Course Syllabus (FIN6546)
Financial Markets & Institutions
2015 Fall Semester
Instructor:
Phone:
e-mail:
MC Website:
George Broadstreet
(601) 924-8389 (work)
broadstr@mc.edu
http://www.mc.edu/faculty/Broadstr
Course Description
Fin 6546: A survey of important topics concerning the institutions and instruments of modern financial
markets.
Prerequisite: FIN341
Rationale for Course
This course explores a variety of issues, important concepts and analytical techniques involved in the
strategic management and evaluation of financial institutions – more specifically, U.S. commercial banks.
The structure of the course will emphasize a practical application of the material through the use of recent
industry data, case studies, and financial management simulation.
Course Learning Objectives
Upon completion of Fin 6546, students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
understand the key measures used to evaluate the condition of the banking industry.
understand the rationale behind the regulation of financial institutions and the impact of regulation.
conduct a basic financial performance analysis of an individual financial institution.
understand the motives and policy implications of mergers in the industry.
understand the services provided by financial institutions.
understand basic lending principles & strategies.
understand how interest rate movements affect strategy and performance.
discuss issues related to asset and liability management; particularly securitization.
understand the management of capital and liquidity risk.
be cognizant of the current conditions and challenges faced by all financial institutions.
Textbook
Bank Management and Financial Services, 9th Edition, Rose and Hudgins.
1
Financial Calculator
A calculator will be helpful for certain portions of this course. Any financial calculator should be adequate.
Academic Integrity
Mississippi College students are expected to be scrupulously honest. Dishonesty, such as cheating or
plagiarism, will be regarded as a serious offense subject to severe penalty including, but not limited to,
loss of credit and possible dismissal. See the current MC Tomahawk or University Policy 2.19 for specific
information.
Unless we are working on a specific group project or discussion, you are expected to work your
assignments and exams individually. Academic integrity is a very important issue and it should be taken
very seriously by all students. I am available to you for any questions and for help. Please contact me.
Accommodating Disability
Students who have a disability should contact the Counseling and Career Development Center to
determine the nature of accommodations needed for the course. All actions and information in this
regard will remain confidential.
Student Responsibilities
1. Check the course homepage, your email, and the course discussion board several times a week. You
are responsible for updates/modification made to the course through this announcement forum.
2. Post comments and responses to the discussion board at least three times a week using APA style
(Cite and reference your responses.) Respond by asking questions, responding to questions, and
making other comments. (One initial post, two posts to fellow classmates.)
3. Participate actively in class discussions by applying the knowledge you have learned and posting
these to the discussion board.
4. Keep up with your reading assignments, weekly activities/application assignments and online quizzes
(as applicable).
5. Practice “Netiquette”: be polite and respectful in your postings; use good grammar and correct
spelling; don’t write in all caps or exotic fonts – In short, present your best academic self!
6. Ensure you have a computer that meets or exceeds the recommended requirements for online
students at MC.
7. This is a three-credit, graduate level course. A good rule of thumb is that you should spend
between 4-5 hours per credit hour in study time each week for your course. So, you should expect to
spend from 12 to 15 hours per week in study, reading, and preparation time for this course. In addition
you should plan on 3 hours a week to do you discussion forum postings, watching course videos and
participating in class activities. In other words, plan for approximately 3 hours of class time just like you
would for a three-credit hour face to face course. (The advantage to online is that you don’t have to sit in
the class room in a particular 3 hour block.)
8. All written work should be submitted using APA style. There should be no spelling errors or major
grammatical errors. This is not a class in writing or proper APA usage. I expect you, as a graduate
student, to have the self-discipline to ensure these components of your work are correct. Use templates
where provided.
2
9.
Assignments are due typically by midnight on day 7 of each week unless otherwise noted. Initial
discussion forum postings are due by day 3 and secondary postings are due by day 6.
