Risk Management 6
Risk Management 6
Risk Management 6
(ii) Exposure Risk – This implies the uncertainty associated with future level or amount of risk.
In other words, this risk is mainly associated with unexpected action of other party say
prepayment of loan before due date or request for refund of deposit before due date.
In some cases, say for amortized credit such risks does not exists as period of receipt is
known with greater certainty. Due to uncertainty generally off balance sheet items create
such risks. However, in such cases, the exposure is not associated with client’s behavior
rather behaviors of market which keeps on changing constantly. In case value of derivative
position turns out to be positive there is credit risk as it will lose money, if other party
defaults. To overcome such risk normally derivative instrument are used.
(iii) Recovery Risk – This risk is related to recoveries in the event of default, which in turn
depends upon various factors such as quality of guarantee provided by borrower, and other
surrounding circumstances. This risk can be minimized through Collateral and Third Party
Guarantee. However, existence of these two risk management tool also carries risk.
(a) Collateral Risk: Although collateral reduces the credit risk but it happens only if
collateral can be sold at a significant value. The quickness in realization of collateral
depends upon its nature and prevailing market conditions. In normal course, fixed asset
collateral normally carries low realizable value than cash collateral. However, if in
buoyant market say in case of a property even a fixed asset in the form of a house
property carries a higher value. With the use of collateral, the credit risk becomes
twofold:
(i) Uncertainty related to access it and disposing encumbrances which may be legal in
some cases.
(ii) Uncertainty related to the value realizable from the collateral which may be subject
to various factors. To some extent the 2008 crisis was due to overvaluation of
collateral against which borrowers were granted hefty loan and at the time of
realisation the collateral value was very less.
(b) Third Party Guarantee Risk: This collateral is a kind of simple transfer of risk on
Guarantor and in case guarantor defaults then risk again comes back to lender.
R = Recovery Rate %
This default % can also be computed through probability.
3.2 Factors Affecting the Credit Risk
The factors affecting the credit risk of a bank can be divided into following two categories:
(i) Internal Factors: These factors are internal to the bank, some of these are as follows:
(a) Concentration of credit in particular geographical locations or business segments.
(b) Excessive lending to particular industry is subject to cyclical fluctuations.
(c) Ignoring the purpose for which loan was sought by the customer.
(d) Poor Quality or Liberal Credit Appraisal while granting the loan.
(e) Absence of efficient recovery mechanism.
(ii) External Factors: These factors are external to the bank and beyond its controls. These
factors not only impact the profitability of borrower but also effects their repayment capability.
Some of such external factors are as follows:
(a) Fluctuation in Exchange Rate.
(b) Change in Govt. Policies.
(c) Fluctuation in Interest Rates.
(d) Change in Political Environment of the own country.
(e) In case of Foreign project change in Country Risk profile.
Retail & wholesale financing could either be fund based or non fund based. Different types of loans
/ credit facilities are enumerated below:
4.1 Fund Based Facilities
Fund based facilities are limits where the borrower gets the money in cash from banks / financial
institutions. Few fund based facilities / loans are enumerated below
(a) Personal Loan – also called as consumer loans, these loans are unsecured in nature and
are advanced on the basis of borrower’s credit history and ability of repay the loan from personal
income. Repayment is usually through fixed amount installments over a fixed term. These loans
are generally unsecured in nature.
(b) Mortgage loan / Home Loan – a loan that is secured by property or real estate is called a
mortgage loan. In exchange of funds received by the borrower to buy a home or property, a lender
gets a promise from the borrower to repay the loan within a certain time frame for a certain cost.
(c) Working Capital loans – These loans are for the purpose of financing the everyday
operations of a company. Working capital loans are not used to buy long term assets or
investments and are instead used to cover short term needs of the business like funding the
creditors, accounts payable, wages etc.
Maximum Permissible Banking finance (MPBF) – This is mainly a method of working capital
assessment. As per the recommendations of Tandon Committee, the corporates are discouraged
from accumulating too much of stocks of current assets and are recommended to move towards
very lean inventories and receivable levels. There are 3 methods of working out the maximum
amount that a company / borrower may expect from the bank:
• Method 1 – MPBF = 75% of (Current Assets – Current Liabilities other than bank borrowings).
The borrower should provide the remaining 25% from long – term sources. The minimum
current ratio under this method works out to 1:1
• Method 2 – MPBF = (75% of Current assets) – Current liabilities other than bank borrowings.
The borrower should provide the raise finance to the extent of 25% of current assets from
long term assets. The minimum current ratio under this method works out to 1.33:1.
• Method 3 – MPBF = 75% of (Current Assets – Core Current Assets) – Current Liabilities other
than bank borrowings. The borrower should contribute 100% core current assets and 25% of
balance current assets from long term sources. A minimum current ratio under this method
works out to above 1.5:1
Various types of working capital loans include Bank Overdraft, Cash Credit, Factoring etc
(i) Overdraft - is a type of fund based lending. It occurs when money is withdrawn from a bank
account and the available balance becomes nil. In this situation the account is said to be
overdrawn. Thus under this facility, the account holder (individual or corporate) is allowed to
withdraw in excess of the balance standing in bank account. Bank fixes a limit beyond which the
account holder will not be able to overdraw the account. Legally, overdraft is a demand assistance
given by the bank. It is given for a very short period of time, at the end of which the account holder
is supposed to repay the amount. Interest is payable on the actual amount drawn.
(ii) Cash Credit - Cash credit is a short term cash loan to a company. It is just like overdraft
facility except there is no need to open a formal current account. Also, this type of funding requires
security deposit to secure the loan given by the bank. Legally, cash credit is a demand facility.
Interest is payable on actual amount drawn.
