FT, how can you with a straight face hold that bank capital buffers in EU are more ample than they were five years ago?

Sir, you write “True, banks’ capital buffers are more ample than they were five years ago”, “EU bank regulators need to do more to foster faith”, August 1.

More ample? That is just if you believe the regulators’ risk weights are correct… something which was evidenced in 2007-08 they were not.

Because, if you read EBA’s stress result, you should have read that “the aggregate leverage ratio decreases from 5.2% to 4.2% in the adverse scenario”.

And in terms of real leverage that means that in their “adverse scenario” the bank leverage of equity increased from 19.2 to 23.8 to 1… and that’s just the average!... Which means the real capital buffers, those of real unadulterated life, are just smaller.

@PerKurowski ©