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Financial Institution Letter
FIL-24-2009
May 22, 2009

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
550 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20429-9990

CONSIDERATION OF THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT WHEN
ANALYZING AND RATING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Summary: The recent FDIC Board action imposing a special assessment on insured institutions is not
expected to affect the supervisory component or composite ratings that FDIC examiners assign to institutions.

Distribution:

Highlights:

FDIC-Supervised Institutions

Suggested Routing:
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Compliance Officer

•

When analyzing the institution’s earnings posture, capital
adequacy, and liquidity, examiners will consider the nonrecurring
nature of the special assessment.

•

Examiners will not downgrade an institution’s CAMELS
component or composite ratings because of the negative effect of
the special assessment.

•

Banks will be expected to comply with regulatory capital
minimums and prompt corrective action (PCA) standards;
however, supervisors will factor into their overall analysis of
capital adequacy the nonrecurring nature of the special
assessment.

Related Topics:
Final Rule on Special Assessments
Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System
http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/laws/federal/ufir.
pdf

Contact:
Lou Bervid, Senior Examination Specialist, at
(202) 898-6896 or lbervid@fdic.gov.

Note:
FDIC financial institution letters (FILs) may be
accessed from the FDIC's Web site at
www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2009/index.h
tml.
To receive FILs electronically, please visit
http://www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/fil.html.
Paper copies of FDIC financial institution letters
may be obtained through the FDIC's Public
Information Center, 3501 Fairfax Drive, E-1002,
Arlington, VA 22226.

Financial Institution Letters
FIL-24-2009
May 22, 2009
CONSIDERATION OF THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT WHEN ANALYZING AND
RATING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
On May 22, 2009, the FDIC Board of Directors adopted a final rule establishing a 5 basis
point special assessment on each insured depository institution’s assets minus Tier 1 capital
as of June 30, 2009. The amount of the special assessment for any institution, however, will
not exceed 10 basis points times the institution’s assessment base for the second quarter 2009
risk-based assessment. The special assessment is necessary to strengthen the Deposit
Insurance Fund and promote confidence in the deposit insurance system.
When assessing an institution’s earnings, capital, and liquidity, examiners will take into
account the expectation that the special assessment is a nonrecurring item. For example,
when assessing earnings, examiners develop an understanding of the bank’s core business
activities and consider how nonrecurring events, such as the special assessment, affect the
institution’s earnings performance by adjusting earnings on a tax-equivalent basis. Important
factors examiners consider when assigning composite ratings include the composition and
quality of assets, current earnings and trends, liquidity and funds management, deposit
structure, quality of management, strength of the parent company, and the risks facing the
institution as a result of local economic conditions.
Banks will be expected to comply with regulatory capital minimums and prompt corrective
action (PCA) standards. An institution’s CAMELS component or composite ratings will not
be downgraded because of the negative effect of the special assessment. Examiners will
consider the extraordinary circumstances that necessitated the special assessment when
determining the component and composite ratings.

Sandra L. Thompson
Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection