
過(guò)去一年,美國(guó)突然結(jié)束零利率時(shí)代,,這樣的經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境可能意味著高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的銀行業(yè)出現(xiàn)崩潰的可能性極高,,并且?guī)缀醭鏊腥说念A(yù)期,,甚至出乎監(jiān)管部門(mén)的預(yù)料。眾所周知,,20世紀(jì)30年代,,可怕的銀行擠兌導(dǎo)致美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)陷入大蕭條(Great Depression)。從此以后,,美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司(Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)便開(kāi)始提供一定限額的存款擔(dān)保,,但在3月12日晚上,該公司放棄了這個(gè)限額,。美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)(Federal Reserve),、美國(guó)財(cái)政部和美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司聯(lián)合宣布觸發(fā)“系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)例外條款”,并且它們堅(jiān)稱這并非政府救助,。硅谷銀行(Silicon Valley Bank)的資產(chǎn)規(guī)模約為2,200億美元,。雖然在3月10日,其接近95%的儲(chǔ)戶沒(méi)有美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司的保險(xiǎn),,但所有儲(chǔ)戶都能夠收回全部存款,。顯然,美國(guó)銀行業(yè)需要進(jìn)行改革,。哈佛大學(xué)(Harvard University)的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家,、曾任貝拉克·奧巴馬總統(tǒng)經(jīng)濟(jì)顧問(wèn)的賈森·弗曼提出了三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃。他依舊認(rèn)為“對(duì)于目前發(fā)生的事情,,沒(méi)有人應(yīng)該感覺(jué)良好,。”
硅谷銀行在經(jīng)歷史上規(guī)模最大的擠兌后倒閉,,成為美國(guó)歷史上規(guī)模第二大的銀行倒閉案,。雖然該銀行直到最后一刻還堅(jiān)稱其擁有償付能力,但面對(duì)激增的儲(chǔ)戶取款,,它并沒(méi)有做好準(zhǔn)備,。硅谷銀行將許多資產(chǎn)重新投資于高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的長(zhǎng)期債券,隨著美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)加息,,這些債券出現(xiàn)貶值,,這意味著當(dāng)科技行業(yè)擔(dān)心最受其歡迎的銀行的償付能力時(shí),該銀行卻沒(méi)有足夠多的現(xiàn)金進(jìn)行償付,。
圍繞此次危機(jī)的責(zé)任方和原因以及政府是否應(yīng)該兜底所引起的辯論日益激烈,,而有一些事實(shí)卻變得非常明顯:類似硅谷銀行這種小型區(qū)域銀行,與華爾街的龐然大物之間的區(qū)別,,或許并不像人們所想象的那么大,,而且事實(shí)證明,銀行業(yè)監(jiān)管敵不過(guò)難以對(duì)付的科技公司高管。
哈佛大學(xué)的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家賈森·弗曼曾經(jīng)在奧巴馬政府執(zhí)政期間,,在兩個(gè)總統(tǒng)經(jīng)濟(jì)咨詢委員會(huì)擔(dān)任高級(jí)職位,。他在3月12日發(fā)推文稱:“為了避免整體經(jīng)濟(jì)混亂,監(jiān)管部門(mén)或許應(yīng)該采取以往所采取的措施,?!?/p>
弗曼提到了監(jiān)管部門(mén)在3月12日做出的決定,即介入危機(jī)和沒(méi)收硅谷銀行以及以經(jīng)營(yíng)加密貨幣為主的Signature Bank的資產(chǎn),,但他表示,,它們這樣做的必要性,可以歸因于一系列可能是“錯(cuò)誤的”決策和裁決,,它們導(dǎo)致銀行業(yè)陷入惡性循環(huán),。弗曼提出了三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃,總結(jié)了后續(xù)避免危機(jī)再次發(fā)生的措施,,重點(diǎn)是擴(kuò)大監(jiān)管部門(mén)的權(quán)限,,約束所有銀行,包括幾年前還宣稱對(duì)金融體系無(wú)害的小型區(qū)域銀行,。
加快監(jiān)管部門(mén)的行動(dòng)速度
