Capital Briefs: Banks to Get Grade for Each Camel Component

Federal Reserve examiners soon will begin breaking down performance ratings into five separate scores for bankers.

Until now, banks have received one Camel rating to reflect overall capital, asset quality, management, equity, and liquidity. But starting as soon as possible and no later than Jan. 1, Fed examiners will give banks a separate score on each performance measure.

"This step is intended to better focus management attention on possible areas of weakness and the need for timely corrective actions," according to a Nov. 15 letter to examiners from the Fed's director of supervision, Richard Spillenkothen.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. adopted this policy in September while the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision are expected to follow suit by Jan. 1.

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