Question 1

Do subscribers get indications on which banks would be good investments?

Accepted Answer

No. We show you the best performing US banks based upon market and financial factors in the WGA Bank Top 100. You and your financial advisor then decide which banks are likely to be good investments.

Question 2

Does WGA LLC provide investment advice to individuals?

Accepted Answer

No.  We write for a professional audience. Please consult your financial advisor.

Question 3

Do you provide consulting, due-diligence services and portfolio assessments for institutional investors, family offices and financial institutions?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  Please email info@rcwhalen.com

Question 4

I subscribed to The IRA Premium Service but cannot access!  What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

Please make sure you login to The IRA website to access the Premium Service.  Also, you must be subscribed to the free blog to access the Premium Service of The IRA. Please note that our hosting partner WIX supports browsers such as Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

Question 5

Where can I make comments about The IRA?

Accepted Answer

We feature reader questions and comments on X @rcwhalen

Question 6

Does my paid subscription to The IRA Premium Service automatically renew?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the Premium Plan renews automatically. If you wish to end your subscription, simply cancel before the end of your annual subscription and please receive our thanks for your custom.

Question 7

What are the privacy policies of The Institutional Risk Analyst?

Accepted Answer

Privacy Statement

Question 8

Do you provide full refunds after subscribers access your premium content?

Accepted Answer

No, all sales are final.

Question 9

Do you provide free trials to The IRA Premium Service?

Accepted Answer

Yes. From time to time, we post Premium  Service profiles and commentaries outside the paywall. For example:
https://www.theinstitutionalriskanalyst.com/post/goldman-sachs-fails-fed-stress-test

Question 10

How do I unsubscribe or manage my free subscription?

Accepted Answer

Please use the link at the bottom of the notification email from WIX to unsubscribe or modify your subscription preferences on The IRA web site.

Question 11

Do you directly answer questions from readers of The Institutional Risk Analyst?

Accepted Answer

No, but we try to address relevant comments and questions from readers in our publication or in social media such as @rcwhalen on X.com or LinkedIn.

Question 12

What if these FAQs did not answer all of my questions and concerns?

Accepted Answer

Please consult our Terms and Conditions of use.

Question 13

Allowance for loan and lease losses (ALLL)

Accepted Answer

A valuation reserve that banks set aside to cover potential losses from bad debts or loans that may not be repaid.

Question 14

AML

Accepted Answer

Anti-money-laundering

Question 15

Asset

Accepted Answer

Anything of value to which the firm has a legal claim.

Question 16

Asset Turnover

Accepted Answer

A way of measuring how profitably and efficiently assets are being used to produce sales. Net sales/Average assets

Question 17

Automated Clearing House (ACH)

Accepted Answer

The term Automated Clearing House (ACH) network is a payment network in the US that facilitates electronic transfers of funds between bank accounts

Question 18

Available for sale (AFS)

Accepted Answer

AFS refers to financial assets that are not held for trading, held to maturity, or held for strategic reasons, and have a readily available market price.

Question 19

Book Value

Accepted Answer

Carrying value of assets or liabilities

Question 20

Brokered Deposit

Accepted Answer

Any deposit that is obtained, directly or indirectly, from or through the mediation or assistance of a deposit broker.

Question 21

Capital

Accepted Answer

Any asset used to produce profits for an investor.

Question 22

CDS

Accepted Answer

Credit default swap

Question 23

Collateral

Accepted Answer

Asset provided to a creditor as security for a loan.

Question 24

Cost of Funds

Accepted Answer

Interest Expense/Average Assets

Question 25

Counterparty

Accepted Answer

A natural or legal person to which a bank has financial exposure.

Question 26

Crypto

Accepted Answer

Speculative intangible "asset." Digital tokens have no intrinsic value and depend primarily on ability of holders to sell to a greater fool. The crypto term encompasses many types commonly referred to as “coins” or “tokens”

Question 27

Custody Account

Accepted Answer

A custody account is one in which securities or other assets are held by a bank on behalf of a customer under a safekeeping arrangement. Assets held in such capacity are not to be reported in the balance sheet of the reporting bank nor are such accounts to be reflected as a liability.

Question 28

Default

Accepted Answer

Failing to promptly pay interest or principal when due.

Question 29

Derivative Contracts

Accepted Answer

Banks commonly use derivative instruments for managing (positioning or hedging) their exposure to market risk (including interest rate risk and foreign exchange risk), cash flow risk, and other risks in their operations and for trading.

Question 30

Double Leverage

Accepted Answer

Total investment in subs / Equity capital

Question 31

Efficiency Ratio

Accepted Answer

Overhead expenses / Net Interest Income + non-interest income

Question 32

Expected Loss (EL)

Accepted Answer

EL is a key metric used in credit risk analysis, offering financial institutions a reliable way to estimate potential losses across their lending portfolios.

Question 33

Exposure at Default

Accepted Answer

Maximum potential loss. Unused Credit Lines/Existing Credit Lines

Question 34

Forbearance

Accepted Answer

Suspension of loan payments

Question 35

Liability

Accepted Answer

Any money or service owed to another party.

Question 36

Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR)

Accepted Answer

LCR = High-Quality Liquid Asset (HQLA) Amount / Total Net Cash Outflow Amount over a 30-day period under stress.

