The EC is steering toward keeping covered bonds as Level 2 assets for LCR purposes but allowing them to make up a larger share, according to sources, and an EC spokesperson said “talks are progressing well” about a solution addressing Danish concerns.
European Supervisory Authorities EBA, ESMA and EIOPA launched a consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards for EMIR on Monday, which they said provide some flexibility for covered bonds, with one source cautiously welcoming the proposals as “looking quite positive”.
CRR-compliant covered bonds rated at least A- should count toward liquidity buffers with the Covered Bond Label playing a role as a quality criterion under a new approach the European Covered Bond Council (ECBC) has suggested to the EC ahead of its final decision on LCRs.
The Swedish Bankers’ Association is lowering guidance on the LTV threshold above which new mortgages need to be amortised from 75% to 70%, while Riksbank governor Stefan Ingves said there is a case for increasing the mortgage risk weight floor to 25%.
Norwegian chief financial officers proved more bearish than their peers in their responses to a variety of questions posed by Moody’s in a survey of 39 Nordic CFOs, with an increase in banking regulation highlighted as a key factor potentially constraining their institutions.
Jyske Bank and BRFkredit are planning to merge, they announced on Monday, in a move that will step up competition in the Danish banking industry, with the potential for steep growth in mortgage lending for the combined entity and a tightening of BRFkredit bond spreads among effects cited.
The European Commission will take into account “features specific to the EU banking system and financial markets” in addition to European Banking Authority (EBA) reports and international standards when deciding on covered bonds’ status in the LCRs, according to an EC spokesperson.
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has excluded covered bonds from assets it has recommended should be eligible as extremely high quality liquid assets for Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) purposes in a report to the European Commission.
Fears are mounting that covered bonds could fail to secure a position as Level 1 LCR assets after it emerged that the EBA’s Board of Supervisors is against such a recommendation. However, the ECBC and others have said that Level 1 inclusion remains a real possibility.
Danske Bank sold Dkr5.55bn (Eu744m, $1.01bn) equivalent of Tier 2 capital across five local Nordic currency transactions in fixed and floating rate format on Tuesday, which an official at the issuer said was an “impressive” size that reflected positively on the depth of its local markets.