Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DataBoiler Addendum VolckerRevision Comments
DataBoiler Addendum VolckerRevision Comments
Carve-out Tender Option Bond (TOB) Trust - The Rule intended to prevent the JV exclusion from being used as a vehicle to raises money from investors primarily for the purpose of investing in
connection with TOB trusts are not undertaken for purpose of S-T
raise funds from investors primarily for the purpose of profiting from securities for rsale or other disposition or otherwise trading in securities
resale
investment activity in securities for resale or other disposition or otherwise
trading in securities. Volcker permits banking entity to provide the TOB with credit or liquidity
enhancement if the bank participates in the program only as an unaffiliated
3rd party (no relationship with TOB sponsor) ...
compliance.
Volcker never prohibits banks from direct lending to small businesses. Why
frequently buying & selling these SBIC funds? If banks only act as sponsors
while incapable to lend directly to small businesses, does the economy still
Allow banks to use professionals rather than making the banks
banking entitys investment in the fund of funds must "also meet the need banks to seat in the middle?
Permit Fund of Funds investment in SBIC have this investing expertise in house allow a greater risk
investment limitations contained in __.12 of the rule text" - borrow short, lend long (vs ALM maturity match )?
diversification via the portfolio effect.
- when incapable grasp hold of too much resources ...
Covered Funds
No, OCC IL 1030 was written in May 2005 (i.e. 10+ years before Volcker is
Make Bank Owned Life Insurance (BOLI) 248.10(c)(7) separate account
effective). IL 1030 indeed exposes concern about "speculative" practice
exposures to a basket of hedge funds not a used solely for the purpose of BOLI (BE(s) is beneficiary), provided no banking
through BOLI and stated that "the variable portion of the return is more
violation. OCC Interpretive Letter (IL) 1030 prided a path for banks to entity that purchases the policy:
similar to the return of
BOLI
BOLI exclusion will not be violated purely as invest in structured notes that included underlying exposures to a - controls the investment decisions regarding the underlying assets or holdings
shares of an IC invested in hedge funds or equities...". Bank ownership of
a consequence of policies issued to both a basket of hedge funds. of the separate account; or
and relationship with hedge funds is tighten ever since the Volcker covered
bank & non-bank entities in same separate - participates in the P&L of the separate account other than in compliance with
funds provision. So, the process should continue require supervisory "non-
account applicable supervisory guidance
objection" by the bank's examiner-in-charge on case-by-case basis ...
- Exclude "qualify foreign excluded funds" Fund-of-one is owned by a single investor and that allows the A wholly-owned subsidiary of a banking entity, although excluded from the
from banking entity definition investor to have customized terms ... a fund-of-one whose sole definition of covered fund, still would itself be a banking entity. There is no
Fund-of-One
- Exclusion of qualifying funds-of-one from owner is a foreign bank is considered a wholly-owned subsidiary good way out for Fund-of-One, except to divest.
the definition of wholly-owned subsidiary of the foreign bank and, therefore, ineligible for covered fund Neither 248.10(c)(2) "wholly owned subsidary" exclusion nor SOTUS exemption
- Carved out from the wholly-owned status. As such, it is deemed a banking entity (non-bank manager (FAQ#13) would work in this situation Alternatively, restructure the fund that it'll qualify for SOTUS exemption.
subsidiary definition so that their non-bank responsible for the fund daily management) is subject to Volcker There should be covenants to ensure that fund maintains its covered fund
managers are not rendered subject to compliance obligation A SOTUS fund may not be a "wholly status and that the SOTUS fund does not become a wholly-owned subsidiary
Volcker compliance owned subsidiary" of a banking entity. of the foreign bank ...
