Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial To Risk Mitigation
1. Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation
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Business Semantics Repository Aims for Data Precision | BNY Mellon: Taking the Reputational Risk Out Revamped CDS Sector
Of Data Management | Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation |
One Year After Bear's Collapse, JP Morgan
Reaping Benefits
Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation Has Hedge Fund Regulation Hit a Wall?
Tech Focus Drives TMX Expansion
March 16, 2009
Printer Friendly
By Chris Kentouris
Special Reports
With bad valuations of complex financial instruments commonly cited Email
as a key factor behind the credit crisis, valuation experts are stressing BNY Mellon: Taking the Reputational Risk Out Of
Reprints
Data Management
the importance of consistent, enterprisewide pricing policies in Reader Comments
Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk
mitigating risk.
Mitigation
A new study, authored by analytics software provider NumeriX and Credit Market Analysis (CMA), a Business Semantics Repository Aims for Data
Precision
derivatives pricing and market data specialist, points to the need for transparency when valuing assets such
Lehman Deal Fuels Barclays' Prime Ambitions
as over-the-counter, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities.
Financial modeling systems from vendors such as NumeriX digest data from multiple external sources and Supplements
have built-in controls and audit capabilities. CMA, acquired by CME Group last year, says its pricing data
2007 Industry Ranking
is based on a quot;buy-side consensusquot; model that seeks to eliminate dealer biases by using observed, tradable
quotes.
While organizations likely will continue to invest in proprietary or third-party pricing models--the first
step toward a valuation policy--New York-based NumeriX says they must also adopt a quot;codified and
repeatablequot; methodology so they can create a front-to-back-office audit trail. That methodology would
http://www.securitiesindustry.com/reports/19_69/23282-1.html (1 of 3) [3/16/2009 4:16:28 PM]
2. Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation
ideally be created by a pricing committee consisting of business unit, finance, compliance, legal and risk
management staff.
quot;A consistent pricing policy means that different departments use the same financial models and data
inputs to value the same financial contracts,quot; explains NumeriX president Steve O'Hanlon. quot;The challenge
has been that multiple financial models were used for the same instrument and even when the same model
was used it was not calibrated in the same fashion because different inputs were adopted.quot;
To ensure consistency across the firm, a model has to maintain the same view of the data within all
internal applications and business lines. That eliminates reporting discrepancies and enables the back-
testing strategies critical to bringing new financial contracts to market, says CMA chief executive Laurent
Paulhac.
The merits of an enterprise pricing policy extend beyond complying with Financial Accounting Standard
157, which established a three-tiered methodology and documentation process for valuing securities.
quot;If a front office is using a different recovery assumption for a credit derivative contract than other parts of
the organization, it will not only impact the value of the position but also the default risk,quot; says Mark
Traudt, CTO of Quantifi, a Summit, N.J.-based provider of credit derivatives pricing and risk analytics
software. quot;That could result in very different enterprisewide views of potential exposure in the event of a
default.quot;
Because margining requirements to meet capital adequacy rules are based on various stress tests, including
default scenarios, any differences in default risk will ultimately need to be reconciled, says Traudt.
Particularly on the buy side, many firms have work to do before they reach consistent pricing strategies.
quot;Hedge funds are still in the early stages of devising a pricing policy and often rely on counterparty or
broker-dealer quotes or use their third-party administrators,quot; says Ron McGann, senior consultant with
Citisoft, a buy-side consultancy in Boston. For OTC contracts, that approach can pose problems in
determining collateral requirements.
Joseph Pimbley, managing director of financial engineering at Duff & Phelps, a New York-based financial
advisory, says that even in a best-case scenario, quot;one group may have a detailed, written pricing policy
while another follows its own [unwritten] policy.quot;
Pimbley recommends that firms that have pricing committees put risk managers on equal footing with
trading desks and finance departments when choosing a model. In some cases, quot;the finance group may
want to write down the assets, while the trading desk, which has a short-term transactional viewpoint and
limited understanding of financial models, doesn't want to report any losses,quot; says Pimbley. quot;The skilled
risk manager must develop risk models embedded in-and consistent with-the company's enterprisewide
financial model and inputs.quot;
Marketplace
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http://www.securitiesindustry.com/reports/19_69/23282-1.html (2 of 3) [3/16/2009 4:16:28 PM]
![Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation
● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Home About Us Subscribe Advertise Help Contact Us RSS/XML
Hello Ron
●
Search Advanced Search
HOME
●
Related Items
Print Edition March 16, 2009
●
Articles from this Site
Enterprise Data Management
BlackRock Preps Technology Platform for
Business Semantics Repository Aims for Data Precision | BNY Mellon: Taking the Reputational Risk Out Revamped CDS Sector
Of Data Management | Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation |
One Year After Bear's Collapse, JP Morgan
Reaping Benefits
Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation Has Hedge Fund Regulation Hit a Wall?
