To examine the impact of the selected bank-specific variables on credit risk of conventional and Islamic banks of Pakistan is the main objective of this study. The investigation of the chosen Islamic and conventional banks is done for the period 2007-2015. These banks are chosen based on their value commitment. Panel data regression, Z-score and NPL ratio are applied to discover the connection between the factors of the chosen banks. The results show that bank-specific factors such as efficiency, ROE and ROA have a significant relationship with credit risk in case of conventional banking system. In case of Islamic banking system, efficiency and solvency have a significant relationship with credit risk. Bank size has no significant influence on credit risk. Additionally, the overall Z-score for conventional banks is less than that of Islamic banks, i.e., the more prominent the value, the lower will be the credit risk. Further, the extended probability of bank obligation demonstrates high NPL proportion.

A contingent liability is one, the occurrence of which is contingent on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of an event. Contingent liabilities, also known as Off-Balance Sheet (OBS) exposure of banks, are not shown in the main balance sheet in assets and liabilities, but in footnotes. The quantum of such exposure in different components depends on bank factors like banks� business operations, policies and risk expertise. The present paper studies the pattern of contingent liabilities as well as its components prevailing in Indian public and private sector banks for a period of three years ending March 2017. The contingent liabilities of banks in India display no particular pattern and they take exposure in different components in accordance with their business strategy, risk-taking appetite and overall banking operations. While public sector banks have a conservative stance with about 41% exposure in contingent obligations, private sector banks have followed a more liberal approach with around 110%. The volume of contingent exposure in private banks is larger due to their better expertise and risk-prone approach. The extent of contingent exposure depends on individual bank�s business strategy and client needs. In case of both public and private sector banks, the dominant form of contingent exposure is in terms of outstanding forward exchange contracts, which include derivative contracts. Banks� contingent exposure also includes guarantee obligations on behalf of constituents, acceptances and endorsements, investments in capital contracts, securitization transactions, etc., but their proportion is relatively smaller than forward exchange contracts. Given that they are risk-prone contracts, banks have to be prudent while undertaking contingent contracts.

Huge fluctuations have been observed in the prices of agricultural commodities including coriander in the recent years. Coriander is known as a traditional crop which occupies a significant position among the spices in national and international markets. In India, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha are the major producers of coriander. The recent changes in future trading of coriander contract have led to concerns among the regulators and stakeholders. Using data obtained from NCDEX for the period 2008-2016, the present study examines the performance of coriander futures market and its efficiency, using econometric techniques like Johansen�s cointegration test, vector error correction model, impulse response and variance decomposition. The study investigates both the long- and short-term mechanisms of prices between spot and futures market. In addition to it, Granger causality test is also applied to examine the casual relationship among the variables. The results of Granger causality indicate bidirectional causality between futures market and spot market. The impulse response graph reflects that the spot market has a larger response to stocks in the futures index than the futures� response to spot market. The study gives support with regard to the concern for the traders, hedgers and regulators.

Insurance organizations around the world have often come across individuals or companies which are their insureds, trying to claim much more than what they are liable to receive after the standard deduction. These are cases which fall under the bracket of fraudulent claims. Such cases prompted the insurance firms to set up investigation teams to verify the authenticity of the claim. However, despite having improved the loss percentage, the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) of insurance companies could not predict potential fraudsters. It is after this that predictive analytics was used to profile insureds based on a huge number of parameters. Despite this development, insurance organizations still lose 10% of the claims as they are fraudulent in nature. What can really aid in the reduction of losses is the ability of the organization to profile applicants and the insured based on behavioral traits. To address this issue, what better than to use the tools already at the disposal of insurance companies for profiling the same? This paper addresses the importance of globally accepted psychometric tests to assist insurance organizations in knowing more about the clientele they intend to serve.

The insurance sector is one of the most growing and highest profit-making sectors in the country. Its contribution to the GDP growth rate is highly dominant. It is important to ensure that the insurers work ethically for the economic as well as the social development of the country. The study is undertaken to analyze the extent of ethics followed by the insurance companies particularly regarding claim settlements from the perspective of the insuring public. A descriptive study based on the secondary source of various insurance cases is undertaken regarding repudiation of claims. The results prove that the insurance companies often take advantage of the lack of awareness among the insuring public regarding insurance regulations. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, along with the government, should take more efficient steps to ensure that the insurers work ethically for the betterment of the insuring public. Insurance intermediaries should be highly trained in this regard. However, the study is limited to claim settlement procedures.