Banks’ Management of Interest Rate Risk: Empirical Evidence from Savings Banks and Credit Cooperatives

Abstract

Abstract German banking supervisors repeatedly warn of the potential threats arising from the current levels of interest rate risk. Especially banks with a traditional business model that highly depend on income from their interest business have extended their maturity transformation to stabilize the net interest margins with higher term premiums. This paper uses a unique data set comprising balance sheet data from German savings banks and credit cooperatives enhanced with information from their disclosure reports between 2012 and 2020 to analyze the level of interest rate risk and its management. The results suggest that interest rate derivatives are not primarily related to the general level of interest rate risk in banks but may particularly be used by banks to avoid exceeding specific regulatory limits. Furthermore, smaller banks are less likely to use derivatives. However, the results suggest that these banks manage their interest rate risk exposure via higher shares of securities, giving these banks more flexibility in maturity management.