Asset-Liability Committee - ALCO

A risk-management committee in a bank or other lending institution that generally comprises the senior-management levels of the institution. The ALCO's primary goal is to evaluate, monitor and approve practices relating to risk due to imbalances in the capital structure.

|||For example, the ALCO will have responsibility for setting limits on the arbitrage of borrowing in the short-term markets, while lending long-term instruments. Among the factors considered are liquidity risk, interest rate risk, operational risk and external events that may affect the bank's forecast and strategic balance-sheet allocations. The ALCO will generally report to the board of directors and will also have regulatory reporting responsibilities.