2023-06-30
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand issued BPR110 to define the capital components and eligibility criteria banks must use for calculating regulatory capital ratios. This revised edition introduces specific definitions and eligibility requirements for mutual capital instruments issued by registered banks structured as mutual entities. The document also outlines the phasing out schedule for transitional capital instruments and details deductions from Common Equity Tier 1 capital to ensure accurate capital adequacy assessments.
Ref #20408133 v1.0
BPR110 Capital Definitions Purpose of document This document provides the definitions that a bank must use for calculating the value of total capital and the components of that total, for the purpose of calculating the regulatory capital ratios defined in BPR100. Banking Prudential Requirements TBC 2023
BPR110 1 Document version history 1 July 2021 First issue date 1 October 2021 Revised edition with minor edits TBC 2023 Revised edition to include the mutual capital instrument Conditions of registration The Banking (Prudential Supervision) Act 1989 (the Act) permits the Reserve Bank to impose conditions of registration (conditions) on registered banks1 . This document BPR110: Capital Definitions forms part of the requirements for the following conditions:* A New Zealand-incorporated registered bank is normally subject to a condition requiring it to maintain capital ratios above specified minimum levels, and also to a condition imposing restrictions on its dividend payments when its prudential capital buffer ratio falls below specified levels2 . This document sets out the methodology for calculating the values of the different tiers of a bank’s capital, and the eligibility criteria that capital instruments issued by the bank must meet to be included in the respective tiers. A New Zealand-incorporated registered bank needs to calculate its CET1 capital, Tier 1 capital, and total capital as part of calculating its day-to-day values for the capital ratios and the capital buffer ratio, and hence monitor its compliance with these capital adequacy conditions.
1 The conditions can relate to any of the matters referred to in sections 73 – 73B, 78 and 81 of the Act. The standard conditions are contained in Appendix 1 of document BS1: Statement of Principles. 2 These conditions of registration relate to the matter referred to in section 78(1)(c) of the Act (capital in relation to the size and nature of the business).
BPR110 2 BPR110: Capital Definitions Part A: Introduction and definitions Part B: Categories of capital Part C: Deductions from total capital Part D: Eligibility criteria for capital instruments Part E: Recognition of minority interests and capital instruments issued by SPVs Contents Part A: Introduction and definitions A1 Introduction A1.1 Purpose of this document A2 Definitions and transitionals A2.1 Meaning of terms used in this document A2.2 Meaning of total capital A2.3 Transitional recognition of capital instruments A2.4 Phasing out of transitional recognition of capital instruments Part B: Categories of capital B1 Common Equity Tier 1 capital B1.1 General principles B1.2 Definition of Common Equity Tier 1 capital B1.3 Goodwill deduction B1.4 Deferred tax asset deduction B1.5 Deductions for funds management, securitisation, and insurance business B1.6 Connected capital lending deduction B1.7 Fair value gains and losses to be excluded B1.8 Removal of cash flow hedge reserve B1.9 Superannuation fund assets and liabilities B1.10 Holdings of own shares B1.11 Unrealised loss on securities held B1.12 Deduction for under-collateralised reverse mortgages B1.13 IRB bank expected losses B2 Additional Tier 1 capital B2.1 General principles B2.2 Definition of Additional Tier 1 capital B3 Tier 2 capital B3.1 Characteristics B3.2 Definition of Tier 2 capital Part C: Deductions from total capital C1 Corresponding deductions approach C1.1 Purpose C1.2 Corresponding deductions approach C1.3 Reciprocal cross-holdings C1.4 Aggregate of stakes of 10% or less C1.5 Individual stakes exceeding 10% and investments in related entities C1.6 General criteria for investments to be deducted C1.7 Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries Part D: Eligibility criteria for capital instruments D1 Eligibility of CET1 (ordinary shares) D1.1 Ordinary shares D1.2 General requirements D1.3 Distribution requirements D1.4 Issuance requirements D1A Eligibility of CET1 (mutual capital instruments D1A.1 Mutual capital instruments
BPR110 3 D1A.2 Overview of checklist for mutual capital instruments D1A.3 General requirements D1A.4 Distribution requirements D1A.5 Issuance requirements D2 Eligibility of AT1 capital instruments D2.1 Additional Tier 1 capital D2.2 Overview of checklist for AT1 instruments D2.3 General requirements D2.4 No conversion or write-off feature D2.5 Redemption or call dates D2.6 No step-ups or incentives to redeem D2.7 Distributions D2.8 Other requirements on AT1 instruments D3 Eligibility of Tier 2 capital instruments D3.1 Tier 2 capital D3.2 Template checklist for Tier 2 instruments D3.3 General requirements D3.4 No conversion or write-off feature D3.5 Redemption or call dates D3.6 Amortisation of eligible amount D3.7 No step-ups or incentives to redeem D3.8 Distributions D3.9 Other requirements on Tier 2 instruments Part E: Recognition of minority interests and capital instruments issued by SPVs E1 Capital issued by subsidiaries and held by third parties E1.1 Recognition of minority interests and other capital issued to third parties out of fully consolidated subsidiaries E1.2 CET1 capital: eligibility E1.3 CET1 capital: portion recognised E1.4 AT1 capital: eligibility E1.5 AT1 capital: portion recognised E1.6 Tier 2 capital: eligibility E1.7 Tier 2 capital: portion recognised E2 Eligibility of capital instruments issued via an SPV E2.1 Requirements E2.2 Exclusion of ordinary shares Appendix 1: AT1 checklist Appendix 2: Tier 2 checklist Appendix 3: Mutual capital instrument checklist
BPR110 4 Part A: Introduction and definitions A1 Introduction A1.1 Purpose of this document
BPR110 5 mutual entity means a building society, co-operative company, credit union or other entity determined by the Reserve Bank to be a mutual entity for the purposes of this document and BPR120 mutual capital instrument means a capital instrument issued by a registered bank structured as a mutual entity that meets the criteria in subpart D1A related entity, in respect of a registered bank, means an entity– a. over which any member of the banking group (or the registered bank, in the case of solo capital) exercises control or significant influence; or b. that exercises control or significant influence over any member of the banking group (or the registered bank, in the case of solo capital); or c. over which another entity exercises control or significant influence, where that other entity also exercises control or significant influence over a member of the banking group (or the registered bank, in the case of solo capital).) Guidance: This definition includes, but is not limited to, a holding company, a sister company, or subsidiary, of any member of the banking group. repay includes to repay by way of a call, acquisition, or redemption, and repayment and repaid have corresponding meanings special purpose vehicle or SPV means a single purpose non-operating entity established for the principal purpose of raising regulatory capital for the banking group third party means an entity that is not the registered bank or a member of the banking group Tier 2 capital means capital that falls within the definition given in section B3.2 total capital has the meaning given in section A2.2 written off means written off, extinguished, or discharged. A2.2 Meaning of total capital
