on whether interest rate changes are due to time preference shocks or consumption growth shocks.

The Canadian banking system has experienced significant changes over the last two decades. Deregulations allowed banks to generate revenue from non-traditional activities, and today fee-based income is as equally important as net interest income. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate how fee-based income affects a bank’s earnings volatility and its exposure to interest rate risk. We conduct empirical analysis of the annual fee-based income earned by the six largest Canadian banks (Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, and National Bank of Canada) over the period from 1990 to 2012 inclusive. This analysis shows that almost all kinds of fee-based income generated by Canadian banks are highly dependent on the performance of the Canadian economy. In particular, we notice that the Canadian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and oil prices significantly affect the revenues generated through fee-based activities. We also find a high positive correlation between fee-based income and net interest income. Additionally, we find that trading activity generates the most volatile income stream and eventually increases the volatility of bank earnings. We construct a Monte Carlo simulation model to analyze bank income under different possible economic scenarios. The Monte Carlo model simulates different types of banks that are common not only in Canada, but also around the world. In addition to net interest income, these hypothetical banks can generate three categories of fee-based income: traditional income, basic non-traditional income, and advanced non-traditional income. We also account for the costs associated with fee-based income in our analysis. Through simulations we find that a small change in the term structure of interest rates leads to insignificant changes in income at any type of bank, eliminating the need to hedge against interest rate risk. Moreover, even when interest rates are expected to move dramatically, banks have optimal balance sheet structures that minimize interest rate risk and optimize the volatility of income. Banks with sub-optimal balance sheet structures need to hedge in order to avoid financial distress. We find that hedging works equally well when a bank hedges its entire net income or just the net interest income component. Moreover, some sources of fee-based income can serve as a good hedging tool against the interest rate risk because they provide a steady income stream that could serve as a cushion for earnings. For example, traditional income and basic non-traditional income decrease risk per unit of return and help banks to stabilize revenues. However, advanced non-traditional income increases earnings volatility and might even lead a bank to financial distress.

All firms should aim to reduce their risks and avoid bankruptcy. One way they try to lessen their chance of bankruptcy, or entering into a financially distressed state, is by using risk management techniques. Part of risk management is using derivatives, which many firms rely on today to reduce their exposure to certain types of risk and avoid a cash flow crunch. I test the notion that hedging reduces the probability of bankruptcy. Hedging reduces risks such as interest rate and currency risk, and these types of risk can send a firm into financial distress. Financial distress can result in bankruptcy, so hedging should then ultimately reduce the risk of bankruptcy.

Palūkanų normos rizikos vaidmuo komercinio banko veikloje bei šios rizikos įtaka banko veiklos rezultatams pastaraisiais dešimtmečiais augo plečiantis finansinių rinkų infrastruktūrai bei stiprėjant konkurencijai. Todėl bankai, kad palūkanų normos rizika nesumažintų banko konkurencingumo skiria jai vis daugiau dėmesio, stengdamiesi ją išlaikyti priimtiname lygyje, diegdami valdymo modelius, taikydami apsidraudimo priemones bei prognozuodami palūkanų normų pokyčius, tuo pačiu skatindami mokslinę visuomenę tyrinėti palūkanos normos riziką įvairiais aspektais. Šio darbo objektu yra palūkanų normos rizika bei jos valdymas komerciniame banke, o pagrindinis darbui iškeltas tikslas - išanalizuoti palūkanų normos rizikos valdymo teorinius aspektus bei atlikti praktinį palūkanų normos rizikos valdymo tyrimą komerciniame banke. Darbą sudaro trys dalys, iš kurių pirmojoje analizuojami teoriniai palūkanų normos valdymo aspektai, susipažįstant su palūkanų normos samprata bei ją sąlygojančiomis teorijomis, analizuojant palūkanų normos rizikos sudedamąsias dalis bei jos įvertinimo metodų įvairovę, jų privalumus bei trūkumus, svarstant palūkanų normos prognozavimo reikšmę palūkanų normos rizikos valdymo procesui bei nagrinėjant kokiomis priemonėmis galima apsidrausti nuo palūkanų normos rizikos. Antrojoje darbo dalyje, siekiant įvairiapusiškai atskleisti palūkanų normos rizikos valdymą komerciniame banke, Lietuvos komercinių bankų sektoriaus pavyzdžiu atliekamas palūkanų normos rizikos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The role of interest rate risk in the activity of the commercial bank, as well as influence of this risk to the banks’ financial results, was recently growing in the past decades, while the infrastructure of financial markets was developing and the competition between financial institutions was strengthening. The object of this graduation paper is interest rate risk and its’ management in the commercial bank and the main upraised purpose is to analyze theoretical aspects of the process of interest rate risk management and to make a practical study of interest rate risk management in the commercial bank. The paper consists of three parts, whereof in the first parts the theoretical aspects of interest rate risk management are analyzed, acquainting with the conception and theories of interest rates, analyzing the components of interest rate risk and the variety of its’ evaluation methods, their advantages, disadvantages, as well as discussing the significance of forecasting interest rate risk for the process of interest rate risk management and analyzing the instruments of hedging against interest rate risk. Aiming variously to reveal the interest rate risk management in the commercial bank, the study of interest rate risk management in the example of sector of Lithuanian commercial banks is made in the second part. The comparison with the abroad banks and indication of main problems are also made in this part of graduation paper. The benchmarks of the further improvement of... [to full text]