This paper reviews the cost-benefit analysis, or “regulatory impact analysis” (RIA), in US bank regulators’ risk-based capital (RBC) rule proposals. We review the principles of cost-benefit analysis and its application by US bank regulators. We provide a brief background on RBC rules and...

In this policy brief, we explain the fundamentals of risk-based capital (RBC) regulation and discuss some potential shortcomings of this system. We propose that the Fed end its use of RBC regulation and return to the use of simple capital ratios as measures of bank risk

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of risk-based capital (RBC) regulation and challenges some evidence from the well-known study by Haldane and Madouros (2012). We reconsider the evidence on the relationship between RBC ratios and failures of US banks from Haldane and Madouros (2012) and...

Risk-based capital (RBC) ratios are an important component of US banking regulation, yet empirical evidence on the effectiveness of RBC regulation has been mixed. Avery and Berger (1991) find that the RBC ratio improves upon the standard capital ratio of equity over assets. This paper identifies...

Recent changes in U.S. banking regulation have emphasized risk-based capital (RBC) as an indicator of bank soundness. This paper compares the RBC ratio to the standard capital ratio of equity over assets. We regress the capital and RBC ratios of bank holding companies from 1999 through 2010...