The Bank conducts regular surveillance of financial risks and reports on its assessments in the twiceyearly Financial Stability Report. 12  BIS Review 22/2006
Low long-term interest rates have weighed on profitability in the financial sector, although firms have so far coped with those pressures. As shown in the next slide, net interest margins (NIMs) for most banks have held up surprisingly well. NIMs have moved down for the largest banks. Return on assets, shown to the right for both groups, has recovered but remains below pre-crisis levels.