“Big five” update

Article Excerpt

During the 2008/2009 financial crisis, the U.S. and Europe provided huge support to their banks, to keep them solvent. Thanks to Canada’s stricter banking regulations, our big five banks (Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, CIBC, Royal and TD) survived the crisis without government financial assistance. Ottawa now wants to improve the stability of our banks all the more, in the event of a future crisis. Under the proposed “bail-in” model, if a bank becomes insolvent, it will have to convert some of its debt to new common shares. That would dilute the value of existing holdings. (Canadian Deposit Insurance would continue to protect depositors.) Failure of any of Canada’s big five banks is extremely unlikely. But removing Ottawa’s implicit guarantee would add to their risk. That’s why Standard & Poor’s recently cut its outlook on the big five. If S&P cuts their credit ratings, it could raise the banks’ borrowing costs. The big five bank stocks made vast…