Stress-testing the Banking System: Methodologies and Applications

Stress tests are used in risk management by banks in order to determine how certain crisis scenarios would affect the value of their portfolios, and by public authorities for financial stability purposes. Until the first half of 2007, interest in stress-testing was largely restricted to practitioners. Since then, the global financial system has been hit by deep turbulences, including the fallout from sub-prime mortgage lending. Many observers have pointed out that the severity of the crisis has been largely due to its unexpected nature and have claimed that a more extensive use of stress-testing methodologies would have helped to alleviate the repercussions of the crisis. This book analyses the theoretical underpinnings, as well as the practical aspects, of applying such methodologies. Building on the experience gained by the economists of many national and international financial authorities, it provides an updated toolkit for both practitioners and academics.

Mario Quagliariello is Head of the Risk Analysis Unit at the European Banking Authority (EBA). He previously served as a senior economist in the Regulation and Supervisory Policies Department of Banca d'Italia. He has been the representative of Banca d'Italia in a number of international working groups dealing with financial stability issues at the ECB, CEBS, IMF and the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision and has published several articles in international and Italian journals. His interests concern macro-prudential analysis and stress tests, Basel 2 Capital Accord and procyclicality, the economics of financial regulation. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of York, UK.