Introduction. Modern Russian banking system is going through a difficult period of reform and global change. Status of the Russian banking system reflects the general state of the economy and the financial sector of the country and the world. It is characterized by low immunity to numerous, including systemic risk, low maneuverability in a high level of uncertainty. All these factors reduce the functional capacity of the Russian banking system as a whole. Theoretical analysis. Risk management – a process consisting of five steps: risk identification, assessment and analysis, decision making, maximizing the positive and minimizing the negative consequences, monitoring, promoting a culture of risk management in the company. Empirical analysis. The position of regional commercial banks in the Saratov region in a difficult economic situation, however, is complicated by the high risk of external and internal environment. For the development and expansion of possibilities of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises must be at the federal level to facilitate regional commercial banks to access credit refinancing. One of the concrete actions can be a reference to federal regulators to allow banks to hold assets in a regional repository. Results. Further updating of risk categories allowed to evaluate and present ranked critical risks that are typical for the activities of the regional commercial bank.