BPR110 6 Guidance: Requirements in this document for each of the three categories of capital include eligibility requirements that a financial instrument must meet to be included in the respective category. A2.3 Transitional recognition of capital instruments A bank may include in its regulatory capital a capital instrument that does not meet the requirements set out in this document, subject to the following conditions: a. the instrument was issued on or before 30 June 2021; and b. the instrument meets the requirements for AT1 capital or Tier 2 capital in the Reserve Bank of New Zealand document– i. Capital Adequacy Framework (Standardised Approach) (BS2A) dated November 2015 if issued by a standardised bank; or ii. Capital Adequacy Framework (Internal Models Based Approach) (BS2B) dated November 2015 if issued by an IRB bank; and c. on 30 September 2021 the bank holds a current notice of non-objection from the Reserve Bank in respect of the instrument allowing it to recognise the instrument as– i. an AT1 capital instrument (referred to in section A2.4 as a “transitional AT1 capital instrument”); or ii. a Tier 2 capital instrument (referred to in section A2.4 as a “transitional Tier 2 capital instrument”); and d. the recognition of the instrument in regulatory capital is phased out beginning on 1 January 2022, following the approach set out in section A2.4; and e. in all cases no portion of the value of the instrument can be included in regulatory capital on or after 1 July 2028. A2.4 Phasing out of transitional recognition of capital instruments
BPR110 7 b. the cap on transitional Tier 2 capital instruments applying at that date, calculated by multiplying the total nominal amount of such instruments outstanding and recognised as Tier 2 capital on 30 September 2021, after applying any required amortisation, by the applicable percentage for the relevant date in accordance with Table A2.4. Table A2.4 – Transitional phase-out schedule Period Percentage cap 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2021 100% 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 87.5% 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 75% 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024 62.5% 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 50% 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 37.5% 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 25% 1 January 2028 to 30 June 2028 12.5% On and after 1 July 2028 0%
BPR110 8 Part B: Categories of capital B1 Common Equity Tier 1 capital B1.1 General principles CET1 capital is the highest quality of capital, and must– a. provide a permanent and unrestricted commitment of funds; and b. be freely available to absorb losses; and c. not impose any unavoidable servicing charge against earnings. B1.2 Definition of Common Equity Tier 1 capital
BPR110 9 e. interests arising from the issue of ordinary shares to third parties (minority interests) by a fully consolidated subsidiary (calculated in accordance with subpart E1) that meet the eligibility criteria in section E1.2; and f. paid-up mutual capital instruments issued by the bank. B1.3 Goodwill deduction
BPR110 10 a. a credit enhancement provided to any associated funds management or securitisation SPV in accordance with subsection A2.3(3) of BPR 160, unless the bank has chosen to consolidate the SPV or expense the amount of the credit enhancement as provided for in that section; and b. a credit enhancement provided to any member of an affiliated insurance group in accordance with section B2.1 of BPR 160, unless the bank has chosen to expense the amount of the credit enhancement as provided for in that section; and c. the full amount of funding provided to an affiliated insurance group in accordance with section B3.1 of BPR160 if the minimum separation requirements in that section are not met; and d. the full amount of aggregate funding provided to all affiliated insurance groups, and to all associated funds management and securitisation vehicles that are not consolidated for the purpose of the capital ratio calculation, if that amount exceeds 10% of CET1 capital, as provided for in section C1.1 of BPR160. B1.6 Connected capital lending deduction
BPR110 11 Guidance: Any gains on hedges are to be deducted and any losses on hedges added back. B1.9 Superannuation fund assets and liabilities
BPR110 12 Guidance: This treatment is part of the standardised risk-weighting approach for residential mortgage loans set out in subpart C3 of BPR131. B1.13 IRB bank expected losses An IRB bank must deduct from CET1 capital the amounts required by subsections F1.5(1) and (2) of BPR133. Guidance: These deductions arise from the amount, if any, by which expected credit losses exceed eligible credit impairment allowances on credit exposures risk-weighted using the IRB approach. B2 Additional Tier 1 capital B2.1 General principles Additional Tier 1 capital comprises high-quality capital and must– a. provide a permanent and unrestricted commitment of funds; and b. be freely available to absorb losses; and c. provide for fully discretionary capital distributions. B2.2 Definition of Additional Tier 1 capital
BPR110 13 d. the total value of a bank’s transitional AT1 capital instruments calculated in accordance with subsection A2.4(2). Guidance: The case of minority interests in AT1 capital instruments does not arise when calculating the registered bank’s solo capital ratio. 3. The conditions referred to in subsection (2)(c)(iii) are that– a. the instrument must meet the eligibility criteria in section E1.4; and b. the value to be included is calculated in accordance with section E1.5; and c. fully consolidated subsidiary is limited to a fully consolidated subsidiary that is also an associated person of the registered bank, as defined in section 2(2) of the Act. B3 Tier 2 capital B3.1 Characteristics Tier 2 capital comprises certain types of reserves and subordinated debt instruments that do not qualify as CET1 capital or AT1 capital, but are available to absorb losses ahead of more senior creditors of the banking group in a winding up. B3.2 Definition of Tier 2 capital
BPR110 14 Guidance: The case of minority interests in Tier 2 instruments does not arise when calculating the registered bank’s solo capital ratio. d. revaluation reserves, comprising– i. reserves arising from a revaluation of tangible fixed assets, including owneroccupied property, and cumulative fair value gains on investment property, which have been subject to audit or review by the bank’s auditor; and Guidance: Cumulative losses below depreciated cost value on any individual property must not be netted against revaluation gains on other property. Such losses impact on CET1 capital via the accounting treatment, and no regulatory adjustment should be made to that impact. ii. foreign currency translation reserves; and iii. reserves arising from a revaluation of security holdings, with the value to be included in Tier 2 capital being– A. the full value of any such reserves that have been incorporated into the accounts; and B. 45% of the value of any such reserves that have not been incorporated into the accounts; and e. the total value of a bank’s transitional Tier 2 capital instruments calculated in accordance with subsection A2.4(3). 3. An IRB bank may include in Tier 2 capital the amount specified in subsections F1.5(3) and (4) of BPR133. Guidance: This addition to Tier 2 capital arises where an IRB bank’s eligible impairment allowances on non-defaulted IRB-risk-weighted loans exceed the bank’s estimate of expected loss on such loans. The amount that can be included in Tier 2 capital is capped at 0.6% of total RWAs on IRB-risk-weighted loans. 4. The conditions referred to in subsection (2)(c) are that– a. the instrument must meet the eligibility criteria in section E1.6; and b. the value to be included is calculated in accordance with section E1.7; and c. fully consolidated subsidiary is limited to a fully consolidated subsidiary that is also an associated person of the registered bank as defined in section 2(2) of the Act.
