Article 332
Credit Derivatives
1.
When calculating the own funds requirement for general and specific risk of the party who assumes the credit risk (the ‘protection seller’), unless specified differently, the notional amount of the credit derivative contract shall be used. Notwithstanding the first sentence, the institution may elect to replace the notional value by the notional value plus the net market value change of the credit derivative since trade inception, a net downward change from the protection seller's perspective carrying a negative sign. For the purpose of calculating the specific risk charge, other than for total return swaps, the maturity of the credit derivative contract, rather than the maturity of the obligation, shall apply. Positions are determined as follows:
(a)
a total return swap creates a long position in the general risk of the reference obligation and a short position in the general risk of a government bond with a maturity equivalent to the period until the next interest fixing and which is assigned a 0 % risk weight under Title II, Chapter 2. It also creates a long position in the specific risk of the reference obligation;
(b)
a credit default swap does not create a position for general risk. For the purposes of specific risk, the institution shall record a synthetic long position in an obligation of the reference entity, unless the derivative is rated externally and meets the conditions for a qualifying debt item, in which case a long position in the derivative is recorded. If premium or interest payments are due under the product, these cash flows shall be represented as notional positions in government bonds;
(c)
a single name credit linked note creates a long position in the general risk of the note itself, as an interest rate product. For the purpose of specific risk, a synthetic long position is created in an obligation of the reference entity. An additional long position is created in the issuer of the note. Where the credit linked note has an external rating and meets the conditions for a qualifying debt item, a single long position with the specific risk of the note need only be recorded;
(d)
in addition to a long position in the specific risk of the issuer of the note, a multiple name credit linked note providing proportional protection creates a position in each reference entity, with the total notional amount of the contract assigned across the positions according to the proportion of the total notional amount that each exposure to a reference entity represents. Where more than one obligation of a reference entity can be selected, the obligation with the highest risk weighting determines the specific risk;
(e)
a first-asset-to-default credit derivative creates a position for the notional amount in an obligation of each reference entity. If the size of the maximum credit event payment is lower than the own funds requirement under the method in the first sentence of this point, the maximum payment amount may be taken as the own funds requirement for specific risk.
A -n-th-asset-to-default credit derivative creates a position for the notional amount in an obligation of each reference entity less the n-1 reference entities with the lowest specific risk own funds requirement. If the size of the maximum credit event payment is lower than the own funds requirement under the method in the first sentence of this point, this amount may be taken as the own funds requirement for specific risk.
Where an n-th-to-default credit derivative is externally rated, the protection seller shall calculate the specific risk own funds requirement using the rating of the derivative and apply the respective securitisation risk weights as applicable.
2.
For the party who transfers credit risk (the protection buyer), the positions are determined as the mirror principle of the protection seller, with the exception of a credit linked note (which entails no short position in the issuer). When calculating the own funds requirement for the ‘protection buyer’, the notional amount of the credit derivative contract shall be used. Notwithstanding the first sentence, the institution may elect to replace the notional value by the notional value plus the net market value change of the credit derivative since trade inception, a net downward change from the protection seller's perspective carrying a negative sign. If at a given moment there is a call option in combination with a step-up, such moment is treated as the maturity of the protection.
3.
Credit derivatives in accordance with Article 338(1) or (3) shall be included only in the determination of the specific risk own funds requirement in accordance with Article 338(4).