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US regulator finds banks have work to do on climate danger, sources say

A top U.S. banking regulator has found that significant loan providers remain in the early stages of assessing and managing the risks climate modification poses to their organizations, which substantial work is required in some areas, three people knowledgeable about the matter stated.

The Workplace of the Comptroller of the Currency performed a. review in 2015 consisting of 22 large banks to see how they. account for the impact of environment modification on their loan books and. organizations.

In a letter sent in recent days to the banks' chief. executives, the OCC said it discovered all had completed some level. of threat identification, however methods and stages of advancement. different extensively. The letter, the contents of which were described. to Reuters by sources, has actually not been previously reported.

It sheds more light on the drawbacks regulators have. recognized in lots of banks' preparations to manage environment risks,. which some market specialists argue puts trillions of dollars of. possessions in jeopardy.

The OCC found that the majority of banks were early in the process. of incorporating environment danger into functions such as strategic. and operational planning, internal audit and evaluations of. their danger cravings, the sources said.

It likewise found that numerous had not begun working with. climate circumstance analysis and that substantial work was required. to implement organized governance frameworks around environment danger,. the sources said.

An OCC spokesperson said the agency does not comment on. supervisory activities. The sources requested privacy to talk. about confidential regulatory matters.

Banks and regulators around the world are facing. how to determine and handle the consequences a warming environment and. changes to energy policy will have for the monetary system.

Some industry executives concern, though, whether the. long-term process of climate modification positions an extreme immediate. hazard to bank stability in the very same method that a recession could.

The OCC carried out its first review in 2023, performing. several meetings with banks, and published guidance on handling. threats alongside the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and. Federal Reserve.

The Fed led its own workout in which the 6 most significant banks. were asked to imitate what extreme weather condition and a shift to. cleaner energy could do to their possessions and financial investments.

The OCC's letter describes a range of practice. observations and does not spell out particular actions it wants. the banks to take, the sources said.

It said it will continue to conduct risk-based supervisory. activities, the sources added.

(source: Reuters)