(iii) Bill Discounting- Bills purchased / discounted facility - enables the company to get the
immediate payment against credit invoices raised by the company. The bank holds the invoices till
the customer has actually made the payment. While granting this facility, the bank first satisfies
itself about the credit worthiness of the customer and the genuineness of the bill. A limit is fixed in
case of the company beyond which the bills are not purchased or discounted by the bank.
(iv) Packing Credit – This is the type of assistance given by the bank to enable the company to buy
the goods to be exported. This type of facility is included as short term loan and is in two forms:
(a) Pre shipment packing credit – loan / advance granted to an exporter for financing the
purchase, processing, manufacturing or packing of goods prior to shipment.
(b) Post shipment packing credit – loan / advance granted to an exporter after shipment of goods
to the date of realization of export proceeds.
(v) Factoring – This is a financial transaction and a type of debtor financing in which a company
sells its accounts receivable to a third party (called a factor) at a discount. There are 3 parties
involved; the factor who purchases the receivable, the one who sells the receivable and the debtor
who has a financial liability that requires him / her to make the payment to the owner of the
invoice.
(d) Demand Loan – A demand loan is a rare form of loan that can be called for complete / partial
repayment by the lender without any prior notice to the borrower. In other words, when the lender
demands the money, the borrower must pay it.
(e) Term Loans – A term loan is repaid in regular payments over a fixed tenor. They usually are
of tenor between one to 10 years, but may last as long as 30 years in some cases. These loans
are typically extended to mid and large corporate and usually have a unfixed (fixed / floating) rate
of interest. They are usually secured in nature. The security could be in the form of movable or
immovable assets like plant & machinery, land, building, shares, guarantees etc.
(f) Project / Infrastructure Loans – Project finance / loans are financing of long term
infrastructure, industrial projects and public services in which project debt and equity used to
finance the project are paid back from the cash flow generated from the project with the project’s
assets, rights and interests held as secondary security or collateral. These loans are long term in
nature and usually have a tenor of 15-20 years. Usually, project financing structure involves a
number of equity investors known as ‘sponsors’ and multiple banks / financial institutions / lenders
called a syndication or consortium of banks. Generally, a special purpose entity called a Special
Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is created for each project, thereby shielding other assets owned by the
project sponsor for the detrimental effects of a project failure. As a special purpose entity, the
project company has no assets other than the project.
(g) Micro finance loans – These loans are extended to individuals / entrepreneurs having small
businesses who lack access to banking and related services. The two main mechanisms for the
delivery of financial services to such borrowers are (1) relationship – based banking for individuals
entrepreneurs and small businesses, and (2) group based models where several entrepreneurs
come together to apply for loans and other services as a group.
(h) Real Estate Construction Loans – These loans are extended to developers / builders for
construction of residential / commercial buildings including and real estate development. These are
large ticket loans and have a long tenor ~ 10 to 20 years.
(i) Agriculture and Allied Services Loans – These are advances given to farmers for
purchasing farm equipment’s like tractors, harvesters etc. These are small ticket retail loans where
the underlying asset is hypothecated to the lender. The tenor of the loan usually matches the life of
the underlying assets ~ 4-5 years. The repayment of these loans is aligned to the harvesting cycle
usually bi annually.
4.2 Non Fund Facilities
Non fund facilities are where the banks / financial institutions do not commit any physical outflow
of funds. It is a nature of promise made by a bank / financial institution in favour of a third party to
provide monetary compensation on behalf of their clients. The fund position of the lending bank
remains intact. Types of non-fund facilities are as given below:
(a) Bank Guarantee – a bank guarantee is a guarantee from a lending institution / bank ensuring
the liabilities of a debtor will be met. In order words, if the debtor fails to settle a debt, the bank
covers it. A bank guarantee enables the customer, or debtor, to acquire goods, buy equipment, or
draw down loans.
(b) Letter of Credit - Letter of Credit is a non-fund based lending which is very regularly found in
international trade.
This facility is given when the exporter and importer are unknown to each other. In this case, the
importer applies to his bank (Issuing Bank) in his country to open a letter of credit in favour of
exporter whereby the importers’ bank undertakes to pay the exporter on fulfilling the terms and
conditions specified in the letter of credit.
5. CLASSIFICATION OF ASSETS
Every bank / FI after taking into account the degree of well – defined credit weaknesses and extent
of dependence on collateral security for realization, classify its loans & advances into various
classes. RBI in its Master Circular for Banks – Prudential Norms and asset classification have
spelled out the following classes:
• Standard Assets – shall mean the asset in respect of which, no default in repayment of
principal or payment of interest is perceived and which does not disclose any problem or
carry more than normal risk attached to the business.
• Sub – standard assets – shall mean an asset which has been classified as non – performing
asset for the period not exceeding 12 months.
• Doubtful assets – an asset which remains sub standard for a period not exceeding 12
months.
• Loss Assets – an asset which is adversely affected by a potential threat of non recoverability
due to either erosion in the value of security or non availability of security or sue to fraudulent
act or omission on the part of the borrower. Loss asset could be identified as such by the
bank / FI or its internal or external auditor
Non Performing Asset (NPA) shall mean an asset, in respect of which, interest has remained
overdue for a period of 3 months or more.
Banks write off assets which are non collectable removing it from their balance sheets. A reduction
in the value of an asset or earnings by the amount of an expense or loss is called write off.
and regularly. You need to understand the credibility that the customer possesses. And for
that purpose, lender organization should rely on the reports which are available. Or they can
consider going through the credit scoring agencies to ensure the customer has the paying
ability. Even asking for the basic information will provide you a rough idea about the credit
history of the customer. It always better to take the help of professionals during this step.
Engage the professional and rely on their expertise. During this stage, credit evaluation is
very critical.
