ECB Revises Prudential Provisioning Expectations for New NPEs
ECB is revising its supervisory expectations for prudential provisioning of new non-performing exposures (NPEs) specified in the “Addendum to the ECB Guidance to banks on non-performing loans” (Addendum). The decision was made after taking into account the adoption of a new EU regulation that outlines the Pillar 1 treatment for NPEs. This new regulation, which entered into force on April 26, 2019 and amends the Capital Requirements Regulation regarding minimum loss coverage for NPEs, requires a deduction from own funds when NPEs are not sufficiently covered by provisions or other adjustments.
The revision of supervisory expectations follows the ECB commitment to reconsider supervisory expectations for new NPEs once the new legislation on Pillar 1 treatment of NPEs had been finalized. To make the treatment of NPEs more consistent, the following changes have been made to the supervisory expectations communicated in the Addendum:
- The scope of the supervisory expectations for new NPEs will be limited to NPEs arising from loans originated before April 26, 2019, which are not subject to Pillar 1 NPE treatment. NPEs arising from loans originated from April 26, 2019 onward will be subject to Pillar 1 treatment, with the ECB paying close attention to the risks arising from them.
- The relevant prudential provisioning time frames, the progressive path to full implementation, the split of secured exposures, and the treatment of NPEs guaranteed or insured by an official export credit agency have been aligned with the Pillar 1 treatment of NPEs set out in the new EU regulation.
All other aspects, including specific circumstances, which may make prudential provisioning expectations inappropriate for a specific portfolio/exposure, remain as described in the Addendum. Supervisory expectations for the stock of NPEs (that is, loans classified as NPEs on March 31, 2018) remain unchanged.
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Keywords: Europe, EU, Banking, NPLs, NPE, Credit Risk, CRR, Pillar 1, ECB
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