銀行業(yè)上一次不得不進(jìn)行大規(guī)模盡管改革,,是在2008年金融危機(jī)之后,當(dāng)時(shí)發(fā)生了與上周導(dǎo)致硅谷銀行倒閉的情況類似的銀行擠兌,,許多機(jī)構(gòu)遭遇重創(chuàng),。奧巴馬政府在2010年通過(guò)了《多德-弗蘭克法案》(Dodd-Frank Act),增加了對(duì)金融機(jī)構(gòu)的責(zé)任和透明度要求,,這些監(jiān)管調(diào)整措施將提高銀行對(duì)取款突然大幅增多的準(zhǔn)備情況,,并約束銀行過(guò)度承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的行為。
該法案旨在通過(guò)定期壓力測(cè)試,,使所有銀行做好應(yīng)對(duì)危機(jī)的準(zhǔn)備,,并詳細(xì)規(guī)定了一旦銀行破產(chǎn)有序停止經(jīng)營(yíng)的計(jì)劃。但2018年,,包括硅谷銀行的首席執(zhí)行官格雷格·貝克爾在內(nèi)的銀行業(yè)高管通過(guò)極力游說(shuō),,成功地減少了該法案對(duì)小型區(qū)域銀行的要求,隨著時(shí)間推移,,該項(xiàng)法案的效果大打折扣,。
貝克爾2015年在美國(guó)參議院銀行業(yè)委員會(huì)(Senate Banking Committee)的聽(tīng)證會(huì)上表示:“硅谷銀行等中等規(guī)模的銀行并不代表系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。因?yàn)楣韫茹y行的商業(yè)模式和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)狀況并不會(huì)導(dǎo)致系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn),,因此執(zhí)行《多德-弗蘭克法案》中針對(duì)大型銀行控股公司設(shè)計(jì)的諸多要求,,將給我們帶來(lái)過(guò)于沉重的負(fù)擔(dān),而在監(jiān)管方面的好處卻微乎其微,。”值得注意的是,美聯(lián)儲(chǔ),、美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司和美國(guó)財(cái)政部在上周末介入危機(jī)時(shí),,引用了“系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)例外條款”,作為執(zhí)行正常運(yùn)作流程的理由,。
弗曼提出了了解硅谷銀行倒閉的原因以及如何避免未來(lái)發(fā)生類似危機(jī)的三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃,。第一,調(diào)查部門(mén)需要“調(diào)查清楚監(jiān)管出現(xiàn)了哪些問(wèn)題”,,以及這種嚴(yán)重的系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)如何在一夜之間發(fā)生,。其次,弗曼寫(xiě)道,,美國(guó)需要加強(qiáng)現(xiàn)有監(jiān)管,,除了華爾街巨頭,還應(yīng)該將小型銀行納入監(jiān)管,。他說(shuō):“我一直認(rèn)為中小型銀行太容易逃脫監(jiān)管,。”
對(duì)各種規(guī)模的銀行加強(qiáng)監(jiān)管的要求,,在3月13日引起了民主黨參議員伊麗莎白·沃倫的共鳴,。她在《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》(New York Times)的專欄文章里寫(xiě)道,如果美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)和美國(guó)前總統(tǒng)唐納德·特朗普沒(méi)有推翻《多德-弗蘭克法案》,,“硅谷銀行和Signature銀行就需要遵守更嚴(yán)格的流動(dòng)性和資本要求,,以承受金融沖擊”,并且這些銀行能夠?yàn)樯现馨l(fā)生的擠兌做好更充分的準(zhǔn)備,。
2016年,,在小銀行游說(shuō)政府放寬監(jiān)管時(shí),弗曼堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為,,奧巴馬時(shí)代的改革措施并不像銀行所認(rèn)為的那樣,,是巨大的障礙。
他當(dāng)時(shí)告訴《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》(Wall Street Journal):“根本沒(méi)有證據(jù)證明《多德-弗蘭克法案》對(duì)銀行業(yè)產(chǎn)生了負(fù)面影響,?!彼岬阶詮脑擁?xiàng)法案頒布以來(lái),小銀行的增長(zhǎng)就是最好的證據(jù),?!皬母鞣矫鎭?lái)看,這個(gè)行業(yè)在過(guò)去六年都非常成功,,因此很難說(shuō)《多德-弗蘭克法案》導(dǎo)致了問(wèn)題,。”
