Approximate Maximum Likelihood Commercial Bank Loan Management Model

Problem statement: Loan management is a very complex and yet, a vitally important aspect of any commercial bank operations. The balance sheet position shows the main sources of funds as deposits and shareholders contributions. Approach: In order to operate profitably, remain solvent and consequently grow, a commercial bank needs to properly manage its excess cash to yield returns in the form of loans. Results: The above are achieved if the bank can honor depositors withdrawals at all times and also grant loans to credible borrowers. This is so because loans are the main portfolios of a commercial bank that yield the highest rate of returns. Commercial banks and the environment in which they operate are dynamic. So, any attempt to model their behavior without including some elements of uncertainty would be less than desirable. The inclusion of uncertainty factor is now possible with the advent of stochastic optimal control theories. Thus, approximate maximum likelihood algorithm with variable forgetting factor was used to model the loan management behavior of a commercial bank in this study. Conclusion: The results showed that uncertainty factor employed in the stochastic modeling, enable us to adaptively control loan demand as well as fluctuating cash balances in the bank. However, this loan model can also visually aid commercial bank managers planning decisions by allowing them to competently determine excess cash and invest this excess cash as loans to earn more assets without jeopardizing public confidence.