It is possible to check the reliability of a bank in Russia using the information available online. But in order to get a relatively reliable result, it is necessary to use as many indicators as possible and correctly interpret the data. What information is advisable to look for online in order to make the right choice of bank?

Official data

The main indicators of a bank's reliability are its financial indicators. It's easy to find them online. Typically, financial institutions post this information on their official websites. There are also a number of financial portals that collect this information. When choosing a reliable bank, you should pay attention to the following indicators:

• Bank assets. It is better to look at the numbers in dynamics. It is considered a good signal when they grow at an average of 15% per year over several years. If assets are growing at a rapid pace, this may indicate rapid development, which implies risks for investors.
• Equity. The higher it is, the greater the outflow of funds a financial institution can endure. The Central Bank puts forward a requirement for equity capital adequacy. If the bank does not comply with it for several periods, then this is a negative sign.
• Financial results. A significant loss may cause the financial institution's license to be revoked. In the event of bank liquidation, the depositor can only be confident in the return of funds guaranteed by the deposit insurance system.
• Loan portfolio and level of overdue debt. The quality of loans is one of the main parameters that determine the reliability of a bank. A delinquency level of 5-7% is considered acceptable. If it is greater, this may cause serious financial problems in the bank, and, as a result, its liquidation.
• Deposits of individuals. Their large share of liabilities indicates the bank's dependence on the mood of depositors. A sharp outflow of these funds against the background, for example, of rumors, can provoke the insolvency of a financial institution. The rapid increase in the volume of deposits of individuals is also a negative signal. This often happens against the backdrop of the bank offering rates above the market average. This is what financial institutions do when there is a shortage of funds. A quickly collected portfolio of deposits from individuals is used in fraudulent transactions: loans are issued to legal entities and related companies, which are subsequently not returned.

In 2015, 93 credit organizations lost their licenses. And many people thought about the reliability of their banks. To protect the company from additional losses, it is worth checking the banks in which its money is stored.

• List of banks deprived of their license in 2016 >>>
• List of banks whose license may be revoked in 2016 >>>

Bankers claim that there is no method that can absolutely accurately predict the revocation of a bank’s license. But there are six signs that can help diagnose problems. Of course, each sign separately does not indicate the bank’s unreliability. But if there are several signs at once, then it’s worth thinking about how to save the company’s money.

Sign No. 1. Downgrade of bank ratings

The first thing that bankers themselves advise you to pay attention to is the bank’s rating. Bank ratings are based on their financial statements, which they are required to publish annually. Based on the information in the rating, one can draw a conclusion about what type of bank the selected bank belongs to, in particular whether it is large, medium or small. The presence of an international rating and the absence of a rating downgrade speaks in favor of the bank.

If the rating of a bank in which an account has already been opened is lowered, this is a reason to closely check its reliability on all fronts. A decrease in rating often indicates problems in the bank. For monitoring, it is safer to use data from large rating agencies. Among the international ones, the most influential are Fitch Ratings, Standard&Poor’s, Moody’s. Well-known Russian agencies: RusRating, Expert RA, AK&M.

Sign No. 2. Closing branches, reducing the number of ATMs

The bank's fame and the branch network it has created, according to bankers, are a sign of reliability. An extensive network of offices, ATMs, and large subsidiaries indicates a significant market share. And this may indicate the reliability of the bank (although there are exceptions, for example Master Bank). But the reduction in the branch network clearly indicates the opposite.

Sign No. 3. Change of bank owners

The level of external support, that is, the owners, is important for the bank. Banks with state participation have the greatest external support. This indicator is high for banks controlled by state-owned companies and international financial groups. Shareholders in the form of large private financial and industrial groups are taken into account as a factor of stability.

But an unexpected change of ownership, given the latest events in the banking market, may indicate that not everything is in order at the bank. Information about the bank, including the ownership pattern, can be checked on the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation cbr.ru in the section “Information about credit institutions” or on the websites of the banks themselves.

Sign No. 4. Losses in reporting, decrease in assets

It is important to check the bank's statements. It is clear that profit is a good sign. But a loss in itself does not mean the bank will close soon. It requires attention if it is repeated from one reporting date to another. A decrease in assets may also indicate an unfavorable situation in the bank. On the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in the section "Information on credit institutions" you can enter the name of the bank in a search engine and view the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, as well as reporting forms 101, 102, 134, 135. The same forms can be viewed on the website of the bank itself. Visual data on changes in the state of assets can be obtained on the RBC Rating website - in the "Banks" section.

