As used in this part:

Acquired CRT exposure means, with respect to an Enterprise:

1. (1) Any exposure that arises from a credit risk transfer of the Enterprise and has been acquired by the Enterprise since the issuance or entry into the credit risk transfer by the Enterprise; or

2. (2) Any exposure that arises from a credit risk transfer of the other Enterprise.

   Additional tier 1 capital is defined in § 1240.20(c).

Adjusted allowances for credit losses (AACL) means valuation allowances that have been established through a charge against earnings or retained earnings for expected credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost and a lessor's net investment in leases that have been established to reduce the amortized cost basis of the assets to amounts expected to be collected as determined in accordance with GAAP. For purposes of this part, adjusted allowances for credit losses include allowances for expected credit losses on off-balance sheet credit exposures not accounted for as insurance as determined in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted allowances for credit losses allowances created that reflect credit losses on purchased credit deteriorated assets and available-for-sale debt securities.

Adjusted total assets means the sum of the items described in paragraphs (1) though (9) of this definition, as adjusted pursuant to paragraph (9) of this definition for a clearing member Enterprise:

1. (1) The balance sheet carrying value of all of the Enterprise's on-balance sheet assets, plus the value of securities sold under a repurchase transaction or a securities lending transaction that qualifies for sales treatment under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), less amounts deducted from tier 1 capital under § 1240.22(a), (c), and (d), and less the value of securities received in security-for-security repo-style transactions, where the Enterprise acts as a securities lender and includes the securities received in its on-balance sheet assets but has not sold or re-hypothecated the securities received, less the fair value of any derivative contracts;

2. (2)

   1. (i) The potential future exposure (PFE) for each netting set to which the Enterprise is a counterparty (including cleared transactions except as provided in paragraph (9) of this definition and, at the discretion of the Enterprise, excluding a forward agreement treated as a derivative contract that is part of a repurchase or reverse repurchase or a securities borrowing or lending transaction that qualifies for sales treatment under GAAP), as determined under § 1240.36(c)(7), in which the term C in § 1240.36(c)(7)(i) equals zero, and, for any counterparty that is not a commercial end-user, multiplied by 1.4. For purposes of this paragraph, an Enterprise may set the value of the term C in § 1240.36(c)(7)(i) equal to the amount of collateral posted by a clearing member client of the Enterprise in connection with the client-facing derivative transactions within the netting set; and
   2. (ii) An Enterprise may choose to exclude the PFE of all credit derivatives or other similar instruments through which it provides credit protection when calculating the PFE under § 1240.36(c), provided that it does so consistently over time for the calculation of the PFE for all such instruments;

3. (3)

   1. (i)

      1. (A) The replacement cost of each derivative contract or single product netting set of derivative contracts to which the Enterprise is a counterparty, calculated according to the following formula, and, for any counterparty that is not a commercial end-user, multiplied by 1.4:

         Replacement Cost = max{V−CVMr + CVMp; 0}

         Where: (1) V equals the fair value for each derivative contract or each single-product netting set of derivative contracts (including a cleared transaction except as provided in paragraph (9) of this definition and, at the discretion of the Enterprise, excluding a forward agreement treated as a derivative contract that is part of a repurchase or reverse repurchase or a securities borrowing or lending transaction that qualifies for sales treatment under GAAP); (2) CVMr equals the amount of cash collateral received from a counterparty to a derivative contract and that satisfies the conditions in paragraphs (3)(ii) through (vi) of this definition, or, in the case of a client-facing derivative transaction, the amount of collateral received from the clearing member client; and (3) CVMp equals the amount of cash collateral that is posted to a counterparty to a derivative contract and that has not offset the fair value of the derivative contract and that satisfies the conditions in paragraphs (3)(ii) through (vi) of this definition, or, in the case of a client-facing derivative transaction, the amount of collateral posted to the clearing member client;