BPR110 15 Part C: Deductions from total capital C1 Corresponding deductions approach C1.1 Purpose
BPR110 16 Guidance: The value of CET1 capital to be used for applying the threshold in subsection (1) is the value after applying all the regulatory adjustments to CET1 capital set out in sections B1.3 to B1.13. 2. The amount to be deducted under this section from a specific category of capital is equal to: a. the amount in excess of 10% of the banking group’s CET1 capital, referred to in subsection (1), multiplied by— b. the ratio between— i. the value of the banking group’s investments that both meet the criteria in subsection (3) and C1.6 and are in that category of capital: and ii. the total value of the banking group’s investments that meet the criteria in subsection (3) and C1.6. Guidance: This means that the total amount to be deducted under this section is allocated across CET1 capital, AT1 capital and Tier 2 capital in proportion to the share that each category of capital has in the total of capital instruments the banking group owns falling within the scope of this deduction. 3. The criterion referred to in subsections (1) and (2) is that the banking group does not own more than 10% of the issued ordinary share capital, or the issued mutual capital instruments, of the entity in which the investment is held. 4. This section also applies to the solo capital calculation, with references to the banking group replaced with references to the registered bank. C1.5 Individual stakes exceeding 10% and investments in related entities
BPR110 17 i. an instrument that qualifies as regulatory capital of a bank, non-bank deposit taker, or insurance entity (or overseas equivalent); or ii. the equity of another entity that is a financial institution; and e. has not already been deducted from CET1 capital under any of sections B1.3 to B1.13. C1.7 Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries The corresponding deductions approach must be applied to any investment that has not been deducted from capital under any other requirement, in the following cases: a. where, in a group capital ratio calculation, the investment is in the ordinary share capital of a subsidiary of the registered bank and the subsidiary has not been included in the scope of that calculation: b. where, in a solo capital ratio calculation, the investment is in the ordinary share capital of a subsidiary of the registered bank and the subsidiary has not been included in the scope of that calculation as specified in section B2.4 of BPR100.
BPR110 18 Part D: Eligibility criteria for capital instruments D1 Eligibility of CET1 (ordinary shares) D1.1 Ordinary shares To be included in CET1 capital, ordinary shares must satisfy the criteria set out in this subpart. D1.2 General requirements An instrument classified as an ordinary share must satisfy the following criteria: a. the instrument is classified as equity under GAAP; and b. only the paid-up amount of the instrument, irrevocably received by the registered bank, is included as CET1 capital; and c. after retained earnings and other reserves, the instrument takes the first and proportionately greatest share of any losses as they occur, and individual ordinary shares must absorb losses on a going-concern basis proportionately and pari passu with each other; and Guidance: This condition is still deemed to be met if the bank has issued an instrument other than ordinary shares that has a write-off or conversion feature. d. holders of the instrument have full voting rights arising from the ownership of the shares; and Guidance: mutual entities that adopt a ‘one member, one vote’ rule are not, merely through the adoption of that rule, prevented from satisfying this condition. e. the instrument represents the most subordinated claim in the liquidation of the bank; and f. the instrument holder is entitled to a claim on the residual assets of the bank that is proportional to its share of issued capital, after all senior claims have been repaid in liquidation; and Guidance: This means an unlimited and variable claim, not a fixed or capped claim. g. the principal amount of the instrument is perpetual, that is, the instrument has no maturity date; and h. setting aside discretionary acquisitions permitted by section 58 of the Companies Act 1993 (if applicable), no principal is repaid outside of liquidation, that is, the shares are not redeemable; and
BPR110 19 Guidance: A building society’s right to repay funds under section 11(2) of the Building Societies Act 1965 is not considered to make building society shares “redeemable”. i. no member of the banking group does anything to create an expectation at issuance that the instrument will be repaid or cancelled, nor do the contractual terms of the instrument provide any feature that may give rise to such an expectation; and j. the paid-up amount of the instrument, or any future payments related to the instrument, is neither secured nor covered by a guarantee of any member of the banking group or a related entity, or subject to any other arrangement that legally or economically enhances the seniority of the claim. D1.3 Distribution requirements
BPR110 20 ii. an entity over which the bank exercises control or significant influence. 3. However, nothing in subsection (2) prevents a holding company of the bank from purchasing the instrument, nor prevents the bank undertaking full recourse lending to a borrower to fund the purchase of a well-diversified portfolio that may include the capital instrument. D1A Eligibility of CET1 (mutual capital instruments) D1A.1 Mutual capital instruments
new issuance amountt + (MCICPt−1 × total CET1 capitalt ) − cancellation share new issuance amountt + total CET1 capitalt − cancellation amount MCICPt is the proportion, expressed as a percentage, of Total CET1 capital (for clarity, without disregarding any amounts per the definition below) at time ‘t’ to have been contributed byreflect the contribution of mutual capital instrument holders to CET1 capital. MCICPt-1 is the proportion, expressed as a percentage, of total CET1 capital (for clarity, without disregarding any amounts per the definition below) calculated at the determination time immediately preceding ‘t’. Total CET1 capital refers to the amount of CET1 capital at ‘t’, adjusted as necessary to disregard the impact of (i) any new issuance amount as a result of any new mutual capital instruments being issued at ‘t’, (ii) any Cancellation Amount as a result of any mutual capital instruments being cancelled at ‘t’, and (iii) any mutual capital instruments held, as a result of treasury trading, by the registered bank in its treasury function as at ‘t’, in each case having regard to the capital requirements in the Banking Prudential Requirements and accounting standards then applicable. Cancellation Sharet is a dollar amount (which for the avoidance of doubt shall be zero if no mutual capital instruments are being cancelled at ‘t’) equal to: (N x Notionalt ) + MCICPt−1 [Cancellation Amountt − (N x Notionalt )] Where: N is the number of mutual capital instruments being cancelled at t; and Notionalt is the deemed notional contribtion of each mutual capital instrument to CET1 capital at t, calculated as follows: Total CET1 capitalt x MCICPt−1 Number of mutual capital instruments outstanding immediately prior to cancellation
BPR110 22 Cancellation Amountt is a dollar amount by which Total CET1 capital is reduced as the result of a discretionary purchase by the registered bank of the mutual capital instruments which are cancelled at ‘t’, g.h. the proportionate amount of surplus assets determined to be the entitlement of mutual capital instrument holders as a class (determined by multiplying surplus assets by MCICPt where ‘t’ is the determination time immediately prior to liquidation), must then be shared among the holders, pro rata, based on the number of mutual capital instruments they each hold, unless the entitlement of each mutual capital instrument holder has been limited to the amount paid in by holders or an average principal amount per mutual capital instrument and this is specified in the terms and conditions of the instrument; and Guidance: The holders of the mutual capital instrument as a class are allocated a share of surplus assets calculated in accordance with subsection D1A.3(g). This amount is then allocated on a pro rata basis among the holders. However, the registered bank can choose to limit the amount paid to holders upon liquidation at the amount paid-up by the holders, so long as this is specified in the instrument’s terms and conditions. h.i. the principal amount of the instrument is perpetual, that is, the instrument has no maturity date; and j. setting aside discretionary acquisitions permitted by section 58 of the Companies Act 1993 (if applicable), or the relevant incorporating legislation of the mutual entity, no principal is repaid outside of liquidation, that is, the mutual capital instruments are not redeemable; and Guidance: A building society’s right to repay funds under section 11(2) of the Building Societies Act 1965 is not considered to make building society shares “redeemable”. i.k. no member of the banking group does anything to create an expectation at issuance that the instrument will be repaid or cancelled, nor do the contractual terms of the instrument provide any feature that may give rise to such an expectation; and j.l. the paid-up amount of the instrument, or any future payments related to the instrument, is neither secured nor covered by a guarantee of any member of the banking group or a related entity, or subject to any other arrangement that legally or economically enhances the seniority of the claim; and k.m. the terms of the instrument must be governed by New Zealand law or by a permitted foreign law; and n. if one or more terms of an instrument is governed by a permitted foreign law, section B1.3 of BPR120 requires a signed foreign law opinion on the enforceability of the
