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How do banks respond to misconduct costs?

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  • Tracey, Belinda
  • Sowerbutts, Rhiannon

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, banks around the world have been confronted with substantial costs related to misconduct. In this paper, we examine the impact of provisions for misconduct costs on the behavior of UK banks. We first document that misconduct provisions have a significant and negative effect on capital ratios. Next, we show that banks whose capital is reduced by misconduct provisions decrease non-lending activities but increase lending. Lending growth is driven by profitable higher loan-to-value mortgages, which typically incur a lower capital risk-weighting compared to non-lending activities. These results suggest that when faced with a capital shock due to misconduct provisions, banks restore their capital ratios by shifting their balance sheet towards activities that optimize the ratio of profitability to risk-weighted assets.

Suggested Citation

  • Tracey, Belinda & Sowerbutts, Rhiannon, 2025. "How do banks respond to misconduct costs?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:178:y:2025:i:c:s0378426625000330
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2025.107413
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    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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