Question 37

Loss Given Default

Accepted Answer

Net loss as % of loan amount. (Net loss + Recoveries)/Net Loss

Question 38

Mortgage Servicing Right

Accepted Answer

A payment intangible with defined cash flows

Question 39

Net Interest Margin

Accepted Answer

The difference between interest and dividends earned on interestbearing assets and interest paid to depositors and other creditors, expressed as a percentage of average earning assets.

Question 40

Net Loss

Accepted Answer

Net credit losses on loans and leases / Average loans and leases

Question 41

Noncurrent Loans and Leases

Accepted Answer

Loans and leases 90 days or more past due, and loans and leases in nonaccrual status.

Question 42

Non-performing loans (NPLs)

Accepted Answer

A non-performing loan is a loan in which the borrower is in default and has not paid the monthly principal and interest repayments for a specified period, usually 90 days.

Question 43

Probability of Default (PD)

Accepted Answer

PD quantifies the chance of a borrower defaulting on their debt.

Question 44

Return on Assets (ROA)

Accepted Answer

Net Income/Average Assets

Question 45

Return on Earning Assets (ROEA)

Accepted Answer

Net Interest Income/Earning Assets

Question 46

Return on Equity (ROE)

Accepted Answer

Net Income/Total Capital

Question 47

Risk Weighted Assets (RWA)

Accepted Answer

A bank's assets or off-balance-sheet exposures, weighted according to risk.

Question 48

Short-Term Liquid Assets

Accepted Answer

Cash and due from accounts, federal funds sold, securities purchased under resale agreements, and securities maturing in less than one year.

Question 49

Sources: FDIC, BIS, WGA

Accepted Answer

Sources: FDIC, BIS, WGA

Question 50

Unexpected loss (UL)

Accepted Answer

The difference between the expected and actual loss, often used in risk management

Question 51

Value at risk (VaR)

Accepted Answer

A statistical measure of the potential loss of an investment over a specific period, within a given probability level.

Question 52

What is an FAQ section?

Accepted Answer

An FAQ section can be used to quickly answer common questions about your business like "Where do you ship to?", "What are your opening hours?", or "How can I book a service?".

Question 53

Why do FAQs matter?

Accepted Answer

FAQs are a great way to help site visitors find quick answers to common questions about your business and create a better navigation experience.

Question 54

Where can I add my FAQs?

Accepted Answer

FAQs can be added to any page on your site or to your Wix mobile app, giving access to members on the go.

Question 55

How do I add a new question & answer?

Accepted Answer

To add a new FAQ follow these steps: 
1. Manage FAQs from your site dashboard or in the Editor 
2. Add a new question & answer 
3. Assign your FAQ to a category 
4. Save and publish.

You can always come back and edit your FAQs.

Question 56

Can I insert an image, video, or GIF in my FAQ?

Accepted Answer

Yes. To add media follow these steps: 
1. Manage FAQs from your site dashboard or in the Editor 
2. Create a new FAQ or edit an existing one 
3. From the answer text box click on the video, image or GIF icon 
4. Add media from your library and save.

Question 57

How do I edit or remove the 'Frequently Asked Questions' title?

Accepted Answer

You can edit the title from the FAQ 'Settings' tab in the Editor.  
To remove the title from your mobile app go to the 'Site & App' tab in your Owner's app and customize.

Analytics

Do subscribers get indications on which banks would be good investments?

Does WGA LLC provide investment advice to individuals?

Do you provide consulting, due-diligence services and portfolio assessments for institutional investors, family offices and financial institutions?

I subscribed to The IRA Premium Service but cannot access! What's wrong?

Where can I make comments about The IRA?

Does my paid subscription to The IRA Premium Service automatically renew?

What are the privacy policies of The Institutional Risk Analyst?

Do you provide full refunds after subscribers access your premium content?

Do you provide free trials to The IRA Premium Service?

How do I unsubscribe or manage my free subscription?

Do you directly answer questions from readers of The Institutional Risk Analyst?

What if these FAQs did not answer all of my questions and concerns?

Allowance for loan and lease losses (ALLL)

AML

Asset

Asset Turnover

Automated Clearing House (ACH)

Available for sale (AFS)

Book Value

Brokered Deposit

Capital

CDS

Collateral

Cost of Funds

Counterparty

Crypto

Custody Account

Default

Derivative Contracts

Double Leverage

Efficiency Ratio

Expected Loss (EL)

Exposure at Default

Forbearance

Liability

Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR)

Loss Given Default

Mortgage Servicing Right

Net Interest Margin

Net Loss

Noncurrent Loans and Leases

Non-performing loans (NPLs)

Probability of Default (PD)

Return on Assets (ROA)

Return on Earning Assets (ROEA)

Return on Equity (ROE)

Risk Weighted Assets (RWA)

Short-Term Liquid Assets

Sources: FDIC, BIS, WGA

Unexpected loss (UL)

Value at risk (VaR)

What is an FAQ section?

Why do FAQs matter?

Where can I add my FAQs?

How do I add a new question & answer?

Can I insert an image, video, or GIF in my FAQ?

How do I edit or remove the 'Frequently Asked Questions' title?

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