弗曼的第三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃重點(diǎn)不在于監(jiān)管,,而是銀行自己如何預(yù)防擠兌,。他寫(xiě)道:“增加存款保險(xiǎn),,并要求所有銀行提前支付保費(fèi)?!保ㄊ袌?chǎng)似乎認(rèn)為該行業(yè)正在發(fā)生這種變化,,因?yàn)樵S多區(qū)域貸款機(jī)構(gòu),尤其是位于美國(guó)西海岸的貸款機(jī)構(gòu),,3月13日開(kāi)盤(pán)后股價(jià)經(jīng)歷的暴跌創(chuàng)歷史紀(jì)錄,。換言之,投資者認(rèn)為未來(lái)區(qū)域借貸業(yè)務(wù)的盈利能力將會(huì)下降,。)
如果有更大規(guī)模的存款保險(xiǎn)基金保護(hù)客戶的資金安全,,或許就可以減少硅谷銀行受到的沖擊。監(jiān)管部門(mén)在3月10日確認(rèn),,到3月13日,,儲(chǔ)戶能夠提取在聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司25萬(wàn)美元可保險(xiǎn)限額以內(nèi)的存款,但2022年的監(jiān)管備案文件顯示,,硅谷銀行的1,750億美元存款中,,有89%沒(méi)有保險(xiǎn),因?yàn)樵撱y行的客戶以數(shù)量相對(duì)較少但資產(chǎn)負(fù)債表規(guī)模較大的科技公司組成,。監(jiān)管部門(mén)在3月12日承諾,,包括無(wú)保險(xiǎn)儲(chǔ)戶在內(nèi)的所有儲(chǔ)戶都將收回存款,但需要政府采取非常措施,。
擴(kuò)大存款保險(xiǎn)基金,,將為消費(fèi)者提供硅谷銀行曾經(jīng)反對(duì)的另外一層保護(hù)。據(jù)The Lever于3月12日引用聯(lián)邦記錄報(bào)道稱,,2022年,,美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司曾經(jīng)提議增加銀行在存款保險(xiǎn)基金中的出資額,但遭到包括硅谷銀行在內(nèi)的多家銀行反對(duì),。報(bào)道稱,,這些銀行堅(jiān)稱其倒閉的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)較低,增加存款保險(xiǎn)基金出資會(huì)影響銀行的利潤(rùn),。
最近的一系列事件令人感覺(jué)弗曼和奧巴馬時(shí)期更嚴(yán)格的銀行業(yè)監(jiān)管完全是正確的,,這可以理解,但弗曼在推文中堅(jiān)稱,,硅谷銀行倒閉引發(fā)的危機(jī)依舊造成了嚴(yán)重的經(jīng)濟(jì)后果,。
他寫(xiě)道:“這并不是制度發(fā)揮作用的結(jié)果。制度已經(jīng)失靈,,這只是勉強(qiáng)維持的權(quán)宜之計(jì),。我們需要更好的制度?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
過(guò)去一年,,美國(guó)突然結(jié)束零利率時(shí)代,,這樣的經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境可能意味著高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的銀行業(yè)出現(xiàn)崩潰的可能性極高,并且?guī)缀醭鏊腥说念A(yù)期,,甚至出乎監(jiān)管部門(mén)的預(yù)料,。眾所周知,20世紀(jì)30年代,,可怕的銀行擠兌導(dǎo)致美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)陷入大蕭條(Great Depression)。從此以后,,美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司(Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)便開(kāi)始提供一定限額的存款擔(dān)保,,但在3月12日晚上,該公司放棄了這個(gè)限額,。美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)(Federal Reserve),、美國(guó)財(cái)政部和美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司聯(lián)合宣布觸發(fā)“系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)例外條款”,并且它們堅(jiān)稱這并非政府救助,。硅谷銀行(Silicon Valley Bank)的資產(chǎn)規(guī)模約為2,200億美元,。雖然在3月10日,其接近95%的儲(chǔ)戶沒(méi)有美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司的保險(xiǎn),,但所有儲(chǔ)戶都能夠收回全部存款,。顯然,美國(guó)銀行業(yè)需要進(jìn)行改革,。哈佛大學(xué)(Harvard University)的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家,、曾任貝拉克·奧巴馬總統(tǒng)經(jīng)濟(jì)顧問(wèn)的賈森·弗曼提出了三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃。他依舊認(rèn)為“對(duì)于目前發(fā)生的事情,,沒(méi)有人應(yīng)該感覺(jué)良好,。”