      2. (B) Notwithstanding paragraph (3)(i)(A) of this definition, where multiple netting sets are subject to a single variation margin agreement, an Enterprise must apply the formula for replacement cost provided in § 1240.36(c)(10)(i), in which the term CMA may only include cash collateral that satisfies the conditions in paragraphs (3)(ii) through (vi) of this definition; and
      3. (C) For purposes of paragraph (3)(i)(A) of this definition, an Enterprise must treat a derivative contract that references an index as if it were multiple derivative contracts each referencing one component of the index if the Enterprise elected to treat the derivative contract as multiple derivative contracts under § 1240.36(c)(5)(vi);
   2. (ii) For derivative contracts that are not cleared through a QCCP, the cash collateral received by the recipient counterparty is not segregated (by law, regulation, or an agreement with the counterparty);
   3. (iii) Variation margin is calculated and transferred on a daily basis based on the mark-to-fair value of the derivative contract;
   4. (iv) The variation margin transferred under the derivative contract or the governing rules of the CCP or QCCP for a cleared transaction is the full amount that is necessary to fully extinguish the net current credit exposure to the counterparty of the derivative contracts, subject to the threshold and minimum transfer amounts applicable to the counterparty under the terms of the derivative contract or the governing rules for a cleared transaction;
   5. (v) The variation margin is in the form of cash in the same currency as the currency of settlement set forth in the derivative contract, provided that for the purposes of this paragraph, currency of settlement means any currency for settlement specified in the governing qualifying master netting agreement and the credit support annex to the qualifying master netting agreement, or in the governing rules for a cleared transaction; and
   6. (vi) The derivative contract and the variation margin are governed by a qualifying master netting agreement between the legal entities that are the counterparties to the derivative contract or by the governing rules for a cleared transaction, and the qualifying master netting agreement or the governing rules for a cleared transaction must explicitly stipulate that the counterparties agree to settle any payment obligations on a net basis, taking into account any variation margin received or provided under the contract if a credit event involving either counterparty occurs;

4. (4) The effective notional principal amount (that is, the apparent or stated notional principal amount multiplied by any multiplier in the derivative contract) of a credit derivative, or other similar instrument, through which the Enterprise provides credit protection, provided that:

   1. (i) The Enterprise may reduce the effective notional principal amount of the credit derivative by the amount of any reduction in the mark-to-fair value of the credit derivative if the reduction is recognized in common equity tier 1 capital;

   2. (ii) The Enterprise may reduce the effective notional principal amount of the credit derivative by the effective notional principal amount of a purchased credit derivative or other similar instrument, provided that the remaining maturity of the purchased credit derivative is equal to or greater than the remaining maturity of the credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection and that:

      1. (A) With respect to a credit derivative that references a single exposure, the reference exposure of the purchased credit derivative is to the same legal entity and ranks pari passu with, or is junior to, the reference exposure of the credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection; or
      2. (B) With respect to a credit derivative that references multiple exposures, the reference exposures of the purchased credit derivative are to the same legal entities and rank pari passu with the reference exposures of the credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection, and the level of seniority of the purchased credit derivative ranks pari passu to the level of seniority of the credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection;
      3. (C) Where an Enterprise has reduced the effective notional amount of a credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection in accordance with paragraph (4)(i) of this definition, the Enterprise must also reduce the effective notional principal amount of a purchased credit derivative used to offset the credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection, by the amount of any increase in the mark-to-fair value of the purchased credit derivative that is recognized in common equity tier 1 capital; and
      4. (D) Where the Enterprise purchases credit protection through a total return swap and records the net payments received on a credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection in net income, but does not record offsetting deterioration in the mark-to-fair value of the credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection in net income (either through reductions in fair value or by additions to reserves), the Enterprise may not use the purchased credit protection to offset the effective notional principal amount of the related credit derivative through which the Enterprise provides credit protection;

