Big global banks continue to fudge the numbers that regulators use to judge banks’ soundness, says Richard J. Herring, Wharton finance professor. In this Knowledge at Wharton interview, Herring notes that the numbers used for many key capital measurements are “obscure” rather than “transparent,” which makes the whole stress-test process unreliable and “subject to manipulation.” It also makes it impossible to compare one bank’s soundness relative to another bank. Herring is a co-chair of the Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee, an unofficial group of former regulators, lawyers and academics who review ideas for new regulations and other financial proposals.

For more from this interview with professor Herring, see:

Big Banks Keep Watering Down Global Reserve Rules

The Global Bank Regulatory System Remains Crippled

Comments

New This Week

Want More Women Candidates? Ask Employees for More Referrals

Want More Women Candidates? Ask Employees for More Referrals

August 18, 20264 min read

A Wharton paper found that increasing referral targets prompted employees to look beyond their first choices, bringing more women into the recruitment pipeline.

The AI Boom Is Testing America’s Power Grid
Podcast

The AI Boom Is Testing America’s Power Grid

August 18, 202619 min listen

Serguei Netessine, Wharton’s senior vice dean for innovation and global initiatives, examines AI’s growing electricity demand and the infrastructure needed to support it.

The Way of Excellence: Lead for Sustainable Performance

The Way of Excellence: Lead for Sustainable Performance

August 17, 20265 min read

In this Nano Tool for Leaders, author Brad Stulberg explains why you should stop thinking of excellence as a destination and more as a process of growth.