The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision: A History of the Early Years 1974-1997

by Charles Goodhart

Overview

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) sets the guidelines for world-wide regulation of banks. It is the forum for agreeing international regulation on the conduct of banking. Based on special access to the archives of the BCBS and interviews with many of its key players, this book tells the story of the early years of the Committee from its foundation in 1974/5 right through until 1997 - the year that marks the watershed between the Basel I Accord on Capital Adequacy and the start of work on Basel II. In addition, the book covers the Concordat, the Market Risk Amendment, the Core Principles of Banking and all other facets of the work of the BCBS. While the book is primarily a record of the history of the BCBS, it also provides an assessment of its actions and efficacy. It is a major contribution to the historical record on banking supervision.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139124959
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/25/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Charles Goodhart CBE, FBA is Emeritus Professor of Banking and Finance and a member of the Financial Markets Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science, having previously served as the group's Deputy Director from 1987 to 2005. From 1985 until his retirement in 2002, he was the Norman Sosnow Professor of Banking and Finance at the LSE. Before moving into academia he worked at the Bank of England for seventeen years as a monetary advisor, becoming a chief advisor in 1980.

Table of Contents

List of figures; List of tables; Foreword Nout Wellink; Background and acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; 2. The antecedents of the BCBS; 3. Modus operandi: chairmen, secretariat, members, the structure of meetings; 4. The Concordat; 5. External and foreign exchange issues; 6. Capital adequacy and the Basel Accord of 1988; 7. The Market Risk Amendment; 8. The core principles of banking supervision; 9. Liquidity; 10. Off balance sheet exposures and derivatives; 11. Other topics addressed by the BCBS; 12. The relationship of the BCBS with banks and other banking regulators; 13. Relationships with other non-bank oversight and supervisory bodies; 14. The legal position of the BCBS; 15. The international relations of the BCBS; 16. BCBS and the social sciences; 17. Epilogue; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Mr Goodhart has produced an in-depth and comprehensive narrative on the history of the world’s banking regulator. A compelling account in its own right, his description of the evolution of the Basel standards is as relevant as ever as policymakers contemplate sound responses to the recent crisis." - Jaime Caruana, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements

"Since the progressive lifting of exchange controls in 1970s and 1980s, few international financial institutions have mattered more than the Basel Supervisors Committee. There could be no one better to chart its history than Charles Goodhart – economist of money and banking, policymaker, and friend and colleague of many of the key protagonists. The highs and lows are all brought out, including how ideas sometimes get given too much or not nearly enough weight. This is a 'must-read' for anyone who wants to grasp how international finance policy gets made in the real world." - Paul Tucker, Deputy Governor, Financial Stability, Bank of England

"Charles Goodhart is unique in combining sound economic analysis with understanding of the practical, political and organizational pressures bearing on financial policy making. His history of the early years of the Basel Committee, culminating in international agreement on bank capital standards, is a case in point. It casts light on the obstacles faced by the negotiators of new international standards, for capital, derivatives and other elements of international financial reform." - Paul A. Volcker, Chairman of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, 2009-2011

From the Publisher