View original document

The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BEFORE THE
BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
WASHINGTON, D.C.
and
NEW YORK STATE BANKING DEPARTMENT
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Written Agreement by and among

1

J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO.
New York, New York

1

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK
New York, New York

)

)

and
NEW YORK STATE
BANKING DEPARTMENT
New Yo& New York

)

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
)

WHEREAS, it is the common goal of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., New York, New York, a
registered bank holding company (“JPMC‘), the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (the

“Reserve Bank”),and the New York State Banking Department (the “Department”) that JPMC

and its subsidiaries operate in compliance with applicable safety and soundness standards and
federal and state laws, rules and regulations;
WHEREAS, it is the further goal of JPMC, the Reserve Bank, and the Department that
JPMC and its subsidiaries effectively manage their financial, operational, legal, reputational, and
compliance risks,
WHEREAS, in recognition of these common goals, JPMC has agreed to enter into this

Written Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Reserve Bank and the Department;

WHEREAS, the Reserve Bank and the Department conducted a review of certain
transactions (the “Review”) among JPMC, its subsidiaries, the Enron Corporation, Houston,
Texas, and the company’s affiliates and related interests (collectively, “Enron”), which
transactions took place during the four years prior to Enron’s bankruptcy in December 2001 and
included, inter alia, certain complex structured finance transactions involving special purpose
entities and pre-paid commodity forward transactions (collectively, the “Structured
Transactions”);
WHEREAS, the Review covered risk management and internal control practices relevant
to the Structured Transactions;
WHEREAS, the Review raised concerns that the manner in which JPMC and its
subsidiariesparticipated in the Structured Transactions exposed them to significant risks and that

JPMC and its subsidiaries did not adequately assess the goals, purposes, and results of the
Structured Transactions and their potential risks;
WHEREAS, JPMC and its subsidiaries have developed and are implementingnew
policies and procedures to enhance and strengthen their risk managementpractices to address

areas of weakness identified by JPMC and its subsidiariesand by the Reserve Bank and the
Department during their Review;
WHEREAS, this Agreement is being executed to ensure that JPMC and its subsidiaries
continue to make progress in their efforts to enhance and strengthen such risk management
practices; and
WHEREAS, on July 15,2003, the board of directors of JPMC, at a duly constituted
meeting, adopted a resolution authorizing and directing appropriate officers of JPMC to enter
into this Agreement and consentingto compliance by JPMC and its institution-affiliatedparties,

2

as defined in sections 3(u) and 8(b)(3) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (the
“FDI Act”), (12 U.S.C. 1813(u) and 1818(b)(3)), with each and every provision of this
Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, JPMC, the Reserve Bank, and the Department hereby agree as
follows:
Credit Risk Management

1.

Within 60 days of this Agreement, JPMC shall submit to the Reserve Bank and

the Department acceptable revisions to its written credit risk management program applicableto
JPMC and its subsidiaries. The revised program shall particularly address complex structured
finance transactions, and be designed, at a minimum, to:
(a)

Evaluate the effectiveness of the current credit risk management program,

particularly for complex structured finance transactions, and confirm that business and control
functions are in compliancewith this program and any enhancements or revisions thereto;
(b)

ensure that the fundamental elements of the credit risk management

program, including due diligence, documentation, and exposure capture and reporting, are in
place and implemented for all counterpartiesand transactions;
(c)

ensure that credit decision-makerspossess the necessary information

concerning the counterparty’s credit risk profile to effectivelyfulfill their responsibilities, and
ensure that such information is appropriately detailed and transparent for review by other control
functions; and
(d)

analyze whether risk identificationmechanisms, such as credit reporting

systems, aggregation methods, credit limits, and credit-related trigger events incorporated into

3

customer tmnsactions, are adequate and result in effective measurement and control of customer
exposure across JPMC’s consolidated organization.

Legal and Reputational Risk Management
2.

