OSFI Unwinds Temporary Increase to Covered Bond Limit for Banks
OSFI issued a letter to the deposit-taking institutions issuing covered bonds and announced the unwinding of the temporary increase to the covered bond limit for deposit-taking institutions, effective immediately. On March 27, 2020, as a COVID-19 support measure, OSFI had allowed a temporary increase to the covered bond limit to facilitate greater access to the Bank of Canada facilities. OSFI normally limits a bank's issuance of covered bonds to 5.5% of the bank's total assets. However, during the period of relief, total assets pledged for covered bonds were permitted to be up to 10% of the total assets of a deposit-taking institution, including instruments issued to the market and those pledged to the Bank of Canada.
The temporary increase in the limit targeted covered bonds pledged directly to the Bank of Canada, with the limit relating to market instruments (covered bonds sold into the market) still set at 5.5%. When OSFI announced the temporary increase to the covered bond limit in March 2020, it was noted that the increase would be provided for at least one year, but could be extended beyond this if needed. Throughout the past year, OSFI has continued to monitor banks' liquidity and access to term funding, which have stabilized considerably since measures were initially put in place. Additionally, on October 15, 2020, the Bank of Canada removed own-name covered bonds from the list of eligible securities for regular term repo operations. As such, the temporary increase to the covered bond limit by OSFI is no longer necessary. Covered bonds are debt securities issued by a financial institution that are collateralized against a pool of assets designed to cover claims, should an issuer fail.
Related Links
Keywords: Americas, Canada, Banking, Covered Bonds, COVID-19, ALM, Regulatory Capital, Basel, OSFI
Featured Experts
María Cañamero
Skilled market researcher; growth strategist; successful go-to-market campaign developer
Nicolas Degruson
Works with financial institutions, regulatory experts, business analysts, product managers, and software engineers to drive regulatory solutions across the globe.
Patrycja Oleksza
Applies proficiency and knowledge to regulatory capital and reporting analysis and coordinates business and product strategies in the banking technology area
Previous Article
HM Treasury Announces G7 Agreement on Green Agenda Ahead of COP26Next Article
ECB Amends Guideline on Euro Short-Term RateRelated Articles
EBA Issues Erratum for Phase 2 Package of Reporting Framework 3.0
EBA published an erratum for the technical package on phase 2 of the reporting framework 3.0.
EBA Updates Lists of Entities for Use in Capital Calculations under SA
EBA published an erratum for the technical package on phase 2 of the reporting framework 3.0.
MAS Amends Notice on Related Party Transactions of Banks
MAS amended Notice 643A that addresses requirements for banks to prepare statements of exposures and credit facilities to related concerns or parties.
ECB Amends Guideline on Euro Short-Term Rate
ECB has published, in the Official Journal of the European Union, the Guideline 2021/565 on the euro short-term rate (€STR) and this guideline amends the previous ECB Guideline 2019/1265.
EBA Consults on Standards Related to FRTB-SA
EBA launched a consultation on the draft regulatory technical standards on the list of countries with an advanced economy for calculating the equity risk under the alternative standardized approach (FRTB-SA).
PRA Proposes Rules Related to IRB Approach for Credit Risk
PRA is proposing, via CP7/21, the approach to implementing new requirements related to the specification of the nature, severity, and duration of an economic downturn in the internal ratings-based (IRB) approach to credit risk.
BoE Outlines Regulatory Treatment of Recovery Loan Scheme of UK
The UK government launched the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) as part of its continued COVID-19 support for UK businesses, as announced by HM Treasury on March 03, 2021.
FSB Addresses G20 on COVID Measures, TBTF Reforms, and Climate Risks
FSB published a letter, from its Chair Randal K. Quarles, to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, ahead of their virtual meeting on April 07, 2021.
EU Amends CRR and Securitization Regulation in Response to Pandemic
To support recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, EU has published two regulations to amend the securitization framework, as set out in the Securitization Regulation (2017/2402) and the Capital Requirements Regulation or CRR (575/2013).
HM Treasury Announces G7 Agreement on Green Agenda Ahead of COP26
HM Treasury announced that G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors met ahead of COP 26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, and agreed on green agenda.
