Thesis advisor: Fabio Schiantarelli / In the wake of the financial crisis of 2007-2009, academics and policymakers have worked to empirically quantify macro-financial linkages. This dissertation contributes to this debate by covering two broad themes. First, substantial changes in bank regulation and supervision typically follow financial crises. Quantifying the impact of these new policies is of paramount importance to academics and policymakers. To this end, my research in this area sheds light on the ways in which changes in financial stability policy ultimately affect the economy. Bank stress testing has become a major tool of supervisory policy in the past decade. The first chapter, The Real Effects of Stress Testing, uses the introduction of annual stress testing of large U.S. banks in 2009 as a quasi-experiment to examine whether bank supervisory policies affect real economic activity. While stress-tested banks reduced their risk exposure to large corporate loans, foreign banks mostly offset this shock and enabled firms to continue borrowing after the test. However, speculative grade firms that were highly exposed to stress-tested banks borrowed on worse terms after the test, and subsequently reduced fixed investment and employment. In contrast, highly exposed investment grade firms received new loans and expanded intangible investment. This paper provides insights into the effects of stress testing on the reallocation of risks in the financial system and the consequences for real economic activity. The structure of the U.S. mortgage market has experienced dramatic changes in recent years, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the major government-sponsored enterprises or GSEs) faced substantial reforms to their business practices. An important feature of regulatory reform included changing the pricing of loan guarantees on mortgage-backed securities insured by the GSEs, in particular removing the subsidy paid by small lenders to large lenders in 2012. The second chapter of this dissertation, Lender Cross-Subsidization and Credit Supply in the Fannie Mae MBS Market (co-authored with Igor Karagodsky), shows that the removal of this subsidy resulted in a relative increase in mortgage lending by small lenders. However, states with relatively higher concentrations of large lenders experienced relative reductions in credit following the removal of these subsidies. This research underscores an important link between lender market power and credit supply. Understanding the drivers of the fluctuations in bond returns is a central question in finance. Theoretically, unexpected bond returns should reflect either changes in expectations of future short-term rates or future compensation for risk. The third chapter of this dissertation, Survey Forecasts and Bond Return Decompositions, revisits this question using survey forecasts of professional economists to measure expectations of interest rates and returns, rather than with a statistical model. Two main results emerged from this analysis: (1) News about future short-term interest rates explains relatively more of the variation in unexpected excess bond returns for short-maturity bonds relative to long-maturity bonds. (2) The share of news explained by future short-term interest rates increases with horizon for all maturities. This analysis contributes to the recent academic literature that highlights the importance of subjective expectations in understanding asset-price movements. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

This diploma thesis is focused on the financial market supervision, especially on terms and conditions of entry into the financial market and the role of the Czech National Bank in this area. The thesis mentions some arguments for the need of financial market regulation and supervision and explains the importance of the quality licence system. There is also an analysis on institutional organization of financial market regulation and supervision and contemporary trends. The thesis compares and contrasts legislation on licences for different types of the financial institutions. Together with development of the financial market and the economic situation in the Czech Republic during the past 20 years (1989 -- 2009) the thesis also points out substantial changes and improvements in primary and secondary legislation in the area of licensing.

The aim of the thesis is assess the development of central banking in the Czech Republic from 1918 to present. The theoretical and methodological part define the basic characteristics of the banking system. I will discuss and comment on theoretical perspectives on the role of the central bank will focus on the mainstream theory and the theory of free banking. In another part of the work I examine the nature, objectives and instruments of monetary policy. In the analytical part the evolution of central banking will be analyzed in the various stages according to the polity of the state. In each period I will analyze the legal framework, institutional arrangements and scope of the central bank. In the final part of the work I will compare the results of central bank activity in the various stages of development.