In addition, for express analysis, the rules approved in the instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation dated April 30, 2008 No. 2005-U are used. Liquidity is important for bank clients, that is, the bank’s ability to carry out payment transactions in a timely manner. The values ​​of liquidity standards are in form 135, the minimum acceptable values ​​of instant (N2) and current (N3) liquidity are 15 and 50%, respectively. Data for calculating capital can be taken in forms 134, 135 and the balance sheet. The key indicator is the adequacy of own funds (N1). If the indicator is less than 2%, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is obliged to revoke the bank’s license, while the minimum standard for the indicator is 10%.

Sign No. 5. The bank is being sued by its clients or officials

It is worth checking the bank for its participation in litigation. The easiest way to find out which disputes the bank is involved in is on the website kad.arbitr.ru. There, defendants and plaintiffs can be found by name and TIN. If there is such participation, then it is worth analyzing what cases the bank is involved in: civil, administrative, bankruptcy. The presence of a significant number of cases in which the bank acts as a defendant may indicate problems with the bank’s internal or external policies, violations of the law, or even impending liquidation.

Sign No. 6. General negative information background

It is safer to constantly monitor news related to the bank's work. There are positive reports about a successful IPO or placement of bond issues, attracting a Western investor. A positive noteworthy: the opening of a branch, the launch of a new online banking platform, an increase in ratings from a rating agency, etc. But all the good things will be canceled out by reports of default on any type of obligations, inability to make payments and issue money to depositors, searches in offices, etc. .d.

Useful sites for checking your bank

cbr.ru - on the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in the section “Information on credit institutions” you can enter the name of the bank in a search engine and view the profit and loss report.
rating.rbc.ru - in the “Banks” section you can check data on the state of the bank’s assets, including visually seeing how this indicator has changed up or down.
banki.ru - you can find out the bank’s rating, get additional information from articles and reviews about the bank given by its business partners, clients and employees.
kad.arbitr.ru - you can check by name, TIN or OGRN of the bank whether the credit organization is involved in civil, administrative cases or bankruptcy proceedings.

At the moment, the reliability of a bank is quite difficult to determine. This is due to the policy of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation towards low-quality financial market players. Almost any commercial structure can fall under extreme measures. Regardless of the development of the branch network or the volume of assets. Therefore, determining the reliability of a bank is an assessment of several combined factors.

List of reliable banks according to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation

Every year the regulator publishes a list of systemically important banks. The list has 11 participants. In 2015 and 2016 there were 10 of them, but in 2017 another credit institution was added to the list. In 2018, it remained unchanged relative to the previous publication of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

1. JSC UniCredit Bank;
2. Bank GPB (JSC);
3. VTB Bank (PJSC);
4. JSC "ALFA-BANK";
5. PJSC Sberbank;
6. PJSC Bank "FC Otkritie";
7. PJSC ROSBANK;
8. PJSC Promsvyazbank;
9. JSC Raiffeisenbank;
10. JSC Rosselkhozbank;
11. PJSC "Moscow Credit Bank".

These 10 credit institutions control more than 60% of the assets of the entire banking sector of the country. Accordingly, even if financial problems arise, extreme measures are unlikely to be applied to them. Revocation of a license can result in a significant blow. On the country's economy and personal finances of citizens. In this case, remediation will most likely be used. That is, an attempt to financially improve the bank. In particular, this is exactly the approach that the Central Bank of the Russian Federation applied to the banks Otkritie and Promsvyazbank in 2017.

Monitoring news feeds

It is necessary to check all messages for the last year. Any problems the bank has had over a given period may raise doubts about its reliability. In particular, the application of restrictions by the Central Bank on raising funds from individuals. This directly indicates financial problems. The regulator is trying to protect citizens. If such a measure is applied, you should refuse to open a deposit.

A number of other messages also raise doubts about the reliability. Related to searches or inspections at a credit institution. News about the revelation of the involvement of employees of a commercial structure in money laundering. Initiated criminal cases or court proceedings involving a bank indicate an unstable situation. Information about financial losses or a sharp reduction in business directly indicates great difficulties.

Ratings

Currently, there are quite a large number of rating agencies in Russia. Foreign specialized organizations also conduct assessments of domestic banks. From the numerous list, it is worth highlighting Moody’s, Fitch and S&P (foreign), as well as Expert-RA, Rus-rating and NRA (domestic).