This addendum should be read in conjunction with the open letter submitted to the OCC regarding Volcker Revision, see http://www.databoiler.com/index_htm_files/DataBoiler%20Volcker619%20Comments.pdf Page 1 of 4
Data Boiler Technologies, LLC - Addendum Volcker Revision Comments
FAQ#21
- If a banking entity acts as a market maker with respect to interests in a
Qualifying TruPS CDO that is a covered fund, then section 248.11(c) of the
248.16(a) allows the retention of an interest in or sponsorship of covered funds
final rule makes the capital deduction provision in section 248.12 applicable
by banking entities if, among other things, the following conditions are met:
to those interests.
- The TruPS CDO was established, and the interest was issued, before May 19,
- If a banking entity relies on section 248.12 to hold an interest in a TruPS
2010;
CDO that is a covered fund but is not a Qualifying TruPS CDO, the banking
Carve-out new investment in Collateral Debt Some securitized debt obligations trade and price like securitized - The banking entity reasonably believes that the offering proceeds received by
entity would be required to comply with all the limits and restrictions in
CDO
Obligations (CDO) backed by Trust Preferred fixed income products shouldn't be covered fund because they the TruPS CDO were invested primarily in qualifying TruPS collateral issued by
section 248.12, including the requirement to deduct its investment from its
Securities (TruPS) are exempt from 40 Act registration by virtue of 3(c)(1)/(7) banking entities; and
tier 1 capital for purposes of determining compliance with applicable
- The banking entitys interest in the TruPS CDO was acquired on or before
regulatory capital requirements.
December 10, 2013, the date the Agencies issued the Final Rule implementing
the Volcker Rule.
TruPS are illiquid. Permitting not to divest does not mean allowing new
...
investment in TruPS CDO. 2014 Bankruptcy court decision in the case of FMB
Bancshares Inc. v. Trapeza CDO XII, LTD. exposes issues with TruPS that
endanger community banks ...
Although ABCP may be repaid in the ordinary course from the proceeds of
newly issued commercial paper or from draws on a liquidity facility, but
most single-seller conduits are extendible. They can extend past the original
maturity date if they are unable to roll the ABCP at maturity.
248.10(c)(9)
- So that it does not require the advising banking entity to Per Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio requirement, ABCP or other securities
- Issue only ABS comprised of a residual inerest and ABS <397 days
Modify the qualifying asset backed assume all risk associated with the securities issued issued by a bank sponsored conduit might require support from High Quality
ABCP
This addendum should be read in conjunction with the open letter submitted to the OCC regarding Volcker Revision, see http://www.databoiler.com/index_htm_files/DataBoiler%20Volcker619%20Comments.pdf Page 2 of 4
Data Boiler Technologies, LLC - Addendum Volcker Revision Comments
Reducing Risk on non-Trading Assets, such market-making exemption. These activities aren't related to market-making
margin calls on the other).
as Mortgage Servicing (MS) Assets, provided functions - routinely stand ready to purchase and sell financial instruments Banks ought to strictly follow _.5(b) ...
there will be back-testing explaining related to the trading desk's financial exposure.
Consistent with the Federal Reserve Board's market risk capital
deivations from expectation and set
rule.
toleratnces for projected change in value
under stress conditions.
_.3(d)(3) Liquidity management exemption
Carve-out activities that bear no price risk - trading in accordance to documented liquidity management plan
or that reduce price risk to non-trading - specifically authorize the particular securities* to be used, the The Final Rule determined NOT to expand the liquidity management
assets, irrespective of the quantity of amount, types and risks of these securities that are consistent with provision to broadly allow asset-liability management (ALM), earnings
financial instruments used. liquidity management and the circumstances in which the particular management, or scenario hedging, and declining to add a separate exclusion
Reduce Price Risk
securities may or must be used; or exemption. See Footnote 224, 225, 239 (section 165(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the
With non-trading assets and liabilities having second order risk
Remove "purpose test" to revise definition (sensitivities to interest rates change as rates move), holding a - require that the transaction authorized be principally for the purpose Dodd-Frank Act; Enhanced Prudential Standards, 77 FR 644 at 645 +
of "trading account", including carve-out of hedge has economic cost. of liquidity management and not for short-term trading purposes; Enhanced Prudential Standards, 77 FR 76,678 at 76,682)
securities positions that are carried as either - require that any securities purchased or sold be highly liquid
available-for-sale at fair value or held-to- and limited to securities that are not reasonably expected^ to The Rule's preamble notes that trading account is nomenchlature for the set
Agency securities and interest rate swaps are among the two
MS / ALM
maturity at amortized cost. give rise to appreciable profits or losses as a result of short-term of transactions that are subject to the restriction on proprietary trading.