(3) Ask and Check the references: It’s absolutely ok to ask customer for the references, List of
creditable clients are much more reliable source than anything else. It’s important to ask for
the lender organization to understand who all have been given trade credit from in the past
and how old are the relationship with such counterparty. This will establish a pattern to
understand if the customer has a tendency to maintain the business relation or it’s just a pure
business. Also, asking reference from the third party proves to be independent source to
verify the commitment made by the customers.
(4) Due Diligence: When a lender is convince to provide a line of credit to the customer, it is his
duty to have proper due diligence in place to ensure the line of credit is being placed in safe
pair of hands. Irrespective of the professionals involvement in due diligence process, lender
still has the moral responsibility to perform the due diligence on its own. This can be achieved
by simply visiting the website, assessing the market creditability etc. Basically, publically
sourced information is pretty useful in such cases.
(5) Recovery: Lender organization or its employee must understand that every single rupee
invested in the customer has cost involved in it. An effort should be made to ensure that this
minimal cost of capital should be recovered from the customer. This can be achieved by
simply asking your prospect for a deposit or the collateral.
(6) Nature of business: Once should not hesitate to ask for the nature of business in which
borrower is dealing with. This will give a fair bit item on risk exposure and also provide
adequate comfort to the lender.
Apart from this major risk other minor risks such as foreign exchange risk, inter-bank transactions,
letter of credit, derivative transactions like future, options , swaps and likewise. Financial
Institutions also needs to resolve the following issues: Magnitude of risk arising from large complex
organization structure, Geographical spread of the operations of the above organizations, and
borrowing pattern of large organizations.
The historical method of risk identification involves the identification of types of risk credit, market,
operational and liquidity. This approach is based on traditional method of measuring risk and
capital adequacy. However, the new approach to risk identification involves testing of the
organizations to stressful situations. This helps the institutions to test, develop their own
vulnerability to stress.
7.2 How Credit risk is Mitigated
We all know that credit risk is inevitable. But - mitigating the credit risk is a way where one can
lessen; reduce the impact of credit risk. This is one of the steps in credit risk management. There
are different ways and means to mitigate the credit risk. Banks may use various techniques which
reduce their exposure to individual customers and transactions. The taking of guarantees and
security to support the obligations of the primary borrower pre-dates capital adequacy rules by
many centuries. The desire to avoid loss is simply a feature of prudent banking and is by no
means intimately associated with the lender's capital position.
Basel II has suggested the two broad categories of risk mitigation. These are funded and non –
funded risk mitigation. As the name suggests, funded credit risk mitigation is that way of risk
mitigation where a bank has recourse to cash or buyers asset in order to money owing to it. The
concept of funded credit protection refers to the nature of the asset which forms the available
security.
As per Basel II norms, following are the different types of funded credit risk mitigation methods:
(a) On Balance Sheet Netting. On balance sheet netting of mutual claims/reciprocal cash
balances between the bank and the counterparty creates effective security and collaterals.
This norm accordingly be recognised as an acceptable form of credit risk; in order take in
account a funded credit risk mitigation, the underlying arrangement has to go through the
legal test.
(b) Collateral: The assets/security which are retained or deposited with bank against grant of
any loan advances, debt or credit lines. The typical examples are
♦ Cash or cash equivalents – Cash or Hand loans
♦ Gold Pledging
♦ Corporal Debt Securities
♦ Debt securities issued by banks, local authorities and certain other entities which meet
stated credit quality criteria;
Basel II has forced financial institution to comply with the requirements including the stringent
guidance and assessment by credit risk by private players. Detailed documentation is available at
(http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbsca.htm)
AAA (Highest Instruments with this rating are considered to have the highest
Safety) degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial
obligations. Such instruments carry lowest credit risk.
AA (High Safety) Instruments with this rating are considered to have high degree
of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations. Such
instruments carry very low credit risk.
A (Adequate Safety) Instruments with this rating are considered to have adequate
degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial
obligations. Such instruments carry low credit risk.
BBB (Moderate Instruments with this rating are considered to have moderate
Safety) degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial
obligations. Such instruments carry moderate credit risk
BB (Moderate Risk) Instruments with this rating are considered to have moderate risk
of default regarding timely servicing of financial obligations
B (High Risk) Instruments with this rating are considered to have high risk of
default regarding timely servicing of financial obligations
C (Very High Risk) Instruments with this rating are considered to have very high risk
of default regarding timely servicing of financial obligations
D (Default) Instruments with this rating are in default or are expected to be
in default soon.
A1 Instruments with this rating are considered to have very strong degree of safety
regarding timely payment of financial obligations. Such instruments carry lowest
credit risk
A2 Instruments with this rating are considered to have strong degree of safety
regarding timely payment of financial obligations. Such instruments carry low
credit risk
A3 Instruments with this rating are considered to have moderate degree of safety
regarding timely payment of financial obligations. Such instruments carry higher
credit risk as compared to instruments rated in the two higher categories
A4 Instruments with this rating are considered to have minimal degree of safety
regarding timely payment of financial obligations. Such instruments carry very
high credit risk and are susceptible to default
D Instruments with this rating are in default or expected to be in default on
maturity.
• Additionally, the rating agencies may apply ‘+’ (plus) or ‘-‘ (minus) signs for ratings from AA to
C to reflect the comparative standing within the company
The rating agency may also assign outlooks for ratings from AAA to B. Ratings on rating watch will
not carry outlooks. A rating outlook indicates the direction in which a rating may move over the
medium term horizon on one to two years. A rating outlook can be ‘Positive’, ‘Stable’ or ‘Negative’.
A positive or negative rating outlook is not necessarily a precursor of a rating change.
