3.1 Basic indicator approach
Rather than focusing on the capital calculation, due to its simplicity, the internal
auditors must ensure that the selection of this option does not imply an inappropriate
level of OR management
3.2 Standardized approach
The internal auditors will confirm the existence of documented policies and criteria for
assigning gross income to the eight business lines and the soundness of the
calculations made. Some of these confirmations are likely to include:
. Assignment of all the activities undertaken in the entity to one of the business lines
detailed in the New Capital Accord using objective criteria. This assignment will
be consistent with the methodologies used for the credit and market risk.
. Existence of co-operation with those areas in charge of managing other
categories of risk (compliance, credit and market risk for example) to ensure a
unified approach to the management procedures and to the assignment of
activities to business lines.
. Consideration of OR in the design, analysis and approval of new products or new
activities.
. Review the gross incomes obtained in each one of the activities assigned to the
business lines.
. Structure the accounting according to the business lines.
. Adequate documentation of the approach to the assignment of operational losses
to the different business lines.
. Adequate application of internal methods to fix prices, with documented formal
policies, approved by the senior management and taking into account the income
assigned to the business lines as well as the capital requirements.
3.3 Advanced measurement approaches
The complexity in the application of this type of methodology demands that entities
have undertaken an entire preparation process that sets the basis for the effective
execution of the requirements demanded by the regulators. If an entity decides to use
an advanced approach, it is important for the Internal Audit function to participate in
the process of checking and analyzing, among other, the following aspects:
. Existence of a Global Plan to review and monitor the functions that must be
undertaken by the OR function, to enable to firm to apply and monitor the
models required.
. Existence of an operational events manual that is available to the all levels of
staff.
. Development and formation of plans and processes to enable all levels of staff to
identify and analyze operational events.
. Establishment of processes for the identification and collection of operational
data losses.
. Implementation of a process for the analysis and identification of relevant bills or
accounting entries as part of the process of identifying OR losses, etc.