The need for greater focus on non-traditional risks: The case of Northern Rock

Abstract

This paper highlights the importance of managing and mitigating non-traditional risks such as reputational and strategic risk in the context of enterprise risk management. A case study approach is adopted to illustrate this issue, showing how the UK bank, Northern Rock, which recently suffered a dangerous run, was mired with reputational risk right from its inception, and had a business model that assumed ‘dominant logic” and neglected potential risk elements. The paper argues that, due to the paucity of available data, measurability and knowability, non-traditional risks need immediate and constant attention. Unlike conventional risks, they cannot be modelled to esoteric limits with the help of computers. The combination of ignorance and a poorly structured approach to risk accentuates traditional risks such as market, credit and operational risk and cumulatively worsens the consequences.