Investments

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reports that in the second quarter, U.S. commercial banks increased the amount of derivatives in their portfolios by $3.8 trillion to $50.1 trillion—the second highest amount ever recorded ( www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/release/2002-70.doc ). According to the OCC, bank risk managers used this strategy to hedge their investment positions in response to heightened uncertainty in the financial markets.