8.3 Portfolio Risk Management
Once the funds are disbursed, periodic reviews on the portfolio/borrowers/assets are conducted by
the relevant Business and Credit Departments. Notwithstanding sound appraisal processes and
risk management, some portfolios / accounts may develop weakness on account of changes in
internal or external conditions. Mechanisms for monitoring and identifying early warning signals
(EWS) should be in place to review the portfolio and identify such weak accounts before they turn
NPA. These monitoring mechanisms will help take remedial measures and limit losses. Such
monitoring / review can be undertaken through a mix of portfolio and borrower level EWS matrix
(indicative parameters and not exhaustive list):
Retail Financing
• Roll forward / roll back rates – (deterioration on days past due / improvement in days past
due)
• Infant / Early delinquencies – non payment of first EMI / instalments.
• Performance review across at branch / scheme / program / Relationship Manager etc
• Scorecard parameter reviews
Wholesale Financing
• Early Default Alerts (EDA) in the form of adverse deviations in operational performance and
cash inflows vis-a-vis projections.
• Site visit reports.
• Progress report of the project through internal / external agencies including Lenders
Engineers vis-a-vis the envisaged / projected performance at the initial appraisal/previous
review stage.
• Security margin cover.
• Movement in internal / external rating including suspension/ withdrawal, more specially
downward revision in ratings.
• Covenant monitoring.
• Overdue monitoring.
Portfolio risk management emanates from a clearly spelled out risk appetite of the organization to
meet its strategic objectives. Portfolio Risk Management is predominantly driven through
“Concentration Risk Management”. Concentration risk in banking term denoting the overall spread
of bank’s outstanding loan accounts over the number or variety of debtors to whom the bank has
lent money. Concentration risk can be in terms of overexposure against a particular borrower /
group of borrowers or being over exposed to a particular industry / sector / regions / geography
etc. Concentration risk could be managed by setting limits on exposure per borrower or group of
borrowers belonging to the same management or limits on industry / sector / geography.
8.4 Credit Risk Rating Process
Credit Risk Rating or Credit Rating is an important tool to manage large ticket exposures credit
risk. The rating provides a consistent and common scale for measurement of credit risk of a loan
asset in terms of Probability of Default (PD) across products and sectors. Coupled with estimation
of Loss Given Default (LGD), it enables the organisation to make an estimate of credit cost for the
loan assets and thus, helps to differentiate among loan assets as objectively as possible. PD is
measured by the internal rating assigned to the Borrower and assesses the likelihood that the
Borrower will default on its debt obligations. LGD is measured by the value of the security/
collateral / cash flow cover (project finance)/ DSRA/other credit enhancements for the particular
facility provided by the Borrower, after applying haircut to each assets sub class, which will form a
cover for the outstanding facility, once a default has occurred.
Each Bank / FI would have an internal credit rating model which takes into account critical success
parameters relevant for each industry, competitive forces within the industry, regulatory issues
while capturing financial parameters, management strengths, project parameters, etc. and the LGD
models take into consideration the cover expected to be available for recovery based on asset or
cash flows that could be accessed after a default has happened. The LGD model also factors in
the estimated time to invoke different types of securities for applying suitable discounting factors.
Each proposed debt commitment is rated before taking a sanction decision and all such ratings of
assets in the portfolio are periodically reviewed by banks / FIs. Revised ratings are awarded for the
borrower if there is deterioration in the financial parameters from the originally assessed and
projected, adverse changes in industry / sector, changes in government regulations etc. Each
corporate loan is then assessed for rating migration (upward or downward movement) through out
the loan life cycle.
8.5 Credit Loss Estimation
Credit risk being the most prominent risk for banks and FIs and subject of strict regulatory
oversight and policy debate needs to be carefully estimated / assessed.
Credit risk management is the practice of mitigating those losses by understanding the adequacy
of both capital and loan loss reserves at any given time – a process that has long been a challenge
for financial institutions. Various quantification and modelling techniques are being applied in
practice for credit risk measurement and management. The estimation around credit risk
management necessitates the following measures to be quantified for capital and provisioning
purposes:
• Expected Loss: The average loss that the organisation expects from an exposure over a
fixed time period, usually a year
• Unexpected Loss: The loss that the organisation incurs over and above the average loss
expected from an exposure over a certain time period, usually a year. It is also known as the
variation in Expected Loss and includes the possibility of large losses
There are 3 integral components (known as risk components) that are required to be estimated
for credit risk quantification.
I. Probability of Default (PD): It refers to the probability / risk / chance of a borrower
defaulting* on the payment of the credit obligations, within a given time horizon, usually one
year.
II. Loss Given Default (LGD): It refers to the loss likely to be suffered in the event of a default
occurring in an exposure. It takes into account the amount of recoveries likely to be made
post default.
III. Exposure at Default (EAD): It refers to the amount that is exposed to the default risk. It is
usually the amount outstanding as well as undrawn commitment that is expected to be drawn
by the time of default.
A range of statistical or expert judgement techniques are used to estimate risk components (PD,
LGD, EAD) for both funded and non-funded exposures.
*Default definition as per Bank for International Settlement (BIS) - A default is considered to have
occurred with regard to a particular obligor when either or both of the two following events have
taken place: (i) The bank considers that the obligor is unlikely to pay its credit obligations to the
banking group in full, without recourse by the bank to actions such as realising security (if held).
(ii) The obligor is past due more than 90 days on any material credit obligation to the banking
group.
8.5.1 Estimation of Probability of Default (PD)
Given the requirement or constraints, PD can be calculated for a single obligor or a group of
obligors with similar credit risk features. The former method is more prevalent in corporate book
and the latter in retail book.
