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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Division of Supervision

550 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20429

Securitizations and Participations
FIL-1-99
January 7, 1999
TO:
SUBJECT:

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Proposed Policy Statement on the Treatment of Securitizations and Loan
Participations After Appointment of the FDIC as Conservator or Receiver

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The FDIC Board of Directors is seeking comment of the attached proposed "Statement of Policy
Regarding the Treatment of Securitizations and Loan Participations Following Appointment of
the FDIC as Conservator or Receiver." The proposed policy statement responds to certain legal
and accounting issues affecting asset-backed securitizations and loan participations entered
into by insured depository institutions. The FDIC will accept comments on the proposal through
March 1, 1999.

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Under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), one criterion for a transfer of financial
assets to be accounted for as a sale is the "legal isolation" of the transferred assets. Financial
assets are deemed to be legally isolated when they have been placed beyond the reach of the
transferor and its creditors, even in the case of the bankruptcy of or the appointment of a
receiver for the transferor. Insured depository institutions, accountants, and other parties have
raised questions about whether this isolation test would be satisfied for securitizations and
participations when the FDIC, as conservator or receiver, has the statutory power to repudiate
or disaffirm the transfers. If the transferred assets are not sufficiently isolated from the insured
bank or thrift, its creditors, or the receiver, the transfers would not qualify for sale treatment
under GAAP and the transferred assets would continue to be reported as assets on the
institution's balance sheet.

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The proposed Statement of Policy responds to those questions by reassuring interested parties
that, subject to certain conditions such as fraud, the FDIC, as conservator or receiver, will not
seek to reclaim, recover, or recharacterize securitized financial assets or loan participations for
the conservatorship or receivership. Accordingly, the policy statement should resolve the legal
isolation issue for insured depository institutions. The proposed Statement of Policy confirms
existing FDIC practice in dealing with securitization and loan participation transactions.
For more information, please contact Michael H. Krimminger, Senior Policy Analyst in the
FDIC's Office of Policy Development (202-898-8950); Thomas Bolt, Counsel in the Legal
Division (202-736-0168); or Robert Storch, Chief, Accounting Section, Division of Supervision
(202-898-8906).
William F. Kroener III
General Counsel

Attachment: December 30, 1998 Federal Register, pages 71926-71928
(HTML or PDF, 27 Kb - PDF help or hard copy)
Distribution: All Insured Banks and Savings Associations

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NOTE: Paper copies of FDIC financial institution letters may be obtained through the FDIC's
Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, DC 20434 (800-2766003 or (703) 562-2200).