A Reflection on Corporate Governance of Banks: It's Role in the Protection of Customers Under Cameroonian Banking Law

Authors

  • Katu Musa Hazcel Research Scholar, Department of Law, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon

Keywords:

: corporate governance, banks, credit establishment, customers, management

Abstract

Corporate governance as it triumphs the business market today all over the world is a vital and a developing discussion. This has been as a result of a great financial crisis which was experienced by the world without the exception of Cameroon in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Since then, there has been an incessant search and fight for better mechanisms in the management of corporations, especially financial institutions because of their importance in economic growth. Within the banking sector in Cameroon, this saw the light with the enactment of a Corporate Governance regulation in 2008 by the CEMAC legislator. Following this, the subject of corporate governance has come to be a serious concern, positioned on the protection of shareholders and other stakeholders and the management of potential conflict of interest. With the specificity of banks, the general issue about corporate governance is the promotion of good management practices and the protection of the entire banking system from financial crisis. In order to accomplish this, the legislator has to do everything possible to ensure the stability of the banking system in general and individual banks in particular, because failure in one will obviously affect the entire banking system. It is established in this write up that, effective practice of corporate governance in banks is done through a prior and meticulous selection of persons to run and manage a bank in Cameroon and a subsequent application of policies and strategies established by the board of directors.

References

1. Halling M, Hayden E. Bank failure prediction: a two -step survival time approach . CREDIT conference, Austrian National Bank, Vienna, (2006), p.31.

2. This is through the facilitation of the payment and settlement system and support the smooth transfer of goods and services.

3. Nfor-Budi Y. The effect of liquidity risk management strategy and financial performance of commercial banks in Cameroon: case stud y of Afriland First Bank (CCE) Yaoundé, Masters Dissertation, Pan African Institute for Development Buea, 2015, P.1.

4. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision . Enhancing Corporate Governance for Banking Organizations. (Sept. 1999), Http//Www.bis.Org/Publ/Bcbsc138.Pdf. visited 12th Dec 2015.

5. The collapse of a bank may have disastrous effects on its consumers. It brings a financial fear and panic on the customers. A run on any bank by its customers sends ripples throughout the banking system generally. Therefore , while there is a concern to protect depositors against loss, public policy is also concerned with confidence in the banking system as a whole.

6. Ngum ME. The stabilization of credit establishments in difficulties within the CEMAC Zone, Masters Dissertation, University of Dschang, 2016, p.1.

7. This steadiness is achieved through the effective governance of banks. Effective bank governance practices are essential in achieving and maintaining public trust and confidence in the banking system, which are critical to the proper functioning of the banking sector and economy as a whole.

8. See Kelese Nshom G. Regional Integration Laws and Banking Security in Cameroon, Ph.D . Thesis, University of Dschang 2014; NGUM, (M.E.), the stabilization of credit establishments in difficulties within the CEMAC Zone, 2006, op. cit. KATU, (M.H.), corporate governance of credit establishments within the CEMAC Zone, Masters Dissertations, University of Dschang, 2016, 123 pages.

9. Created on the 16-day October 1990, COBAC unambiguously per formed specifically three main functions, which include administrative, jurisdictional and regulatory. These missions are laid down generally in articles 7 of the 1990 Convention creating it and provided its functions in detail by the Convention of 17 Octo ber 1992 on the Harmonisation of Banking Regulation in Central African States.

10. Kelese Nshom G. Regional Integration Laws and Banking Security in Cameroon, op.cit. P. 1.

11. Klaus JH. Better Governance of Financial Institutions . Working Paper n°.207/2013, April 2013, p.1.

12. Banque Centrale des Etat de l`Afrique de l`ouest « la sécurisation des dépôts et déposants », Journées annuelles de l`Association Africaine des juristes de banques et Etablissements Financiers, Niamey, 8–10 Mai 2013, p. 3.

13. Bobomalio JB. La Protection des déposants des établissements de crédit en zone CEMAC, Thèses de master, Université de Dschang, 2015, p.2.

14. Nurullah T. Notion of Corporate Governance and Comparison of the US, UK and German Corporate Governance Models. Law & Justice Review, Vol. V, Issue: 1, June 2014.

15. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (2010). Principle for Enhancing Corporate Governance. Banks for international settlement. Switzerland, available at www.bis.org, visited 2nd Nov. 2015.

16. Basel Committee on Bankin g Supervision . Enhancing Corporate Governance for Banking Organizations. (Sept. 1999), Http//Www.bis.Org/Publ/Bcbsc138.Pdf. visited 12th Dec 2015.

17. Depositors do not know the true value of a bank’s loan portfolio as such information is incommunicable and ve ry costly to reveal, implying that a bank’s loan portfolio is highly fungible.

18. Arun TG, Turner JD. Corporate Governance of Banking Institutions in Developing Economies: Concept and issues . an International Corporate Governance Review, Vol.12, no3, 2004, pp.371 – 377.

19. Mulineux A. The Corporate Governance of Banks . Journal of Finance Regulation and Compliance, Vol. 14, no 4, 2006, pp.357 –382.Also Available at www .emeraldinsight.Com/ 1358–19988htm, 2nd Nov 2015, pp.375–382.

20. Ross Levine . The Corporate Governance of Banks, a Concise Discussion of Concepts and Evidence. Research working paper, 3404 World Bank Washington DC, 2004, p.3.

21. Zanga PD. Does Corporate Governance Influence the Transparency of Banking Groups in the Franc Zone. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, Vol. 6, no 12, 2015, Pp. 52–60.

22. Morgan D. Rating Banks: Risk and Uncertainty in an Opaque Industry . American Economic Review, Vol. 92, no 4, 2002, pp.874–888.

23. Capiro GJ, Levine R. Corporate Governance of Banks: Concepts and International Observations . paper presented in the Global Corporate Governance Forum Research Network Meeting, 2002, p.2.

24. Christian LN, Roger TN. Macroeconomic factors and dynamics of the financ ial deepening: an empirical investigation applied to the CEMAC sub -region. AGDI working paper WP/14/015, 2014, p.6.

25. Bryan AG. Black’s law dictionary, 9th ed., Dallas Texas, A Thomson Reuters Business, 2009, p.527.

26. See French D, Mayson S, Ryan C. Company Law, 24th ed., Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 400.

27. Like the OECD Principles on corporate governance and the World Bank framework for implementation.

28. Ayuso S, Argandona A. Responsible corporate governance: Toward a stakeholder board of directors? working paper, WP no 701, IESE Business School, University of Navarra, July 2007, p. 5.

29. Davies PL. Gower and Davies Principles of Modern Company Law, 7th ed., op. cit., p.319.

30. Article 2 paragraph 2 règlement no 04/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC 6 Octobre 2008.

31. Cadbury report on the financial aspect of corporate governance, London, Gee publishing, 1992, p.57.

32. Article 2 paragraph 3 régalement no 04/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC 6 octobre 2008.

33. Jensen MC, Meckling WH. Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behaviour, Agen cy Costs, and Ownership Structure. Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 3, 1976, 305–360.

34. Ibid, article 8 Règlement no 04/08/CEMAC/UMAMC/COBAC 6Octobre 2008.

35. Ibid, see Preamble.

36. Ibid, Article 12.

37. Ibid, article 9.

38. Ibid, article 10.

39. Article 420 UACCEIG.

40. Article 435 UACCEIG.

41. Kelese Nshom G. Regional Integration Laws and Banking Security in Cameroon, op. cit., p.46.

42. See article 18 of the 1992 convention.

43. The problems encountered in banking activities are complex; this complexity has necessitated the impositions of pluralism in the management of credit establishments. Despite all this, the unique management does not seem to offer a sufficient guarantee of clean management and good orientation in the establishments.

44. Article 18 1992 convention.

45. Noyer C. corporate governance et banque: les banques se gouvernent -elles comme d`autres entreprises, expose prononce dans le cadre du cycle de séminaires « Droit économie et justice dans le secteur bancaire », cour de cessation, lundi 10 octobre 2005, p.5.

46. Nah Fuashi, (T.). The control of banking profession at crossroad: a search for better mechanism . in Annals of Faculty of Law and Political Science, PUA, Tome 5, 2001, pp. 105–127.

47. See article 8(3) of the 1985 ordinance.

48. Article 22 of the 1992 convention.

49. Nah Fuashi T. The control of banking profession at crossroad: a search for better mechanism . op. cit.

50. Article 22 of the 1992 convention.

51. See article 7 of Decree no 90/1470 of 9th November 1990, fixing the conditions for approval of credit establishments and their mangers and assistant managers.