most ccommon tools used to manage the interest rate risk
price movements; 2012 JPMC case exposes issues that OCC regulatory oversight was dodged by
associated with MS rights.
- limit any securities (together with any other instruments purchased the bank's sharing of "incomplete" trading account information to hide
or sold for liquidity management purposes) to an amount that is massive loss. Hence, Volcker's purpose test must be preserved.
Swaps likely would fail purpose test because:
consistent with the banking entitys near-term funding needs
- Short-term resale (60-day rebuttable presumption)
~ If the trade doesn't fit above criteria, see if it qualifies for _.5(b) risk Continue to use U.S. Treasury or other permissible agency bonds to manage
- Benefitting from actual or expected short-term price
mitigating hedging exemption. interest rate risk associate with MSR. A banking entity could enter into an
movements/ realizing short-term arbitrage profits
interest rate swap to hedge against a specific portfolio of loans, but can no
- Hedging one or more such positions.
* The U.S. implementation of a quantitative liquidity coverage ratio as part of longer engage in the general macro hedging activities that do not relate to
the Basel III capital and liquidity framework. individual or aggregated positions that have specific, identifiable risk(s).
^ the timing of purchases and sales, the types and duration of positions taken ...
... must all indicate that managing liquidity, and not taking short-term profits (or
limiting short-term losses), is the purpose of these activities ...
This addendum should be read in conjunction with the open letter submitted to the OCC regarding Volcker Revision, see http://www.databoiler.com/index_htm_files/DataBoiler%20Volcker619%20Comments.pdf Page 3 of 4
Data Boiler Technologies, LLC - Addendum Volcker Revision Comments
Costs to bring banks' activities into conformance with the implementing Volcker, including in building, maintaining, monitoring and audting the required, expansive compliance program.
Inferrence from SIFMA Annex B Our takeaways from OCC analysis of 12 CFR Part 44
$184 million "recurring" cost Total $41.5 million "one-off" expense for top 46 banks
Policies & procedures +
- Collecting and filing metrics per year per bank = ~$2 million - Metrics: average cost for each of the top 7 = $2.53 million; the next 39 banks' average cost = $0.2 million
x 46 banks (to get on equal footing of OCC analysis) x 2 years of submission efforts - Policies & Procedures: average cost for each of the top 7 = $1.57 million, while next 39 banks' average cost = $0.126 million
Metrcis
- claims there are over 5 million data points in average submitted for each metrics filing Metrics are expected to be logical outcome of robust control systems, so it is a "one-off" automation cost rather than manually regurgitating data from
- Average 2500 pages of Volcker policies and prcedures multiple places.
* Policies and procedures are all good as long as they can be enforced. However, there seems to be trouble for If the cost is about risk data aggregation relates to BCBS-239 or other project, then it shouldn't be attributed to Volcker.
banks rigorously qualifying their trades for various Volcker exemptions based on comments submitted by the If these costs are all specified to directly relate to Volcker, then it's a major weakness that regulators shouldn't trust banks that they can efficiently and
industry effectively monitor compliance through metrics. Hence, it should revert back to a trade-by-trade scrutiny.
