Risk Management and credit rating
The risk that the banking business faces, can be:
· Credit risk
· Market risk (resulting from adverse movement of prices of govt. securities, interest rates, forex etc.)
· Operational risk (resulting from staff errors, failure of internal processes, external events etc.)
Credit Risk : It refers to the possibility of loss that the bank or financial institution may suffer as a consequence of inability of
the counterparty (i.e. the borrower, who is operating in an environment having many uncertainties resulting in threat to the
viability and sustainability of the activity) to meet its repayment or other commitment/s as per agreed conditions and commit
default.
Reserve Bank of India states that the credit risk or default risk involves inability or unwillingness of a customer or counterparty to
meet commitment in relation to lending, trading, hedging, settlement and other financial transactions.
In terms of the guidelines issued by RBI, the credit risk is generally made up of (I) transaction risk or default risk and (2) portfolio
risk. The portfolio risk in turn comprises intrinsic and concentration risk.
· The transaction risk is the risk arising from an individual transaction or a counterparty or b orrower's default in meeting the
commitment.
· The intrinsic risk is the risk which is inherent in respect of an activity due to the operating environment. This is also termed as
industry or activity risk.
· The concentration risk refers to the risk which arises as a result of undertaking exposure in only few industries or activities or
lines of business or borrowers and borrowing groups without ensuring the diversification of the portfolio.
Why does credit risk arise ?
The credit risk arises due to operation of a number of external and internal factors.
The external factors are the state of the economy of the concerned country or state or even global economy, wide swings in the
prices of various commodities, foreign exchange rates, interest rates, trade restrictions, economic sanctions, Govt. policies, natural
calamities etc.
The internal factors are the factors which may be internal to the borrower or internal to the financing institution.
· The factors internal to the borrowing entity may be planning factors, execution factors, finance factors, marketing factors,
management factors etc.
· The factors internal to the financing banks or institutions relate to the deficiencies in loan policies/administration,
absence of prudential credit concentration limits, inadequately defined lending limits for loan officers/credit committee,
deficiencies in appraisal of borrowers' financial position, excessive dependence on collaterals and inadequate risk pricing,
absence of loan review mechanism and post sanction surveillance etc.
Steps for credit risk mitigation:
The objective of mitigation is the restrict the risk within an acceptable limit and it involves steps to be taken at (a) macro level in
the bank and (b) micro level in the bank.
At Macro Level:
i. Frequent review of norms and fixing internal limits for aggregate commitments to specific sectors of industry and business.
2. periodical review of loan policies.
3. classification of portfolio based on certain parameters of quality
At Micro Level:
i. framing of policy regarding credit appraisal standards, sanction and delivery process, monitoring and review of individual
borrowers, obtaining collaterals.
2. obtaining credit rating and their updation.
Credit rating
The credit risk differs for each project and each promoter. The appraisal of proposal done with a view to measure the risk involved
and its quantification by using a credit rating method, with following objectives:
i. to take a decision whether to accept or reject a proposal without or without modification
2. to determine the rate of interest (risk pricing)
3. to help in. macro evaluation of the total credit portfolio by classifying the individual loan account in a specific category,
depending up on the rating.
Rating Models:
The rating can be done by using internal rating model available with the bank. Most of the banks have their rating models.
The rating can also be got done by using service of external rating agencies such as CRISIL, SMERA, CARE, ICRA etc.
Credit rating methodology:
Banks the credit rating model, based on which they are able to place their borrower in a particular rating category. The broader
categories of risk area that the rating models take into account are:
1. Management related aspects
2. Security related aspects
3. Financial aspects on the basis of financial statements
4. Business risk
These ratings are required to be reviewed periodically, in view of dynamic nature of the business of the borrower.
Derivative instruments for Credit Risk Management
The derivative instruments are used to hedge the inherent credit risk without transferring the loan account. Simple techniques for
transferring credit risk are available with the banks for very long time which include guarantors, collateral securities, credit
insurance from agencies like DICGC, CGTMSE. In recent some new instruments have also been introduced that include (a) Credit
default swaps and (b) credit linked notes.
Credit default swaps (CDS) : It is a contract between the financing bank (risk seller) and protection seller, whereby the protection
seller provides protection against credit events (i.e. default). For this purpose, the risk seller makes payment of premium to the
protection seller. The credit events include bankruptcy, failure to pay, restructuring etc.
Credit linked notes (CLN): In this arrangement, the protection seller (normally a special purpose vehicle — SPV) issues notes linked
to underlying credit. These notes can be purchased by general public as investors and the SPV purchases high rated securities with
that amount. On maturity, these securities are sold and money is returned to investors, if there is no credit default. In case of
credit default, the funds are used to make payment to risk seller.
The risk seller makes regular payment of premium.
New Capital Accord (Basel 2) : Implications on Credit Risk
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has proposed 3 approaches, viz.,
1. Standardised and
2. Foundation Internal Rating Based Approach
3. Advanced Internal Rating Based Approach
In India, presently the Standardized approach has been implemented.
Under the standardised approach, preferential risk weights in the range of o%, 20%, 50%, 100% and 150% are assigned by RBI for
certain risk weighted assets and some discretion has been given to bank where they can allot risk weight on the basis of external
credit assessments.
Internal Rating Based Approach
There are two approaches — foundation and advanced - as an alternative to standardised approach for assigning preferential risk
weights. Under the foundation approach, banks, which comply with certain minimum requirements viz. comprehensive credit
rating system. The adoption of these approaches requires substantial upgradation of the existing credit risk management systems.
The time schedule fixed by RBI for migrating to Internal Rating Based approach is as under: The earliest date of making application by
banks to RBI — April 01, 2012 Likely date of approval by RBI — March 31, 2014.
The banks have been advised by RBI to undertake an internal assessment of their preparedness for migration to advanced approaches,
in the light of the criteria envisaged in the Basel II document, as per the aforesaid time schedule, and take a decision, with the approval
of their Boards, whether they would like to migrate to any of the advanced approaches. The banks deciding to migrate to the advanced
approaches should approach us for necessary approvals, in due course, as per the stipulated time schedule. If the result of a bank's
internal assessment indicates that it is not in a position to apply for implementation of advanced approach by the above mentioned
dates, it may choose a later date suitable to it based upon its preparation.
It may be noted that banks, at their discretion, would have the option of adopting the advanced approaches for one or more of the
risk categories, as per their preparedness, while continuing with the simpler approaches for other risk categories, and it would not
be necessary to adopt the advanced approaches for all the risk categories simultaneously. However, banks should invariably obtain
prior approval of the RBI for adopting any of the advanced approaches.