Magister Legum - LLM / The purpose of this research is to examine the legal and institutional framework of financial services supervision and regulation in SADC. In doing so the study will probe the various models of financial services regulation with the purpose of discerning what each model sets out to do and how, in doing so, it effectively exercises its function. This study answers the question: Is there a model of financial services regulation and supervision that is legally sound and best embraces SADC’s circumstances? The legal soundness will be extracted by examining which model achieves the main objectives of independence and accountability to the greatest extent. The first objective of the study is to discuss the structure and operations of each of the identified primary models of financial services regulation with the aim of determining whether certain cardinal administrative law principles are upheld. Secondly, it then takes a practical look at how the primary models are applied and effectively work within some of the SADC Member States. Similarly, the study’s main focus will be to discern whether the financial services regulation models are ‘tangible’ when country dynamics are introduced. Thereafter, the study reconnoitres the possibility of SADC adopting a ‘harmonised’ financial services regulator and supervisor. It is worth noting that ideal as it may be; the author has no intention of prescribing one of the primary models but merely uses them as a springboard to ascertaining the viability of a single financial services regulator and supervisor in SADC. The objective is to assess how best SADC can deepen its integration levels in this area of concern. The ultimate result may very well be that such deeper relations are not feasible or that different components from the primary models be adopted to make SADC’s ‘unique’ model of financial services regulation and supervision.

The subject matter of this thesis is to approach prudential requirements for banking activities in the Czech Republic. Taking into account the importance of the banking sector in the economy of each country, this area is widely regulated by directly applicable European legislation, for example by new regulation (EU) No. 757/2013 of the European parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms. National regulation is contained mainly in Act No. 21/1992 Coll., on Banks, as amended. Particular chapters of this thesis focus first on general introduction to banking, i.e. a description of the banking systems and institutions operating in them. One part is devoted to the Czech National Bank as the institution of the financial market supervision. The main part describes specific rules of banking activities, beginning with requirements for obtaining a banking license. Finally are mentioned financial safety net and the issue of the doctrine too- big-to-fail. Diploma thesis tries to connect the theory and the legislation with the practical functioning of supervision. For this purpose are used statistical data, certain decisions of the Czech National Bank and information from the Report on the performance of financial market supervision, the...

Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) play a key role in financial markets by helping to reduce informative asymmetry between lenders and investors, on one side, and issuers on the other side, with regard to the creditworthiness of banks or countries. This crucial role has expanded alongside financial globalisation and received an additional boost from Basel II which integrates the ratings of CRAs into the rules for setting weights for credit risk. Ratings adjustment tends to be sticky, lagging behind markets, and often overreact when they do change. This overreaction may have aggravated the recent financial crises, contributing to financial instability and cross-country contagion. Criticism has been especially directed towards the high degree of concentration of the ratings industry. Promotion of competition may require policy action at the international level to encourage the establishment of new agencies and to discover alternative rules or regulatory requirements in order to achieve promising results. The recent growth of Middle Eastern and North African countries (MENA) and their commercial banking system has increased the need of paying widespread attention to this region of the world. This thesis crucially identifies, and estimates, the robust determinants of credit ratings for MENA countries and their commercial banks, incorporating a set of bank level accounting and financial risk factors, as well as country-specific characteristics, including indicators for regulatory, supervision, legal and economic environments. The research contributes, firstly, to the theoretical literature on credit ratings industry by reviewing extant methodologies specifically as they apply to banks and sovereign countries. Secondly, it conducts a systematic, cross-country empirical investigation using panel data econometric methodology for the purpose of estimating MENA countries sovereign and bank credit rating models. Thirdly, it provides tangible and statistically significant evidence on the different factors that determines the estimation of credit ratings and influencing bank's risk. The extant literature reviewed serves as a basis to achieve and develop the research aim, objectives and hypotheses of the thesis. The research then constructs an appropriate panel dataset from different sources, containing bank-level and country-level information for a sample of 108 commercial banks covering 13 MENA countries over the period 2000 - 2012. The methodological framework for estimating credit rating models (linear regression, logit and probit) is also reviewed and the procedures for panel data estimation are implemented using the econometric package STATA (version 13). All relevant data are drawn from public sources including Reuters, Bankscope, IMF and the World Bank. Using the random effects ordered probit and logit methodologies to estimate both sovereign (country) and bank level credit ratings models for the MENA countries, the evidence shows that real GDP growth, capital requirements, restrictions on banking activities and control of corruption all contribute negatively to the sovereign ratings. Furthermore, internal management and organisational requirements is considered as an additional regulatory factor not studied in previous research. The statistically significant and inverse relationship of the latter is considered an important and interesting outcome of MENA countries’ sovereign ratings. On the other hand, GDP per capita, investment (as a percentage of GDP), political stability, government effectiveness and the rule of law all reveal significant and positive impact on the sovereign credit ratings. In general, this research finds that improved macroeconomic conditions are correlated with higher ratings, while greater reserve regulations are correlated with lower ratings. The study also does find the significance of governance and regulatory variables plays a key role into the final credit rating. With regard to the impact on banks’ ratings, the results show that higher return on average assets and equity, larger bank size, more restrictions on bank activities, as well as higher official disciplinary power and higher standards of internal management, will yield higher credit ratings. Apart from having direct and positive impact on banks credit ratings, these variables are important for examining the risk-sharing incentives in MENA countries’ banks. In contrast, the estimation results indicate that net interest margin, net loans to deposits, liquid assets to deposits, capital requirements, deposit insurance scheme, liquidity requirements, unemployment rate and government effectiveness have an inverse and negative impact on banks ratings. In general, this study also finds various financial, macroeconomic, and regulatory effects on banks’ credit ratings. To a much lesser extent than government ratings, various macroeconomic variables also helped predict banks’ ratings, including real GDP growth and the unemployment rate. The thesis concludes by arguing that the combined use of financial and non-financial factors for estimating credit ratings models supports the relevant hypotheses examined and adds value to all stakeholders in improving and obtaining a better quality of credit ratings. This study also demonstrates that a diversity of bank-level and country-level factors influence the MENA sovereign and bank ratings differently, implying that policy makers, regulators alongside rating agencies should distinguish the different environmental factors between nations before any judgment and issuance can be model of the ratings. To conclude, there is no study which exclusively investigates credit rating models for the MENA region exploiting the richness of the data and methodology employed, and the current research aims to fill this gap.