5. (5) Where an Enterprise acting as a principal has more than one repo-style transaction with the same counterparty and has offset the gross value of receivables due from a counterparty under reverse repurchase transactions by the gross value of payables under repurchase transactions due to the same counterparty, the gross value of receivables associated with the repo-style transactions less any on-balance sheet receivables amount associated with these repo-style transactions included under paragraph (1) of this definition, unless the following criteria are met:

   1. (i) The offsetting transactions have the same explicit final settlement date under their governing agreements;
   2. (ii) The right to offset the amount owed to the counterparty with the amount owed by the counterparty is legally enforceable in the normal course of business and in the event of receivership, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding; and
   3. (iii) Under the governing agreements, the counterparties intend to settle net, settle simultaneously, or settle according to a process that is the functional equivalent of net settlement, (that is, the cash flows of the transactions are equivalent, in effect, to a single net amount on the settlement date), where both transactions are settled through the same settlement system, the settlement arrangements are supported by cash or intraday credit facilities intended to ensure that settlement of both transactions will occur by the end of the business day, and the settlement of the underlying securities does not interfere with the net cash settlement;

6. (6) The counterparty credit risk of a repo-style transaction, including where the Enterprise acts as an agent for a repo-style transaction and indemnifies the customer with respect to the performance of the customer's counterparty in an amount limited to the difference between the fair value of the security or cash its customer has lent and the fair value of the collateral the borrower has provided, calculated as follows:

   1. (i) If the transaction is not subject to a qualifying master netting agreement, the counterparty credit risk (E*) for transactions with a counterparty must be calculated on a transaction by transaction basis, such that each transaction i is treated as its own netting set, in accordance with the following formula, where Ei is the fair value of the instruments, gold, or cash that the Enterprise has lent, sold subject to repurchase, or provided as collateral to the counterparty, and Ci is the fair value of the instruments, gold, or cash that the Enterprise has borrowed, purchased subject to resale, or received as collateral from the counterparty:

      Ei* = max {0, [Ei—Ci]}

   2. (ii) If the transaction is subject to a qualifying master netting agreement, the counterparty credit risk (E*) must be calculated as the greater of zero and the total fair value of the instruments, gold, or cash that the Enterprise has lent, sold subject to repurchase or provided as collateral to a counterparty for all transactions included in the qualifying master netting agreement (ΣEi), less the total fair value of the instruments, gold, or cash that the Enterprise borrowed, purchased subject to resale or received as collateral from the counterparty for those transactions (ΣCi), in accordance with the following formula:

      E* = max {0, [ΣEi− ΣCi]}

7. (7) If an Enterprise acting as an agent for a repo-style transaction provides a guarantee to a customer of the security or cash its customer has lent or borrowed with respect to the performance of the customer's counterparty and the guarantee is not limited to the difference between the fair value of the security or cash its customer has lent and the fair value of the collateral the borrower has provided, the amount of the guarantee that is greater than the difference between the fair value of the security or cash its customer has lent and the value of the collateral the borrower has provided;
8. (8) The credit equivalent amount of all off-balance sheet exposures of the Enterprise, excluding repo-style transactions, repurchase or reverse repurchase or securities borrowing or lending transactions that qualify for sales treatment under GAAP, and derivative transactions, determined using the applicable credit conversion factor under § 1240.35(b), provided, however, that the minimum credit conversion factor that may be assigned to an off-balance sheet exposure under this paragraph is 10 percent; and

9. (9) For an Enterprise that is a clearing member:

   1. (i) A clearing member Enterprise that guarantees the performance of a clearing member client with respect to a cleared transaction must treat its exposure to the clearing member client as a derivative contract for purposes of determining its adjusted total assets;
   2. (ii) A clearing member Enterprise that guarantees the performance of a CCP with respect to a transaction cleared on behalf of a clearing member client must treat its exposure to the CCP as a derivative contract for purposes of determining its adjusted total assets;
   3. (iii) A clearing member Enterprise that does not guarantee the performance of a CCP with respect to a transaction cleared on behalf of a clearing member client may exclude its exposure to the CCP for purposes of determining its adjusted total assets;
   4. (iv) An Enterprise that is a clearing member may exclude from its adjusted total assets the effective notional principal amount of credit protection sold through a credit derivative contract, or other similar instrument, that it clears on behalf of a clearing member client through a CCP as calculated in accordance with paragraph (4) of this definition; and
   5. (v) Notwithstanding paragraphs (9)(i) through (iii) of this definition, an Enterprise may exclude from its adjusted total assets a clearing member's exposure to a clearing member client for a derivative contract, if the clearing member client and the clearing member are affiliates and consolidated for financial reporting purposes on the Enterprise's balance sheet.