52. Nah Fuashi T. The control of banking profession at crossroad: a search for better mechanism, op. cit.

53. Article 27 of the 1992 convention.

54. Nah Fuashi T. The control of banking profession at crossroad: a search for better mechanism, op. cit.

55. Article 21 of the convention.

56. Nah Fuashi T. The control of banking profession at crossroad: a search for better mechanism, op. cit.

57. Article 8 of the 1985 ordinance.

58. Article 20 of the 1992 convention.

59. Ibid, article 21.

60. Ibid, article 20.

61. Ayuk Nkongho M, Epie Ebane C. Criminal Liability of corporate managers under Ohada and English Law: A Legal Perspective . Journal of Corporate Governance and International Business Law, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2019, pp. 27–39.

62. Article 14 of the 1992 convention.

63. Kelese Nshom G. Regional Integration Laws and Banking Security in Cameroon, op. cit., p232.

64. Article 15 Règlement no 04/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC du 6 October 2008.

65. Ibid article 16.

66. Ibid article 18.

67. Ibid article 27.

68. Kelese Nshom G. Regional Integration laws and Banking security in Cameroon, op. cit., p232.

69. Article 19 règlement no 04/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC.

70. Katu MH. Corporate governance of credit establishments within the CEMAC Zone, op. cit., p. 44.

71. Article 20, Règlement n0/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC du 6 Octobre 2008.

72. Ibid article 44.

73. See Basel committee on banking supervision, op. cit.

74. Article 42, Règlement n0/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC du 6 Octobre 2008.

75. See section 175 of the Companies Act 2006.

76. Basel committee on principles of en hancing corporate governance (2010), Bank for International Settlements, Switzerland, p14.

77. (1854) 1 macq. H.L 46P.

78. Article 43, Règlement n0/08/CEMAC/UMAC/COBAC du 6 Octobre 2008.

79. Ibid, article 33.

80. Ibid, article 34.

81. Ibid. article 36.

82. Article 4 Règlement COBAC no R-2001/7 du Décembre, 2001, relatif au contrôle interne dans les établissements de crédit.

83. See the internal control provisions of the UK combined code, cited by BELCHER (A.) . Something distinctly not of this character, how Knightian uncertaint y is relevant to corporate governance. Legal studies, vol. 28, 2008, pp. 46–67.

84. This implies the board of directors implement the polices through their control functions exercise over the management of the bank.

85. Article 4 Règlement COBAC no R -2001/7du 5 Décembre, 2001, relatif au contrôle interne dans les établissements de crédit.

86. Guidance for directors on the combine code (Turnbull Guidance), April 1999.

87. The management of risk which entails practicing corporate governance.

88. Basel committee on Banking Supervision, Framework for Internal controls Systems, September 1998.

89. Taka D. The impact of the Internal mechanisms of the governance of banks credit risks: The Cameroon perspective. African journal of social science, vol. 5 no 3, 2015, pp. 58–72.

90. Kenmogne Simo A. La protection des établissements bancaires contre la défaillance en Afrique noire francophone, Ph.D. Thèses, Université of Yaoundé II, 2004, P.149.

91. Guyon Y. Droit des Affaires, Droit Commercial General et Sociétés Commerciale s, op. cit., P. 289.

92. Belcher A. Something distinctly not of this character, how Knightian uncertainty is relevant to corporate governance. Legal studies, vol. 28, 2008, pp. 46–67.

93. Article 5 Règlement COBAC no R -2001/7 du 5 Décembre 2001, relatif au contrôl e interne dans les établissements de crédit.

94. Basel committee on Banking Supervision, Framework for Internal controls Systems. Op. cit.

95. Rouger M. Les Critères de Défaillance d`une Banque, numéro spécial RJC, 1996, pp.15–21.

Published

2021-05-28

How to Cite

A Reflection on Corporate Governance of Banks: It’s Role in the Protection of Customers Under Cameroonian Banking Law. (2021). Journal of Banking and Insurance Law, 4(1), 8-23. https://lawjournals.celnet.in/index.php/jbil/article/view/789

Similar Articles

1-10 of 51

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.