The Federal Reserve issued warnings to Silicon Valley Bank that its risk-management practices were deficient as early as 2021 — well over a year before the bank ultimately failed — and met with the bank’s senior management in October of last year to express concern over interest-rate risk, Fed Vice Chair Michael Barr plans to tell Congress Tuesday.
These concerns were heightened enough that Fed staff specifically cited the bank’s risk-management practices in a presentation to the Federal Reserve Board on the impact of rising rates on bank stability.
“SVB failed because the bank’s management did not effectively manage its interest rate and liquidity risk and the bank then suffered a devastating and unexpected run by its uninsured depositors,” Barr will tell the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday, according to prepared remarks.
Barr, who as vice chair for supervision oversees the Fed’s role as a bank regulator, is conducting a review into possible regulatory lapses that could have contributed to the failure of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month. The report, set to be made public May 1, will examine whether the Fed’s supervision of the bank was adequate given the bank’s rapid growth in recent years and its concentrated business model.
The review will also seek to determine whether supervisors “have the tools to mitigate threats to safety and soundness” and whether the “culture, policies and practices” of the Fed support effective oversight of banks, according to Barr’s prepared testimony.
Barr’s analysis will also address whether 2019 changes to bank laws, which eased oversight of medium-sized banks like Silicon Valley Bank, contributed to the bank’s failure to adequately manage its risks.
Regional-bank stocks
KRE,
were trading higher Monday, along with financial-services stocks
XLF,
in the S&P 500
SPX,
