Time-Varying Volatility of Bank Betas

Abstract

Research has shown banks match interest income and expense betas, and thereby obtain net interest income margins which are insensitive to changes in short-term interest rates. The present analysis extends this research in a number of ways. First, we use state-space methods to estimate time-varying betas and test whether they are matched at each time interval. We find substantial variation in interest income and expense betas, which drives variation in net interest margin beta coefficients. Second, we estimate the time-varying conditional volatility of beta forecasts the uncertainty of future beta values. We find uncertainty in interest expense beta coefficients drives uncertainty in interest income betas. Further, large banks have greater expense beta uncertainty, whereas small banks have greater income beta uncertainty. Lastly, we find evidence that uncertainty in interest expense betas is priced by the market, and is negatively related to bank stock prices. This is a new and previously unmeasured source of unhedgeable risk in bank stocks, and highlights an additional benefit of the Federal Reserve's Zero Interest Rate Policy.