Student Evaluation & Grading
The performance of students in this course will be accessed through the following components:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Quizzes - Weekly
Participation in weekly discussion forums
Research Report
Bank Simulation Project
Quizzes #1-#15
Forums
Bank Simulation
Research Report
Total
30%
30%
20%
20%
100%
Grading Scale
90 - 100 %
A
85 - 89%
B+
80 - 84 %
B
75 - 79 %
C+
70 – 74 %
C
60 - 69 %
D
< 60 %
F
Components of the Evaluation
Each of the above assessment components is described in detail below:
Quizzes
At the end of each week, you will need to complete the quiz that covers the assigned material. Each quiz
will contain approximately 20 questions and must be completed within the allotted amount of time. All
questions will be in either a multiple choice or true/false format. All quizzes will be considered as an
“open book” examination.
The quiz component equates to 30% of your total grade - thus, each quiz (15) will be worth 2% of your
overall grade. Scores for all weekly quizzes will be added together and averaged. Please note that there
is no final comprehensive exam for this course.
Forums
General description of discussion
3
This is the discussion forum. The questions are provided as starting points for a broader discussion. Your
response should indicate that you have completed the assigned reading and given thought to your
answer. Be attentive to grammar and punctuation. It's wise to save your work in a separate file, then copy
and paste it into the discussion forum so your work is not lost. Be sure to credit outside sources of
information, including your text, in your writing.
Formatting your discussion response
As a general rule, your discussion response should be a MINIMUM of 300 words. Please feel free to
write more! A good discussion question response shows that you have read and understand the text
chapters, examined the online resources, conducted any suggested research, and formatted a response
that shows you can apply the material in a real world setting.
Participation
In the online class, participation is graded as a part of discussion (30% of your discussion score). In
addition to your own answer, you should respond to the post of the class leaders each week. To be
substantive, your reply should add more information to the discussion, bring a helpful resource to the
discussion forum, or question the response on the merit of your own research.
Weekly Expectations
Every week you will be required to answer/respond to 1 question/statement I pose. I am looking for the
quality of the content. Moreover, you will respond to two replies to your peers. Please reference your text
as well. Remember that your comments will be shared with your peers, as this is the nature of a forum.
Research Report
An important part of this class will be a written research report involving a topic directly related to the
current management of financial institutions. I will give you specific instructions and grading guidelines at
a later date. Preliminary details are listed below:
·
.
Report is due by 12/4/15
This report is equal to 20% of your total grade.
Simulation Project
A significant part of this course will consist of a project utilizing the American Bankers Association (ABA)
BankExec Simulation Model. You will be paired with other classmates for this project. Each team will
4
use the simulation model to manage a bank over a 1 year time period by making specific financial
management decisions on a quarterly basis.
·
The simulation is worth 20% of your final grade.
·
Tentatively, the project will conclude on 12/7/15.
·
TBD – the number of team, team assignments and grading guidelines.
Important Dates:
August 24
September 1
October 25
November 26
December 4
–
-
Class begins
Last day to add full semester online class
Last day to withdraw from a full semester class
Thanksgiving. No assignments for this week.
Research Report is due.
Class Schedule:
I. The Banking Industry:
·
·
·
·
·
Aug 24 - 30
Aug 31 - Sept 6
Sept. 7 - 13
Sept. 14 - 20
Sept. 21 - 27
Overview of the Financial Services Sector
Government Policy & Regulation
The Central Banking System
The Organization & Structure of Banking
Service Delivery
II. Evaluating Financial Performance:
·
·
Sept. 28 - Oct 4
Oct 5 - 11
Bank Financial Statements
Measuring and Evaluation Bank Performance
III. Balance Sheet Management:
·
·
·
IV.
Oct 12 - 18
Balance Sheet Management Basics
Oct 19- 25
Risk Management Tools
Oct 26 - Nov 1 The Investment Function
Management Strategy:
5
·
·
·
·
Nov 2 - 8
Nov 9 - 15
Nov 16- 22
Nov 30 - Dec 6
Dec 7 - 13
Managing & Pricing Deposit Services
Lending Policy & Managing Credit Risk
Fee Income
The Management of Capital
Acquisitions & Mergers
6