Unknown [Very Little] Total $512.9 million per annum
[- Shouldn't count any cost related to regurgitating Risk Appetite Statement (RAS) as RENTD because they are - Dedicated Full Time Employee (FTE) per desk to focus on RENTD: hourly rate $95.37 x 40 hrs/wk x 52 wk/year + 30% benefit = $257,875 all-in cost per desk x
RENTD
not the same 1100 trading desks from top 7 banks and 491 desks from the next 39 banks = $410.3 million/ annum
- OCC original analysis expects bank to devote 88-95% of Volcker compliane budget in RENTD, while the - RENTD Testing & Validation: $70.9 million for top 7 banks each year and $31.7 for the next 39 banks each year = $102.6 million
industry digress to other regulatory priorities] - The industry didn't put their compliance $ where it should be - ensure "reasonableness" of activities
compliance expenditures
- that excludes Haircut (5.5%) on impermissible covered funds $3.63 billion and $165 million on additional capital
(assuming $184 million + 10,000 training hrs x $124/hr x 46 banks + $9.7million attestation)
- Per SIFMA, banks have have split business units into multiple trading desks to ensure that they do not rely on multiple exclusions or exemptions, resulting in
- Average over 10,000 training hours each year per bank (training an army of intruders to invite daily trading
an average of 95 trading desks (as compared to OCC analysis: 1591 desks for top 46 banks = 34.6 desks). Fewer employed traders as result of prop trading
operations verus automated survelliance to red-flag suspicious trades)
desks shut down, yet the industry have more desks than before, that's puzzling!
- 1700 hours spent on CEO attestation (assuming same all-in hourly cost/ FTE $124 x 1700hrs x 46 banks = $9.7
- The industry devoted countless hours and resources in lobbying and compilation of documents. However, they haven't spend enough efforts to advance
million if that counts toward independent testing costs, that's still less than 10% of the RENTD Testing &
their methods to account for "reasonable" level of securities inventory and put in place a system of internal controls reasonably designed to "prevent" the
Validation cost that the OCC has expected)
occurrence of activities or investments prohibited by the regulations.
- that excludes compliance cost to ensure risks from covered funds/ affiliates won't come back to haunt banks (Super 23A)
- Banks lobbying hard in conjunction with stakeholders to seek exclusions/ modifications
* Per SIA.org, combined the costs for external resources (outside counsel) to complement the work of internal teams in organizing and performing the
- Covered funds requirements are relatively more "prescriptive" than prop trading ban, and there are concrete
covered funds review process can easily added up to $15 million or more for the majority of major banks. Multiple $15 million by 46 top banks = $690 million
works to be done, but the works are highly manual]
- OCC believe the rule a "major rule" under the Continuing Resolution Authority (CRA), and already disclaimed that their estimate does not capture indirect
- SIFMA worked with Bloomberg and KPMG to analyze > 1 million covered fund vehichles, half million of
costs due to decrease market liquidity and the impact this decrease in liquidity may have on the market value of some assets and the cost to corporations of
CUSIPs issued by common types of securitizations, and more
issuing debt. So, one should expect these direct and indirect costs are all "factored" in.
10 Billion [No, it doesn't reconcile with the current market realities] $4.3 Billion [A better estimate than the industry, but still hasn't reached that amount yet]
- Bernstein Research estimate that Volcker Rule could cost banks $10 billion a year in pre-tax earnings, - OCC estimate total direct annual costs (prop trade + covered funds) associated with the final rule.
TOTAL
including reduce of non-exempt fixed income revenue by 20-25%. The prohibition of flow trading would impact - The industry has to accept a new normal in the market (i.e. primary dealers' inventory of corporate debt securities likely won't return to the peak of $285
55% of total revenue, and with such a revenue decline, the industry FICC pre-tax margin would decline from billion in 2007)
24% to an estimated 17% ... - Banks have paid out $100 Billion in U.S. fines (from 2009-March 2014), Volcker compliance cost is merely a tiny fraction of that.
This addendum should be read in conjunction with the open letter submitted to the OCC regarding Volcker Revision, see http://www.databoiler.com/index_htm_files/DataBoiler%20Volcker619%20Comments.pdf Page 4 of 4