Bank Restructuring: Lessons from the 1980s Book

The decade of the 1980s saw major stresses and strains in the developing world. Fiscal adjustment, trade liberalization, financial deregulation, and privatization were major policy reforms that sought to deal with the problems of high debt overhang, balance of payments problems, and slow growth in many developing countries. During this period banking systems in industrial and developing countries alike underwent fundamental change. Many banks were devastated by the burden of nonperforming loans, brought on by a variety of causes. A centerpiece of financial policy reform was bank restructuring, as policymakers sought to improve the process of financial intermediation that would fund and foster stronger growth. This book is part of a series of research studies stemming from " World Development Report 1989: Financial Systems and Development. " It surveys experience with systemwide bank restructuring, focusing on the policy and process of the legal, institutional, financial, and managerial restructuring demanded by systemic bank problems. Bank restructuring is a process, not an event. The causes of bank failure are often country specific, and the solutions to bank failure may require special consideration of country conditions. However, lessons from international experience suggest that they are common techniques and approaches that can help clarify the issues, reduce their complexity, and identify possible solutions. This volume is intended to be a useful guide for policymakers, bank supervisors and bankers for dealing with these pressing problems of the 1990s and beyond.