Op risk opponents activate the political process. House hearings scheduled for February. Regulators divided. By Melvyn Westlake

The op risk group allocation question will be one of the issues left outside of the Basel II draft document. Many banks remain unhappy with current proposals. David Keefe reports

Basel Committee will decide soon on urgent `own credit standing\' accounting problem. Still significant differences over incurred losses but progress seen on fair value option Interview: Arnold Schilder, head of Basel\'s Accounting Task Force

IASB deputy chairman claims loan loss provisioning problems mostly resolved. But significant differences remain, say Basel regulators By Melvyn Westlake

State banks are under-capitalised and their bad debts are mounting. The Basel II accord is a low priority for most

Latest proposals for general insurers are aimed at harmonised risk-based supervision of the financial sector. By David Keefe

WASHINGTON - Basel II risk-based capital standards are likely to be extended to the world-wide activities of the top five American investment banks under a new rule of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that is expected to be approved soon.

LONDON -- Contrary to the advice being given by many consultants, there is a strong case for British banks not to rush into large expenditure just to comply quickly with the more advanced credit measurement approaches under the new Basel capital accord, according to a new study.*

LONDON - Global standards setters plan to make it easier to follow the cumulative effect of the development of new accounting rules to help improve consultation procedures, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) officials said in late March.

WASHINGTON -- The Securities Investment Association (SIA) is calling on securities supervisors in the US and Europe to be more proactive in eliminating barriers to efficient transatlantic securities operations, and achieving regulatory convergence in key areas