David Tripe

Factors influencing the performance of foreign-owned banks in New Zealand

Abstract This article reviews factors affecting the performance of foreign-owned banks in New Zealand, where they control 99.2% of all banking system assets. Two sets of pooled cross-sectional time-series data—seven banks over the 10-year period 1991–2000 and eight banks over the 8-year period 1991–1998—provided the basis for the econometric analysis. The most important variables for bank performance were the length of time the foreign bank had been in New Zealand and the parent banks return on assets. This suggests that parent-bank specific ownership advantages are the dominant factor in their subsidiaries’ performance in New Zealand.

New Zealand Bank Mergers and Efficiency Gains

ABSTRACT This paper uses accounting ratios and DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) to explore the efficiency impacts of 6 bank mergers in New Zealand between 1989 and 1998. The paper is the first reported application of DEA to the New Zealand banking sector, and its methodology is based around that used by Avkiran in his study published in the Journal of Banking and Finance in 1999 (Avkiran, 1999b). Consistent with earlier research, acquiring banks were found to be generally larger than their targets, although they were not consistently more efficient. In a majority of cases the merger led to an increase in efficiency, consistent with a trend observed for the banking sector as a whole. No clear conclusions could be drawn on possible public benefits from the mergers.

The Global Financial Crisis and Its Impact on Australian Bank Risk

This paper examines the global financial crisis (GFC) and its impact on Australian banking risk. An augmented market model is developed to identify changes in listed Australian bank systematic risk in relation to three key events: the GFCs start in August 2007, the market downturn in Australian and global share markets in January 2008, and the announcement of Australias Deposit and Wholesale Funding Guarantee (DWFG) scheme on 12 October 2008. The study also examines changes in bank systemic risk during these event periods. The Australian market offers a unique opportunity to observe the impact of the introduction of the DWFG in that it lacked any explicit deposit insurance prior to the crisis. Initially, the crisis period had little impact on bank systematic risk while bank systemic risk increased considerably. The share market downturn caused a marked increase in both systematic and systemic risks for Australias major internationally connected banks followed by a reduction in both systematic and systemic risks with the introduction of the guarantee scheme for all Australian banks.

New Zealand Credit Union Mergers

Research into the benefits of mergers in small financial institutions, in particular credit unions, is sparse. This study helps to fill this gap by analyzing recent intense merger activity in New Zealand credit unions. The major driver for these mergers was not the usual reason of attempting to increase efficiency for competitive purposes but rather enforced government action. Data envelopment analysis is used to explore changes in efficiency in merged credit unions between 1996 and 2001. Those credit unions not involved in merger activity are used as a control group. Overall, credit unions have become more efficient over the period, notably in those that undertook mergers. The Malmquist index indicates significant technological progress over the period but a slight regression in terms of efficiency. Copyright

Are Profitable Microfinance Programs Less Efficient at Reaching the Poor? A Case Study in Cambodia

We examine the relations between the financial and outreach efficiency of Cambodian microfinance institutions (MFIs). Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) finds that commercially focused MFIs are no less efficient at reaching the poor than non-profit ones. Larger MFIs appear as efficient at reaching the poor while smaller MFIs can also be highly profitable. Overall Cambodian MFIs have become less outreach efficient while increasing their profitability. This could reflect a shift in some MFIs to improve their financial efficiency rather than serving the most clients. Our findings confirm that financial and outreach objectives are not mutually exclusive but do not always coincide.

A Test of the Response to a Monetary Policy Regime Change in New Zealand

In March 1999, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand changed its method of implementing monetary policy from targeting settlement cash to specifying an (official) Overnight Cash Rate (OCR). This paper explores some of the impacts of this, by comparing market movements before and after the change. We find that, since the introduction of the OCR, key lending interest rates have been found to be more responsive to changes in official monetary policy, with a significant shortening of the half-life of interest rate changes. This suggests that monetary policy is now more efficient, while the speed of response supports the case for regarding the New Zealand banking market as competitive.