Tech Focus Drives TMX Expansion
March 16, 2009
Printer Friendly
By Chris Kentouris
Special Reports
With bad valuations of complex financial instruments commonly cited Email
as a key factor behind the credit crisis, valuation experts are stressing BNY Mellon: Taking the Reputational Risk Out Of
Reprints
Data Management
the importance of consistent, enterprisewide pricing policies in Reader Comments
Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk
mitigating risk.
Mitigation
A new study, authored by analytics software provider NumeriX and Credit Market Analysis (CMA), a Business Semantics Repository Aims for Data
Precision
derivatives pricing and market data specialist, points to the need for transparency when valuing assets such
Lehman Deal Fuels Barclays' Prime Ambitions
as over-the-counter, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities.
Financial modeling systems from vendors such as NumeriX digest data from multiple external sources and Supplements
have built-in controls and audit capabilities. CMA, acquired by CME Group last year, says its pricing data
2007 Industry Ranking
is based on a quot;buy-side consensusquot; model that seeks to eliminate dealer biases by using observed, tradable
quotes.
While organizations likely will continue to invest in proprietary or third-party pricing models--the first
step toward a valuation policy--New York-based NumeriX says they must also adopt a quot;codified and
repeatablequot; methodology so they can create a front-to-back-office audit trail. That methodology would
http://www.securitiesindustry.com/reports/19_69/23282-1.html (1 of 3) [3/16/2009 4:16:28 PM]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/enterprisepricingpoliciescrucialtoriskmitigation-123825461651-phpapp01/85/Enterprise-Pricing-Policies-Crucial-To-Risk-Mitigation-1-320.jpg)
![Enterprise Pricing Policies Crucial to Risk Mitigation
ideally be created by a pricing committee consisting of business unit, finance, compliance, legal and risk
management staff.
quot;A consistent pricing policy means that different departments use the same financial models and data
inputs to value the same financial contracts,quot; explains NumeriX president Steve O'Hanlon. quot;The challenge
has been that multiple financial models were used for the same instrument and even when the same model
was used it was not calibrated in the same fashion because different inputs were adopted.quot;
To ensure consistency across the firm, a model has to maintain the same view of the data within all
internal applications and business lines. That eliminates reporting discrepancies and enables the back-
testing strategies critical to bringing new financial contracts to market, says CMA chief executive Laurent
Paulhac.
The merits of an enterprise pricing policy extend beyond complying with Financial Accounting Standard
157, which established a three-tiered methodology and documentation process for valuing securities.
quot;If a front office is using a different recovery assumption for a credit derivative contract than other parts of
the organization, it will not only impact the value of the position but also the default risk,quot; says Mark
Traudt, CTO of Quantifi, a Summit, N.J.-based provider of credit derivatives pricing and risk analytics
software. quot;That could result in very different enterprisewide views of potential exposure in the event of a
default.quot;
Because margining requirements to meet capital adequacy rules are based on various stress tests, including
default scenarios, any differences in default risk will ultimately need to be reconciled, says Traudt.
Particularly on the buy side, many firms have work to do before they reach consistent pricing strategies.
quot;Hedge funds are still in the early stages of devising a pricing policy and often rely on counterparty or
broker-dealer quotes or use their third-party administrators,quot; says Ron McGann, senior consultant with
Citisoft, a buy-side consultancy in Boston. For OTC contracts, that approach can pose problems in
determining collateral requirements.
Joseph Pimbley, managing director of financial engineering at Duff & Phelps, a New York-based financial
advisory, says that even in a best-case scenario, quot;one group may have a detailed, written pricing policy
while another follows its own [unwritten] policy.quot;
Pimbley recommends that firms that have pricing committees put risk managers on equal footing with
trading desks and finance departments when choosing a model. In some cases, quot;the finance group may
want to write down the assets, while the trading desk, which has a short-term transactional viewpoint and
limited understanding of financial models, doesn't want to report any losses,quot; says Pimbley. quot;The skilled
risk manager must develop risk models embedded in-and consistent with-the company's enterprisewide
financial model and inputs.quot;
Marketplace
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●
http://www.securitiesindustry.com/reports/19_69/23282-1.html (2 of 3) [3/16/2009 4:16:28 PM]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)