This thesis deals with the management of credit risk in the Czech banking sector. It consists of four separate chapters. The first three chapters provide a theoretical basis for important knowledge concerning the issue. The first chapter provides general background information about the bank, the importance of bank regulation and supervision, and all types of banking risks, with emphasis on credit risk. The second chapter deals with the system of credit risk management in banks, which includes the identification, quantification, monitoring and reducing of credit risk. The capital adequacy and rules for its determination under Basel II are contained in the third chapter. The last chapter provides an analysis of selected indicators of the Czech banking sector and assessment of credit risk management in the two largest Czech banks, on the basis of specific fair value of their annual reports.

The subject of the Master Thesis is risk and risk management within the new regulatory framework in the field of insurance Solvency II. The thesis especially deals with the Solvency II directive that has been used as an instrument for the insurance market regulation within the European Union since 1st January 2016. Besides the risk classification, risk management and an example of its application in an insurance company, the thesis also mentions the global financial crisis (its causes and consequences) on the background of the banking sector. Another important part of the thesis describes the second pillar of the Solvency II directive whose integral parts, among others, are risk management along with its other functions, e.g. actuarial function.

This study basically analyzes timing, sequencing and pace of the financial liberalization experience of the Turkish economy in the 1980s and evaluates its implications for the crises in the Turkish economy since the 1990s. The objectives of this study are threefold: Firstly, it aims to reveal the main policy objectives and political factors pushing the government to take capital account liberalization decision in 1989. It is concluded that domestic decision makers have shaped and taken the decision of capital account liberalization in 1989, while the interaction of economic and political factors has played a major role in its timing. Secondly, it examines the extent to which economic and political institutional weaknesses in the Turkish economy, which generated inappropriate sequencing of financial liberalization policies in the 1980s, can be held responsible for the crises of 2000 and 2001 crises. It is concluded that financial liberalization policies were inappropriately sequenced, as domestic financial market and capital account liberalization were not accompanied or preceded by macroeconomic stability and financial sector institutional reforms such as prudential regulation and supervision of the banking sector. These factors have been instrumental in the crises episodes in Turkey through contributing to an environment conducive to crises. Thirdly, it aims to analyze whether there exists a clear association between weaknesses in the regulation and supervision of the banking sector and banking crises through an empirical analysis. It is concluded that the nature of the banking crises is more associated with the institutional structure of the financial system rather than macroeconomic conditions of the economy.

The master's thesis deals with the topic of the regulatory reform based on Basel III framework created by Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The target of this thesis is to present tools and components of Basel III standard and focus on the identification and analysis of the key factors for classifying banks as systemically important. The issue is described from global perspective and special attention is given to European specification of regulatory rules. One part of this study is dedicated to the monitoring of the fulfillment of new regulatory rules and tools by global and European banking system. Diploma thesis includes also the chapter monitoring macroeconomic impact of regulatory reforms.