An Empirical Investigation of Asset-Liability Management of Small Us Commercial Banks

Abstract

A simultaneous equation model is developed that jointly determines net interest margin and various maturity gaps. Using annual data for the majority of the population of insured commercial banks, this model is estimated for the years 1984 to 1987 (the only years for which repricing data were collected). For banks with assets of less than $300 million, it is found that net interest margin is significantly associated with various maturity gaps. This framework is highly relevant to thousands of small banks for which accounting flows (such as net interest income) are the primary indicators of the effectiveness of asset liability management. One policy implication of this study is that the Federal Reserve may resume collecting repricing data (its collection was discontinued after 1987), at least for small banks with assets less than $300 million because repricing data reveals important information about small banks’ exposure to interest rate risk, and these banks are less subject to market discipline.