The CAMEL rating system in banking supervision. A case study

Abstract

Banking supervision has been increasingly concerned due to significant loan losses and bank failures from the 1980s till now. In the light of the banking crisis in recent years worldwide, CAMEL is a useful tool to examine the safety and soundness of banks, and help mitigate the potential risks which may lead to bank failures. The research has been conducted as a case study of American International Assurance Vietnam (AIA). It aims to determine whether the CAMEL framework plays a crucial role in banking supervision. Furthermore, the purpose is to identify the benefits as well as drawbacks which the CAMEL system brings to AIA. The research problem was explored by quantitatively analyzing a bank’s overall performance. The paper firstly starts to collect theory relevant to the empirical research, and then draws conclusions from the findings by relating them back to the literature stated in the early stage. Although this study is based on collected data and numerical figures, it is a qualitative study. The findings revealed that CAMEL rating system is a useful supervisory tool in the U.S. CAMEL analysis approach is beneficial as it is an internationally standardized rating and provides flexibility between on-site and off-site examination; hence, it is the main model in assessing banks’ performance in AIA. On the other hand, it has disadvantages of not following the Vietnamese bank closely, ignoring the interaction with bank’s top management and overlooking the provisions as well as allowance for loan loss ratios. The paper further discusses the current financial crisis and the banking supervisory tool in Europe by an in-depth interview with a banker.