Global Risk Management: Financial Services
Global Risk Management: Financial Services
Global Risk Management: Financial Services
Introduction 3
Research findings 4
Conclusion 11
Contacts 13
Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Foreword
The leaders of global financial services institutions have a
challenging job. Each day they must make decisions that will steer
these complex and wide-ranging organizations towards ever greater
success. In making these decisions, financial services executives
lean heavily on best practices, developed from experience, and
continually refined to give them the edge in a competitive market.
These leaders cannot afford to simply ‘stumble upon success’
- instead they have developed their own ‘Formulas for Success’, that
can be repeated and refined for the markets in which they choose
to compete.
But what are these ‘Formulas for Success’ and how can other
institutions learn from them? This report focuses on the ‘Formulas
for Success in Risk Management’. It builds on a recent survey of over
160 executives from a range of financial services firms, and reveals
their formulas for managing a range of risks in today’s environment,
how they are adapting to a changing regulatory environment, and
what steps they are taking to promote good risk management
practices across their organization. The report also discusses
how institutions are pursuing a more ‘holistic’ approach to risk
management and how they are integrating their capabilities into an
enterprise wide risk management process.
Jack Ribeiro
Managing Partner
Global Financial Services Industry
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Introduction
Despite massive regulatory and private-sector efforts to control risks in financial markets,
today’s headlines paint a picture of a landscape that is highly fraught. The International
Monetary Fund has recently estimated that the write downs by banks globally in the value
of their assets will amount to almost $1 trillion. The US is likely already in a recession as a
result of the credit crunch, and knock-on effects are continuing to be felt in a variety of areas
including commercial real estate, corporate borrowing and securitized credit card receivables.
For more detailed information on financial services risk management practices also refer to Deloitte’s series of risk management surveys,
1
the most recent of which is report “Global Risk Management Survey: Fifth edition, Accelerating Risk Management Practices”.
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Research findings
A measured response by firms to the current market turmoil.
Despite the gravity of the current market situation, the picture Many financial services firms are evolving to a more holistic
emerging from our research is that of a measured, rather than approach to risk management, meaning they emphasize long-term
panicky, response by firms. Financial firms have been implementing solutions that encompass the entire organization. Such solutions
their responses to regulations such as Basel II for banks and, in involve senior management in operational issues and ensure that
the case of the European Union countries, Solvency II for insurers. employees at all levels know that managing risk is important to
These regulations aim to incent strong risk management and to help each aspect of the business. Firms are also taking steps to promote
ensure that financial institutions maintain sufficient capital to buffer cooperation between different parts of the organization to better
against potential exposure to their significant financial and non coordinate their management of risk.
financial risks.
Based on current market turmoil it is not surprising that financial
The survey shows that the level of importance of risk management services firms are focusing heavily on the risk of credit default.
in financial services organizations is higher than ever: 84% of However our survey shows that financial firms’ efforts to minimize
respondents have seen a more prominent role emerge for their risk this type of risk have been somewhat measured, focusing more on
management function in the past year, not only in response to the improving data flows and sharpening general forecasting capabilities
credit market turmoil, but also driven by the adoption of new risk than on upgrading technical credit analysis skills. Operational
management regulations, and the belief that good risk management risk management also attracts significant attention in our survey,
can provide a competitive advantage in today’s market. perhaps in light of recent reports of unauthorized trading activities.
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
What is the main reason risk management has grown more important to your organization?
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Risk managers pay relatively more attention to operational risk than to other types of risk
exposure.
Of the various types of risks monitored by financial firms, The focus on operational risk could well be a result of an increased
operational risk gets the most attention, with 77% of survey regulatory burden, much of which deals with ensuring adequate
respondents saying they monitor such risks on an ongoing basis. and effective internal control. It may also result from the large
potential exposure associated with lapsed controls.
Risks arising from shifts in financial markets, such as movements in
interest rates and changes in market liquidity, are also high on the Then, too, the current focus on operational risks may result from
list. In our survey, 73% of respondents said they follow interest- the fact that monitoring this type of risk represents a greater
rate movements, while 69% monitor liquidity levels (however the challenge than monitoring other types of risk, perhaps because it
responses for these risks were much higher for banks than for others often results from a dangerous, difficult to identify, combination of
given the importance of managing these risks for banks). About 6 in risks rather than a single risk issue. Many firms have quantitative risk
10 respondents said they regularly monitor other exposures such as measurement models in place allowing them to respond to currency
the risks associated with faulty strategy, unexpected equity markets and interest-rate movements with speed and precision. On the
swings, sudden acute currency shifts, and counterparty default risk. other hand, although most operational risks are of low impact and
Political risk, on the other hand, is a lesser concern, with only 35% relatively high frequency, some are like earthquakes. They are costly
of respondents regularly monitoring this variable. and their historical lack of frequency makes them hard to predict.
