Managing Banking Crises in Latin America: The Do's and Don'ts of Successful Bank Restructuring Programs

This paper focuses on the design of successful bank restructuring programs in Latin America, a region where banking crises have been frequent in the past two decades. In each episode, Latin American policymakers have had to act under the severe constraints imposed on developing countries, which become particularly binding during periods of financial problems. Nevertheless, a review of these experiences demonstrates that a well-conceived bank restructuring program can succeed under even the most adverse conditions. Paper prepared for the Inter-American Development Bank/Group of 30 conferences on Banking Crises in Latin America, October 6 and 7, 1995. This paper focuses on the design of successful bank restructuring programs in Latin America, a region where banking crises have been frequent in the past two decades. In each episode, Latin American policymakers have had to act under the severe constraints imposed on developing countries, which become particularly binding during periods of financial problems. Nevertheless, a review of these experiences demonstrates that a well-conceived bank restructuring program can succeed under even the most adverse conditions.