--%>
Assignment Help - homework help

Commercial Banking Assignment

Part I

Guidelines and requirements: The questions in Part I of this assignment are based on the materials covered in Units 1 and 2. Please write a short-essay answer to each question.

Question 1

You have just been hired as a branch manager for a large bank in Hong Kong. You were told that the bank is going to open a new branch at the Island Learning Centre of the Open University of Hong Kong in Sheung Wan. The management of the bank is concerned that the new branch may not be able to attract enough customers to meet its profit projection. Your task is to recommend the various services the bank should offer initially to build an adequate customer base. The following is a list of the services the branch could offer:

  • current accounts
  • savings deposits
  • security underwriting
  • personal trust management services
  • retirement savings plans
  • venture capital loans
  • plant and equipment loans
  • automobile loans
  • residential real estate loans
  • home improvement loans.

a List five types of information you will need about the local community to help you decide which of many possible services are likely to have sufficient demand to make them profitable. Explain

your answer briefly. b Divide the possible services into two groups: those you think should be offered opening day and those you believe can be offered later as bank grows. Explain your answer. 2 FIN B381 Commercial Banking

 

Question 2

For a better understanding of banking industry, it is important to look at the environment in which commercial banks operate. Production expansion and globalization are two major forces reshaping the banking industry today. The following two questions are related to these two issues. a Describe one of the new banking services offered to customers by many local banks. Discuss the potential benefits and challenges to these banks that are brought about by the introduction of this new service. (15 marks)

b Hong Kong is an international financial centre and many foreign banks want to establish their presence in the city. In view of public welfare, should the government impose more restrictions against? the entry of foreign banks into Hong Kong? Explain the rationale behind your answer. 

Part II

Guidelines and requirements: There is only one question in this part. The question is designed to provide a platform not only to show that you know and understand the material, but that you can use it to analyse situations. Therefore, your answer will be graded on the basis of completeness, justification and presentation skill. So be sure you keep these criteria in mind as you prepare your answers. Good luck!

 

Question 3

Read the article 'Back in expansion mode' on the following pages and answer the following questions:

a List out five business areas that local banks are turning to in search of profits. Describe each business area briefly and evaluate the prospect of growth in each area critically.

b In the article, Monica Ng, Assurance Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Hong Kong said, 'the smaller banks are at risk of losing out to their larger counterparts.' Please explain the challenges faced by smaller banks and suggest way to overcome these challenges. 

   Related Questions in Corporate Finance

  • Q : Bond price problem ABC Corp is issuing

    ABC Corp is issuing a 10-year bond with a coupon rate of 7 %. The interest rate for similar bonds is at present 9 %. Supposing annual payments, what is the current value of the bond? (Round to the closest dollar.) (a) $872 (b) $1,066 (c) $990 (d) $945.

    Q : Long-Term Financing Needed Long-Term

    Long-Term Financing Needed : - At year-end 2012, total assets for Ambrose Inc. were $1.2 million and accounts payable were $375,000. Sales, which in 2012 were $2.5 million, are expected to increase by 25% in 2013. Total ass

    		•
  • Q : Define stock variable Stock variable :

    Stock variable: It is a variable whose value is measured or evaluated at a point of time.

    		•
  • Q : Which taxes do I have to use for

    Which taxes do I have to utilize when calculating Free Cash Flow (FCF) – is this the medium tax rate or the marginal tax rate of the leveraged company?

    		•
  • Q : Cost of Equity AB Corporation has 16%

    AB Corporation has 16% cost of equity, 35% tax rate, and debt-to-equity ratio of 30%. XY Corporation has 30% tax rate and debt-to-equity ratio of 40%. Both AB and XY are in the same business of selling automotive parts. If the riskless rate is 4% and the expected retu

    		•
  • Q : Variance of a portfolio The variance of

    The variance of a portfolio of 40 stocks will be the addition of _______ variance terms and _______ covariance terms. A) 40; 1560B) 40; 1600C) 80; 40D) 1600; 40

    		•
  • Q : Is Capital Cash Flow identical with

    Is Capital Cash Flow identical with Free Cash Flow?

    		•
  • Q : Is the price of futures the excellent

    Is the price of futures the excellent estimate of €/$ exchange rate?

    		•
  • Q : Why required return cannot computed by

    Why can we not compute the required return (Ke) by the Gordon-Shapiro model [P0 = Div0 (1+g) / (Ke – g)] in place of using the CAPM? As we identify the current dividend (Div0) and the current share price (P0), we can acquire the growth rate of the dividend by th

    		•
  • Q : Effective annual yield problem Stanley

    Stanley invested in a municipal bond which promised an annual yield of 6.7 %. The bond pays coupons twice a year. What is the effective annual yield (abbreviated as EAY) on this investment? (1) 13.4%  (2) 6.81%  (3) 6.70%  (4) None of the above