Risk governance at large banks: Have any lessons been learned?

The role of the board of directors (or supervisory board) in overseeing risk at financial firms has come under scrutiny during the recent financial crisis. Similarly, questions have been asked about the authority of banks’ chief risk officers and the independence of the risk management function. Despite market and regulatory pressures, however, risk governance at large banks seems to have improved only to a limited extent since the beginning of the recent financial crisis and there is still significant room for improvement.