There is no point in getting into the details of the ratings transcripts. First, each agency applies its own standards. Secondly, there is no point in memorizing them all for the average citizen. It is important to know four basic rules for decoding the rating for further application in the process of determining the reliability of the bank:

1. A value of "A" always indicates a positive rating. Regardless of additional symbols, numbers or number of letters. “BBV” is also considered positive.
2. Ratings designated “BB” or “B” with any additional designations are speculative. That is, they require increased attention to the commercial structure. There is a high probability of financial difficulties.
3. A “C” rating with any number of identical letters, as well as various additions, indicates high risks of cooperation with a credit institution. In some cases, it indicates a pre-default state.
4. “D” in any combination is the default state. That is, the bank’s inability to pay its debts.

It is worth understanding that rating agencies compile reports based on data provided by the credit institution. Having previously agreed on mutually beneficial cooperation. For this reason, the rating agency needs to strike a balance. Cover the real state of affairs as close to objective as possible. At the same time, taking into account the interests of the bank. This factor creates speculative ratings. They are quite good, but it is worth making allowances for possible concessions and an increase in the performance of the credit institution.

Secondary signs of reliability

Indicators available to each person. At the same time, they require certain specialized skills to become familiar with. For example, when studying the financial statements of a credit organization. Or providing the opportunity to falsify facts. As in the case of ordering exclusively positive reviews.

As you know, over the past three years the Central Bank has revoked the licenses of three hundred banks. In this regard, the question of the reliability of the bank that services your organization or where you are going to open a current account arises. We will tell you in this article how to determine the reliability of a bank based on public and available information.

As you know, over the past three years The Central Bank revoked the licenses of three hundred banks . In this regard, the question of the reliability of the bank that services your organization or where you are going to open a current account arises. We will tell you in this article how to determine the reliability of a bank based on public and available information.

It’s clear that if your bank is in the top ten, then there’s nothing to worry about, since monsters like Sberbank or VTB will only collapse along with the state (which is also possible). But at the same time, another 550 banks offer their services, which are more loyal to small and medium-sized businesses and are ready to open credit lines for them at lower interest rates and small amounts. There are many reasons why many firms prefer small banks, for example, they can notify the client in advance if repressive authorities have come after his soul.

Useful documents

Step 1. Determine the bank with the most favorable conditions

So, let's say you decide to place money at maximum interest. Visit the site banks.ru to the deposits section and sort the table in descending order of percentage (Figure 1).

Picture 1

So, Bank T offers us the highest interest rate.

Step 2. To determine the reliability of a bank, look at its rating

Figure 2

We see that the bank’s rating by assets (line 1) is 176th in the Russian Federation, that is, the bank, of course, is not in the top hundred, but it is also not the last on the market - it is a strong middle peasant. So, it makes sense to continue the analysis. We immediately look at the profit for the last 2 reporting months (line 2) – the profit is negative! – 400 million rubles! In principle, the analysis could have ended here; I would not place money in an unprofitable bank. But maybe the bank is investing in some powerful and long-term investment project or something else, so let’s continue the analysis.

First, let's find this bank on the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation « Information on credit institutions » (Figure 3).

Figure 3

This bank has been issued a license to attract deposits from individuals, and it also participates in the deposit insurance system. This is good, but the accounts of legal entities are insured on a voluntary basis, and if the bank “bursts”, then getting the money back will be a big problem.

Usually a bank collapses or the Central Bank takes away its license if the bank’s statements are falsified; large overdue loans; a significant part of the funds is invested in trading on the stock exchange and risky operations; low security of obligations; negative profitability, etc.

For reference

According to the Central Bank for 2016, bankers stole more than 560 billion rubles from the banking system. 68 banks took part in these frauds, and the judicial authorities decided on bankruptcy. According to the documents, banks indicated assets worth 750 billion rubles, but in fact only 190 billion rubles were revealed. At the same time, banks hid their obligations in their reporting by more than 30 billion rubles. Money flowed through fictitious loans and the purchase of illiquid securities. As a result, already in October 2016 the DIA (Deposit Insurance Agency) was forced to request financial support from the Central Bank.

Step 3. Analyze the dynamics of indicators on deposits and loans of individuals and legal entities

An important indicator of a bank’s reliability is the sources of funds and where they are invested. If a bank attracts mainly money from individuals at 10–13%, and issues it to legal entities at 13–18%, then the profitability of such a bank tends to zero. Those. the bank attracts funds from the public in any way, and then launders them through long-term loans under “its” campaigns.

