Risk oversight is a top-of-mind issue for boards today because of the dramatic failures associated with the financial crisis, and the unanswered questions around what directors might have done to thwart it. Many believe directors in the financial services industry, for example, must do more to avoid another crisis.

Has the board of directors articulated its risk oversight objectives and evaluated the effectiveness of its risk oversight processes in achieving these objectives? This issue of Board Perspectives: Risk Oversight reviews 10 causes that can contribute to failure of the board’s risk oversight process.