Adjusted total capital means the sum of tier 1 capital and tier 2 capital.

Advanced approaches total risk-weighted assets means:

1. (1) The sum of:

   1. (i) Credit-risk-weighted assets for general credit risk (including for mortgage exposures), cleared transactions, default fund contributions, unsettled transactions, securitization exposures (including retained CRT exposures), equity exposures, and the fair value adjustment to reflect counterparty credit risk in valuation of OTC derivative contracts, each as calculated under § 1240.123.
   2. (ii) Risk-weighted assets for operational risk, as calculated under § 1240.162(c); and
   3. (iii) Advanced market risk-weighted assets; minus
2. (2) Excess eligible credit reserves not included in the Enterprise's tier 2 capital.

Advanced market risk-weighted assets means the advanced measure for spread risk calculated under § 1240.204(a) multiplied by 12.5.

Affiliate has the meaning given in section 1303(1) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(1)).

Allowances for loan and lease losses (ALLL) means valuation allowances that have been established through a charge against earnings to cover estimated credit losses on loans, lease financing receivables or other extensions of credit as determined in accordance with GAAP. For purposes of this part, ALLL includes allowances that have been established through a charge against earnings to cover estimated credit losses associated with off-balance sheet credit exposures as determined in accordance with GAAP.

Backtesting means the comparison of an Enterprise's internal estimates with actual outcomes during a sample period not used in model development. In this context, backtesting is one form of out-of-sample testing.

Bankruptcy remote means, with respect to an entity or asset, that the entity or asset would be excluded from an insolvent entity's estate in receivership, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding.

Basis derivative contract means a non-foreign-exchange derivative contract (i.e., the contract is denominated in a single currency) in which the cash flows of the derivative contract depend on the difference between two risk factors that are attributable solely to one of the following derivative asset classes: Interest rate, credit, equity, or commodity.

Carrying value means, with respect to an asset, the value of the asset on the balance sheet of an Enterprise as determined in accordance with GAAP. For all assets other than available-for-sale debt securities or purchased credit deteriorated assets, the carrying value is not reduced by any associated credit loss allowance that is determined in accordance with GAAP.

Central counterparty (CCP) means a counterparty (for example, a clearing house) that facilitates trades between counterparties in one or more financial markets by either guaranteeing trades or novating contracts.

CFTC means the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Clean-up call means a contractual provision that permits an originating Enterprise or servicer to call securitization exposures before their stated maturity or call date.

Cleared transaction means an exposure associated with an outstanding derivative contract or repo-style transaction that an Enterprise or clearing member has entered into with a central counterparty (that is, a transaction that a central counterparty has accepted).

1. (1) The following transactions are cleared transactions:

   1. (i) A transaction between a CCP and an Enterprise that is a clearing member of the CCP where the Enterprise enters into the transaction with the CCP for the Enterprise's own account;
   2. (ii) A transaction between a CCP and an Enterprise that is a clearing member of the CCP where the Enterprise is acting as a financial intermediary on behalf of a clearing member client and the transaction offsets another transaction that satisfies the requirements set forth in § 1240.3(a);
   3. (iii) A transaction between a clearing member client Enterprise and a clearing member where the clearing member acts as a financial intermediary on behalf of the clearing member client and enters into an offsetting transaction with a CCP, provided that the requirements set forth in § 1240.3(a) are met; or
   4. (iv) A transaction between a clearing member client Enterprise and a CCP where a clearing member guarantees the performance of the clearing member client Enterprise to the CCP and the transaction meets the requirements of § 1240.3(a)(2) and (3).
2. (2) The exposure of an Enterprise that is a clearing member to its clearing member client is not a cleared transaction where the Enterprise is either acting as a financial intermediary and enters into an offsetting transaction with a CCP or where the Enterprise provides a guarantee to the CCP on the performance of the client.