BPR110 23 instrument in that permitted foreign law jurisdiction in a form acceptable to the Reserve Bank in all respects. Guidance: It is acceptable for some terms of an instrument to be governed by New Zealand law, and some by a permitted foreign law. When using foreign governing law to cover some, or all, of the terms of an instrument, the bank must provide a legal opinion in an acceptable form, as set out in BPR 120 (B1.3 (2)). 2. For the purposes of (Error! Reference source not found.)(Error! Reference source not found.), the permitted foreign laws are: New South Wales (Australia), Victoria (Australia), England and New York. D1A.4 Distribution requirements
BPR110 24 D1A.5 Issuance requirements
BPR110 25 f. the paid-up amount of the instrument, or any future payment related to the instrument, must not be secured or covered by a guarantee from any member of the banking group or a related entity, nor subject to any other arrangement that legally or economically enhances the seniority of the holder’s claim vis-à-vis the bank’s creditors; and g. the instrument must not be subject to netting or offset claims on behalf of the holder of the instrument, except as mandatorily provided by law. D2.4 No conversion or write-off feature The terms of an AT1 capital instrument must not– a. include any conversion feature that specifies circumstances in which a holder’s interests in the instrument will be replaced with interests in a different form of instrument; or b. confer any right on a holder to subscribe for new securities of the bank, or to otherwise participate in the profits or property of the bank, except by receiving payments as set out in the terms of the instrument; or c. include any write-off feature which specifies circumstances in which some or all of a holder’s claims on the bank arising from the instrument are irrevocably cancelled. Guidance: AT1 capital instruments constitute going-concern capital. This is intended to allow the registered bank to continue to operate and maintain solvency once the holders absorb the losses that the bank has incurred. D2.5 Redemption or call dates
BPR110 26 a. must provide that the bank is required to receive the prior written approval of the Reserve Bank to make any repayment of principal; and b. must not include any feature that might give rise to an expectation that the instrument will be repaid. Guidance: The requirements a bank must meet for repayment of an AT1 capital instrument are set out in subpart C2 of BPR120. D2.6 No step-ups or incentives to redeem
BPR110 27 i. the reset is triggered through the operation of contractual fallback provisions which apply in the event that the original benchmark becomes unavailable; and ii. such provisions are designed, as far as possible, to produce a genuinely equivalent interest rate that does not result in a step-up in the margin over prevailing wholesale market rates. D2.7 Distributions
BPR110 28 D2.8 Other requirements on AT1 instruments
BPR110 29 2. Section B1.3 of BPR120 requires a completed copy of the checklist to be submitted to the Reserve Bank in respect of any new instrument that the bank proposes to issue and to treat as Tier 2 capital, in order to confirm compliance with all requirements of Tier 2 capital instruments. 3. In the event of any inconsistency between a part of the checklist in Appendix 2 and any requirement in Parts A to E of this document, the requirement in Parts A to E of this document prevails. 4. As specified in subsection A1.1(2), additional terms of a capital instrument, not relating to the requirements listed in the checklist, will not disqualify the instrument from being treated as Tier 2 capital, provided that those terms do not affect the instrument’s compliance with this document. D3.3 General requirements
BPR110 30 instrument in that permitted foreign law jurisdiction in a form acceptable to the Reserve Bank in all respects. Guidance: It is acceptable for some terms of an instrument to be governed by New Zealand law, and some by a permitted foreign law. When using foreign governing law to cover some, or all, of the terms of an instrument, the bank must provide a legal opinion in an acceptable form, as set out in BPR 120 (B1.3 (2)). 2. For the purposes of subsections (1)(b)(ii) and (iii), a bank will satisfy the solvency condition– a. if the bank is solvent at the time the relevant payment is due; and b. if it will remain solvent immediately after making the payment. 3. For the purposes of this section, solvent means satisfying the solvency test in section 4 of the Companies Act 1993, whether or not the registered bank is, in fact, a company for the purposes of that Act. 4. For the purposes of (1)(e), the permitted foreign laws are: New South Wales (Australia), Victoria (Australia), England and New York. D3.4 No conversion or write-off feature
BPR110 31 Guidance: See section C2.1 of BPR120, and the guidance notes following that section, for further detail on when tax or regulatory events will be considered to be anticipated. 4. The contractual terms of a Tier 2 capital instrument– a. must provide that the bank is required to receive the prior written approval of the Reserve Bank to make any repayment of principal prior to maturity; and b. must not include any feature that might give rise to an expectation that the instrument will be repaid prior to maturity. Guidance: The requirements a bank must meet for repayment of a Tier 2 capital instrument are set out in subpart C2 of BPR120. D3.6 Amortisation of eligible amount The amount of the instrument that may be recognised in capital ratio calculations during the final four years to maturity must be amortised on a straight-line basis at a rate of 20% per annum as follows: Years to maturity Amount recognised More than 4 100% Less than and including 4 but more than 3 80% Less than and including 3 but more than 2 60% Less than and including 2 but more than 1 40% Less than and including 1 20% D3.7 No step-ups or incentives to redeem
BPR110 32 Guidance: For example, it would be acceptable to specify the interest rate as a fixed margin above a recognised market benchmark such as the bank bill rate. 3. The following are considered incentives to redeem– a. a change in the margin; or b. conversion from a fixed rate to a floating rate that is calculated as a benchmark rate plus a margin, if there is an increase in the margin relative to that implied for the fixed rate. 4. Provided that no member of the banking group does anything that creates an expectation that a call will be exercised, the following will not be considered incentives to redeem: a. the inclusion of a zero floor on the dividend or interest rate, so long as there is no zero floor applied to the benchmark rate. b. a conversion from a fixed rate to a floating rate (or vice versa) on an optional call date without any increase in credit spread; or c. a fixed rate being reset on an optional call date at a new fixed rate, provided that– i. the new rate is a benchmark rate on that date applicable to the period over which the new rate will apply plus a margin ; and ii. there is no change in the margin above the benchmark rate. d. a rate being reset to a fallback benchmark rate, provided that¬- i. the reset is triggered through the operation of contractual fallback provisions which apply in the event that the original benchmark becomes unavailable; and ii. such provisions are designed, as far as possible, to produce a genuinely equivalent interest rate that does not result in a step-up in the margin over prevailing wholesale market rates. D3.8 Distributions A Tier 2 capital instrument must not have a credit-sensitive distribution feature. Guidance: A credit-sensitive distribution feature includes, for example, a distribution that is reset periodically based in whole or in part on the credit standing of any member of the banking group. An instrument may utilise a broad index as a reference rate for distribution or payments calculation purposes, provided that the index does not exhibit any significant correlation with the issuer’s credit standing. D3.9 Other requirements on Tier 2 instruments
BPR110 33 2. Neither the bank nor an entity over which the bank exercises control or significant influence may purchase the instrument, nor directly or indirectly fund the purchase of the instrument. Guidance: This prohibition does not prevent the instrument being purchased by: • a subsidiary of the bank in its capacity as custodian for a discretionary investment management service provided by the bank; or • a supervisor for a managed investment scheme in respect of which a subsidiary of the bank is the manager, acting as the legal purchasing entity of the instrument. This applies so long as: • third parties bear the risk and rewards associated with the investment in the instrument; • the purchase of the instrument was not funded by the bank; and • the bank can demonstrate to the Reserve Bank, if required, that the decision to purchase the instrument was made independently of the bank in its role as issuer and in the interests of the third parties who ultimately bear the risk and rewards of the investment in the instrument. The definition of ‘control or significantly influence also captures instruments issued to an SPV. 3. However, nothing in this section prevents a holding company of the bank from purchasing the instrument nor prevents the bank undertaking full recourse lending to a borrower to fund the purchase of a well-diversified portfolio that may include the capital instrument. 4. The instrument must not contain any features that hinder recapitalisation of the bank or any member of the banking group. 5. To comply with subsection (4), the instrument must not have any terms that restrict the bank in any way from issuing, or otherwise dealing with, securities ranking junior, equal or senior to the instrument.
