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FRB: Press Release -- Risk weighting for bank claims on securities firms -- December 6, 2000

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Office of Thrift Supervision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2000

AGENCIES PROPOSE LOWER RISK WEIGHTING
FOR BANK CLAIMS ON SECURITIES FIRMS
The federal banking regulatory agencies today requested public comment on a proposal to
amend their capital standards for banks, bank holding companies and savings associations to
reduce the risk weight applied to claims on, or guaranteed by, qualifying securities firms.
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift
Supervision published the proposal in today�s Federal Register.
The proposal would mitigate a competitive inequity for U.S. depository institutions and
holding companies by lowering the risk weight applied to claims on qualifying securities
firms from 100 percent to 20 percent. This change is consistent with the treatment of claims
on securities firms under an April 1998 amendment to the Basel Accord. The Accord is an
international framework for assessing the capital adequacy of depository institutions by risk
weighting their assets and off-balance-sheet exposures and serves as a basis for the banking
agencies� risk-based capital guidelines.
Under the proposal, qualifying securities firms incorporated in the United States must be
registered broker-dealers subject to and in compliance with the net capital rule of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, and subject to margin and other regulatory
requirements applicable to registered broker-dealers. Securities firms incorporated in other
countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) must be subject to supervisory and regulatory arrangements, including risk-based
capital requirements, comparable to those imposed on depository institutions under the
Basel Accord. Qualifying U.S. and OECD securities firms also must have a long-term credit
rating in one of the three highest investment-grade credit ratings categories used by a
nationally recognized statistical rating organization.
Comments are due by January 22, 2001.
The proposed rule is attached. (743 KB PDF)

Media Contacts:
https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/boardacts/2000/20001206/default.htm

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FRB: Press Release -- Risk weighting for bank claims on securities firms -- December 6, 2000

David Skidmore (202) 452-2955
Phil Battey (202) 898-6993
Sam Eskenazi (202) 874-5770
William Fulwider (202) 906-6913

2000 Banking and consumer regulatory policy
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