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
To minimize operational risk exposure, financial firms are developing a range of techniques
that involve the entire organization.
The sensational discovery of rogue trading and other procedural In our online survey, respondents stressed the importance of
lapses has led financial services firms to develop a range of involving senior management in operational issues (62%) and
techniques for controlling operational risk. Some of the best broadening the purview of the risk management function (62%)
practices in this area include: as ways to help control operational risk. A majority (51%) also said
a. Development of key risk indicators (KRI’s) for all major business it is important to continuously educate employees about changes
processes to assess whether the activities fall within defined in regulation to ensure compliance, including with operational
bands of tolerance standards.
b. Systematic and comprehensive collection of data about internal
Respondents’ emphasis on involving top management and enlarging
(and external) loss events
the scope of the risk management function underlines the holistic
c. Analysis of a range of risk scenarios, including extreme ones that approach they take to controlling risk. Limiting operational risk is
could threaten the organization’s solvency, and the development no longer seen as the narrow remit of a small, often centralized,
responses to counter each scenario group of technical experts, but rather a broadly shared responsibility
d. Performance of bottom-up risk and control self-assessments borne by managers and staff at all levels. This, in turn, suggests a
in which each business unit identifies its significant risks and more general shift in perception of the risk management function.
reports on how each is controlled There is recognition that to be effective, risk management must be
e. Preparation of risk-based scorecards to provide a snapshot of mandated at board level, embedded in the operating culture, and
significant operational risk exposures at all organizational levels, promulgated across the enterprise.
and aggregation of scorecard information into enterprise-wide
dashboards
Has your organization taken, or will it take in the next year, any of the following steps to better manage operational and
regulatory compliance risks?
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
To control credit risks, firms are focusing on upgrading overall organizational resources—such
as improving data flows and sharpening general forecasting skills—rather than simply singling
out credit-analysis for improvement.
In view of the current liquidity crunch, one might expect financial While a holistic, organization-wide approach may be most valuable
services firms to focus mainly on improving their technical skills in in the long term, in some cases, specific credit-related policy
analyzing the creditworthiness of counterparties; however, this is not changes are in order, notes Leon Bloom. “Banks have taken massive
so. Our survey shows a more comprehensive response to the crisis, write-downs in the value of assets, which has understandably raised
one that emphasizes improving broader credit risk organizational questions about the risk capabilities of the banks involved and the
resources and capabilities. extent to which their risk practices are proactive versus reactive. The
write-downs have also raised questions about the effectiveness of
Most respondents (57%) said that improving data and developing the regulatory framework under which banks operate. Banks could
better, more risk sensitive forecasting models are the most no doubt have done a lot more to determine the quality of the
important means of improving credit control. About half (48%) underlying assets when they invested in mortgage-backed securities.
cited broadening information sources, and half (50%) also cited On reflection, many financial institutions should have avoided
creating management ‘dashboards’ of key risk indicators (KRI’s) as mortgage-backed securities altogether.”
an effective method for controlling credit risk.
What steps does your organization plan to take to better manage credit risk?
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
To deal with general business risk, financial firms emphasize improving information flows and
educating employees about competitive issues.
The broader, more holistic approach to risk management also is “The main challenge is to create a set of assumed events that
evident in firms’ approach to managing general business risks, such as represent actual risks for the organization, and to regularly run these
those arising from the growing prominence of low-cost competitors through the company’s risk management systems. The stress tests
and from industry consolidation. As was the case in responding to help management to understand the nature of the risks and the
credit risk, most respondents (57%) cited improving information effect they would potentially have on the business. This process also
flows when asked about ways to control general business risk. A suggests possible responses. For example, a bank might consider the
little more than half (51%) cited upgrading employee knowledge relative merits of hedging vs. internalizing risks without hedging.
of such risks. At the same time, there was a sense that competitive Ultimately, managers need to decide how much risk to retain in the
information could be dangerous in the wrong hands: 42% advocated business; running stress tests helps them to do that.”
limiting employee access to sensitive proprietary data.
