Who Knew?

A financial advisory company called Bank Investment Consultant (BIC) talks about the system for evaluating bank performance. In case this "riddle" was keeping you awake at night, here is the insider dope:

For banks, the supervisory grade known as a "Camels" score is a critical and confidential yardstick of strength. But for many in the public, it is a riddle too tantalizing to ignore.Camels was first developed in the 1970s as part of the regulators' "Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System." Institutions were judged on five different components under the acronym C-A-M-E-L: capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings and liquidity. The system was revised in 1996, when agencies added the 's' at the end of Camels for "sensitivity to market risk." (emphasis added)[1]

Now we all know. Something. More or less. Less, in my case.

[1] Joe Adler, “Bank Exam Ratings May Not Be as Secret as You Think,” 15 August 2011, Bank Investment Consultant

(http://www.bankinvestmentconsultant.com/news/banks-exam-ratings-scores-2674605-1.html : accessed 20 August 2011). Register (free) if you're desperate for further intel.

© 2015 Brenda Dougall Merriman