This paper analyzes the transmission of realized interest rate risk to bank lending. It exploits unique supervisory information about the interest rate risk exposure of Swiss banks net of hedging. By weakening the banks’ economic capital, realized interest rate risk explains on average around one eighth or 30 basis points of the predicted total reduction in cumulative loan growth a year after an upward shock in nominal rates by one percentage point. Moreover, heterogeneity in exposures implies that the effects would differ across institutions. Finally, bank lending is mainly driven by the banks’ capital- rather than their liquidity-situation.

Using data for a large sample of banks from 31 OECD countries over 1995–2018, we analyze the impact of belonging to a banking group on banks’ net interest margins. Our results confirm a positive relationship between interest rates and interest margins, which is stronger in a low-interest rate environment. For banks that are foreign subsidiaries of a banking group, we find that interest margins are less sensitive to the local interest rate. Our results show that such foreign subsidiaries are also sensitive to the interest rate prevailing in the group's headquarters.