Title 12
SECTION 1277.7
1277.7 Limits on unsecured extensions of credit; reporting requirements.
§ 1277.7 Limits on unsecured extensions of credit; reporting requirements.(a) Unsecured extensions of credit to a single counterparty. A Bank shall not extend unsecured credit to any single counterparty (other than a GSE described in and subject to the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section) in an amount that would exceed the limits of this paragraph (a). If a third-party provides an irrevocable, unconditional guarantee of repayment of a credit (or any part thereof), the third-party guarantor may be considered the counterparty for purposes of calculating and applying the unsecured credit limits of this section with respect to the guaranteed portion of the transaction.
(1) General limits. All unsecured extensions of credit by a Bank to a single counterparty that arise from the Bank's on- and off-balance sheet and derivative transactions (but excluding the amount of sales of federal funds with a maturity of one day or less and sales of federal funds subject to a continuing contract) shall not exceed the product of the maximum capital exposure limit applicable to such counterparty, as determined in accordance with the following Table 1 to this section, multiplied by the lesser of:
(i) The Bank's total capital; or
(ii) The counterparty's Tier 1 capital, or if Tier 1 capital is not available, total capital (in each case as defined by the counterparty's principal regulator) or some similar comparable measure identified by the Bank.
(2) Overall limits including sales of overnight federal funds. All unsecured extensions of credit by a Bank to a single counterparty that arise from the Bank's on- and off-balance sheet and derivative transactions, including the amounts of sales of federal funds with a maturity of one day or less and sales of federal funds subject to a continuing contract, shall not exceed twice the limit calculated pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(3) Limits for certain obligations issued by state, local, or tribal governmental agencies. The limit set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, when applied to the marketable direct obligations of state, local, or tribal government units or agencies that are excluded from the prohibition against investments in whole mortgage loans or other types of whole loans, or interests in such loans, by § 1267.3(a)(4)(iii) of this chapter, shall be calculated based on the Bank's total capital and the internal credit rating assigned to the particular obligation, as determined in accordance with paragraph (a)(4) of this section. If a Bank owns series or classes of obligations issued by a particular state, local, or tribal government unit or agency, or has extended other forms of unsecured credit to such entity falling into different rating categories, the total amount of unsecured credit extended by the Bank to that government unit or agency shall not exceed the limit associated with the highest-rated obligation issued by the entity and actually purchased by the Bank.
(4) Bank determination of applicable maximum capital exposure limits. A Bank shall determine the maximum capital exposure limit for each counterparty by assigning the counterparty to the appropriate FHFA Credit Rating category of Table 1 to this section, based upon the Bank's internal credit rating for that counterparty. In all cases, a Bank shall use the same FHFA Credit Rating category for a particular counterparty when determining its unsecured credit limit under this section as it would use under Table 2 to § 1277.4 for determining the risk-based capital charge for obligations issued by that counterparty under § 1277.4(f).
Table 1 to § 1277.7 - Maximum Limits on Unsecured Extensions of Credit to a Single Counter-party by FHFA Credit Rating Category
| FHFA Credit Rating | Maximum capital exposure limit (in percent) |
|---|---|
| FHFA 1 | 15 |
| FHFA 2 | 14 |
| FHFA 3 | 9 |
| FHFA 4 | 3 |
| FHFA 5 and Below | 1 |
(b) Unsecured extensions of credit to affiliated counterparties - (1) In general. The total amount of unsecured extensions of credit by a Bank to a group of affiliated counterparties that arise from the Bank's on- and off-balance sheet and derivative transactions, including sales of federal funds with a maturity of one day or less and sales of federal funds subject to a continuing contract, shall not exceed 30 percent of the Bank's total capital.
(2) Relation to individual limits. The aggregate limits calculated under paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall apply in addition to the limits on extensions of unsecured credit to a single counterparty imposed by paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Special limits for certain GSEs. Unsecured extensions of credit by a Bank that arise from the Bank's on- and off-balance sheet and derivative transactions, including from the purchase of any debt or from any sales of federal funds with a maturity of one day or less and from sales of federal funds subject to a continuing contract, with a GSE that is operating with capital support or another form of direct financial assistance from the United States government that enables the GSE to repay those obligations, shall not exceed the Bank's total capital.
