What Is the Tier 1 Capital Ratio?

By Lee Samaha – Updated Nov 22, 2024 at 9:57 AM EST

Key Points

Tier 1 Capital Ratio measures core capital against risk, key for bank stability.
Basel III sets minimum Tier 1 ratios; top banks often exceed these for safety.
Real data shows Citigroup, JPMorgan, HSBC well above required Tier 1 levels.

The Tier 1 Capital Ratio is a financial institution's core capital divided by its risk-weighted assets (RWA). Regulators use it to ensure financial stability in the system by requiring financial institutions to have a ratio above a certain threshold. A higher ratio implies more safety.

Various denominations of U.S. currency superimposed over one another in a pile. — Image source: Getty Images.

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The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision comprises central bankers and regulatory authorities dedicated to improving banking supervision. It issues frameworks (the Basel Accords) to set capital adequacy standards, including the Tier 1 Capital Ratio. The Basel III accord set a Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 6%. However, as you shall see, top banks seek to exceed this ratio to add extra security.

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Defining the Tier 1 Capital Ratio

It's important to note that Tier 1 capital doesn't include depositors' money or other assets the financial institution has little control over. It's based on shareholders' equity at the bank and comprises two groups.

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Financial Institution

Financial institutions help keep the economy running efficiently, by pairing money with people and companies that need it.

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The first is common equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital. CET1 includes common shares, stock surplus, retained earnings, other comprehensive income, common shares issued by subsidiaries of the institution, and regulatory adjustments.

The second group is additional Tier 1 (AT1), and it includes instruments that meet the inclusion criteria for AT1 but aren't included in the definition of CET1. These include surpluses from the sale of AT1 instruments, instruments issued by the institution's subsidiaries, and regulatory adjustments.

As you can see, CET1 and AT1 are very similar, and together, they make up the Tier 1 capital. For reference, Tier 2 capital comprises instruments seen as riskier; in the event of financial distress, they are more susceptible to losing their value.

Basel III outlines a framework for calculating RWA based on an assessment of credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. Credit and market risks are calculated using a standard set of approaches applied to instruments identified by Basel III requirements. As such, the accord seeks to apply a framework for the global banking system by defining exactly what goes into the ratio calculation.

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The Great Recession, Basel III, and Tier 1 capital requirements

With the financial crisis of 2007-2009 fresh in mind, the Basel Committee met and published the Basel III accord in December 2010. The reforms included the following requirements. Armed with the definitions above, you can see the exact parameters of the regulatory requirements for banks.

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Data source: Bank for International Settlements.
Regulatory Capital Category	Requirement
Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1)	CET1>4.5% Risk Weighted Assets
Additional Tier 1 (AT1)	CET1+AT1>6% Risk Weighted Assets
Tier 2	CET1+AT1+Tier 2>8%

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Real-life examples of the ratio

Having introduced the concept, it's time to see a few real examples from three leading global banks, namely Citigroup (C +0.82%), JPMorgan Chase (JPM +0.87%), and the U.K.'s HSBC (HSBC +0.85%). Here are the ratios from their most recently published results.

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Data source: Company Presentations. CET1 = Common equity Tier 1. AT1 = additional Tier 1.
Bank	CET1 Capital Ratio	Tier 1 Capital (CET1+AT1) Ratio	Total Capital (CET1+AT1+Tier 2) Ratio
Citigroup	12%	13.6%	15.2%
JPMorgan Chase	13.8%	15.3%	17.3%
HSBC	14.7%	17%	19.3%

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All three banks have ratios significantly over the Basel III requirements, and the figures give a helpful look at how much (going concern) capital the banks have to deal with losses in their businesses. That's the underlying purpose of the Tier 1 Capital Ratio.

About the Author

Lee Samaha is a contributing Stock Market Analyst at The Motley Fool covering industrials, electricals, energy, materials, transportation, and infrastructure stocks. Prior to The Motley Fool, Lee was a Civil Engineer and Investment Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Civil and Structural Engineering from Southampton University and a Certificate in Investment Management from Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. Lee first cut his investing teeth on The Motley Fool bulletin boards (commonly referred to as the “Fool Boards,”) and he’s infinitely grateful to all of the investors he learned from in this powerful investing community.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. HSBC Holdings is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool recommends HSBC Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.