Using DEA to investigate bank safety and soundness - which approach works best?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate use of efficiency analysis as a technique for investigating bank safely and soundness. Design/methodology/approach - Three different data envelopment analysis (DEA) models were applied to set of data for the major New Zealand banks over a ten-quarter period – a CCR model, a profit efficiency model and a non-oriented slacks-based approach. Findings - Most useful results are obtained using the slacks-based approach. Research limitations/implications - The period covered by the study was from late 2005 until early 2008, prior to the global financial crisis having major impacts on the New Zealand banking sector. Practical implications - The study is of particular value in the New Zealand context where there has historically not been any bank deposit insurance, obliging depositors to make their own assessments of bank safety and soundness. Originality/value - The paper makes a contribution to very small literature which uses efficiency analysis to explore bank safety and soundness. It also makes use of the slacks-based DEA approach, which has not yet been widely used in the banking literature.

Measuring efficiency of Vietnamese banks: Accounting for nonperforming loans in a single-step stochastic cost frontier analysis

Purpose This paper aims to examine alternative methods for treating nonperforming loans (NPLs) in bank cost-efficiency studies using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Design/methodology/approach The authors consider three methods of treating NPLs in SFA: as an additional control variable, as an environmental factor or as a deduction from total loans. Using data from the Vietnamese banking system (2003-2010), the authors then compare these results with those of the base model (where total loans is used regardless of the NPLs) to see which one is more appropriate for this study. Findings The authors observed that the first two methods are inappropriate for the analysis: one cannot find the significant relationship between NPLs and the banks’ total cost, and the other cannot account for any inefficiency at all. The authors suggested that the third method of separating NPLs from total loans can provide better insights. Using the proposed method, the authors showed that the cost-efficiency of Vietnamese banks over the period examined was moderate with a slight decreasing trend. When NPLs are separated, the cost-efficiency decreases in state-owned banks and big banks, whereas it increases in small and private banks. Research limitations/implications Research is limited to Vietnamese banks during a certain period, and it would be useful to apply the same technique to other data sets. Practical implications The paper suggests a new approach to account for NPLs in cost SFA studies in banking. Originality/value The paper provides a much more searching analysis of NPLs in banking than has generally been seen in previous research.

IAS 39, income smoothing, and pro-cyclicality: evidence from Hong Kong banks

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of International Accounting Standard 39 (IAS 39) on income-smoothing activities and pro-cyclical behavior through loan loss provisions using a sample of Hong Kong banks. Design/methodology/approach - Fixed effects estimator is used, and the analysis covers the period from 2000 to 2009. Findings - The results suggest that Hong Kong banks engage less in income-smoothing activity after they comply with the IAS 39. No evidence supports loan loss provisions of Hong Kong banks exhibiting more pro-cyclical behavior after IAS 39 adoption. Research limitations/implications - Compliance with IAS 39 should improve the quality of bank financial reporting. The reduction in income-smoothing activities among Hong Kong banks after IAS 39 adoption fairly supports the effectiveness of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) and countries that have yet to comply with IFRS may take action to apply the standards. Bank regulators should take pro-active action in addressing the issue of pro-cyclicality of loan loss provisions, as IAS 39 focuses more on improving the financial information quality, while pro-cyclicality is associated with the economic cycles. Originality/value - Hong Kong banking industry is unique, as it was among the first IFRS adopters in the East Asia region and it has its own legal framework for developing accounting standards. The results of this study are expected to shed some light on the effects of IAS 39 adoption on income smoothing and pro-cyclicality of banks in the East Asia region, where the accounting cultural value dimensions and institutional structures are different than that of European countries.

Bank Computing in a Changing Economic Environment: The IBIS Project in New Zealand

This paper examines a major bank computing redevelopment attempted in New Zealand in the 1980s – the IBIS project. After the expenditure of some hundreds of millions of dollars this project was not proceeded with and this paper looks at the factors that led to its eventual failure. We find that dreams of banking technology can be as costly as other failures experienced by banks, and that banks must have regard to the competitive environment in building their computer systems.