How banks’ internal governance mechanisms influence risk reporting

Abstract

Banks were the center of the recent financial crisis that results in a sharp decline in security prices and banks’ market capitalization. The content of information in general, and risk information in particular, provided to capital markets was vital to reduce the uncertainly levels left in the markets and encourage trading. Examining the impact of the internal corporate governance mechanisms on the content of risk management disclosures using a sample of US national banks in the wake of the financial crisis shows that banks having larger board size and higher proportion of independent directors are more inclined toward disclosing wider content of risk management information. The results also suggest that CEO duality impacts positively on risk management disclosures content to provide signals toward CEO objectivity and judgment in running business operations aligned with shareholders' interest.