Reserve Bank of Australia Annual Report – 2016 Financial Statements Note 11 – Contingent Assets and Liabilities

Committed Liquidity Facility

From 1 January 2015, the RBA has provided a Committed Liquidity Facility (CLF) to eligible authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) as part of Australia's implementation of the Basel III liquidity standards. The CLF provides ADIs with a contractual commitment to funding under repurchase agreements with the RBA, subject to certain conditions. It was established to ensure that ADIs are able to meet their liquidity requirements under Basel III. The CLF is made available to ADIs in Australia because the supply of High Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA) is lower in Australia than is typical in other major countries; in other countries, these liquidity requirements are usually met by banks holding HQLAs on their balance sheet. While the RBA administers the CLF, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) determines which institutions have access to the facility and the limits available. Any drawdown must meet certain conditions, including: APRA does not object to the drawdown; and the RBA assesses that the ADI has positive net worth. Accordingly, the potential funding under the CLF is disclosed as a contingent liability; repurchase agreements associated with providing funding are disclosed as a contingent asset. If an ADI drew on the CLF, the funds drawn would be shown as a deposit liability of the RBA, and the counterpart repurchase agreement as an Australian dollar investment.

The aggregate undrawn commitment of the CLF at 30 June 2016 totalled about $224 billion for 13 ADIs (about $255 billion for 13 ADIs at 30 June 2015).

Bank for International Settlements

The RBA has a contingent liability, amounting to $67.7 million at 30 June 2016 ($65.8 million at 30 June 2015), for the uncalled portion of its shares held in the BIS.

NPA and Securency

As outlined in Note 1, the RBA has accounted for the costs, and potential costs, to the consolidated entity associated with the charges laid against NPA, Securency and several former employees of these companies during 2011 and the charges against former employees laid in 2013. In light of several uncertainties, it is not possible to make reliable estimates of all of the potential costs associated with the charges, or potential claims in connection with them, at the date of preparing these accounts.

Regarding the sale of Securency in 2013, the RBA provided the owner of Innovia Security with a number of indemnities for the period during which the company had been jointly owned by the RBA and Innovia Films. It is not possible to reliably estimate the potential financial effect of these indemnities. The RBA, however, does not consider it probable at this time that it will have to make payments in terms of these indemnities. Accordingly, they are treated as contingent liabilities in accordance with AASB 137 – Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets.

In addition, an amount covering 50 per cent of certain potential liabilities of Innovia Security relating to events prior to the sale has been placed in escrow. The RBA will receive the remaining balance after relevant claims have been paid, settled or lapse. If it is not possible to estimate the likelihood of the RBA receiving any payments from amounts held in escrow, these amounts are treated as a contingent asset, in accordance with AASB 137.

Insurance

The RBA carries its own insurance risks except when external insurance cover is considered to be more cost-effective or is required by legislation.

Performance Guarantees

In the course of providing services to its customers, the RBA provides performance guarantees to third parties in relation to customer activities. Such exposure is not material and has not given rise to losses in the past.