FAQ

This page is not intended to be a forum for general queries on banks or banking. However, if you are not sure where to ask your question, do so here – but it will be moved to a more appropriate location. This is to make it easier for those reading the site to follow any discussion.

What is a Bank?

In this blog I use the term “bank” to have its normal meaning in (financial) English – a bank is an institution that accepts banking deposits from the general public and makes loans. In Australia these institutions are regulated by APRA under the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). In Australia, these are the only institutions allowed to use certain terms – “Bank”, “Building Society”, “Credit Union” or a few other terms covered in the legislation. The rest of the discussion on this is highly technical and really not worth covering here.

Why are youtube / google videos not on the front page?

I got a couple of comments hat, for those with slower connections, the main page was loading really slowly if they were there. I have therefore adopted a policy of always giving them an intro and then having the video itself over the fold.

Is this blog supported by any of the major banks or any of the professional firms?

While all of the people who post articles will be risk management professionals, it is not the goal of this blog to be endorsed or supported by any of the banks or firms. This allows us to be independent of all of the banks and firms, to be as honest as the law allows us to be about our opinions and discussions to be held amongst our peers.

Can we rely on any of the articles or comments here?

No. Only pronouncements from APRA (the Australian Prudential and Regulatory Authority), the BCBS (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision) or the BIS (Bank of International Settlements) or, if you are outside Australia, your home regulator, can be regarded as authoritative.

What use is this blog, then?

This is purely intended to be a forum for discussion – nothing more. We will also endeavour to keep you informed of what is happening in the industry as it happens, but we will take no responsibility if something of importance to you is missed. We will try to help, but we can do no more than that.

Can we get in contact with the authors?

If you put your email address in the “email” line and ask us to contact you, we will. Otherwise, use the address on the “Authors” page.

Will you contact us or pass on our details to anyone else?

Unless compelled to do so by a court of law in a recognised jurisdiction, no.

We would expect this to happen only in a case where possibly libellous statements or information relating to criminal activity are posted. Other than that, we will not contact you unless you ask us to.

Can I comment anonymously?

You can use whatever name you choose for your comments. Your email address, as a matter of courtesy, should be a real one for you, but we have no way of checking this and we would only use it in the circumstances outlined above.

I think I can contribute articles to this site. Can I join?

If you leave a comment on this page and email address, as above, we will contact you and discuss what contributions you can make. You would normally need to have a good history in risk management in Australia or overseas.

Great blog – can I get one?

Go here – yes, this is a