BPR110 34 Part E: Recognition of minority interests and capital instruments issued by SPVs E1 Capital issued by subsidiaries and held by third parties E1.1 Recognition of minority interests and other capital issued to third parties out of fully consolidated subsidiaries
BPR110 35 a. the subsidiary is itself a registered bank; and Guidance: Ordinary shares and mutual capital instruments issued to third party investors by a consolidated subsidiary that is not a registered bank cannot be included in the consolidated CET1 of the banking group. However, these amounts may be included in the consolidated Tier 1 and total capital of the banking group, subject to the conditions in section E1.4 and section E1.6. b. the instrument, retained earnings, or reserves attributable to the third party investors would meet the criteria for CET1 capital set out in subsections B1.2(2)(a),(c) or), (d), of (f) had the issuer been the registered bank. E1.3 CET1 capital: portion recognised
BPR110 36 Guidance: For example, when the minimum CET1 capital ratio is set at 4.5% and the buffer trigger ratio is set at 2.5%, the effective CET1 capital requirement is 7% of the total RWA equivalents specified in subsection (a) or (b). E1.4 AT1 capital: eligibility
BPR110 37 E1.6 Tier 2 capital: eligibility
BPR110 38 E2 Eligibility of capital instruments issued via an SPV E2.1 Requirements
BPR110 34 Appendix 1 ADDITIONAL TIER 1 CHECKLIST: PERPETUAL NON-CUMULATIVE [REDEEMABLE] PREFERENCE SHARES Purpose of this checklist The purpose of this Appendix 1, is to provide a checklist of requirements that an instrument must meet to qualify as AT1 capital. A completed copy of this checklist must be submitted to the Reserve Bank in respect of any new instrument that the bank proposes to issue and to treat as AT1 capital (refer to subpart D3.2 of BPR110). The completed checklist must also be appended to the legal sign-off for the issue (refer to subpart B1.3 of BPR120).3 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D2.3 requirements D2.3 (a) “only the paid-up amount of the instrument, irrevocably received by the bank, may be included in the amount of AT1 capital” D2.3 (b) “the instrument must represent the most subordinated claim in the liquidation of the bank after CET1 capital” D2.3 (c) “the instrument must be structured as legal-form “equity” (as defined in section 8(2) of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013)” D2.3 (d) “the instrument must be classified as equity under New Zealand GAAP,” D2.3 (e) “the instrument and all constituting documents must be governed by New Zealand law”
3 This checklist sets out the prudential requirements that the instrument must comply with to qualify as AT1 under subpart B2 of BPR110. The Issuer is expected to comply with all other applicable laws in respect of any offer of the instrument
BPR110 35 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D2.3 (f) “the paid-up amount of the instrument, or any future payment related to the instrument, must not be secured or covered by a guarantee from any member of the banking group or a related entity, nor subject to any other arrangement that legally or economically enhances the seniority of the holder’s claim vis-à-vis the bank’s creditors” D2.3 (g) “the instrument must not be subject to netting or offset claims on behalf of the holder of the instrument except as mandatorily provided by law” D2.4 Requirements D2.4 (a) “The terms of an AT1 capital instrument must not include any conversion feature that specifies circumstances in which a holder’s interests in the instrument will be replaced with interests in a different form of instrument” D2.4(b) “The terms of an AT1 capital instrument must not confer any right on a holder to subscribe for new securities of the bank, or to otherwise participate in the profits or property of the bank, except by receiving payments as set out in the terms of the instrument.” D2.4 (c) “The terms of an AT1 capital instrument must not include any write-off feature which specifies circumstances in which some or all of a holder’s claims on the bank arising from the instrument are irrevocably cancelled”
BPR110 36 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D2.5 requirements D2.5 (1) “Subject to subsections (2) to (4), the principal amount of an AT1 capital instrument must be perpetual, that is, the instrument must have no maturity date.” D2.5 (2) “An AT1 capital instrument may be callable or redeemable at the initiative of the bank after a minimum of five years from the date on which the bank irrevocably received payment for the instrument, and more than one such call or redemption may be provided for.” D2.5 (3) “An AT1 capital instrument may provide for the bank to have a right to call or redeem the instrument as a result of a tax or regulatory event (including during the first five years of the term) provided that the terms of that provision do not permit early call or redemption if (a)the tax or regulatory event could reasonably have been anticipated at the time the instrument was issued; or (b) the tax or regulatory event is minor (or words to that effect).” D2.5 (4) “The contractual terms of an AT1 capital instrument– (a) must provide that the bank is required to receive the prior written approval of the Reserve Bank to make any repayment of principal; and (b) must not include any feature that might give rise to an expectation that the instrument will be repaid.”