Clearing member means a member of, or direct participant in, a CCP that is entitled to enter into transactions with the CCP.

Clearing member client means a party to a cleared transaction associated with a CCP in which a clearing member acts either as a financial intermediary with respect to the party or guarantees the performance of the party to the CCP.

Client-facing derivative transaction means a derivative contract that is not a cleared transaction where the Enterprise is either acting as a financial intermediary and enters into an offsetting transaction with a qualifying central counterparty (QCCP) or where the Enterprise provides a guarantee on the performance of a client on a transaction between the client and a QCCP.

Collateral agreement means a legal contract that specifies the time when, and circumstances under which, a counterparty is required to pledge collateral to an Enterprise for a single financial contract or for all financial contracts in a netting set and confers upon the Enterprise a perfected, first-priority security interest (notwithstanding the prior security interest of any custodial agent), or the legal equivalent thereof, in the collateral posted by the counterparty under the agreement. This security interest must provide the Enterprise with a right to close-out the financial positions and liquidate the collateral upon an event of default of, or failure to perform by, the counterparty under the collateral agreement. A contract would not satisfy this requirement if the Enterprise's exercise of rights under the agreement may be stayed or avoided:

1. (1) Under applicable law in the relevant jurisdictions, other than

   1. (i) In receivership, conservatorship, or resolution under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act, or under any similar insolvency law applicable to GSEs, or laws of foreign jurisdictions that are substantially similar to the U.S. laws referenced in this paragraph (1)(i) in order to facilitate the orderly resolution of the defaulting counterparty;
   2. (ii) Where the agreement is subject by its terms to, or incorporates, any of the laws referenced in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition; or
2. (2) Other than to the extent necessary for the counterparty to comply with applicable law.

Commercial end-user means an entity that:

1. (1)

   1. (i) Is using derivative contracts to hedge or mitigate commercial risk; and

   2. (ii)

      1. (A) Is not an entity described in section 2(h)(7)(C)(i)(I) through (VIII) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 2(h)(7)(C)(i)(I) through (VIII)); or
      2. (B) Is not a “financial entity” for purposes of section 2(h)(7) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 2(h)) by virtue of section 2(h)(7)(C)(iii) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2(h)(7)(C)(iii)); or

2. (2)

   1. (i) Is using derivative contracts to hedge or mitigate commercial risk; and
   2. (ii) Is not an entity described in section 3C(g)(3)(A)(i) through (viii) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c-3(g)(3)(A)(i) through (viii)); or
3. (3) Qualifies for the exemption in section 2(h)(7)(A) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 2(h)(7)(A)) by virtue of section 2(h)(7)(D) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2(h)(7)(D)); or
4. (4) Qualifies for an exemption in section 3C(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c-3(g)(1)) by virtue of section 3C(g)(4) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c-3(g)(4)).

Commingled security means a resecuritization of UMBS in which one or more of the underlying exposures is a UMBS guaranteed by the other Enterprise or is a resecuritization of UMBS guaranteed by the other Enterprise.

Commitment means any legally binding arrangement that obligates an Enterprise to extend credit or to purchase assets.

Common equity tier 1 capital is defined in § 1240.20(b).

Company means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, depository institution, business trust, special purpose entity, association, or similar organization.

Core capital has the meaning given in section 1303(7) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(7)).