硅谷銀行在經(jīng)歷史上規(guī)模最大的擠兌后倒閉,,成為美國(guó)歷史上規(guī)模第二大的銀行倒閉案,。雖然該銀行直到最后一刻還堅(jiān)稱其擁有償付能力,但面對(duì)激增的儲(chǔ)戶取款,,它并沒(méi)有做好準(zhǔn)備,。硅谷銀行將許多資產(chǎn)重新投資于高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的長(zhǎng)期債券,隨著美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)加息,,這些債券出現(xiàn)貶值,,這意味著當(dāng)科技行業(yè)擔(dān)心最受其歡迎的銀行的償付能力時(shí),該銀行卻沒(méi)有足夠多的現(xiàn)金進(jìn)行償付,。
圍繞此次危機(jī)的責(zé)任方和原因以及政府是否應(yīng)該兜底所引起的辯論日益激烈,,而有一些事實(shí)卻變得非常明顯:類似硅谷銀行這種小型區(qū)域銀行,與華爾街的龐然大物之間的區(qū)別,,或許并不像人們所想象的那么大,,而且事實(shí)證明,,銀行業(yè)監(jiān)管敵不過(guò)難以對(duì)付的科技公司高管。
哈佛大學(xué)的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家賈森·弗曼曾經(jīng)在奧巴馬政府執(zhí)政期間,,在兩個(gè)總統(tǒng)經(jīng)濟(jì)咨詢委員會(huì)擔(dān)任高級(jí)職位,。他在3月12日發(fā)推文稱:“為了避免整體經(jīng)濟(jì)混亂,監(jiān)管部門(mén)或許應(yīng)該采取以往所采取的措施,?!?/p>
弗曼提到了監(jiān)管部門(mén)在3月12日做出的決定,即介入危機(jī)和沒(méi)收硅谷銀行以及以經(jīng)營(yíng)加密貨幣為主的Signature Bank的資產(chǎn),,但他表示,,它們這樣做的必要性,可以歸因于一系列可能是“錯(cuò)誤的”決策和裁決,,它們導(dǎo)致銀行業(yè)陷入惡性循環(huán),。弗曼提出了三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃,總結(jié)了后續(xù)避免危機(jī)再次發(fā)生的措施,,重點(diǎn)是擴(kuò)大監(jiān)管部門(mén)的權(quán)限,,約束所有銀行,包括幾年前還宣稱對(duì)金融體系無(wú)害的小型區(qū)域銀行,。
加快監(jiān)管部門(mén)的行動(dòng)速度
銀行業(yè)上一次不得不進(jìn)行大規(guī)模盡管改革,,是在2008年金融危機(jī)之后,當(dāng)時(shí)發(fā)生了與上周導(dǎo)致硅谷銀行倒閉的情況類似的銀行擠兌,,許多機(jī)構(gòu)遭遇重創(chuàng),。奧巴馬政府在2010年通過(guò)了《多德-弗蘭克法案》(Dodd-Frank Act),增加了對(duì)金融機(jī)構(gòu)的責(zé)任和透明度要求,,這些監(jiān)管調(diào)整措施將提高銀行對(duì)取款突然大幅增多的準(zhǔn)備情況,,并約束銀行過(guò)度承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的行為。
該法案旨在通過(guò)定期壓力測(cè)試,,使所有銀行做好應(yīng)對(duì)危機(jī)的準(zhǔn)備,,并詳細(xì)規(guī)定了一旦銀行破產(chǎn)有序停止經(jīng)營(yíng)的計(jì)劃。但2018年,,包括硅谷銀行的首席執(zhí)行官格雷格·貝克爾在內(nèi)的銀行業(yè)高管通過(guò)極力游說(shuō),,成功地減少了該法案對(duì)小型區(qū)域銀行的要求,隨著時(shí)間推移,,該項(xiàng)法案的效果大打折扣,。
貝克爾2015年在美國(guó)參議院銀行業(yè)委員會(huì)(Senate Banking Committee)的聽(tīng)證會(huì)上表示:“硅谷銀行等中等規(guī)模的銀行并不代表系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。因?yàn)楣韫茹y行的商業(yè)模式和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)狀況并不會(huì)導(dǎo)致系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn),,因此執(zhí)行《多德-弗蘭克法案》中針對(duì)大型銀行控股公司設(shè)計(jì)的諸多要求,,將給我們帶來(lái)過(guò)于沉重的負(fù)擔(dān),而在監(jiān)管方面的好處卻微乎其微,?!敝档米⒁獾氖?,美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)、美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司和美國(guó)財(cái)政部在上周末介入危機(jī)時(shí),,引用了“系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)例外條款”,,作為執(zhí)行正常運(yùn)作流程的理由。
