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Spreadsheet Snags

Urged on by regulators, companies are making efforts to improve the accuracy of spreadsheets and maintain tighter control.

By Susan Kelly | Updated on February 19, 2013
JPMorgan Chase suffered a mammoth trading loss last year as a result of a huge position in credit derivatives that was put on by a trader in its chief investment office. But the bank’s report on the $6 billion loss last month laid a portion of the blame on a very common problem: an error in a spreadsheet.

A spreadsheet that calculated the Value at Risk of the chief investment office’s portfolio contained an error in a formula that had the effect of lowering the Value at Risk, according to the report.

The risks involved in employing Excel spreadsheets are well-known. Users can make mistakes as they key in data, enter formulas or combine multiple spreadsheets. As spreadsheets circulate through the company, other users can add errors as they make changes. There’s also the possibility a user could deliberately introduce inaccuracies.

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