Corporate exposure means an exposure to a company that is not:

1. (1) An exposure to a sovereign, the Bank for International Settlements, the European Central Bank, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, the European Stability Mechanism, the European Financial Stability Facility, a multi-lateral development bank (MDB), a depository institution, a foreign bank, a credit union, or a public sector entity (PSE);
2. (2) An exposure to a GSE;
3. (3) A mortgage exposure;
4. (4) A cleared transaction;
5. (5) A default fund contribution;
6. (6) A securitization exposure;
7. (7) An equity exposure;
8. (8) An unsettled transaction; or
9. (9) A separate account.

Credit default swap (CDS) means a financial contract executed under standard industry documentation that allows one party (the protection purchaser) to transfer the credit risk of one or more exposures (reference exposure(s)) to another party (the protection provider) for a certain period of time.

Credit derivative means a financial contract executed under standard industry credit derivative documentation that allows one party (the protection purchaser) to transfer the credit risk of one or more exposures (reference exposure(s)) to another party (the protection provider) for a certain period of time.

Credit-enhancing interest-only strip (CEIO) means an on-balance sheet asset that, in form or in substance:

1. (1) Represents a contractual right to receive some or all of the interest and no more than a minimal amount of principal due on the underlying exposures of a securitization; and
2. (2) Exposes the holder of the CEIO to credit risk directly or indirectly associated with the underlying exposures that exceeds a pro rata share of the holder's claim on the underlying exposures, whether through subordination provisions or other credit-enhancement techniques.

Credit risk mitigant means collateral, a credit derivative, or a guarantee.

Credit risk transfer (CRT) means any traditional securitization, synthetic securitization, senior/subordinated structure, credit derivative, guarantee, or other contract, structure, or arrangement (other than primary mortgage insurance) that allows an Enterprise to transfer the credit risk of one or more mortgage exposures (reference exposure(s)) to another party (the protection provider).

Credit union means an insured credit union as defined under the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1752 et seq.).

Credit valuation adjustment (CVA) means the fair value adjustment to reflect counterparty credit risk in valuation of OTC derivative contracts.

CRT special purpose entity (CRT SPE) means a corporation, trust, or other entity organized for the specific purpose of bearing credit risk transferred through a CRT, the activities of which are limited to those appropriate to accomplish this purpose.

Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) means the current expected credit losses methodology under GAAP.

Custodian means a financial institution that has legal custody of collateral provided to a CCP.

Default fund contribution means the funds contributed or commitments made by a clearing member to a CCP's mutualized loss sharing arrangement.

Depository institution means a depository institution as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

Derivative contract means a financial contract whose value is derived from the values of one or more underlying assets, reference rates, or indices of asset values or reference rates. Derivative contracts include interest rate derivative contracts, exchange rate derivative contracts, equity derivative contracts, commodity derivative contracts, credit derivative contracts, and any other instrument that poses similar counterparty credit risks. Derivative contracts also include unsettled securities, commodities, and foreign exchange transactions with a contractual settlement or delivery lag that is longer than the lesser of the market standard for the particular instrument or five business days.

Discretionary bonus payment means a payment made to an executive officer of an Enterprise, where:

1. (1) The Enterprise retains discretion as to whether to make, and the amount of, the payment until the payment is awarded to the executive officer;
2. (2) The amount paid is determined by the Enterprise without prior promise to, or agreement with, the executive officer; and
3. (3) The executive officer has no contractual right, whether express or implied, to the bonus payment.

Distribution means:

1. (1) A reduction of tier 1 capital through the repurchase of a tier 1 capital instrument or by other means, except when an Enterprise, within the same quarter when the repurchase is announced, fully replaces a tier 1 capital instrument it has repurchased by issuing another capital instrument that meets the eligibility criteria for:

   1. (i) A common equity tier 1 capital instrument if the instrument being repurchased was part of the Enterprise's common equity tier 1 capital, or
   2. (ii) A common equity tier 1 or additional tier 1 capital instrument if the instrument being repurchased was part of the Enterprise's tier 1 capital;
2. (2) A reduction of tier 2 capital through the repurchase, or redemption prior to maturity, of a tier 2 capital instrument or by other means, except when an Enterprise, within the same quarter when the repurchase or redemption is announced, fully replaces a tier 2 capital instrument it has repurchased by issuing another capital instrument that meets the eligibility criteria for a tier 1 or tier 2 capital instrument;
3. (3) A dividend declaration or payment on any tier 1 capital instrument;
4. (4) A dividend declaration or interest payment on any tier 2 capital instrument if the Enterprise has full discretion to permanently or temporarily suspend such payments without triggering an event of default; or
5. (5) Any similar transaction that FHFA determines to be in substance a distribution of capital.

