Macro Stress Testing of Indian Bank Groups

This study examines how various bank groups operating in India have fared macro stress events and conduct macro stress testing (MST) to trace the impact of certain macroeconomic stress scenarios on the credit quality of five Indian bank groups, that is, the State Bank of India (SBI) and its associates (SBGs), nationalised banks (NBs), old private sector banks (OPBs), new private sector banks (NPBs) and foreign banks (FBs), using panel data from 1997 to 2014. Credit quality is modelled as a function of both macroeconomic variables (output growth, interest rate, inflation rate and exchange rate) and idiosyncratic variables (profitability and size indicator of bank business activity). The model is estimated by employing a panel cointegration approach, and the impact of adverse scenarios on the estimated credit quality is computed. Empirical findings show that credit quality is pro-cyclical in nature and rises in the event of a slowdown in the economy. In general, the credit quality of Indian bank groups is found to be inversely and significantly related to the economy’s growth rate, inflation rate, exchange rate and profits of banks and positively and significantly related to the interest rate. Shock analysis also reveals that a downturn in the economy through certain adverse scenarios has a significant adverse impact on the credit quality. The shocks are quickly propagated across banks with substantial heterogeneities present in different bank groups. Thus, macroeconomic policy measures promoting growth with price stability are expected to impact credit quality positively. Further, measures at the bank level can improve credit quality by enhancing their profitability. JEL Classifications: C32, C58, E170, G21