Unsecured Credit Limits for Federal Home Loan Banks

Riepilogo

The Federal Housing Finance Board (Finance Board) is amending the unsecured credit provision of its rules, which was adopted as part of its capital rule on December 20, 2000 and governs the amount of unsecured credit that a Federal Home Loan Bank (Bank) can extend to a particular counterparty. The unsecured credit limits adopted in December were generally stricter than the limits under which the Banks operated with the Finance Board's Financial Management Policy (FMP). The amendments adopted herein will require the Banks to base the credit limit on the long-term credit rating of the counterparty. They also will set the amount of unsecured credit that a Bank can extend to a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) at the level allowed under the FMP, and adjust the limits for sales of overnight federal funds and the limits for unsecured credit that can be extended to groups of affiliated counterparties. The amendments also address how the unsecured credit limits should be applied to certain housing finance agency bonds, and clarify how a Bank should calculate its credit exposures from on- and off-balance sheet items and derivative contracts. The Finance Board also is adding to Sec. 932.