PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Federal banking agencies must check how much risk U.S. banks face from medium- and long-term loans they have made to any country that is very heavily in debt. After the check, the agencies must tell those banks if they need to set aside more general reserves or special reserves to cover possible loan losses. When deciding how much risk a bank has, the agencies must reexamine any country exposure that has been rated “Other Transfer Risk Problems” or “Substandard” for at least two years by the Interagency Country Exposure Review Committee. Agencies may exempt some loans from extra reserve rules if the country is in a debt-reduction program backed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the International Monetary Fund, or if the loan is properly secured by collateral. Agencies can also consider other relevant facts, including reserve levels used by banks in other countries and the secondary market prices of the loans. Each agency sets the timing for reserve additions, must report its actions in the reports required under section 3912(d) after 1989, and had to finish the reviews by December 31, 1990. A “highly indebted country” means any country listed as such in the World Debt Tables published by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development most recently before December 19, 1989.

Title 12, §3904a

Banks and Banking, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

Each appropriate Federal banking agency shall review the exposure to risk of United States banking institutions arising from the medium- and long-term loans made by such institutions that are outstanding to any highly indebted country. Each agency shall provide direction to such institutions regarding additions to general reserves maintained by each banking institution for potential loan losses and special reserves required by such agency arising from such review.

(b)Determination of institutional exposure to risk

In determining the exposure of an institution to risk for purposes of subsection (a), the appropriate Federal banking agency—

(1)shall determine whether any country exposure that is, and has been for at least 2 years, rated in the category “Other Transfer Risk Problems” or the category “Substandard” by the Interagency Country Exposure Review Committee should be reevaluated;

(2)may exempt, in full or in part, from reserve requirements established pursuant to subsection (a), any loan—

(A)to a country that enters into a debt reduction, debt service reduction, or financing program with its bank creditors that is supported by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the International Monetary Fund; or

(B)secured, in whole or in part, by appropriate collateral for payment of interest or principal;

(3)take into account any other factors which bear on such exposure and the particular circumstances of the institution; and

(4)shall consider as indicators of risk, where appropriate, the average reserve levels maintained by or required of banking institutions in foreign countries and secondary market prices for such loans.

(c)Timing and report

(1)Determined by agency

Except as provided in paragraph (3), each appropriate Federal banking agency shall determine the timing of any addition to reserves required by subsection (a).

(2)Report

Each appropriate Federal banking agency shall include in each report required to be made under section 3912(d) of this title after 1989 a report on the actions taken pursuant to this section.

(3)Deadline

Each Federal agency required to undertake a review described in subsection (a) shall complete the review not later than December 31, 1990.

(d)“Highly indebted country” defined

As used in this section, the term “highly indebted country” means any country designated as a “Highly Indebted Country” in the annual World Debt Tables most recently published by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development before December 19, 1989.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 3912(d) of this title, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), was repealed by Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title II, § 2224(c), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–415.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Congressional Findings Pub. L. 101–240, title IV, § 402(a), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2501, provided that: “The Congress finds that— “(1) since the adoption of the International Lending Supervision Act of 1983 [12 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.], the credit quality of loans by United States banking institutions to highly indebted countries has deteriorated and the prospects for full repayment of such loans have diminished; “(2) in general during this period, the level of country exposure and transfer risk associated with loans by United States banking institutions to highly indebted countries has not been adequately reflected in the reserve levels established by many individual United States banking institutions or the reserve requirements imposed by Federal banking agencies pursuant to such Act; “(3) during the last 3 years and particularly in recent months, United States banking institutions have increased their reserves for possible losses from loans to highly indebted countries but such reserves remain, in some cases, significantly lower than reserves established by banking institutions in a number of foreign countries and may not be adequate to deal with potential risks; and “(4) in order to fulfill the purposes of such Act, the Federal banking agencies should take a more active role in reviewing reserve levels established by United States banking institutions for potential losses from loans to highly indebted countries and in requiring appropriate levels of both special and general reserves to reflect the increased risk of such loans.”

§3904a Additional Reserve Requirements