Here, for example, is a schedule of deposits of individuals and legal entities of another bank. (Figure 4)

Figure 4

This graph shows that over the year, deposits from individuals increased from 23% to 62%, and loans to legal entities from 7% to 39%. Thus, the bank “vacuumed” the market and drained money through shell companies. It is not surprising that the Central Bank revoked his license.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine from open sources who exactly the bank is giving money to, what shares it is acquiring, etc., but the trend itself is visible from the balance sheet and financial statements.

To analyze them, it is convenient to visit the website ALCO Financial analysis of banks . In it we find the aggregated balance sheet of our bank (Figure 5).

Figure 5

From it we enter the data we need into Table 1.

Table 1. Aggregated balance sheet of Bank "T"

Balance sheet item, thousand rubles.	01.07.2016	01.08.2016	01.09.2016	01.10.2016	01.11.2016	01.12.2016
ASSETS	14 436 761	14 485 138	15 435 284	15 564 247	15 155 759	14 491 281
Legal loans persons (including banks and individual entrepreneurs)
Loans to individuals
Urgent funds for individuals
Relative indicators	01.07.2016	01.08.2016	01.09.2016	01.10.2016	01.11.2016	01.12.2016
Share of legal entities' loans in assets
Share of personal loans in assets
Share of fixed-term funds of private individuals in liabilities

Figure 6

The diagram shows that over the course of six months the bank did not experience any sharp jumps in attracting funds from individuals. individuals, nor for loans to commercial and other organizations, i.e. The bank, despite negative profits, is not yet going to disappear anywhere.

Step 4. Let’s make a forecast of the bank’s future profitability

In order to assess the reliability of Russian banks and understand in the future what its profit may be, it is necessary to compare its profitable assets with liabilities, taking into account the interest accruing on them over the year. To do this, open the interest balance for Bank “T” on the same website (Figure 7) and look.

Figure 7

If we do the calculations in a simplified manner, then income-generating assets amount to 13.1 billion rubles. with a yield of 16.1%, and liabilities of 12.6 billion rubles. from 8.4%. Those. at the moment the difference is 13.1 - 12.6 = 0.5 billion rubles. Accordingly, in a year, income will exceed debt payments by 13.1 x 0.161 - 12.6 x 0.084 = 1000 million rubles. Those. The bank's margin will be 1 billion rubles. But then from this amount it is necessary to subtract operating expenses, reserves and the loss of the previous year.

We take this data from the profit report (Figure 8).

Figure 8

We see that over the past 4 years operating expenses averaged RUB 650 million. Reserves for possible losses over the past two years have increased sharply from somewhere from 20 to 850 million rubles, which was the reason for the unprofitability of Bank T. Probably, a significant increase in reserves is a requirement of the Central Bank. If everything remains at the same level, then by the end of 2017 the bank’s profit could be 1000 (margin) -850 (reserves) -650 (operating expenses) = -500 million rubles. If we add to this the negative financial results 2016 last year, then the total loss of the bank will be -500 -346 = -846 million rubles.

The analysis of the bank’s reliability could certainly be completed at this point, but it is not clear why the Central Bank has not yet revoked its license, despite the bank’s recent years of negative performance.

Step 5. Calculate bank reliability indicators developed by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation

To determine reliability, the Central Bank came up with its own bank liquidity and reliability standards .

The instant liquidity indicator H2 determines the bank’s ability to pay off urgent debts within one day. Since this is not realistic for the vast majority of banks, this standard can be skipped.

H3 - shows the bank’s ability to pay within 30 days the obligations that it must fulfill during this period. It depends on what assets the bank will be able to sell within a month. This is a very important indicator, because when information appears about problems in the bank, everyone runs there to get their deposits and the bank needs to pay. The minimum value of H2 is 50%.

N4 is a standard for the bank’s long-term reliability; for example, it calculates the bank’s ability to pay off its obligations in the event of a crisis of non-payments in the real estate mortgage market. The maximum value for N4, established by the Central Bank, is 120%.

You can also view data on the main reliability standards of Bank T on the website ALCO(Figure 9).

Figure 9

As can be seen from the table, the main indicators of bank reliability N1 and N3 are at a minimum level and they have negative growth dynamics.

In addition, one of the main indicators of a bank’s reliability is the extent to which loans issued by the bank are secured by collateral, guarantees, etc. This indicator for Bank T is quite low - only 54.52%.

