The new Basel II Capital Accord has been one of the financial sector’s most fiercely discussed topics in the recent past. After many years’ debate, the regulations formally took effect on January 1, 2007, and the advanced measurement approaches are scheduled to become fully operational on...

This study analyzes the functions and development of the Belarusian banking system in recent years, with a special focus on the current situation, which is characterized by a sharp deterioration of the country’s terms of trade in early 2007. Since the mid-1990s, the “Belarusian economic...

This paper presents the methodology, scenarios and results of the stress tests conducted for the update of Austria’s Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) in 2007. The focus of the paper lies in particular on the following two macroeconomic stress scenarios: (a) a regional shock in...

Although the New Basel Capital Accord (Basel II) makes no direct reference to loan pricing and lending terms, it is widely held that Basel II does, in fact, impact on loan pricing. A survey among Austrian banks on loan pricing strategies after Basel II aimed to identify the potential effects of...

This paper revisits the issue of cost efficiency in the banking sector and the role of foreign ownership in European transition economies. The novelty of our approach is that we instrument for the decision of foreign investors to acquire domestic banks. This analysis allows us to evaluate the...

On September 29, 2008, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) hosted a workshop entitled “Housing Market Challenges in Europe and the United States - any solutions available?” The workshop’s objective was to discuss the most recent developments in housing markets and housing finance....

We explore the impact of mortgage securitization on the international diversification of macroeconomic risk. By making mortgage-related risks internationally tradeable, securitization contributes considerably to better international consumption risk sharing: we find that countries with the most...