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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

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Concentrations of assets, liabilities and off balance sheet items

40. A bank should disclose any significant concentrations of its assets, liabilities and off balance sheet items. Such disclosures should be made in terms of geographical areas, customer or industry groups or other concentrations of risk. A bank should also disclose the amount of significant net foreign currency exposures.

41. A bank discloses significant concentrations in the distribution of its assets and in the source of its liabilities because it is a useful indication of the potential risks inherent in the realisation of the assets and the funds available to the bank. Such disclosures are made in terms of geographical areas, customer or industry groups or other concentrations of risk which are appropriate in the circumstances of the bank. A similar analysis and explanation of off balance sheet items is also important. Geographical areas may comprise individual countries, groups of countries or regions within a country; customer disclosures may deal with sectors such as governments, public authorities, and commercial and business enterprises. Such disclosures are made in addition to any segment information required by IAS 14, segment reporting.

42. The disclosure of significant net foreign currency exposures is also a useful indication of the risk of losses arising from changes in exchange rates.

Losses on loans and advances

43. A bank shall disclose the following:

(a) the accounting policy that describes the basis on which uncollectible loans and advances are recognised as an expense and written off.

(b) details of the movements in any allowance account for impairment losses on loans and advances during the period. It shall disclose separately the amount recognised as an expense in the period for impairment losses on uncollectible loans and advances, the amount charged in the period for loans and advances written off and the amount credited in the period for loans and advances previously written off that have been recovered.

(c) the aggregate amount of any allowance account for impairment losses on loans and advances at the balance sheet date.

44. Any amounts set aside in respect of losses on loans and advances in addition to impairment losses recognised under IAS 39 on loans and advances shall be accounted for as appropriations of retained earnings. Any credits resulting from the reduction of such amounts result in an increase in retained earnings and are not included in the determination of profit or loss for the period.

45. [deleted]

46. Local circumstances or legislation may require or allow a bank to set aside amounts for impairment losses on loans and advances in addition to those losses that have been recognised under IAS 39. Any such amounts set aside represent appropriations of retained earnings and not expenses in determining profit or loss. Similarly, any credits resulting from the reduction of such amounts result in an increase in retained earnings and are not included in the determination of profit or loss.

47. Users of the financial statements of a bank need to know the impact that impairment losses on loans and advances have had on the financial position and performance of the bank; this helps them judge the effectiveness with which the bank has employed its resources. Therefore a bank discloses the aggregate amount of any allowance account for impairment losses on loans and advances at the balance sheet date and the movements in the allowance account during the period. The movements in the allowance account, including the amounts previously written off that have been recovered during the reporting period, are shown separately.

48. [deleted]

49. When loans and advances cannot be recovered, they are written off and charged against any allowance account for impairment losses. In some cases, they are not written off until all the necessary legal procedures have been completed and the amount of the impairment loss is finally determined. In other cases, they are written off earlier, for example when the borrower has not paid any interest or repaid any principal that was due in a specified period. As the time at which uncollectible loans and advances are written off differs, the gross amount of loans and advances and of the allowance account for impairment losses may vary considerably in similar circumstances. As a result, a bank discloses its policy for writing off uncollectibleloans and advances.

General banking risks

50. Any amounts set aside for general banking risks, including future losses and other unforeseeable risks or contingencies should be separately disclosed as appropriations of retained earnings. Any credits resulting from the reduction of such amounts result in an increase in retained earnings and should not be included in the determination of net profit or loss for the period.

51. Local circumstances or legislation may require or allow a bank to set aside amounts for general banking risks, including future losses or other unforeseeable risks, in addition to the charges for losses on loans and advances determined in accordance with paragraph 45. A bank may also be required or allowed to set aside amounts for contingencies. Such amounts for general banking risks and contingencies do not qualify for recognition as provisions under IAS 37, provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets. Therefore, a bank recognises such amounts as appropriations of retained earnings. This is necessary to avoid the overstatement of liabilities, understatement of assets, undisclosed accruals and provisions and the opportunity to distort net income and equity.

52. The income statement cannot present relevant and reliable information about the performance of a bank if net profit or loss for the period includes the effects of undisclosed amounts set aside for general banking risks or additional contingencies, or undisclosed credits resulting from the reversal of such amounts. Similarly, the balance sheet cannot provide relevant and reliable information about the financial position of a bank if the balance sheet includes overstated liabilities, understated assets or undisclosed accruals and provisions.

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