Understanding Credit Risk and Operational Risk Overlap
In some cases, credit risk losses contain elements of operational risk, such as fraud, documentation errors, or IT failures affecting credit transactions.
Basel II and III frameworks require institutions to distinguish between pure credit risk losses and operational risk components within those losses.
Treatment of Losses
The credit-related portion is accounted for under credit risk capital calculations.
The operational risk portion (e.g., fraud-related losses) should be classified separately and included in operational risk databases for risk measurement.
Why Answer C is Correct
Basel III and PRMIA recommend a clear split between credit risk and operational risk components to ensure accurate risk modeling.
If operational risk elements are ignored, an organization may underestimate its true operational risk exposure.
Why Other Answers Are Incorrect
Option
Explanation:
A . The entire loss amount is treated as credit risk.
Incorrect - This ignores operational risk components that should be accounted for separately.
B . The entire loss amount is treated as operational risk.
Incorrect - Credit risk losses are typically dominant in lending-related losses and should not be fully classified as operational risk.
D . The entire loss amount is treated as credit risk, but the loss is entered as a memorandum within the operational loss database and not used for capital modeling purposes.
Incorrect - The operational risk portion must be considered for capital modeling, not just recorded as a memo.
PRMIA Reference for Verification
Basel II & III Guidelines on Credit and Operational Risk Integration
PRMIA Operational Risk Framework