弗曼提出了了解硅谷銀行倒閉的原因以及如何避免未來(lái)發(fā)生類似危機(jī)的三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃,。第一,,調(diào)查部門(mén)需要“調(diào)查清楚監(jiān)管出現(xiàn)了哪些問(wèn)題”,以及這種嚴(yán)重的系統(tǒng)性風(fēng)險(xiǎn)如何在一夜之間發(fā)生,。其次,,弗曼寫(xiě)道,美國(guó)需要加強(qiáng)現(xiàn)有監(jiān)管,,除了華爾街巨頭,還應(yīng)該將小型銀行納入監(jiān)管,。他說(shuō):“我一直認(rèn)為中小型銀行太容易逃脫監(jiān)管,。”
對(duì)各種規(guī)模的銀行加強(qiáng)監(jiān)管的要求,,在3月13日引起了民主黨參議員伊麗莎白·沃倫的共鳴,。她在《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》(New York Times)的專欄文章里寫(xiě)道,如果美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)和美國(guó)前總統(tǒng)唐納德·特朗普沒(méi)有推翻《多德-弗蘭克法案》,,“硅谷銀行和Signature銀行就需要遵守更嚴(yán)格的流動(dòng)性和資本要求,,以承受金融沖擊”,并且這些銀行能夠?yàn)樯现馨l(fā)生的擠兌做好更充分的準(zhǔn)備,。
2016年,,在小銀行游說(shuō)政府放寬監(jiān)管時(shí),弗曼堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為,,奧巴馬時(shí)代的改革措施并不像銀行所認(rèn)為的那樣,,是巨大的障礙。
他當(dāng)時(shí)告訴《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》(Wall Street Journal):“根本沒(méi)有證據(jù)證明《多德-弗蘭克法案》對(duì)銀行業(yè)產(chǎn)生了負(fù)面影響,?!彼岬阶詮脑擁?xiàng)法案頒布以來(lái),小銀行的增長(zhǎng)就是最好的證據(jù),?!皬母鞣矫鎭?lái)看,這個(gè)行業(yè)在過(guò)去六年都非常成功,,因此很難說(shuō)《多德-弗蘭克法案》導(dǎo)致了問(wèn)題,。”
弗曼的第三點(diǎn)計(jì)劃重點(diǎn)不在于監(jiān)管,,而是銀行自己如何預(yù)防擠兌,。他寫(xiě)道:“增加存款保險(xiǎn),,并要求所有銀行提前支付保費(fèi)?!保ㄊ袌?chǎng)似乎認(rèn)為該行業(yè)正在發(fā)生這種變化,,因?yàn)樵S多區(qū)域貸款機(jī)構(gòu),尤其是位于美國(guó)西海岸的貸款機(jī)構(gòu),,3月13日開(kāi)盤(pán)后股價(jià)經(jīng)歷的暴跌創(chuàng)歷史紀(jì)錄,。換言之,投資者認(rèn)為未來(lái)區(qū)域借貸業(yè)務(wù)的盈利能力將會(huì)下降,。)
如果有更大規(guī)模的存款保險(xiǎn)基金保護(hù)客戶的資金安全,,或許就可以減少硅谷銀行受到的沖擊。監(jiān)管部門(mén)在3月10日確認(rèn),,到3月13日,,儲(chǔ)戶能夠提取在聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司25萬(wàn)美元可保險(xiǎn)限額以內(nèi)的存款,但2022年的監(jiān)管備案文件顯示,,硅谷銀行的1,750億美元存款中,,有89%沒(méi)有保險(xiǎn),因?yàn)樵撱y行的客戶以數(shù)量相對(duì)較少但資產(chǎn)負(fù)債表規(guī)模較大的科技公司組成,。監(jiān)管部門(mén)在3月12日承諾,,包括無(wú)保險(xiǎn)儲(chǔ)戶在內(nèi)的所有儲(chǔ)戶都將收回存款,但需要政府采取非常措施,。
擴(kuò)大存款保險(xiǎn)基金,,將為消費(fèi)者提供硅谷銀行曾經(jīng)反對(duì)的另外一層保護(hù)。據(jù)The Lever于3月12日引用聯(lián)邦記錄報(bào)道稱,,2022年,,美國(guó)聯(lián)邦存款保險(xiǎn)公司曾經(jīng)提議增加銀行在存款保險(xiǎn)基金中的出資額,但遭到包括硅谷銀行在內(nèi)的多家銀行反對(duì),。報(bào)道稱,,這些銀行堅(jiān)稱其倒閉的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)較低,增加存款保險(xiǎn)基金出資會(huì)影響銀行的利潤(rùn),。
