Maturity Transformation Strategies and Interest Rate Risk of Financial Institutions: Evidence from the German Market

Abstract

Economic theory postulates that financial institutions are exposed to a significant interest rate risk which is largely due to their engagement in maturity transformation. Although this maturity transformation and the associated risk is of interest to all stakeholders of financial institutions, it has not yet been well studied. In this study we systematically examine different regression approaches for externally quantifying the exposure to interest rate risk of financial institutions. In this context, we have derived and empirically apply a new and - in economic respects more appropriate - maturity transformation factor. Comparing the explanatory power of different interest rate factors, this maturity transformation factor proves superior. Furthermore, this innovative factor allows us to estimate and interpret the maturity transformation of financial institutions and its respective contribution to total return and risk. All in all, the results obtained for the financial services sector in contrast to non-financial services sectors strongly support Hicks' liquidity preference hypothesis.