Article 141
Restrictions on distributions
1.
An institution that meets the combined buffer requirement shall not make a distribution in connection with Common Equity Tier 1 capital to an extent that would decrease its Common Equity Tier 1 capital to a level where the combined buffer requirement is no longer met.
2.
An institution that fails to meet the combined buffer requirement shall calculate the maximum distributable amount (MDA) in accordance with paragraph 4 and shall notify the competent authority thereof.
Where the first subparagraph applies, the institution shall not undertake any of the following actions before it has calculated the MDA:
(a)
make a distribution in connection with Common Equity Tier 1 capital;
(b)
create an obligation to pay variable remuneration or discretionary pension benefits or pay variable remuneration if the obligation to pay was created at a time when the institution failed to meet the combined buffer requirement; or
(c)
make payments on Additional Tier 1 instruments.
3.
Where an institution fails to meet or exceed its combined buffer requirement, it shall not distribute more than the MDA calculated in accordance with paragraph 4 through any action referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2.
4.
Institutions shall calculate the MDA by multiplying the sum calculated in accordance with paragraph 5 by the factor determined in accordance with paragraph 6. The MDA shall be reduced by any amount resulting from any of the actions referred to in point (a), (b) or (c) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2.
5.
The sum to be multiplied in accordance with paragraph 4 shall consist of:
(a)
any interim profits not included in Common Equity Tier 1 capital pursuant to Article 26(2) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, net of any distribution of profits or any payment resulting from the actions referred to in point (a), (b) or (c) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2 of this Article;
plus
(b)
any year-end profits not included in Common Equity Tier 1 capital pursuant to Article 26(2) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 net of any distribution of profits or any payment resulting from the actions referred to in point (a), (b) or (c) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2 of this Article;
minus
(c)
amounts which would be payable by tax if the items specified in points (a) and (b) of this paragraph were to be retained.
6.
The factor shall be determined as follows:
(a)
where the Common Equity Tier 1 capital maintained by the institution which is not used to meet any of the own funds requirements set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and the additional own funds requirement addressing risks other than the risk of excessive leverage set out in point (a) of Article 104(1) of this Directive, expressed as a percentage of the total risk exposure amount calculated in accordance with Article 92(3) of that Regulation, is within the first (that is, the lowest) quartile of the combined buffer requirement, the factor shall be 0;
(b)
where the Common Equity Tier 1 capital maintained by the institution which is not used to meet any of the own funds requirements set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and the additional own funds requirement addressing risks other than the risk of excessive leverage set out in point (a) of Article 104(1) of this Directive, expressed as a percentage of the total risk exposure amount calculated in accordance with Article 92(3) of that Regulation, is within the second quartile of the combined buffer requirement, the factor shall be 0,2;
(c)
where the Common Equity Tier 1 capital maintained by the institution which is not used to meet the own funds requirements set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and the additional own funds requirement addressing risks other than the risk of excessive leverage set out in point (a) of Article 104(1) of this Directive, expressed as a percentage of the total risk exposure amount calculated in accordance with Article 92(3) of that Regulation, is within the third quartile of the combined buffer requirement, the factor shall be 0,4;
(d)
where the Common Equity Tier 1 capital maintained by the institution which is not used to meet the own funds requirements set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 and the additional own funds requirement addressing risks other than the risk of excessive leverage set out in point (a) of Article 104(1) of this Directive, expressed as a percentage of the total risk exposure amount calculated in accordance with Article 92(3) of that Regulation, is within the fourth (that is, the highest) quartile of the combined buffer requirement, the factor shall be 0,6.
The lower and upper bounds of each quartile of the combined buffer requirement shall be calculated as follows:
where:
Qn = the ordinal number of the quartile concerned.
7.
The restrictions imposed by this Article shall only apply to payments that result in a reduction of Common Equity Tier 1 capital or in a reduction of profits, and where a suspension of payment or failure to pay does not constitute an event of default or a condition for the commencement of proceedings under the insolvency regime applicable to the institution.
8.
Where an institution fails to meet the combined buffer requirement and intends to distribute any of its distributable profits or undertake an action referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2, it shall notify the competent authority and provide the following information:
(a)
the amount of capital maintained by the institution, subdivided as follows:
(i)
Common Equity Tier 1 capital,
(ii)
Additional Tier 1 capital,
(iii)
Tier 2 capital;
(b)
the amount of its interim and year-end profits;
(c)
the MDA calculated in accordance with paragraph 4;
(d)
the amount of distributable profits it intends to allocate between the following:
(i)
dividend payments,
(ii)
share buybacks,
(iii)
payments on Additional Tier 1 instruments,
(iv)
the payment of variable remuneration or discretionary pension benefits, whether by creation of a new obligation to pay, or payment pursuant to an obligation to pay created at a time when the institution failed to meet its combined buffer requirements.
9.
Institutions shall maintain arrangements to ensure that the amount of distributable profits and the MDA are calculated accurately, and shall be able to demonstrate that accuracy to the competent authority on request.
10.
For the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 2, a distribution in connection with Common Equity Tier 1 capital shall include the following:
(a)
a payment of cash dividends;
(b)
a distribution of fully or partly paid bonus shares or other capital instruments referred to in Article 26(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013;
(c)
a redemption or purchase by an institution of its own shares or other capital instruments referred to in Article 26(1)(a) of that Regulation;
(d)
a repayment of amounts paid up in connection with capital instruments referred to in Article 26(1)(a) of that Regulation;
(e)
a distribution of items referred to in points (b) to (e) of Article 26(1) of that Regulation.