WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) said on Wednesday it was considering ramping up reporting requirements to make major Australian-owned banks' capital ratios more transparent.
Deputy Governor Geoff Bascand told the country's banking association in a speech that the RBNZ, which acts as the banking regulator, thought transparency could improve as it reviews banks' capital requirements.
"Even for the Reserve Bank, which has access to banks' modelling documentation and regularly meets with the big-4 banks' modelling teams, it is sometimes unclear how risk-weights have been arrived at," Bascand said.
New Zealand's four largest banks are the subsidiaries of Australian parent companies: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group <ANZ.AX>, Commonwealth Bank of Australia <CBA.AX>, National Australia Bank <NAB.AX> and Westpac Banking Corp <WBC.AX>.
The RBNZ's released a consultation document as part of its review in December in which it proposed banks be required to adopt a dual reporting model in line with Basel recommendations developed by international regulators in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Bascand also said in the speech that the RBNZ was considering whether it needed to increase oversight on bank directors' vouching for their firms' disclosure statements.
"The Reserve Bank is actively considering steps to enhance the effectiveness of the attestation regime through expecting evidence of positive assurance, more thematic reviews, more explicit guidance on good banking practices, more frequent engagement with bank directors, and a review of the materiality of disclosures," he said.
(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Alison Williams)