BPR110 37 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D2.6 requirements D2.6 (1) “An AT1 capital instrument must not contain any stepups or incentives for the bank to redeem, within the meaning given in this section.” D2.6 (2) “To meet the requirements of subsection (1), the terms of an AT1 capital instrument must provide for the interest or dividend rate to be fixed for the entire term of the instrument and must not provide for that rate to be altered or reviewed, except in the following circumstances: (a) where the interest payment or dividend is cancelled, in whole or part; or (b) where there is a variable rate and the formula for setting the rate is fixed for the term of the instrument at the outset.” D2.6 (3) “The following are considered incentives to redeem– (a) a change in the margin; or (b) conversion from a fixed rate to a floating rate that is calculated as a benchmark rate plus a margin, if there is an increase in the margin relative to that implied for the fixed rate.” D2.6 (4) “Provided that no member of the banking group does anything that creates an expectation that a call will be exercised, the following will not be considered incentives to redeem: (a) the inclusion of a zero floor on the interest or dividend rate, so long as there is no zero floor applied to the benchmark rate. (b) a conversion from a fixed rate to a floating rate (or vice versa) on an optional call date without any increase in credit spread; or (c) a fixed rate being reset on an optional call date at a new fixed rate, provided that–
BPR110 38 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments (i) the new rate is a benchmark rate on that date applicable to the period over which the new rate will apply plus a margin; and (ii) there is no change in the margin above the benchmark rate. (d) a rate being reset to a fallback benchmark rate, provided that- (i) the reset is triggered through the operation of contractual fallback provisions which apply in the event that the original benchmark becomes unavailable; and (ii) such provisions are designed, as far as possible, to produce a genuinely equivalent interest rate that does not result in a step-up in the margin over prevailing wholesale market rates.” D2.7 Requirements D2.7 (1) “For an instrument to qualify as AT1 capital, distributions on the instrument must meet the requirements in this section.” D2.7 (2) “The bank must have full discretion at all times to cancel distributions on the instrument.” D2.7 (3) “The terms of the instrument must provide that the bank is required to limit distributions of earnings in accordance with the requirements of the bank’s conditions of registration.” D2.7 (4) “Any waived distributions must be non-cumulative, that is, the bank must be under no obligation to make up waived
BPR110 39 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments distributions at a later date, nor to make any bonus payment to compensate for unpaid distributions.” D2.7 (5) “Cancellation or non-payment of distributions must not be an event of default of the bank or any member of the banking group.” D2.7 (6) “Holders of the instruments must have no right– (a) to apply for the liquidation or voluntary administration of any member of the banking group; or (b) to appoint a receiver of the property of any member of the banking group on the grounds that the bank fails to make, or may become unable to make, a distribution on the instrument, or for any other reason in connection with the bank’s compliance with the terms of the instrument.” D2.7 (7) “The bank must be able to cancel distributions on the instrument without the bank or any other member of the banking group becoming subject to restrictions, except in relation to (a) the acquisition, repurchase, or redemption of capital instruments or (b) any dividend stopper arrangement if such an arrangement is included in the terms of the AT1 capital instrument.” D2.7 (8) “The bank must have full access to cancelled distributions to meet obligations as they fall due.” D2.7 (9) “The instrument must not have a credit-sensitive distribution feature”
BPR110 40 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D2.8 requirements D2.8 (1) “Neither the bank nor an entity over which the bank exercises control or significant influence may purchase the instrument, nor directly or indirectly have funded the purchase of the instrument.” D2.8 (2) “However, nothing in this section prevents a holding company of the bank from purchasing the instrument, nor prevents the bank undertaking full recourse lending to a borrower to fund the purchase of a well-diversified portfolio that may include the capital instrument.” D2.8 (3) “The instrument must not include any features that hinder recapitalisation of the bank or any member of the banking group” D2.8 (4) “To comply with subsection (3), the instrument must not have any terms that restrict the bank in any way from issuing, or otherwise dealing with, securities ranking junior, equal or senior to the instrument” Appendix: E2.1 requirements – note that these are only relevant for instruments involving an SPV. If the instrument does not involve an SPV, banks should record the E2.1 requirements below as “Not relevant, as no SPV involved in the instrument.” E2.1 (1) “A capital instrument issued under an arrangement that involves an SPV, whether as the purchaser or the issuer of the instrument, does not qualify as regulatory capital unless all the criteria specified in subsection (2) are met.” E2.1 (2) “The criteria are that– (a) the SPV is required to be fully consolidated with the bank for the purpose of group financial statements under GAAP;”
BPR110 41 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments E2.1 (2) (b) “the bank issues an instrument to the SPV, the terms and conditions of that instrument matching, in all material respects, the terms and conditions of the instrument issued by the SPV to third party investors;” E2.1 (2) (c) ”the instrument issued by the bank to the SPV must meet the criteria for classification as AT1 capital or the criteria for classification as Tier 2 capital, as set out in subsection B2.2(2)(a) and subsection B3.2(2)(a) respectively;” E2.1 (2) (d) “the instrument issued by the SPV would, if issued by the bank, meet the criteria for classification as AT1 capital or the criteria for classification as Tier 2 capital, as set out in subsection B2.2(2)(a) and subsection B3.2(2)(a) respectively;” E2.1 (e) “the proceeds from the issue of the capital instrument by the SPV must be immediately and directly invested in, and available without limitation to, the bank;” E2.1 (f) “the amount of capital issued by a consolidated subsidiary to third parties that may be included in Tier 1 or total capital must be determined in accordance with subpart E1, and if the subsidiary issues capital through an SPV, the requirements of this subpart must be met as if the subsidiary were the bank, in addition to the requirements of subpart E1.” Additional material Confirm that there are no other features that would affect the compliance with BPR110.
