Regulators are looking to overhaul CAMELS ratings for banks

The CAMELS rating system is used by bank regulators to assess a financial institution. The rating system evaluates six key factors – capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity, and sensitivity. Banks are then rated on a scale of 1 (Best) to 5 (Worst). This scale helps examiners to determine which banks require closer supervision because of poor performance. The CAMELS framework was originally created in 1979 but has not been updated since 1996. Federal regulators are now looking to make changes by shifting the focus to material financial risk and bolster ratings transparency. The focus of the changes will be related to composite rating changes and management rating changes. Some of these potential changes are welcome as bank executives have complained for years about how the ‘management’ category is rated.  This episode reviewed articles from S&P Global (subscription required) and Investopedia. A link to the Investopedia article is included below. Link: Understanding the CAMELS Rating: Evaluation and Calculation Explained