Republic National Bank Signs With Algorithmics For Central Risk Group

REPUBLIC National Bank of New York is installing a new enterprise-wide risk management system at its New York headquarters, say bank officials.

The bank has selected risk management software from Toronto-based Algorithmics to support its independent risk oversight unit, which was established a few years ago, say bank officials. Meanwhile, sources say the bank is looking for a head of risk management.

Republic National expects to have its new risk software fully deployed by the end of next year. It will cover risks on the bank's trading portfolio, investment management portfolio and investment securities portfolio.

No names

Ray Tamayo, Republic National's executive vice president of technology declines to name the members of the risk management unit or specify its organizational details. A bank spokesperson also declines to provide these details.

However, Tamayo does say Republic National's risk management unit is not tied to any of its specific trading groups. "It's a central oversight group that doesn't have to worry about profit and loss," he says.

The risk group is concerned with protecting the interests of the bank, conforming to regulatory compliance guidelines and using proper hedging strategies, he adds.

Tamayo is not part of the risk oversight group but does work with group members in his technology role. He says Republic National required a risk management system that could provide centralized risk management across all of the organization's worldwide activities.

The bank has licensed a suite of Algorithmics software, including: Riskwatch, an analytical engine; Risk++, a class library of financial software objects; and Riskwarehouse, a financial data warehouse.

Republic National plans to use the Algorithmics software to perform market risk and credit risk calculations, says Tamayo, among other functions.

This risk management will go beyond current US regulatory requirements. "The Controller of the Currency only addresses market risk management," he says. "But Republic National is just as interested in credit risk management as it is in market risk management."

Tamayo adds that Republic National could have spent a lot less on its risk systems if it had only attempted to meet the minimum regulatory standards.

But instead the bank has decided to collate all its information centrally -- despite this not being mandatory under current US regulations.

Several choices

The bank looked at risk management systems from some 15 to 20 vendors, including Infinity Financial Technology, Cats Software and Renaissance Software, says Tamayo.

Republic National's risk management system search team was comprised of technology, trading and risk management staff, he adds. The Algorithmics software will be used across the bank's worldwide locations. Tamayo says this implementation will be reasonably swift, since Republic National has been consolidating trade data in New York for a few years now.

"A lot of our systems are centralized out of New York," he says. "It's not like we have to go to 25 different countries and suck information out every night. The data's already here."

Consolidated data

Initially, the bank began consolidating its trading data in New York in order to supply staff there with information necessary to make trading and investment decisions. Tamayo says the ready availability of this centralized data makes global risk management much easier.

"The hard part of this whole project was getting the data here in New York," says Tamayo. "When we began that data centralization effort, there were no regulations on producing VAR or anything else like that."

Republic National's Algorithmics software will first be implemented in the bank's New York offices, says Tamayo.

The first phase of the four step rollout will be completed by February. This phase will cover options, metals and foreign exchange trading. The second phase will involve derivatives or emerging markets.

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