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Making Banks Safer: Can Volcker and Vickers Do it?

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  • Mr. Julian T Chow
  • Jay Surti

Abstract

This paper assesses proposals to redefine the scope of activities of systemically important financial institutions. Alongside reform of prudential regulation and oversight, these have been offered as solutions to the too-important-to-fail problem. It is argued that while the more radical of these proposals such as narrow utility banking do not adequately address key policy objectives, two concrete policy measures - the Volcker Rule in the United States and retail ring-fencing in the United Kingdom - are more promising while still entailing significant implementation challenges. A risk factor common to all the measures is the potential for activities identified as too risky for retail banks to migrate to the unregulated parts of the financial system. Since this could lead to accumulation of systemic risk if left unchecked, it appears unlikely that any structural engineering will lessen the policing burden on prudential authorities and on the banks.

Suggested Citation

  • Mr. Julian T Chow & Jay Surti, 2011. "Making Banks Safer: Can Volcker and Vickers Do it?," IMF Working Papers 2011/236, International Monetary Fund.
  • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2011/236
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ms. Inci Ötker & Mr. Aditya Narain & Ms. Anna Ilyina & Jay Surti, 2011. "The Too-Important-to-Fail Conundrum: Impossible to Ignore and Difficult to Resolve," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 2011/012, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Stiroh, Kevin J. & Rumble, Adrienne, 2006. "The dark side of diversification: The case of US financial holding companies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 2131-2161, August.
    3. Tobias Adrian & Adam B. Ashcraft & Hayley Boesky & Zoltan Pozsar, 2013. "Shadow banking," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, issue Dec, pages 1-16.
      • Tobias Adrian & Adam B. Ashcraft & Hayley Boesky & Zoltan Pozsar, 2010. "Shadow banking," Staff Reports 458, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    4. Jonathan Fiechter & Inci Ötker & Anna Ilyina & Michael Hsu & Andre O Santos & Jay Surti, 2011. "Subsidiaries or Branches; Does One Size Fit All?," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 11/04, International Monetary Fund.
    5. Inci Ötker & Aditya Narain & Anna Ilyina & Jay Surti, 2011. "The Too-Important-to-Fail Conundrum; Impossible to Ignore and Difficult to Resolve," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 11/12, International Monetary Fund.
    6. Jonathan Fiechter & Ms. Inci Ötker & Ms. Anna Ilyina & Michael Hsu & Mr. Andre O Santos & Jay Surti, 2011. "Subsidiaries or Branches: Does One Size Fit All?," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 2011/004, International Monetary Fund.
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