-

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1725/2003 of 29 September 2003 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council

Content

-

Balance sheet

18. A bank should present a balance sheet that groups assets and liabilities by nature and lists them in an order that reflects their relative liquidity.

19. In addition to the requirements of other International Accounting Standards, the disclosures in the balance sheet or the notes to the financial statements should include, but are not limited to, the following assets and liabilities:

Assets:

- cash and balances with the central bank,
- treasury bills and other bills eligible for rediscounting with the central bank,
- government and other securities held for dealing purposes,
- placements with, and loans and advances to, other banks,
- other money market placements,
- loans and advances to customers, and
- investment securities.

Liabilities:

- deposits from other banks,
- other money market deposits,
- amounts owed to other depositors,
- certificates of deposits,
- promissory notes and other liabilities evidenced by paper, and
- other borrowed funds.

20. The most useful approach to the classification of the assets and liabilities of a bank is to group them by their nature and list them in the approximate order of their liquidity; this may equate broadly to their maturities. Current and non-current items are not presented separately because most assets and liabilities of a bank can be realised or settled in the near future.

21. The distinction between balances with other banks and those with other parts of the money market and from other depositors is relevant information because it gives an understanding of a bank's relations with, and dependence on, other banks and the money market. Hence, a bank discloses separately:

(a) balances with the central bank;

(b) placements with other banks;

(c) other money market placements;

(d) deposits from other banks;

(e) other money market deposits; and

(f) other deposits.

22. A bank generally does not know the holders of its certificates of deposit because they are usually traded on an open market. Hence, a bank discloses separately deposits that have been obtained through the issue of its own certificates of deposit or other negotiable paper.

23. [deleted]

24. A bank shall disclose the fair values of each class of its financial assets and liabilities as required by IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Disclosure and Presentation.

25. IAS 39 provides for four classifications of financial assets: loans and receivables, held-to-maturity investments, financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, and available-for-sale financial assets. A bank shall disclose the fair values of its financial assets for these four classifications, as a minimum.

Contingencies and commitments including off balance sheet items

26. A bank should disclose the following contingent liabilities and commitments:

(a) the nature and amount of commitments to extend credit that are irrevocable because they cannot be withdrawn at the discretion of the bank without the risk of incurring significant penalty or expense; and

(b) the nature and amount of contingent liabilities and commitments arising from off balance sheet items including those relating to:

(i) direct credit substitutes including general guarantees of indebtedness, bank acceptance guarantees and standby letters of credit serving as financial guarantees for loans and securities;

(ii) certain transaction-related contingent liabilities including performance bonds, bid bonds, warranties and standby letters of credit related to particular transactions;

(iii) short-term self-liquidating trade-related contingent liabilities arising from the movement of goods, such as documentary credits where the underlying shipment is used as security;

(iv) [deleted]

(v) [deleted]

(vi) other commitments, note issuance facilities and revolving underwriting facilities.

27. IAS 37, provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets, deals generally with accounting for, and disclosure of, contingent liabilities. The Standard is of particular relevance to banks because banks often become engaged in many types of contingent liabilities and commitments, some revocable and others irrevocable, which are frequently significant in amount and substantially larger than those of other commercial enterprises.

28. Many banks also enter into transactions that are presently not recognised as assets or liabilities in the balance sheet but which give rise to contingencies and commitments. Such off balance sheet items often represent an important part of the business of a bank and may have a significant bearing on the level of risk to which the bank is exposed. These items may add to, or reduce, other risks, for example by hedging assets or liabilities on the balance sheet.

29. The users of the financial statements need to know about the contingencies and irrevocable commitments of a bank because of the demands they may put on its liquidity and solvency and the inherent possibility of potential losses. Users also require adequate information about the nature and amount of off balance sheet transactions undertaken by a bank.

Maturities of assets and liabilities

30. A bank should disclose an analysis of assets and liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period at the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date.

31. The matching and controlled mismatching of the maturities and interest rates of assets and liabilities is fundamental to the management of a bank. It is unusual for banks ever to be completely matched since business transacted is often of uncertain term and of different types. An unmatched position potentially enhances profitability but can also increase the risk of losses.

32. The maturities of assets and liabilities and the ability to replace, at an acceptable cost, interest-bearing liabilities as they mature, are important factors in assessing the liquidity of a bank and its exposure to changes in interest rates and exchange rates. In order to provide information that is relevant for the assessment of its liquidity, a bank discloses, as a minimum, an analysis of assets and liabilities into relevant maturity groupings.

33. The maturity groupings applied to individual assets and liabilities differ between banks and in their appropriateness to particular assets and liabilities. Examples of periods used include the following:

(a) up to 1 month;

(b) from 1 month to 3 months;

(c) from 3 months to 1 year;

(d) from 1 year to 5 years; and

(e) from 5 years and over.

Frequently the periods are combined, for example, in the case of loans and advances, by grouping those under one year and those over one year. When repayment is spread over a period of time, each instalment is allocated to the period in which it is contractually agreed or expected to be paid or received.

34. It is essential that the maturity periods adopted by a bank are the same for assets and liabilities. This makes clear the extent to which the maturities are matched and the consequent dependence of the bank on other sources of liquidity.

35. Maturities could be expressed in terms of:

(a) the remaining period to the repayment date;

(b) the original period to the repayment date; or

(c) the remaining period to the next date at which interest rates may be changed.

The analysis of assets and liabilities by their remaining periods to the repayment dates provides the best basis to evaluate the liquidity of a bank. A bank may also disclose repayment maturities based on the original period to the repayment date in order to provide information about its funding and business strategy. In addition, a bank may disclose maturity groupings based on the remaining period to the next date at which interest rates may be changed in order to demonstrate its exposure to interest rate risks. Management may also provide, in its commentary on the financial statements, information about interest rate exposure and about the way it manages and controls such exposures.

36. In many countries, deposits made with a bank may be withdrawn on demand and advances given by a bank may be repayable on demand. However, in practice, these deposits and advances are often maintained for long periods without withdrawal or repayment; hence, the effective date of repayment is later than the contractual date. Nevertheless, a bank discloses an analysis expressed in terms of contractual maturities even though the contractual repayment period is often not the effective period because contractual dates reflect the liquidity risks attaching to the bank's assets and liabilities.

37. Some assets of a bank do not have a contractual maturity date. The period in which these assets are assumed to mature is usually taken as the expected date on which the assets will be realised.

38. The users' evaluation of the liquidity of a bank from its disclosure of maturity groupings is made in the context of local banking practices, including the availability of funds to banks. In some countries, short-term funds are available, in the normal course of business, from the money market or, in an emergency, from the central bank. In other countries, this is not the case.

39. In order to provide users with a full understanding of the maturity groupings, the disclosures in the financial statements may need to be supplemented by information as to the likelihood of repayment within the remaining period. Hence, management may provide, in its commentary on the financial statements, information about the effective periods and about the way it manages and controls the risks and exposures associated with different maturity and interest rate profiles.

Previous | Index | Next