最近的一系列事件令人感覺(jué)弗曼和奧巴馬時(shí)期更嚴(yán)格的銀行業(yè)監(jiān)管完全是正確的,,這可以理解,但弗曼在推文中堅(jiān)稱,,硅谷銀行倒閉引發(fā)的危機(jī)依舊造成了嚴(yán)重的經(jīng)濟(jì)后果,。
他寫(xiě)道:“這并不是制度發(fā)揮作用的結(jié)果。制度已經(jīng)失靈,,這只是勉強(qiáng)維持的權(quán)宜之計(jì),。我們需要更好的制度。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
The economic environment’s abrupt departure from zero-interest rates in the past year might mean that a collapse in the risk-filled banking sector was always likely, but almost nobody was expecting this, not even the regulators. Since the famously terrifying bank runs that ushered in the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has guaranteed deposits up to a certain threshold, but that got thrown out the window on March 12 night when the Federal Reserve, Treasury, and FDIC jointly announced a “systemic risk exception” that they also insisted wasn’t a bailout. Now all the depositors on Silicon Valley Bank’s roughly $220 billion balance sheet will be made whole, even though around 95% of them weren’t insured by the FDIC on March 10. Clearly something has to change, and Jason Furman, the Harvard economist who once advised President Barack Obama, has a three-point plan. Still, he insists “no one should feel good about what happened here.”
SVB became the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history after the largest-ever bank run, and while it insisted it was solvent right up to the very end, it just wasn’t prepared for the surge in withdrawals. The bank had reinvested many of its assets into risky long-term bonds that lost value as the Fed hiked interest rates, meaning that as the tech sector freaked out about the solvency of its favorite bank, it didn’t have the cash on hand to pay them.
But with debates still raging over who and what was responsible for the crisis and if the government should step in to fix it, some things are becoming clear: Small and regional banks like SVB may not be as different from Wall Street behemoths as they’d like us to think, and banking regulation was revealed to be no match for a skittish group of tech executives.
“Regulators probably needed to do what they did to prevent potentially chaotic damage across the economy,” Jason Furman, a Harvard economist who held senior positions in two economic councils advising the president during the Obama administration, wrote in a tweet on March 12.