BPR110 42 Appendix 2 Tier 2 Checklist: Subordinated notes Purpose of this checklist The purpose of this Appendix 2, is to provide a checklist of requirements that an instrument must meet to qualify as Tier 2 capital. A completed copy of this checklist must be submitted to the Reserve Bank in respect of any new instrument that the bank proposes to issue and to treat as Tier 2 capital (refer to subpart D3.3 of BPR110). The completed checklist must also be appended to the legal sign-off for the issue (refer to subpart B1.3 of BPR120).4 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment D3.3 requirements D3.3 (1) To qualify as Tier 2 capital, an instrument must satisfy the following criteria: “(a) only the paid-up amount of the instrument, irrevocably received by the bank, may be included in the amount of Tier 2 capital;” D3.3 (1) (b) “claims of holders of the instrument must be subordinated to claims of depositors and general creditors of the bank and, in order to meet this requirement, – (i) if either the bank or any subsidiary of the bank that has issued the instrument becomes subject to liquidation, claims of holders of the instrument must be subordinated to those of depositors and general creditors; and (ii) prior to liquidation or the maturity date of the instrument, the bank must be under no obligation to make payments of distributions or principal in the event that the bank fails to satisfy the solvency condition; and (iii) a failure to make a payment of distributions or principal on the instrument because
4 This checklist sheet sets out the prudential requirements that the instrument must comply with to qualify as Tier 2 under BPR110. The issuer is expected to comply with all other applicable laws in respect of any offer of the instrument
BPR110 43 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment the bank fails to meet the solvency condition must not give rise to an event of default;” Note that the following sections are relevant for D3.3 (1) (b): D3.3 (2) “For the purposes of subsection (1)(b)(ii) and (iii), a bank will satisfy the solvency condition– (a) if the bank is solvent at the time the relevant payment is due; and (b) if it will remain solvent immediately after making the payment.” D3.3 (3) “For the purposes of this section, solvent means satisfying the solvency test in section 4 of the Companies Act 1993, whether or not the bank is, in fact, a company for the purposes of that Act.” D3.3 (1) (c) “the paid-up amount of the instrument, or any future payment related to the instrument, must not be– (i) secured or covered by a guarantee from any member of the banking group or of any related entity; or (ii) subject to any other arrangement that legally or economically enhances the seniority of the claim vis-à-vis depositors and general bank creditors;” D3.3 (1) (d) “the instrument must not be subject to netting or offset of claims on behalf of the holder of the instrument, except as mandatorily provided by law;” D3.3 (1) (e) “the instrument and all constituting documents must be governed by New Zealand law, or a permitted foreign law; and (f) if one or more terms of an instrument is governed by a permitted foreign law, section B1.3 of BPR120 requires a signed foreign law opinion on the enforceability of the instrument in that
BPR110 44 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment permitted foreign law jurisdiction in a form acceptable to the Reserve Bank in all respects.” D3.3 (2) “For the purposes of subsection (1)(b)(ii) and (iii), a bank will satisfy the solvency condition– (a) if the bank is solvent at the time the relevant payment is due; and (b) if it will remain solvent immediately after making the payment.” D3.3 (3) “For the purposes of this section, solvent means satisfying the solvency test in section 4 of the Companies Act 1993, whether or not the bank is, in fact, a company for the purposes of that Act.” D3.3 (4) “For the purposes of (1)(e), the permitted foreign laws are: New South Wales (Australia), Victoria (Australia), England and New York.” D3.4 Requirements D3.4 (1) “The terms of a Tier 2 capital instrument must not include any conversion feature that specifies circumstances in which a holder’s interests in the instrument are replaced with interests in a different form of instrument.” D3.4 (2) “A Tier 2 capital instrument must not confer any right on a holder to subscribe for new securities of the bank, or to otherwise participate in the profits or property of the bank, except by receiving payments as set out in the terms of the instrument.” D3.4 (3) “The terms of a Tier 2 capital instrument must not include a write-off feature that specifies circumstances in which
BPR110 45 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment all of a holder’s claims on the bank arising from the instrument are irrevocably cancelled.” D3.5 requirements D3.5 (1) “Subject to subsections (2) to (4), a Tier 2 instrument must have a minimum original maturity of at least five years.” D3.5 (2) “A Tier 2 capital instrument may be callable or redeemable prior to maturity at the initiative of the bank after a minimum of five years from the date on which the bank irrevocably receives payment for the instrument, and more than one such call or redemption may be provided for.” D3.5 (3) “A Tier 2 capital instrument may provide for the bank to have a right to call or redeem the instrument as a result of a tax or regulatory event (including during the first five years of the term), provided that the terms of that provision do not permit early call or redemption if– (a) the tax or regulatory event could reasonably have been anticipated at the time the instrument was issued; or (b) the tax or regulatory event is minor (or words to that effect).” D3.5 (4) “The contractual terms of a Tier 2 capital instrument– (a) must provide that the bank is required to receive the prior written approval of the Reserve Bank to make any repayment of principal prior to maturity; (b) must not include any feature that might give rise to an expectation that the instrument will be repaid prior to maturity”
BPR110 46 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment D3.7 requirements D3.7 (1) “A Tier 2 capital instrument must not contain any stepups or incentives for the bank to redeem, within the meaning given in this section.” D3.7 (2) “To meet the requirements of subsection (1), the terms of a Tier 2 capital instrument must provide for the dividend or interest rate to be fixed for the entire term of the instrument and must not provide for the rate to be altered or reviewed, except in the following circumstances: (a) where the interest payment is cancelled, in whole or part; or (b) where there is a variable rate and where the formula for setting the rate is fixed for the term of the debt at the outset.” D3.7 (3) “The following are considered incentives to redeem– (a) a change in the margin; or (b) conversion from a fixed rate to a floating rate that is calculated as a benchmark rate plus a margin, if there is an increase in the margin relative to that implied for the fixed rate.” D3.7 (4) “Provided that no member of the banking group does anything that creates an expectation that a call will be exercised, the following will not be considered incentives to redeem: (a) the inclusion of a zero floor on the dividend or interest rate, so long as there is no zero floor applied to the benchmark rate. (b) a conversion from a fixed rate to a floating rate (or vice versa) on an optional call date without any increase in credit spread; or (c) a fixed rate being reset on an optional call date at a new fixed rate, provided that–
BPR110 47 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment (i) the new rate is a benchmark rate on that date applicable to the period over which the new rate will apply plus a margin ; and (ii) there is no change in the margin above the benchmark rate. (d) a rate being reset to a fallback benchmark rate, provided that- (i) the reset is triggered through the operation of contractual fallback provisions which apply in the event that the original benchmark becomes unavailable; and (ii) such provisions are designed, as far as possible, to produce a genuinely equivalent interest rate that does not result in a step-up in the margin over prevailing wholesale market rates.” D3.8 requirements D3.8 “A Tier 2 capital instrument must not have a credit-sensitive distribution feature.” D3.9 Requirements D3.9 (1) “The holder of the instrument must have no rights to accelerate the repayment of future scheduled payments (whether coupon or principal), except in the event of the liquidation of the issuer” D3.9 (2) “Neither the bank nor an entity over which the bank exercises control or significant influence may purchase the instrument, nor directly or indirectly fund the purchase of the instrument.”
BPR110 48 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment D3.9 (3) “However, nothing in this section prevents a holding company of the bank from purchasing the instrument nor prevents the bank undertaking full recourse lending to a borrower to fund the purchase of a well-diversified portfolio that may include the capital instrument.” D3.9 (4) “The instrument must not contain any features that hinder recapitalisation of the bank or any member of the banking group.” D3.9 (5) “To comply with subsection (4), the instrument must not have any terms that restrict the bank in any way from issuing, or otherwise dealing with, securities ranking junior, equal or senior to the instrument.” Appendix: E2.1 requirements – note that these are only relevant for instruments involving an SPV. If the instrument does not involve an SPV, banks should record the E2.1 requirements below as “Not relevant, as no SPV involved in the instrument.” E2.1 (1) “A capital instrument issued under an arrangement that involves an SPV, whether as the purchaser or the issuer of the instrument, does not qualify as regulatory capital unless the criteria specified in subsection (2) are met. E2.1 (2) “The criteria are that– (a) the SPV is required to be fully consolidated with the registered bank for the purpose of group financial statements under GAAP;” E2.1 (2) “(b) the bank issues an instrument to the SPV, the terms and conditions of that instrument matching, in all material respects, the terms and conditions of the instrument issued by the SPV to third party investors;” E2.1 (2) (c) ”the instrument issued by the bank to the SPV must meet the criteria for classification as AT1 capital or the criteria for
BPR110 49 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comment classification as Tier 2 capital, as set out in subsection B2.2(2)(a) and subsection B3.2(2)(a) respectively;” E2.1 (2) (d) “the instrument issued by the SPV would, if issued by the bank, meet the criteria for classification as AT1 capital or the criteria for classification as Tier 2 capital, as set out in subsection B2.2(2)(a) and subsection B3.2(2)(a) respectively;” E2.1 (e) “the proceeds from the issue of the capital instrument by the SPV must be immediately and directly invested in, and available without limitation to, the bank;” E2.1 (f) “the amount of capital issued by a consolidated subsidiary to third parties that may be included in Tier 1 or total capital must be determined in accordance with subpart E1, and if the subsidiary issues capital through an SPV, the requirements of this subpart must be met as if the subsidiary were the bank, in addition to the requirements of subpart E1.” Additional material Confirm that there are no other features that would affect the compliance with BPR110.
