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Swiss National Bank chairman Philipp Hildebrand resigns

2012-01-10 11:19:06

The chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Philipp Hildebrand, has resigned

with immediate effect.

It follows revelations his wife Kashya bought $504,000 ( 323,024) in August,

three weeks before the central bank intervened to cap the Swiss franc.

He told a news conference he had "no knowledge" of his wife's transaction,

which she later made a profit on.

The SNB said last week that Mr Hildebrand's wife had broken no rules by making

the currency trades.

According to an investigation carried out by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers

(PwC) on the bank's orders, Mrs Hildebrand bought $504,000 on 15 August because

she wanted to have half of the family's assets in US dollars.

In early September, the central bank intervened to try to weaken the strong

franc.

That meant that four weeks later, when the family sold $516,000, converting it

back into Swiss francs in order to buy a new property in Switzerland, they made

a profit on the transaction. That was because the franc had fallen against the

dollar in that time.

Speaking at a press conference in Berne, Mr Hildebrand said: "I have come to

the conclusion it is not possible to provide conclusive and final evidence that

my wife did initiate the transaction without my knowledge.

He added: "I would like to think I have been a damn good central banker.

"I personally advocated strongly and early for stricter capital requirements

for the big banks," he added. "The policy of the central bank was a success in

recent years."

The Swiss National Bank cleared Mr Hildebrand of any wrongdoing in a report in

late December.

This report, which detailed his wife's dealings, was published last week as new

allegations surfaced.

The Swiss weekly magazine Weltwoche alleges Mr Hildebrand personally authorised

foreign exchange dealings using his personal account three weeks before, and

three weeks after Switzerland introduced a currency cap.

Strong currency

The Swiss National Bank said it will continue to defend "with the utmost

determination" the exchange rate floor of 1.20 francs a euro.

It added it "regretted the decision and the circumstances" that led to Mr

Hildebrand to step down as chairman.

The 48-year-old former hedge fund manager's two-year chairmanship of the Swiss

National Bank has not been without controversy.

He had faced calls to go after he ran up record losses in 2010 to try to halt

the rise of the Swiss franc, an effort which cost the central bank 26.5 billion

francs ( 18bn; $27.8bn in current prices).

However, his work was valued by some key figures in the financial world.

Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King said in a statement: "We all know that

he is a man of total integrity, extraordinary ability and, most important of

all, courage.

"Such people are rare. His country will miss him."

Position 'untenable'

The strong currency rise in 2011 hit Swiss exporters, making goods more

expensive for foreign buyers, and hurting Swiss companies' profits when they

repatriate their foreign earnings back home.

It saw Switzerland cut its 2012 growth forecast from 0.9% to 0.5% last month.

Tony Nyman, an analyst at Informa Global Markets, said Mr Hildebrand's position

was "almost untenable and so it has proved".

"The Swiss franc has actually gained on the news possibly due to hopes of

increased integrity ahead, but also market positioning too," he said.

"Once the news gets digested, we do not expect a lasting impact on the franc

from the news, however."

Analysis

image of Robert Peston Robert Peston Business editor, BBC News

Central bank governors are the world's great unelected economic powers -

setting interest rates, bossing banks, trying to curb inflation and maintain

economic stability.

So they are supposed to be beyond reproach, never once thinking of their own

wealth, only that of their respective nations.

That's is why it was so embarrassing for the Swiss central bank governor,

Philipp Hildebrand, that his wife made a SFR 75,000 profit from buying dollars

ahead of a decision by her husband to stem a rise in the Swiss currency.

He has quit - not because this former hedge fund manager was involved in the

transaction, but because (he says) he can't prove beyond a shadow of doubt that

he wasn't.

"The moment a governor gets the impression that he doesn't have full

credibility anymore, he needs to resign," said Mr Hildebrand.

His departure will be seen as unfortunate by his British counterparts, because

he was seen as one of their rare and important allies in international

negotiations to strengthen banks.