Types of PD Estimation
1. Pooling Method: This method relies on the historical data and assumes that past defaults
are a reasonable predictor for future likelihood of losses. Historical PD is calculated by taking the
ratio of the facilities that have defaulted to the total facilities that existed in the concerned time
frame, usually a year. In this method, the facilities are divided into different categories/pools based
on their risk drivers.
2. Statistical Method: Data on characteristics of retail obligors and corporate obligors can be
used to estimate their respective probability of defaults. Various statistical techniques can be
employed on the data to estimate PD for defined time horizons. The statistical model specifies the
relationship between the inputs and the outcome – PD. The parameters determined depend on the
data used to develop the model.
One of the most recommended statistical techniques to estimate PD is logistic regression. This
method of regression is applicable when the dependent variable is binary i.e. takes one of the two
available values i.e. default & non default. This variable indicates whether or not the loan/debt has
gone into default over a certain time horizon, usually a year. Some of the common variable
sources used to estimate the PD of a corporate are financial statements, owner’s data, type of
loan, size of loan, and industry of the company. Similarly, for retail obligors, variable sources could
be customer demographics, income statistics, age of loan, and number of late payments etc.
3. Structural Method: This method is generally applicable for listed corporate entities wherein
structural models are used to calculate the probability of default for a corporate based on the value
of its assets and liabilities. This technique is a sophisticated approach and requires valuation
models to be applied for firm valuation.
Over a period of time, we propose to collate other statistical relevant inputs to explore possibilities
of using statistical method for PD calculation as well as to improve portfolio quality.
8.5.2 Estimation of Loss Given Default
A bank / financial institution incur a loss when a company to which it has lent money, or entered
into a contract with, defaults on its payments. Loss Given Default (LGD) is defined as the
percentage loss rate on EAD, given the obligor defaults. It provides the loss that a bank is bound
to incur when a default occurs. The components of the loss that will be incurred, given the obligor
defaults are Loss of principal, Carrying costs and Workout expenses
Value of LGD varies with the economic cycle, so the following variations in LGD are defined:
• Cyclical LGD (Point-in-Time LGD) - Cyclical LGD is calculated based on the recent data and
its value depends on the economic cycle
• Long-run LGD (Through-the-Cycle LGD) - Long-run LGD represents the average long-term
LGD, corresponding to a non-cyclical scenario that is not dependent on the time the LGD is
calculated
• Downturn LGD - Downturn LGD represents the LGD at the worst time of the economic cycle
The current document is based on cyclical LGD calculation for our portfolio. As the data gets
enriched over time, the long run LGD would be gradually adopted.
8.6 Credit Default Swaps
A Credit Default Swap (CDS) is a financial swap agreement that the seller of the CDS will
compensate the buyer (usually the creditor of the reference loan) in the event of a loan default (by
the debtor) or other credit event. That is, the seller of the CDS insures the buyer against some
reference loan defaulting. The buyer of the CDS makes a series of payments (the CDS "fee" or
"spread") to the seller and, in exchange, receives a payoff if the loan defaults. It was invented by
Blythe Masters from JP Morgan in 1994.
In the event of default, the buyer of the CDS receives compensation (usually the face value of the
loan), and the seller of the CDS takes possession of the defaulted loan. However, anyone can
purchase a CDS, even buyers who do not hold the loan instrument and who have no direct
insurable interest in the loan (these are called "naked" CDSs). If there are more CDS contracts
outstanding than bonds in existence, a protocol exists to hold a credit event auction; the payment
received is usually substantially less than the face value of the loan.
Credit default swaps have existed since 1994, and increased in use in the early 2000s. CDSs are
not traded on an exchange and there is no required reporting of transactions to a government
agency. During the 2007–2010 financial crisis the lack of transparency in this large market became
a concern to regulators as it could pose a systemic risk.
As an example, imagine that an investor buys a CDS from AAA-Bank, where the reference entity is
Risky Corp. The investor—the buyer of protection—will make regular payments to AAA-Bank—the
seller of protection. If Risky Corp defaults on its debt, the investor receives a one-time payment
from AAA-Bank, and the CDS contract is terminated.
If the investor actually owns Risky Corp's debt (i.e., is owed money by Risky Corp), a CDS can act
as a hedge. But investors can also buy CDS contracts referencing Risky Corp debt without actually
owning any Risky Corp debt. This may be done for speculative purposes, to bet against the
solvency of Risky Corp in a gamble to make money, or to hedge investments in other companies
whose fortunes are expected to be similar to those of Risky Corp.
If the reference entity (i.e., Risky Corp) defaults, one of two kinds of settlement can occur:
• the investor delivers a defaulted asset to Bank for payment of the par value, which is known
as physical settlement;
• AAA-Bank pays the investor the difference between the par value and the market price of a
specified debt obligation (even if Risky Corp defaults there is usually some recovery, i.e., not
all the investor's money is lost), which is known as cash settlement.
The "spread" of a CDS is the annual amount the protection buyer must pay the protection seller
over the length of the contract, expressed as a percentage of the notional amount. For example, if
the CDS spread of Risky Corp is 50 basis points, or 0.5% (1 basis point = 0.01%), then an investor
buying $10 million worth of protection from AAA-Bank must pay the bank $50,000. Payments are
usually made on a quarterly basis, in arrears. These payments continue until either the CDS
contract expires or Risky Corp defaults.
All things being equal, at any given time, if the maturity of two credit default swaps is the same,
then the CDS associated with a company with a higher CDS spread is considered more likely to
default by the market, since a higher fee is being charged to protect against this happening.
However, factors such as liquidity and estimated loss given default can affect the comparison.
Credit spread rates and credit ratings of the underlying or reference obligations are considered
among money managers to be the best indicators of the likelihood of sellers of CDSs having to
perform under these contracts.
