Irish Bank Withdrawals

In looking at bank withdrawals in the eurozone, it is necessary to distinguish between a banking crisis, in which there are bank runs, and a currency crisis, in which foreign investors and depositors withdraw money and domestic households and non-financial corporations draw down monies as the result of unemployment and a poor business loan market.

In Ireland, there was a real estate bubble and banking failures.  The ECB threatened the Irish government into guaranteeing senior bond holders, who were core European banks who had financed the real estate bubble, at the expense of the Irish people.  Did Irish households and non-financial corporations run with their money?

In looking at the May 2010 to May 2011 yearly figures and the different deposit peaks to May 2011 for Irish households, Irish non-financial corporations, other euro area depositors, and rest of the world depositors, we see vastly different transaction patterns.

The peak deposit of the rest of the world was September 2007 at 91,068,000,000 euro which declined to 43,139,000,000 euro as of May 2011; a decline of 47,829,000,000 euro or 52.52%.  The last twelve month decline was 21,666,000,000 euro or 33.43%.  The peak deposits of the other euro area depositors in Ireland peaked in June 2007 at 43,388,000,000 euro which declined to 28,984,000,000 euro as of May 2011; a decline of 14,404,000,000 euro or 33.20%.  The last twelve month decline was 6,191,000,000 euro or 17.60%.  You can see the outstanding balances and monthly transactions here in two tabs of Table A.12.2.

The peak deposits for non-financial Irish corporations was in September 2007 at 45,679,000,000 euro and the peak for households was August 2009 at 99,407,000,000 euro, because households increased deposits from 81,822,000 euro in September 2007.  From the September 2007 peak to May 2011, Irish non-financial corporations declined to 31,655,000,000 euro as of May 2011; a decline of 14,024,000, 000 euro or 30.70%.  The last twelve month decline was 5,325,000,000 euro or 14.40%.  From the August 2009 household depositor peak to May 2011, household deposits declined to 92,133,000,000 euro; a decline of 7,274,000,000 euro or 7.32%.  The last twelve month decline was 5,758,000,000 or 5.88%.  You can see the outstanding balances and monthly transactions in the two tabs of Table A.1 or Table A.11.1 in the link above.

Irish corporations are struggling for money to continue business operations in which consumers are not spending.  There is no pattern of household withdrawals until approximately February 2010 and it is not month to month consistent or accelerating; it does appear to be consistent with growing eurozone and Ireland political crisis, unemployment at 14.1%, which is the highest since 1994, declining property values decreasing home equity, where some prices are down 53%, and increased austerity.

Even with the failure of banks and ECB imposed defense of core European banks which indentured Irish citizens, Irish households and non-financial corporations are showing no runs on Irish banks.  The large withdrawals by rest of world depositors and other euro area depositors are consistent with foreign withdrawal of deposits and investments during a currency crisis, which increases liquidity problems.

I have been watching deposits throughout the eurozone countries, not just the periphery, and I intend to write a larger post in the future as withdrawals are not just occurring in the periphery.

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