Bank Capital & Basel III Regulations

The Basel III international regulatory framework, which was produced in 2010 by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision at the Bank for International Settlements, is the latest in a series of evolving agreements among central banks and bank supervisory authorities to standardise bank capital requirements, among other measures. Capital serves as a cushion against unanticipated financial shocks, which can otherwise lead to insolvency. The Basel III regulatory reform package revises the definition of regulatory capital and increases capital holding requirements for banking organisations. This book summarises the higher capital requirements for U.S. banks regulated for safety and soundness. It examines how the U.S. Basel III regulations may affect U.S. banks, including smaller ones; and implementation of Basel III by different countries and other jurisdictions may affect U.S. banking organisations' international competitiveness.