The above indicators are another reason not to invest money in this bank.

Step 6. Let’s check the composition of the founders and other “secrets of the Madrid palace”

On the Central Bank website you can study who the main founders and shareholders of the bank are, who has what share, etc. In order to understand what's what, you can look at various forums or read

In 2015, 93 credit organizations lost their licenses. And many people thought about the reliability of their banks. To protect the company from additional losses, it is worth checking the banks in which its money is stored.

Bankers claim that there is no method that can absolutely accurately predict the revocation of a bank’s license. But there are six signs that can help diagnose problems. Of course, each sign separately does not indicate the bank’s unreliability. But if there are several signs at once, then it’s worth thinking about how to save the company’s money.

Sign No. 1. Downgrade of bank ratings

The first thing bankers themselves advise you to pay attention to is the bank’s rating. Bank ratings are based on their financial statements, which they are required to publish annually. Based on the information in the rating, one can draw a conclusion about what type of bank the selected bank belongs to, in particular whether it is large, medium or small. The presence of an international rating and the absence of a rating downgrade speaks in favor of the bank.

If the rating of a bank in which an account has already been opened is lowered, this is a reason to closely check its reliability on all fronts. A decrease in rating often indicates problems in the bank. For monitoring, it is safer to use data from large rating agencies. Among the international ones, the most influential are Fitch Ratings, Standard&Poor’s, Moody’s. Well-known Russian agencies: RusRating, Expert RA, AK&M.

Sign No. 2. Closing branches, reducing the number of ATMs

The bank's fame and the branch network it has created, according to bankers, are a sign of reliability. An extensive network of offices, ATMs, and large subsidiaries indicates a significant market share. And this may indicate the reliability of the bank (although there are exceptions, for example Master Bank). But the reduction in the branch network clearly indicates the opposite.

Sign No. 3. Change of bank owners

The level of external support, that is, the owners, is important for the bank. Banks with state participation have the greatest external support. This indicator is high for banks controlled by state-owned companies and international financial groups. Shareholders in the form of large private financial and industrial groups are taken into account as a factor of stability.

But an unexpected change of ownership, given the latest events in the banking market, may indicate that not everything is in order at the bank. Information about the bank, including the ownership pattern, can be checked on the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation cbr.ru in the section “Information about credit institutions” or on the websites of the banks themselves.

Sign No. 4. Losses in reporting, decrease in assets

It is important to check the bank's statements. Clearly, profit is a good sign. But a loss in itself does not mean the bank will close soon. It requires attention if it is repeated from one reporting date to another. A decrease in assets may also indicate an unfavorable situation in the bank. On the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in the section "Information on credit institutions" you can enter the name of the bank in a search engine and view the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, as well as reporting forms 101, 102, 134, 135. The same forms can be viewed on the website of the bank itself. Visual data on changes in the state of assets can be obtained on the RBC Rating website - in the "Banks" section.

In addition, for express analysis, the rules approved in the instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation dated April 30, 2008 No. 2005-U are used. Liquidity is important for bank clients, that is, the bank’s ability to carry out payment transactions in a timely manner. The values ​​of liquidity standards are in form 135, the minimum acceptable values ​​of instant (N2) and current (N3) liquidity are 15 and 50%, respectively. Data for calculating capital can be taken in forms 134, 135 and the balance sheet. The key indicator is the adequacy of own funds (N1). If the indicator is less than 2%, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is obliged to revoke the bank’s license, while the minimum standard for the indicator is 10%.

Sign No. 5. The bank is being sued by its clients or officials

It is worth checking the bank for its participation in litigation. The easiest way to find out which disputes the bank is involved in is on the website kad.arbitr.ru. There, defendants and plaintiffs can be found by name and TIN. If there is such participation, then it is worth analyzing what cases the bank is involved in: civil, administrative, bankruptcy. The presence of a significant number of cases in which the bank acts as a defendant may indicate problems with the bank’s internal or external policies, violations of the law, or even impending liquidation.

Sign No. 6. General negative information background

It is safer to constantly monitor news related to the bank's work. There are positive reports about a successful IPO or placement of bond issues, attracting a Western investor. A positive noteworthy: the opening of a branch, the launch of a new online banking platform, an increase in ratings from a rating agency, etc. But all the good things will be canceled out by reports of default on any type of obligations, inability to make payments and issue money to depositors, searches in offices, etc. .d.

Useful sites for checking your bank