The relevance of valuation principles in a financial crisis: senior bank managers' evaluations of other banks on the interbank market

Abstract

This article examines senior bank managers' evaluations of other banks in the interbank market during times of financial crisis. We conclude that the fair value principle demands greater awareness of the need for reputational monitoring, evaluation by thick trust and scepticism towards numbers. Monitoring during crisis includes neither historical cost nor fair value numbers, because numbers are distrusted. Consequently, valuation principles may not explain contagion effects during crisis.