BPR110 50 Appendix 3 CET1 CHECKLIST: MUTUAL CAPITAL INSTRUMENT Purpose of this checklist The purpose of this Appendix 3 is to provide a checklist of requirements that a mutual capital instrument must meet to qualify as CET1 capital. A completed copy of this checklist must be submitted to the Reserve Bank in respect of any new mutual capital instrument that the bank proposes to issue and to treat as CET1 capital (refer to [D1A of BPR110]). The completed checklist must also be appended to the legal sign-off for the issue (refer to [B1.3 of BPR120]).5 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D1A.3 General requirements D1A.3 (1) An instrument classified as a mutual capital instrument must satisfy the following criteria: D1A.3 (1)(a) the instrument must be issued by a registered bank structured as a mutual entity; and D1A.3 (1)(b) the instrument is classified as equity under GAAP; and D1A.3 (1)(c) only the paid-up amount of the mutual capital instrument, irrevocably received by the registered bank, is included as CET1 capital; and D1A.3 (1)(d) holders of the mutual capital instrument have full voting rights arising from the ownership of the instrument; and
5 This checklist sets out the prudential requirements that the instrument must comply with to qualify as a mutual capital instrument under subpart D1.5 of BPR110. The Issuer is expected to comply with all other applicable laws in respect of any offer of the instrument
BPR110 51 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D1A.3 (1)(e) the instrument represents the most subordinated claim in the liquidation of the registered bank; and D1A.3 (1)(f) in a liquidation of the registered bank, if there are no surplus assets, the holders of the mutual capital instrument will receive no return on their investment; and D1A.3 (1)(g) in a liquidation of the registered bank, if there are surplus assets following the settlement of all senior claims, holders of the mutual capital instrument as a class and other members of the registered bank as a class are each entitled to a proportionate share of surplus assets (expressed as a percentage), where the share of surplus assets allocated to holders as a class is calculated according to the predetermined formula (included in Subpart D1A.3(1)(g) of BPR110) at the first issuance and then recalculated at each subsequent issuance or calculation of the mutual capital instrument; Refer to Subpart D1A.3 (1)(g) of BPR110 for the formula and formula description. D1A.3 (1)(h) the proportionate amount of surplus assets determined to be the entitlement of mutual capital instrument holders as a class (determined by multiplying surplus assets by MCICPt where ‘t’ is the determination time immediately prior to liquidation), must then be shared among the holders, pro rata, based on the number of mutual capital instruments they each hold, unless the entitlement of each mutual capital instrument holder has been limited to the amount paid in by holders or an average principal amount per mutual capital instrument and this is specified in the terms and conditions of the instrument; and D1A.3 (1)(i) the principal amount of the instrument is perpetual, that is, the instrument has no maturity date; and
BPR110 52 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D1A.3 (1)(j) setting aside discretionary acquisitions permitted by section 58 of the Companies Act 1993 (if applicable), or the relevant incorporating legislation of the mutual entity, no principal is repaid outside of liquidation, that is, the mutual capital instruments are not redeemable; and D1A.3 (1)(k) no member of the banking group does anything to create an expectation at issuance that the instrument will be repaid or cancelled, nor do the contractual terms of the instrument provide any feature that may give rise to such an expectation; and D1A.3 (1)(l) the paid-up amount of the instrument, or any future payments related to the instrument, is neither secured nor covered by a guarantee of any member of the banking group or a related entity, or subject to any other arrangement that legally or economically enhances the seniority of the claim; and D1A.3 (1)(m) the terms of the instrument must be governed by New Zealand law or by a permitted foreign law; and D1A.3 (1)(n) if one or more terms of an instrument is governed by a permitted foreign law, section B1.3 of BPR120 requires a signed foreign law opinion on the enforceability of the instrument in that permitted foreign law jurisdiction in a form acceptable to the Reserve Bank in all respects. D1A.3 (2) For the purposes of (Error! Reference source not found.)(Error! Reference source not found.), the permitted foreign laws are: New South Wales (Australia), Victoria (Australia), England and New York. D1A.4 Distribution requirements
BPR110 53 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D1A.4 (1) For an instrument classified as a mutual capital instrument to qualify as CET1 capital, distributions on the instrument must meet the requirements in this section. D1A.4 (2) The registered bank must have an indicative discretionary distribution policy published separately to the terms of the instrument. D1A.4 (3) The amount that may be paid in distributions – D1A.4 (3)(a) must be paid out of distributable items, including retained earnings; and D1A.4 (3)(b) must not be in any way linked to the amount paid at issuance; and D1A.4 (3)(c) must not be subject to a contractual cap (except that the bank is unable to pay distributions that exceed the level of distributable items). D1A.4 (4) There must be no circumstances under which the distributions are obligatory and in all circumstances the bank is able to waive any distribution. D1A.4 (5) Any waived distributions must be non-cumulative, that is, they are not required to be made up by the bank at a later date. D1A.4 (6) Non-payment of distributions must not be an event of default of the bank or of any other member of the banking group. D1A.4 (7) The instrument must not have any preferential or predetermined right to distributions of capital or income, to ensure that distributions are not paid by the bank until all legal and contractual obligations have been met and payments on more senior capital instruments have been made.
BPR110 54 Relevant clause of BPR110 Evidence of compliance with relevant clause of BPR110, including references to the relevant clause/clauses of constituting documents Comments D1A.5 Issuance requirements D1A.5 (1) An instrument classified as a mutual capital instrument must be issued by the registered bank and not out of an SPV. D1A.5 (2) The instrument must not have been purchased, and the purchase must not have been funded, whether directly or indirectly, by – i. i. the bank; or ii. ii. an entity over which the bank exercises control or significant influence. D1A.5 (3) However, nothing in subsection (2) prevents the registered bank undertaking full recourse lending to a borrower to fund the purchase of a well-diversified portfolio that may include the mutual capital instrument.