Furman was referring to regulators’ decisions to step in and seize the assets of SVB and crypto-focused Signature Bank on March 12, but added that the need for them to do so came down to a series of decisions and rulings that were likely “wrong” and allowed the banking spiral to occur. He outlined a three-point plan of next steps to stop it from happening again, largely focused on expanding regulators’ reach to keep all banks—even the small and regional ones who only years ago declared themselves innocuous to the financial system—in check.
Getting regulators up to speed
The last time banks had to deal with big regulatory oversight changes was after the 2008 financial crisis, when many institutions were hit by bank runs similar to the one that decimated SVB last week. The Obama administration pushed through the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, which significantly increased accountability and transparency requirements for financial institutions, regulatory adjustments that would increase banks’ preparedness for sudden surges in withdrawals and discourage excessive risk-taking.
Dodd-Frank was supposed to keep all banks prepared for a crisis through regular stress tests and detailed plans for winding down operations in an orderly way in the event of bankruptcy. But the law has weakened over time, after intense lobbying from bank executives including SVB CEO Greg Becker successfully reduced the act’s requirements for small and regional banks in 2018.
“SVB, like our midsized bank peers, does not present systemic risks,” Becker said in a 2015 testimony to the Senate Banking Committee. “Because SVB’s business model and risk profile does not pose systemic risk, imposing the numerous Dodd-Frank Act requirements that were designed for the largest bank holding companies would place an outsized burden on us, with minimal corresponding regulatory benefit.” Notably, when the Fed, FDIC, and Treasury intervened last weekend, they cited a “systemic risk exception” to their normal operating process.
Furman outlined his three-point idea to understand what caused SVB’s failure and how to prevent future ones. The first step investigators need to take is to “find out what went wrong with regulation,” and how such a large systemic risk could have developed overnight. Secondly, existing regulation needs to be strengthened, Furman wrote, and expanded to cover smaller banks in addition to Wall Street giants. “I always thought small and midsized banks got off too easy,” he said.
The demand to strengthen regulatory foundations for banks of all sizes was echoed on March 13 by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who wrote in a New York Times op-ed that had Congress and former President Donald Trump not rolled back Dodd-Frank, “SVB and Signature would have been subject to stronger liquidity and capital requirements to withstand financial shocks” and may have been better prepared for last week’s flurry of withdrawals.
When smaller banks were lobbying for more lenient oversight in 2016, Furman insisted that the Obama-era changes were not as big a stumbling block as the banks were making them out to be.
“There’s no evidence at all that Dodd-Frank has had a negative impact on this sector,” he told the?Wall Street Journal?at the time, referring to the growth of small banks since the law was enacted as evidence. “In all those respects, this sector has been really successful in the last six years, and so it’s hard to say Dodd-Frank caused a problem.”
Furman’s third point had less to do with regulation and more with what banks themselves could do to guard against a bank run. “Increase deposit insurance—and make everyone pay for it in advance,” he wrote. (The market seems to agree that this change is coming, as many regional lenders, especially West Coast–based ones, saw record drops in share value when the market opened on March 13. In other words, investors see less profitable regional lending ahead.)
A larger deposit insurance fund to ensure clients’ funds are safe may have softened the blow in SVB’s case. Regulators confirmed on March 10 that all deposits under the FDIC’s $250,000 insurable limit would be available by March 13, but as much as 89% of SVB’s $175 billion in deposits is uninsured, according to 2022 regulatory filings, since the bank’s clientele is largely made up of a relatively small number of tech companies with big balance sheets. Regulators pledged on March 12 that all depositors—even uninsured ones—would have access to their funds, although it required extraordinary government measures.
But raising deposit insurance funds was another potential protection for consumers that SVB lobbied against in the past. The bank was one of several to oppose the FDIC’s proposal last year to increase how much banks pay into their deposit funds, The Lever reported on March 12, citing federal records. SVB and other banks reportedly insisted their risk of failure was low, and paying more into deposit funds would hurt their bottom line.
Furman and stricter Obama-era banking regulations may be forgiven for feeling vindicated over the recent turn of events, although the economist insisted in his tweet that the crisis stemming from SVB’s collapse could still have serious ramifications for the economy.
“This was not the system working. The system failed and it was jury-rigged to keep it going. Need a better system,” he wrote.