Key features of RBI guidelines on CDS
• Participants in the CDS market are classified as either users or market makers. User entities
are permitted to buy credit protection (buy CDS contracts) only to hedge their underlying
credit risk on corporate bonds. Such entities are not permitted to hold credit protection
without having eligible underlying as a hedged item. The users cannot buy CDS for amounts
higher than the face value of corporate bonds. This is the most important point of difference,
as there was no such limitation in United States of America prior to 2008, and hence many
Institutional players had taken huge long positions (in CDS) without having any exposure to
reference asset.
• Since the users are envisaged to use the CDS only for hedging their credit risks, assumed
due to their investment in corporate bonds, they shall not, at any point of time, maintain
naked CDS protection i.e. CDS purchase position without having an eligible underlying bonds
held by them and for periods longer than the tenor of corporate bonds held by them.
• The eligible entities under user’s category would be Commercial Banks, PDs, NBFCs, Mutual
Funds, Insurance Companies, Housing Finance Companies, Provident Funds, Listed
Corporates, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and any other institution specifically
permitted by the Reserve Bank of India.
• CDS will be allowed only on listed corporate bonds as reference obligations. However, CDS
can also be written on unlisted but rated bonds of infrastructure companies. This is another
major area of difference between the US markets and RBI guidelines. In United States of
America, the CDS were written on various pass through securities like Mortgage Backed
Security (MBS), Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) etc, whereas as per the RBI guidelines,
the CDS are specifically restricted for listed corporate bonds, the obvious reason being that
there is no big market of pass through securities in India as it is in US.
• The credit events specified in the CDS contract may cover: Bankruptcy, Failure to pay,
Repudiation/moratorium, Obligation acceleration, Obligation default, Restructuring approved
under Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) and Corporate Debt
Restructuring (CDR) mechanism and corporate bond restructuring.
• Since, CDS are traded mainly over-the-counter (OTC), the contracting parties therefore have
to agree upon the terms and conditions of the CDS individually. In order to facilitate
documentation, and to avoid disputes as to whether a credit event had actually occurred and
how a contract should best be settled, CDS contracting parties (in the international and US
market) generally refer to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master
Agreement. In India, the RBI guidelines specifically states that Fixed Income Money Market
and Derivatives Association of India (FIMMDA) shall devise a Master Agreement for Indian
CDS
• Regarding the Settlement procedures, the RBI Guideline states that the parties to the CDS
transaction shall determine upfront, the procedure and method of settlement
(cash/physical/auction) to be followed in the event of occurrence of a credit event and
document the same in the CDS documentation. However it further adds that for transactions
involving users, physical settlement is mandatory. For all other transactions, market-makers
have been permitted to opt for any of the three settlement methods (physical, cash and
auction), provided the CDS documentation envisages such settlement
• Further, the guidelines specifically provide norms for Prevention of mis-selling and market
abuse, wherein it requires protection sellers to ensure that CDS transactions shall be
undertaken only on obtaining from the counterparty, a copy of a resolution passed by their
Board of Directors, authorizing the counterparty to transact in CDS.
• RBI has also incorporated certain reporting requirements in the guidelines which would
require market makers to report their CDS trades with both users and other market makers on
the reporting platform of CDS trade repository within 30 minutes from the deal time. The
users would be required to affirm or reject their trade already reported by the market- maker
by the end of the day. In addition to these reporting requirements the participants are also
required to report to respective regulators (e.g. IRDA for Insurance companies) information as
required by them such as risk positions of the participants vis-à-vis their net worth and
adherence to risk limits, etc.
8.7 Credit Insurance
Trade credit insurance, business credit insurance, export credit insurance, or credit insurance is an
insurance policy and a risk management product offered by private insurance companies and
governmental export credit agencies to business entities wishing to protect their accounts
receivable from loss due to credit risks such as protracted default, insolvency or bankruptcy. This
insurance product is a type of property and casualty insurance and should not be confused with
such products as credit life or credit disability insurance, which individuals obtain to protect against
the risk of loss of income needed to pay debts. Trade credit insurance can include a component of
political risk insurance which is offered by the same insurers to insure the risk of non-payment by
foreign buyers due to currency issues, political unrest, expropriation etc.
8.8 Difference between Credit Insurance and Credit Default Swaps
CDS contracts have obvious similarities with insurance, because the buyer pays a premium and, in
return, receives a sum of money if an adverse event occurs.
However, there are also many differences, the most important being that an insurance contract
provides an indemnity against the losses actually suffered by the policy holder on an asset in
which it holds an insurable interest. By contrast a CDS provides an equal payout to all holders,
calculated using an agreed, market-wide method. The holder does not need to own the underlying
security and does not even have to suffer a loss from the default event. The CDS can therefore be
used to speculate on debt objects.
The other differences include:
• The seller might in principle not be a regulated entity (though in practice most are banks);
• The seller is not required to maintain reserves to cover the protection sold (this was a
principal cause of AIG's financial distress in 2008; it had insufficient reserves to meet the
"run" of expected payouts caused by the collapse of the housing bubble);
• Insurance requires the buyer to disclose all known risks, while CDSs do not (the CDS seller
can in many cases still determine potential risk, as the debt instrument being "insured" is a
market commodity available for inspection, but in the case of certain instruments like CDOs
made up of "slices" of debt packages, it can be difficult to tell exactly what is being insured);
• Insurers manage risk primarily by setting loss reserves based on the Law of large numbers
and actuarial analysis. Dealers in CDSs manage risk primarily by means of hedging with
The original data sample consisted of 66 firms, half of which had filed for bankruptcy under
Chapter 7. All businesses in the database were manufacturers, and small firms with assets of < $1
million were eliminated.