(d) Extensions of unsecured credit after reduced rating. If a Bank revises its internal credit rating for any counterparty or obligation, it shall assign the counterparty or obligation to the appropriate FHFA Credit Rating category based on the revised rating. If the revised internal rating results in a lower FHFA Credit Rating category, then any subsequent extensions of unsecured credit shall comply with the maximum capital exposure limit applicable to that lower rating category, but a Bank need not unwind or liquidate any existing transaction or position that complied with the limits of this section at the time it was entered. For purposes of this paragraph (d), the renewal of an existing unsecured extension of credit, including any decision not to terminate any sales of federal funds subject to a continuing contract, shall be considered a subsequent extension of unsecured credit that can be undertaken only in accordance with the lower limit.
(e) Reporting requirements - (1) Total unsecured extensions of credit. Each Bank shall report monthly to FHFA the amount of the Bank's total unsecured extensions of credit arising from on- and off-balance sheet and derivative transactions to any single counterparty or group of affiliated counterparties that exceeds 5 percent of:
(i) The Bank's total capital; or
(ii) The counterparty's, or affiliated counterparties' combined, Tier 1 capital, or if Tier 1 capital is not available, total capital (in each case as defined by the counterparty's principal regulator), or some similar comparable measure identified by the Bank.
(2) Total secured and unsecured extensions of credit. Each Bank shall report monthly to FHFA the amount of the Bank's total secured and unsecured extensions of credit arising from on- and off-balance sheet and derivative transactions to any single counterparty or group of affiliated counterparties that exceeds 5 percent of the Bank's total assets.
(3) Extensions of credit in excess of limits. A Bank shall report promptly to FHFA any extension of unsecured credit that exceeds any limit set forth in paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section. In making this report, a Bank shall provide the name of the counterparty or group of affiliated counterparties to which the excess unsecured credit has been extended, the dollar amount of the applicable limit which has been exceeded, the dollar amount by which the Bank's extension of unsecured credit exceeds such limit, the dates for which the Bank was not in compliance with the limit, and a brief explanation of the circumstances that caused the limit to be exceeded.
(f) Measurement of unsecured extensions of credit - (1) In general. For purposes of this section, unsecured extensions of credit will be measured as follows:
(i) For on-balance sheet transactions (other than a derivative transaction addressed by paragraph (f)(1)(iii) of this section), an amount equal to the sum of the amortized cost of the item plus net payments due the Bank. For any such item carried at fair value where any change in fair value would be recognized in the Bank's income, the Bank shall measure the unsecured extension of credit based on the fair value of the item, rather than its amortized cost;
(ii) For off-balance sheet transactions, an amount equal to the credit equivalent amount of such item, calculated in accordance with § 1277.4(h); and
(iii) For derivative transactions not cleared by a derivatives clearing organization, an amount equal to the sum of:
(A) The Bank's current and potential future credit exposures under the derivative contract, where those values are calculated in accordance with § 1277.4(i)(1) and (2) respectively, reduced by the amount of any collateral held by or on behalf of the Bank against the credit exposure from the derivative contract, as allowed in accordance with the requirements of § 1277.4(e)(2) and (3); and
(B) The value of any collateral posted by the Bank that exceeds the current amount owed by the Bank to its counterparty under the derivative contract, where the collateral is held by a person or entity other than a third-party custodian that is acting under a custody agreement that meets the requirements of § 1221.7(c) and (d) of this chapter.
(2) Status of debt obligations purchased by the Bank. Any debt obligation or debt security (other than mortgage-backed or other asset-backed securities or acquired member assets) purchased by a Bank shall be considered an unsecured extension of credit for the purposes of this section, except for:
(i) Any amount owed the Bank against which the Bank holds collateral in accordance with § 1277.4(f)(2)(ii); or
(ii) Any amount which FHFA has determined on a case-by-case basis shall not be considered an unsecured extension of credit.
(g) Exceptions to unsecured credit limits. The following items are not subject to the limits of this section:
(1) Obligations of, or guaranteed by, the United States;
(2) A derivative transaction accepted for clearing by a derivatives clearing organization, including collateral posted by the Bank with the derivatives clearing organization associated with that derivative transaction;
(3) Any extension of credit from one Bank to another Bank; and
(4) A bond issued by a state housing finance agency, if the Bank documents that the obligation in question is:
(i) Principally secured by high quality mortgage loans or high quality mortgage-backed securities (or funds derived from payments on such assets or from payments from any guarantees or insurance associated with such assets);
(ii) The most senior class of obligation, if the bond has more than one class; and
(iii) Determined by the Bank to be rated no lower than FHFA 2, in accordance with this section.