Within 60 days of this Agreement, JPMC shall submit to the Reserve Bank and

the Department an acceptable written legal and reputational risk management program applicable
to JPMC and its subsidiaries. The program shall be designed to identify transactions in which
the counterpartyrelationship or the nature of the transaction with the counterpartyposes or may

pose heightened legal or reputational risks to JPMC or its subsidiaries, especially complex
structured finance transactions, and to ensure that JPMC and its subsidiaries effectivelyaddress
and manage such risks. The program shall include policies and procedures designed, at a
minimum, to:
(a)

Require that thorough assessments of legal and reputational risks be

incorporated into JPMC’s and its subsidiaries’ transactional approval process as well as into
ongoing customer relationship and transaction monitoring activities;
@)

require participationby control functions in all relevant areas, including

legal, credit, and accounting, in transaction approval and monitoring, and to ensure that effective
processes are in place for the escalation of matters relating to legal and reputational risks to the
appropriate level of senior management;
(c)

require effective client and internal communication procedures designed to

ensure that all persons responsible for trzLllsaction approval and monitoring receive, in a timely
manner, (1) complete and accurate information about the transaction, and (2) complete and
accurate disclosure of the counterparty’s purpose in entering into the particular transaction;

4

(d)

require that members of the staff of JPMC and any subsidiary

participating in transaction approval and monitoring obtain,to the best extent possible, complete
and accurate information about the counterparty’s proposed accounting treatment of the
transaction and the effect of the transaction on the counterparty’s financial disclosures;

(e)

assess whether financial, accounting, rating agency disclosure, or other

issues associated with a transaction are likely to raise legal or reputational risks for JPMC and its
subsidiaries;

(0

require a higher level review of the overall customer relationship between

the counterpartyand JPMC and its subsidiariesindependent of the business line in all instances
that present heightened risk, in particular where the counterparty’s primary purpose, goal or
objective in entering into a transaction is to achieve an accounting or tax effect;
(9)

address tolerance for legal and reputational risks and provide for regular

review of risk tolerance by appropriate senior management;
(h)

ensure that when opinions or consultation with outside counsel are

required for transaction approval, the business line proposing the transaction complies fully with

JF’MC’s corporate policy for retaining such counsel;
(i)

ensure that JPMC and its subsidiarieshave adequate policies and

procedures for establishing special purpose entities and for ensuring that transactionswith such
entities are on an arms-length basis, including appropriate allocation of income and expenses, the
extension of credit at market rates, and complete documentation; and

6)

enhance training and strengthenoversight of the new product approval

process to ensure that all new products (and material changes to existing products) are subject to
the appropriate level of due diligence and meet all legal requirements.

5

Approval and Progress Reports

3.

The programs required by paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Agreement shall be

submitted to the Reserve Bank and the Department for review and approval. Acceptable
programs shall be submitted to the Reserve Bank and the Department within the time periods set
forth in this Agreement. JPMC shall adopt the approved programs within 10 days of approval by

the Reserve Bank and the Department and then shall fully implement and comply with them.
During the term of this Agreement, the approved programs shall not be amended or rescinded
without the prior written approval of the Reserve Bank and the Department.
4.

Within 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter after the date of this

Agreement, JPMC shall submit to the Reserve Bank and the Department written progress reports
detailing the form and mamm of all actions taken to secure compliance with the provisions of

this Agreement, and the results thereof. The Reserve Bank and the Department may, in writing,
discontinuethe requirement for progress reports.
Notices
5.

All communicationsregarding this Agreement shall be sent to:

Mr. Brian Peters
Senior Vice President
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York, New York 10045
Mr. P. Vincent Conlon
Deputy Superintendentof Banks
New York State Banking Department
One State Street
New York, New York 10004

6

(c)

William H. McDavid, Esq.
General Counsel
J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.
270 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017

Miscellaneous
6.

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding on JPMC and its institution-

affiliated parties in their capacities as such, and its successors and assigns.

7.

Each provision of this Agreement shall remain effective and enforceable until

stayed, modified, terminated or suspended in writing by the Reserve Bank and the Department.
8.

Notwithstandingany provision of this Agreement, the Reserve Bank and the

Department may, in their sole discretion, grant written extensions of time to JPMC to comply
with any provision of this Agreement.

9.

The provisions of this Agreement shall not bar, estop or otherwise prevent the

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the ”Board of Governors”), the Reserve

Bank, the Department, or any federal or state agency or department from &g

any further

action affecting JF’MC, any of its current or former institution-affiliated parties, JPMC’s
successors or assigns, or any of JPMC’s subsidiaries.

7

10.

This Agreement is a “written agreement” for the purposes of, and is enforceable

by the Board of Governors and the Department as an order issued under, section 8 of the FDI Act
and section 39 of the New York Banking Law.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the patties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
as of this

*

day of -2003.

J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO.

By:

ldJLdn?g J

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK

dq6

By:

William L. Rutledge
Executive Vice l’resident

William H. McDavid
General Counsel

NEW YORK STATE BANKWG DEPARTMENT

-

By:

c-L%

Diana Taylor
Superintendent of Banks

8

lp.