The original Z-score formula was as follows:
Z= 1.2X1 + 1.4X2 + 3.3X3 + 0.6X4 + 1.0X5.
X1 = working capital / total assets. Measures liquid assets in relation to the size of the company.
X2 = retained earnings / total assets. Measures profitability that reflects the company's age and
earning power.
X3 = earnings before interest and taxes / total assets. Measures operating efficiency apart from
tax and leveraging factors. It recognizes operating earnings as being important to long-term
viability.
X4 = market value of equity / book value of total liabilities. Adds market dimension that can show
up security price fluctuation as a possible red flag.
X5 = sales / total assets. Standard measure for total asset turnover (varies greatly from industry
to industry).
Altman found that the ratio profile for the bankrupt group fell at −0.25 avg, and for the non-
bankrupt group at +4.48 avg.
In its initial test, the Altman Z-Score was found to be 72% accurate in predicting bankruptcy two
years before the event, with a Type II error (false negatives) of 6% (Altman, 1968). In a series of
subsequent tests covering three periods over the next 31 years (up until 1999), the model was
found to be approximately 80%–90% accurate in predicting bankruptcy one year before the event,
with a Type II error (classifying the firm as bankrupt when it does not go bankrupt) of
approximately 15% –20% (Altman, 2000).
From about 1985 onwards, the Z-scores gained wide acceptance by auditors, management
accountants, courts, and database systems used for loan evaluation (Eidleman). The formula's
approach has been used in a variety of contexts and countries, although it was designed originally
for publicly held manufacturing companies with assets of more than $1 million. Later variations by
Altman were designed to be applicable to privately held companies (the Altman Z'-Score) and non-
manufacturing companies (the Altman Z"-Score).
Neither the Altman models nor other balance sheet-based models are recommended for use with
financial companies. This is because of the opacity of financial companies' balance sheets and
their frequent use of off-balance sheet items. There are market-based formulas used to predict the
default of financial firms (such as the Merton Model), but these have limited predictive value
because they rely on market data (fluctuations of share and options prices to imply fluctuations in
asset values) to predict a market event (default, i.e., the decline in asset values below the value of
a firm's liabilities).
commonly stated as percentages from 0 to 100%. An R-squared of 100% means all movements of
a security are completely explained by movements in the index. A high R-squared, between 85%
and 100%, indicates the fund's performance patterns have been in line with the index. A fund with
a low R-squared, at 70% or less, indicates the security does not act much like the index. A higher
R-squared value indicates a more useful beta figure. For example, if a fund has an R-squared
value of close to 100% but has a beta below 1, it is most likely offering higher risk-adjusted
returns.
9.2.1 Return on Risk Adjusted Capital (RORAC)
The return on risk-adjusted capital (RORAC) is a rate of return statistic commonly used in financial
analysis, where varying projects, endeavours and investments are evaluated based on capital at
risk. Projects with different risk profiles are easier to compare to each other once their individual
RORAC values have been calculated.
RORAC = Net income / Allocated Risk Capital
Allocated risk capital is the firm's capital, adjusted for a maximum potential loss based on
estimated future earnings distributions or the volatility of earnings. Companies use RORAC to
place greater emphasis on firm-wide risk management. For example, different corporate divisions
with unique managers can use RORAC to quantify and maintain acceptable risk-exposure levels.
With RORAC, however, the capital is adjusted for risk, not the rate of return. RORAC is used when
the risk varies depending on the capital asset being analyzed.
For example, assume a firm is evaluating two projects it has engaged in over the previous year
and needs to decide which one to eliminate. Project A had total revenues of ` 100,000 and total
expenses of ` 50,000. The total risk-weighted assets involved in the project are ` 400,000. Project
B had total revenues of ` 200,000 and total expenses of ` 100,000. The total risk-weighted assets
involved in Project B are ` 900,000. The RORACs are calculated as below:
Project A RORAC = ` 1,00,000 – ` 50,000 / ` 4,00,000 = 12.5%
Project B RAROC = ` 2,00,000 – ` 100000 / ` 9,00,000 = 11.1%
Even though Project B had twice as much revenue as Project A, once the risk-weighted capital of
the projects are taken into account, it is clear that Project A has a better RORAC.
9.2.2 Economic Capital
Economic capital is the amount of capital that a firm, usually in financial services, needs to ensure
that the company stays solvent given its risk profile. Economic capital is calculated internally,
sometimes using proprietary models, and is the amount of capital that the firm should have to
support any risks that it takes
Calculations of economic capital and their use in risk/reward ratios reveal which business lines a
bank should pursue that maximize the risk-reward trade-off. Performance measures that utilize
economic capital include return on risk adjusted capital (RORAC), risk adjusted return on capital
(RAROC) and economic value added (EVA). Business units that perform better on measures like
these can receive more of the firm's capital in order to optimize risk. Value-at-risk (VaR) and
similar measures are also based on economic capital and are used by financial institutions for risk
management.
9.2.3 Value at Risk (VaR)
Value at risk (VaR) is a statistical technique used to measure and quantify the level of financial risk
within a firm or investment portfolio over a specific time frame. This metric is most commonly used
by investment and commercial banks to determine the extent and occurrence ratio of potential
losses in their institutional portfolios. VaR calculations can be applied to specific positions or
portfolios as a whole or to measure firm-wide risk exposure. VaR modelling determines the
potential for loss in the entity being assessed, as well as the probability of occurrence for the
defined loss. VaR is measured by assessing the amount of potential loss, the probability of
occurrence for the amount of loss and the time frame. For example, a financial firm may determine
an asset has a 3% one-month VaR of 2%, representing a 3% chance of the asset declining in
value by 2% during the one-month time frame. The conversion of the 3% chance of occurrence to
a daily ratio places the odds of a 2% loss at one day per month.