Interestingly, only 8% expect their companies to take previously Controlling strategic risks
outsourced functions back in-house as a way to limit business risk.
This suggests a level of comfort with outsourcing, even though Strategic risk arises from an organization’s directional choices. It is
outsourcing and off-shoring pose additional business risks. The the risk that senior management will go down a path not aligned
survey results reflects recognition that outsourcing may be a with investors’ requirements for risk and return. Deloitte partner
competitive necessity in a time of stiffer competition from online Leon Bloom lists some of the ways that forward-looking financial
and other low-cost service providers. companies can minimize this risk:
• Performing strategic scenario analyses
In addition, forward-looking companies build and stress test • Benchmarking with peer organizations, looking at the success
complex risk scenarios as a way to measure and control business or failure of their choices
and strategic risks. These scenarios frequently include variables
• Clearly and explicitly taking into account the risks inherent in
such as interest rates, currency values, equity and bond market
strategic choices
conditions, credit market conditions and political environments.
A key to avoiding strategic unexpected concentrations and • Considering the capital requirements associated with
exposures is to build realistic scenarios and apply company-wide different strategic choices and how these affect the
‘stress tests’. These are estimates of the impact on the company company’s overall capital position
under different scenarios, says Deloitte partner Edward Hida:
What steps does your organization plan to take to better manage other business risks?
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Organizational structures are changing in response to the greater focus on risk management,
with increasing prevalence of Chief Risk Officers and the removal of ‘risk silos’.
Risk management practices are only as good as the organizations At the same time, financial firms are broadening how they look at
which are implementing them, and here some changes are evident. risk and thereby expanding the purview of the risk management
Banks, in particular, are changing their organization structures function itself, Hida adds: “Everyone is focusing on the credit
to ensure that risk management is integrated into all business crunch, but there are broader geopolitical risks out there, such
processes. as those concerning the rise of sovereign wealth funds, regional
conflicts, and terrorism risks. Banks now systematically evaluate their
For example, most banks now have a Chief Risk Officer (CRO) operations in various countries, in addition to the creditworthiness
who establishes the risk policy framework, the processes for risk of specific counterparties. Some risk departments also have experts
measurement and risk management, and the limits that govern who consider disaster scenarios, such as health crisis that prevent
risk-taking. The CRO function is independent of the businesses that employees from getting to work. These now fall under the purview
take the risks. In addition to risk management at the business unit of risk management, while in the past they may have been managed
and CRO levels, there is typically a third line of defence in the form elsewhere.”
of a risk and control assurance function. This is usually carried out
by the internal audit function, which provides assurance that the In general, financial firms are reorganizing and formalizing the
framework and policies established by the CRO are competent and way they look at risk, with different approaches used to analyze
applied effectively throughout the organization. different types of risk, says Vishal Vedi: “Some banks are starting
to aggregate credit risks across their portfolios rather than solely
In addition, and perhaps as a result of prodding by CRO’s, financial customer by customer. This way, correlations between different
firms are learning to view risks holistically across the organization. exposures can be taken into account. On the other hand, in the
Risk-evaluation is therefore emerging from individual organizational area of business risk, banks are dividing risk into categories and
silos and being conducted more centrally, says Deloitte partner looking at them separately. For example, within mergers and
Edward Hida: “One lesson learned from the credit crunch is that acquisitions, they might separately measure the risk of a transaction
many financial products are subject to elements of both market and not being completed, the risk of the failure of one or both merging
credit risk, and that the two should be considered together. In many entities, and the risk that integration of the two firms might not go
cases it doesn’t make sense to have separate silos measuring credit smoothly.”
and market risks. Banks are looking at ways to break down the
silos and perform more comprehensive risk analyses. One approach
is to set up a joint credit and market risk oversight committee for
complex transactions subject to both market and credit risk.”
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Conclusion
Risk management is becoming a more prominent concern within
financial firms, but not for the reasons one might expect. Apart
from the turmoil dominating recent headlines, it is the increased
regulatory burden and the growing prominence of new competitors
in the industry that are driving much of today’s risk management
activity. Of the various types of risk arising in financial firms,
operational exposures receive the most attention, followed by
different types of market risk (eg, interest rate movements and
market liquidity).
