§217.201. Purpose, applicability, and reservation of authority. — Inbound Citations

(1) In complying with the capital adequacy requirements of this part (except for the requirements and calculations of subpart J of this part), including any determination of applicability under § 217.100 or § 217.201, an insurance bank holding company, insurance savings and loan holding company, or insurance mid-tier holding company may elect not to consolidate the assets and liabilities of its subsidiary state-regulated insurers, regulated foreign subsidiaries, and regulated foreign affiliates. Such an institution that makes this election must either:

(i) Deduct from the sum of its common equity tier 1 capital elements the aggregate amount of its outstanding equity investment, including retained earnings, in such subsidiaries and affiliates; or

(ii) Include in the risk-weighted assets of the Board-regulated institution the aggregate amount of its outstanding equity investment, including retained earnings, in such subsidiaries and affiliates and assign to these assets a 400 percent risk weight.

(2) Advanced market risk-weighted assets means the advanced measure for market risk calculated under § 217.204 multiplied by 12.5.

Affiliate with respect to a company, means any company that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the company.

Allocated transfer risk reserves means reserves that have been established in accordance with section 905(a) of the International Lending Supervision Act, against certain assets whose value U.S. supervisory authorities have found to be significantly impaired by protracted transfer risk problems.

Allowances for loan and lease losses (ALLL) means valuation allowances that have been established through a charge against earnings to cover estimated credit losses on loans, lease financing receivables or other extensions of credit as determined in accordance with GAAP. ALLL excludes “allocated transfer risk reserves.” For purposes of this part, ALLL includes allowances that have been established through a charge against earnings to cover estimated credit losses associated with off-balance sheet credit exposures as determined in accordance with GAAP.

Asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) program means a program established primarily for the purpose of issuing commercial paper that is investment grade and backed by underlying exposures held in a bankruptcy-remote special purpose entity (SPE).

Asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) program sponsor means a Board-regulated institution that:

(6) (12 CFR part 217, subpart F). (i) With the concurrence of the Chair of the Committee on Supervision and Regulation, and after consultation with the General Counsel, to act on a request by a company to be excluded from the market risk rule under § 217.201(b)(3) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(b)(3)) if the action would not raise significant policy issues.

(A) Under § 217.201(c)(1) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(c)(1)) to hold an amount of capital greater than otherwise required under subpart F of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subpart F) upon a determination that the company's capital requirement for market risk as calculated under Regulation Q is not commensurate with the market risk of the company's covered positions;

(B) Under § 217.201(c)(2) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(c)(2)) to assign a different risk-based capital requirement to one or more covered positions or portfolios that more accurately reflects the risk of the positions or portfolios; and

(C) Under § 217.201(c)(3) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(c)(3)) to calculate risk-based capital requirements for specific positions or portfolios under subpart F of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subpart F), or under subparts D or E of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subparts D or E), as appropriate, to more accurately reflect the risks of the positions.

(iii) To act regarding any model approval, disapproval, rescission, or supervision under subpart F of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subpart F), including the authority to:

(A) Exclude from trading assets or liabilities structural foreign currency positions of a company or any hedge of a covered position that is outside the scope of the company's hedging strategy under § 217.202 of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.202);

(B) Act on a request from a company under § 217.203(c)(1) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.203(c)(1)) to approve its internal model(s) to calculate its risk-based capital requirement;

(C) Rescind approval under § 217.203(c)(3) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.203(c)(3)) of a company's internal model(s) to calculate its risk-based capital requirement;

(D) Act on a request from a company under § 217.204(a)(2)(vi)(B) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.204(a)(2)(vi)(B)) to use alternative techniques to measure the risk of de minimis exposures;

(E) Act on a request from a company under § 217.204(b)(2) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.204(b)(2)) to use a different adjustment of its VaR-based measure;

(F) Review and determine the appropriateness of a company's omission of risk factors under § 217.205(a)(4) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.205(a)(4)) and the use of proxies under § 217.205(a)(5) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.205(a)(5));

(G) Review and determine under § 217.205(b)(1) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.205(b)(1)) the appropriateness of any conversions of VaR to other holding periods by a company;

(H) Review and determine under § 217.205(b)(2)(ii) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.205(b)(2)(ii)) the appropriateness of a company's alternative weighting schemes;

(I) Approve or disapprove under § 217.205(c) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.205(c)) any requirements relating to a company's division of subportfolios;

(J) Approve or disapprove under § 217.206(b)(3) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.206(b)(3)) any changes to a company's policies and procedures that describe how the company determines the period of significant financial stress used to calculate its stressed VaR-based measure;

(K) Require a company under § 217.206(b)(4) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.206(b)(4)) to use a different period of significant financial stress in the calculation of the stressed VaR-based measure;

(L) Act on a request by a company under § 217.208(a) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.208(a)) to include certain portfolios of equity positions in its incremental risk model;

(M) Act on a request by a company under § 217.209(a)(1) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.209(a)(1)) to use the comprehensive risk approach for one or more portfolios of correlation trading positions and the related approval under § 217.209(a)(2)(ii) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.209(a)(2)(ii)) regarding a company's comprehensive risk capital requirement;

(N) Determine under § 217.210(e)(3) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.210(e)(3)) whether an index is a main index because the equities represented by the index have comparable liquidity, depth of market, and size of bid-ask spreads as equities in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and FTSE All-World Index; and

(O) Determine under § 217.210(f)(1) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.210(f)(1)) whether or not a company has demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the features of a securitization exposure.

(1) The Board may require a Board-regulated institution to hold an amount of capital greater than otherwise required under this subpart if the Board determines that the Board-regulated institution's capital requirement for market risk as calculated under this subpart is not commensurate with the market risk of the Board-regulated institution's covered positions. In making determinations under paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section, the Board will apply notice and response procedures generally in the same manner as the notice and response procedures set forth in 12 CFR 263.202.

(A) Under § 217.201(c)(1) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(c)(1)) to hold an amount of capital greater than otherwise required under subpart F of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subpart F) upon a determination that the company's capital requirement for market risk as calculated under Regulation Q is not commensurate with the market risk of the company's covered positions;

(1) The Board may require a Board-regulated institution to hold an amount of capital greater than otherwise required under this subpart if the Board determines that the Board-regulated institution's capital requirement for market risk as calculated under this subpart is not commensurate with the market risk of the Board-regulated institution's covered positions. In making determinations under paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section, the Board will apply notice and response procedures generally in the same manner as the notice and response procedures set forth in 12 CFR 263.202.

(B) Under § 217.201(c)(2) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(c)(2)) to assign a different risk-based capital requirement to one or more covered positions or portfolios that more accurately reflects the risk of the positions or portfolios; and

(1) The Board may require a Board-regulated institution to hold an amount of capital greater than otherwise required under this subpart if the Board determines that the Board-regulated institution's capital requirement for market risk as calculated under this subpart is not commensurate with the market risk of the Board-regulated institution's covered positions. In making determinations under paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(3) of this section, the Board will apply notice and response procedures generally in the same manner as the notice and response procedures set forth in 12 CFR 263.202.

(C) Under § 217.201(c)(3) of Regulation Q (12 CFR 217.201(c)(3)) to calculate risk-based capital requirements for specific positions or portfolios under subpart F of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subpart F), or under subparts D or E of Regulation Q (12 CFR part 217, subparts D or E), as appropriate, to more accurately reflect the risks of the positions.