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Director's Corner

San Francisco Region Director's College Computer- Based Training
Earnings

Rating Earnings
Now let's rate the earnings component for First State Bank. The following is an excerpt from the Uniform Financial Institutions Ratings System.

Uniform Financial Institution Ratings System
This rating reflects not only the quantity and trend of earnings, but also factors that may affect the sustainability or quality of earnings. The quantity as well as the quality of earnings can be affected by excessive or inadequately managed credit risk that may result in loan losses and require additions to the allowance for loan and lease losses, or by high levels of market risk that may unduly expose an institution's earnings to volatility in interest rates. The quality of earnings may also be diminished by undue reliance on extraordinary gains, nonrecurring events, or favorable tax effects. Future earnings may be adversely affected by an inability to forecast or control funding and operating expenses, improperly executed or ill-advised business strategies, or poorly managed or uncontrolled exposure to other risks. The rating of an institution's earnings is based upon, but not limited to, an assessment of the following evaluation factors:

  • The level of earnings, including trends and stability
  • The ability to provide for adequate capital through retained earnings
  • The quality and sources of earnings
  • The level of expenses in relation to operations
  • The adequacy of the budgeting systems, forecasting processes, and management information systems in general
  • The adequacy of provisions to maintain the allowances for loan and lease losses and other valuation allowance accounts
  • The earnings exposure to market risk such as interest rate, foreign exchange, and price risks

Ratings

  1. A rating of "1" indicates earnings that are strong. Earnings are more than sufficient to support operations and maintain adequate capital and allowance levels after consideration is given to asset quality, growth, and other factors affecting the quality, quantity, and trend of earnings.


  2. A rating of "2" indicates earnings that are satisfactory. Earnings are sufficient to support operations and maintain adequate capital and allowance levels after consideration is given to asset quality, growth, and other factors affecting the quality, quantity, and trend of earnings. Earnings that are relatively static, or even experiencing a slight decline, may receive a "2" rating provided the institution's level of earnings is adequate in view of the assessment factors listed above.


  3. A rating of "3" indicates earnings that need to be improved. Earnings may not fully support operations and provide for the accretion of capital and allowance levels in relation to the institution's overall condition, growth, and other factors affecting the quality, quantity, and trend of earnings.


  4. A rating of "4" indicates earnings that are deficient. Earnings are insufficient to support operations and maintain appropriate capital and allowance levels. Institutions so rated may be characterized by erratic fluctuations in net income or net interest margin, the development of significant negative trends, nominal or unsustainable earnings, intermittent losses, or a substantive drop in earnings from the previous years.


  5. A rating of "5" indicates earnings that are critically deficient. A financial institution with earnings rated "5" is experiencing losses that represent a distinct threat to its viability through the erosion of capital.

What do you think earnings should be rated?

  1. Strong
  2. Satisfactory
  3. Less than satisfactory
  4. Unsatisfactory
  5. Critically deficient

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