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Financial Services
Global Risk Management
Contributors
Leon Bloom
Deputy Managing Partner - Service Lines
Global Financial Services Industry
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
1 416 601 6244
[email protected]
Edward Hida
Leader - Global Risk and Capital Management
Partner, Regulatory & Capital Markets Consulting
Deloitte & Touche LLP
1 212 436 4854
[email protected]
Vishal Vedi
Partner, UK
Deloitte & Touche LLP
44 20 7303 6737
[email protected]
Marketing
Chris Patterson
Director of Marketing
Global Financial Services Industry
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
1 212 436 2779
[email protected]
Michelle Chodosh
Marketing Associate
Global Financial Services Industry
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
1 212 436 6242
[email protected]
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Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu member firm
Financial Services Industry leaders
Americas Asia Pacific Europe, Middle East, Israel
Dan Halpern
and Africa 972 3 608 5471
Argentina Australia
Claudio Fiorillo Warren Green [email protected]
Austria
54 11 43204018 61 2 9322 5454 Dominik Damm Italy
[email protected] [email protected] 43 1 53700 5440 Riccardo Motta
[email protected] 39 02 833 22 323
Bahamas China [email protected]
Raymond Winder Wade Deffenbaugh Belgium
1 242 302 4841 852 2852 6629 Frank Verhaegen Luxembourg
[email protected] [email protected] 32 3 800 88 53 Eric van de Kerkhove
[email protected] 352 451 452 468
Bermuda India [email protected]
Roger Titterton V.V. Subbarao Central Europe
1 441 299 1313 91 11 5562 2000 x2096 Malta
Mike Jennings Raphael Aloisio
[email protected] [email protected] 420 2 248 955 76 356 21 335290
[email protected] [email protected]
Brazil Indonesia
Clodomir Félix Basar Alhuenius CIS (includes Russia) Middle East
55 11 5186 1655 62 21 2312879 x3212 Vadim Sorokin Joe El Fadl
[email protected] [email protected] 7 095 787 0626 961 1 363 005
[email protected] [email protected]
Canada Japan
Cathy Bateman Yoriko Goto Cyprus Netherlands
1 416 601 5953 81 3 6213 1372 Rob Stout
Nicos Charalambous
[email protected] [email protected] 31 20 454 7055
357 25 868740
[email protected]
[email protected]
Cayman Islands Yukio Ono
Norway
Dale Babiuk 81 3 6213 3630 Denmark Arve Rafteseth
1 345 814 2267 [email protected] Lone Møller Olsen 47 23 27 97 59
[email protected] 45 33 76 38 03 [email protected]
Korea [email protected]
Chile Joseph Yong In Shin Portugal
Pablo Herrera 82 2 6676 1100 Finland Maria Augusta Francisco
56 2 2703 281 [email protected] Petri Heinonen [email protected]
[email protected] 358 20 755 5460
Malaysia [email protected] South Africa
Colombia Meng Kwai Ng Casper Troskie
Ricardo Rubio Rueda 603 7723 6560 27 11 806 5860
France
57 1 635 1910 [email protected] [email protected]
Pascal Colin
[email protected] 33 1 40 88 29 62 Spain
New Zealand [email protected] Fernando Ruíz
México Rodger Murphy
34 91 514 5692
Carlos A. Garcia 64 9 303 0758 José-Luis Garcia [email protected]
52 55 5080 6093 [email protected] 33 1 40 88 28 15
[email protected] [email protected] Sweden
Philippines Jan Palmqvist
USA Avelina Gille Germany 46 8 506 723 82
Jim Reichbach 63 2 581 9055 Friedhelm Kläs [email protected]
1 212 436 5730 [email protected] 49 69 75695 6111
[email protected] Switzerland
[email protected]
Singapore Philip Göth
Uruguay Prakash Desai 41 1 421 60 00
Greece
José Luis Rey 65 6530 5585 [email protected]
Nicos Sofianos
598 2 9160756 [email protected] 30 210 678 1219 Turkey
[email protected] [email protected] Sibel Turker
Taiwan 90 533 583 36 92
Venezuela Peter Tsai Iceland [email protected]
José Antonio López 866 2 2545 9988 x7441 Pall Gretar Steingrimsson
58 212 2068567 [email protected] 354 580 3065 Ukraine
[email protected] [email protected] Natalia Samoilova
Thailand 380 44 490 9000
Suttharug Panya Ireland [email protected]
66 2 676 5700 x5247 Mary Fulton UK
[email protected] 353 1 417 2379 Russell Collins
[email protected] 44 20 7303 2929
[email protected]
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