Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive

ECON Draft Reports on Proposed BRRD II Directive and SRM II Regulation

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On September 29, 2017, the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (“ECON“) published two draft reports relating to the European Commission’s proposed revisions to the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (2014/59/EU) (BRRD) and to the implementation in the EU of the Financial Stability Board’s total loss absorbing capacity (TLAC) standard (BRRD II):

  1. Draft report on the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation to amend the Single Resolution Mechanism (Regulation 806/2014) (proposed SRM II Regulation).
  2. Draft report on the Commission’s proposal for a Directive to amend the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (2014/59/EU) (BRRD) (proposed BRRD II Directive).

Each of the draft reports contains a Parliament legislative resolution on the proposed Regulation and Directive (as applicable), which suggests amendments to the European Commission’s original legislative proposal. They also each contain an explanatory statement by the rapporteur Gunnar Hökmark.

Next, ECON will vote to finalize the draft reports before they are considered by the Parliament.

Alterations related to insolvency rankings are necessary to integrate the TLAC standard requirements into the BRRD. In June 2017, ECON published a draft report on the Commission’s proposed Directive amending the BRRD as regards the ranking of unsecured debt instruments in insolvency hierarchy (the proposed Insolvency Hierarchy Directive).

As part of a package of banking reforms, the Commission published the proposed Directive in November 2016. The EU institutions have agreed to fast-track this proposal. The Council of the EU agreed to its general approach on the proposed Directive in June 2017 and, at that time, stated that it hoped the Parliament would be able to start negotiating by the end of 2017.

Delegated Regulation on RTS Specifying Criteria for Setting MREL under BRRD published in OJ

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On September 3, 2016, the Commission Delegated Regulation ((EU) 2016/1450) supplementing the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (2014/59/EU) (BRRD) with regulatory technical standards (RTS) highlighting the criteria relating to the methodology for setting the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) has been published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJ).

Article 45(6) of the BRRD specifies certain criteria that a resolution authority must consider when determining the level of MREL for a BRRD institution. Article 45(2) of the BRRD gave the European Commission the power to adopt a Delegated Regulation containing RTS further specifying the Article 45(6) assessment criteria.

The RTS contain provisions relating to the interpretation of the six assessment criteria set out in Article 45(6). They also permit resolution authorities to provide a transitional period for reaching the final MREL for firms or entities to which resolution tools have been applied.

The Delegated Regulation was adopted by the Commission on May 23, 2016. It shall enter into force 20 days after its publication in the OJ (i.e. September 23, 2016).

EBA Publishes Interim Report on MREL

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The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published an interim report on the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL). Under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (2014/59/EU) (BRRD) the EBA is required to submit a report to the European Commission on the implementation of MREL by October 31, 2016.  This report will assist the Commission in its work on a legislative proposal on the harmonized application of MREL as well as a legislative proposal to review MREL and implement the total loss absorbing capacity standard in the EU.

The EBA’s interim report is intended to provide input into the Commission’s deliberations ahead of the preparations of the EBA’s final report and contains a number of provisional recommendations. Preliminary quantitative findings on the financing capacity and needs of EU banking groups are also available in the interim report, although these are subject to several methodological caveats.  In the absence of MREL decisions for institutions to date, and given the limited information related to the resolution authorities’ MREL policy approach, the EBA was required to make assumptions on the likely scope and calibration of MREL.  These assumptions are by definition different from the actual levels of MREL which will ultimately be determined by resolution authorities in relation to each institution and group.

The interim report is available here.

European Commission Adopts Delegated Regulation on RTS on Detailed Records of Financial Contracts under BRRD

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On June 7, 2016, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation supplementing the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (2014/59/EU) (BRRD). The Delegated Regulation deals with the regulatory technical standards (RTS) on a minimum set of the information on financial contracts that should be contained in the detailed records, together with the circumstances in which the requirement should be imposed (C(2016) 3356 final).

Following submission of draft RTS by the EBA in December 2015, the Commission is entitled, under Article 71 of the BRRD, to adopt delegated regulations which highlight the methodology for assessing the value of assets and liabilities of institutions or entities. The draft RTS state that, should the relevant conditions for resolution be satisfied, an institution must maintain detailed records of financial contracts where it is foreseen that resolution actions would be applied to the institution concerned. The Annex accompanying the Delegated Regulation highlights the minimum list of information on financial contracts.

It is now for the Council of the EU and the European Parliament to consider the Delegated Regulation. Subject to any objection, it will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU (OJ).

ESMA Reminds Firms of their Responsibilities when Selling Bail-In Securities

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On June 2, 2016, ESMA issued a statement (ESMA/2016/902) reminding banks and investment firms of their responsibility to act in their clients’ best interests when selling bail-in-able financial instruments.  The statement clarifies how credit institutions and investment firms should apply the requirements under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (2004/39/EC) (MiFID) governing the distribution to clients of financial instruments subject to the BRRD resolution regime under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (2014/59/EU).

The statement stresses that firms must comply with their obligations under MiFID and the importance of:

  • Providing investors with up-to-date, complete information drafted under the supervision of the compliance function.
  • Managing potential conflicts of interest, in particular, when a firm sells its own bail-in financial instruments directly to its customers (self-placement).
  • Ensuring the product is suitable and appropriate for the investor, which may entail collecting more in-depth information about the client than usual to reflect the fact a client could lose money without the firm entering into insolvency.

In an accompanying press release, ESMA explained that under the BRRD rules, which came into force in January 2016, firms are likely to issue a significant amount of potentially loss-bearing instruments to fulfil their obligations and raised its concern that investors (in particular retail investors) are unaware of the risks they may face when buying these instruments.

The EBA Publishes Updates on the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive

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On October 3, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a consultation paper on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS), implementing technical standards (ITS) and guidelines relating to group financial support under the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). Under the BRRD, a number of conditions must be satisfied to permit one group entity to provide financial support to another group entity that meets the conditions for early intervention under the BRRD. The EBA is required to produce draft RTS and guidelines specifying these conditions. The deadline for comments on the consultation is January 4, 2015.

On October 1, the EBA published a consultation paper on draft guidelines on the interrelationship between the sequence of write-down and conversion of liabilities when the bail-in power under the BRRD is used and the hierarchy of capital instruments in the Capital Requirements Regulation. The deadline for comments on the consultation is January 3, 2015. Consultation Paper. Consultation Paper.

EBA Publishes Final Guidelines on Public Support Measures under BRRD

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On September 22, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published final guidelines specifying the types of tests, reviews or exercises that may lead to support measures under Article 32(4)(d)(iii) of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD).

The BRRD establishes a framework for dealing with unsound or failing credit institutions and investment firms. Article 32(4) of the BRRD stipulates that a firm should be deemed to be failing, or likely to fail, if, among other things, there is a need for extraordinary public support, unless all the conditions listed in Article 32(4)(d) are met.  Under Article 32(4)(d), the EBA is required to issue guidelines on the type of tests, reviews or exercises that may lead to capital shortfalls that may be eligible to be covered by public recapitalization.  Final Guidelines.