9.2.4 Risk – adjusted Return on Capital (RAROC)
Risk-adjusted return on capital (RAROC) is a risk-based profitability measurement framework for
analysing risk-adjusted financial performance and providing a consistent view of profitability across
businesses. The concept was developed by Bankers Trust and principal designer Dan Borge in the
late 1970s. Note, however, that more and more return on risk adjusted capital (RORAC) is used as
a measure, whereby the risk adjustment of Capital is based on the capital adequacy guidelines as
outlined by the Basel Committee, currently Basel III.
RAROC = Expected return / Economic Capital OR RAROC = Expected Return / Value at Risk
Broadly speaking, in business enterprises, risk is traded off against benefit. RAROC is defined as
the ratio of risk adjusted return to economic capital. The economic capital is the amount of money
which is needed to secure the survival in a worst-case scenario, it is a buffer against unexpected
shocks in market values. Economic capital is a function of market risk, credit risk, and operational
risk, and is often calculated by VaR. This use of capital based on risk improves the capital
allocation across different functional areas of banks, insurance companies, or any business in
which capital is placed at risk for an expected return above the risk-free rate.
RAROC system allocates capital for two basic reasons:
(a) Risk management
(b) Performance evaluation
For risk management purposes, the main goal of allocating capital to individual business units is to
determine the bank's optimal capital structure—that is economic capital allocation is closely
correlated with individual business risk. As a performance evaluation tool, it allows banks to assign
capital to business units based on the economic value added of each unit.
9.3 Ratios and Financial Assessment
For any Credit or Finance professional, it is critical to examine and analyze the Audited Financials
of the past 5 years of the company / borrower, in detail. They should additionally require to seek
and assess the latest audited or provisional quarterly / semi-annual financial data of the company.
Once the financial information has been gathered, the analysis should include the following critical
ratios:
9.3.1 Financial Statement analysis
(a) Sales Growth Rate – This ratio gives us a trend whether the growth / decline in topline is
consistent and hence sustainable over the projected period or it’s a spurt in one of the years.
The ratio is : ((Yr2 Sales – Yr1 Sales) / Yr1 Sales)*100
(b) EBITDA% - EBIDTA refers to Earnings before interest, depreciation and tax. This gives us a
fair idea how much profit the borrower is making from its business at operating level. This
eliminates the effects of financing and accounting decisions thus giving profitability purely
from operations. Ratio is (EBIDTA / Net Sales)*100
(c) PAT% - This is the net earnings after all the expenses before appropriation to reserves and
distribution to shareholders in the form of dividend. Ratio is (PAT / Net Sales)*100
(d) EBIDTA / Interest – This ratio gives us the measure of company’s ability to meet its interest
expenses through operating profits.
(e) Net Fixed asset turnover ratio – This ratio indicates how well the borrower is using its fixed
assets to generate sales. If a company has a higher fixed asset turnover ratio than its
competitors it is using its assets well to generate the topline.
(f) Total Debt / TNW – Tangible Networth (TNW) is most commonly a calculation of the networth
of a company that excludes any value derived from intangible assets such as copyrights,
patents, intellectual property etc.
Tangible Networth = Total Assets – Total Liabilities – Intangible Assets
The ratio Total Debt / TNW – this measures the proportions of company’s borrowed funds to
equity. The ratio indicates the financial risk to which a business is subjected, since excessive
debt can lead to financial difficulties. A high gearing ratio is indicative of high debt, which in
business downturn may pose trouble on the borrower in meeting its debt repayment
schedules.
(g) Debt Service Coverage ratio (DSCR) – is a measure of the cash flow available to pay current
debt obligations. The ratio states net operating income as a multiple of debt obligations due
within one year, including interest, principal. Ratio is (PAT + Dep + Interest) / (Current portion
Credit scoring models which are alternatively called as scorecards are primarily used to inform
management for decision making and to provide predictive analysis or the information on the
potential delinquency of the loan approved or credit line extended. Adoption of the credit scoring
model is vital for the organization as it’s a base to determine the credit management policy.
Erroneous, misused, misunderstood, or poorly developed and managed scoring models may lead
to lost revenues through poor customer selection (credit risk) or collections management.
The usage of credit models are as follows but not limited to:
• Controlling risk selection
• Translating the risk of default into appropriate pricing
• Managing credit losses
• Evaluating new loan programs.
• Reducing loan approval processing time
Most likely, scoring and modeling will increasingly guide risk management program in an
organization through end to end. The increasing regulatory requirements are the guide to use
scoring and modeling to be embedded in management’s lending decisions and risk management
processes which accentuates the importance of understanding scoring model concepts and
underlying risks.
10.2 Types of Credit Scoring Model
Credit scoring models are mainly used by the credit rating agency to determine the credit
worthiness of an individual. The degree of creditworthiness is denoted by the credit scores for
each individual. Now a days, many financial institutions are using credit scores to evaluate the
potential risks exposure by lending the money to consumers and to mitigate the losses
organization may suffer by the default risk. To determine the credit score various credit scoring
models are available through the agencies or credit bureaus.
In this section lets understand the different models predominantly used across the world. These
are mix of statistical or behavioral scoring models.
FICO Score It imperative to have knowledge about the credit. Bad credit history has
the impact on borrower’s future. If you want to be better versed about
your credit, resorting to FICO Score could be a great place to start.
A FICO Score is a powerful measure of the creditworthiness as a lender
might refer. FICO Scores are used in 90% of credit decisions, so they’re
a very good barometer of how your credit can look to potential lenders.
Credit score ranges between 300 – 850 points
Scoring ranges are just one of the tools lenders can use to link ranges of
values with associated characteristics and metrics at-a-glance, allowing