Dodd-Frank Act means the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376).

Early amortization provision means a provision in the documentation governing a securitization that, when triggered, causes investors in the securitization exposures to be repaid before the original stated maturity of the securitization exposures, unless the provision:

1. (1) Is triggered solely by events not directly related to the performance of the underlying exposures or the originating Enterprise (such as material changes in tax laws or regulations); or
2. (2) Leaves investors fully exposed to future draws by borrowers on the underlying exposures even after the provision is triggered.

Effective notional amount means for an eligible guarantee or eligible credit derivative, the lesser of the contractual notional amount of the credit risk mitigant and the exposure amount of the hedged exposure, multiplied by the percentage coverage of the credit risk mitigant.

Eligible clean-up call means a clean-up call that:

1. (1) Is exercisable solely at the discretion of the originating Enterprise or servicer;
2. (2) Is not structured to avoid allocating losses to securitization exposures held by investors or otherwise structured to provide credit enhancement to the securitization; and

3. (3)

   1. (i) For a traditional securitization, is only exercisable when 10 percent or less of the principal amount of the underlying exposures or securitization exposures (determined as of the inception of the securitization) is outstanding; or
   2. (ii) For a synthetic securitization or credit risk transfer, is only exercisable when 10 percent or less of the principal amount of the reference portfolio of underlying exposures (determined as of the inception of the securitization) is outstanding.

Eligible credit derivative means a credit derivative in the form of a credit default swap, nth-to-default swap, total return swap, or any other form of credit derivative approved by FHFA, provided that:

1. (1) The contract meets the requirements of an eligible guarantee and has been confirmed by the protection purchaser and the protection provider;
2. (2) Any assignment of the contract has been confirmed by all relevant parties;

3. (3) If the credit derivative is a credit default swap or nth-to-default swap, the contract includes the following credit events:

   1. (i) Failure to pay any amount due under the terms of the reference exposure, subject to any applicable minimal payment threshold that is consistent with standard market practice and with a grace period that is closely in line with the grace period of the reference exposure; and
   2. (ii) Receivership, insolvency, liquidation, conservatorship or inability of the reference exposure issuer to pay its debts, or its failure or admission in writing of its inability generally to pay its debts as they become due, and similar events;
4. (4) The terms and conditions dictating the manner in which the contract is to be settled are incorporated into the contract;
5. (5) If the contract allows for cash settlement, the contract incorporates a robust valuation process to estimate loss reliably and specifies a reasonable period for obtaining post-credit event valuations of the reference exposure;
6. (6) If the contract requires the protection purchaser to transfer an exposure to the protection provider at settlement, the terms of at least one of the exposures that is permitted to be transferred under the contract provide that any required consent to transfer may not be unreasonably withheld;
7. (7) If the credit derivative is a credit default swap or nth-to-default swap, the contract clearly identifies the parties responsible for determining whether a credit event has occurred, specifies that this determination is not the sole responsibility of the protection provider, and gives the protection purchaser the right to notify the protection provider of the occurrence of a credit event; and
8. (8) If the credit derivative is a total return swap and the Enterprise records net payments received on the swap as net income, the Enterprise records offsetting deterioration in the value of the hedged exposure (either through reductions in fair value or by an addition to reserves).

Eligible credit reserves means all general allowances that have been established through a charge against earnings or retained earnings to cover expected credit losses associated with on- or off-balance sheet wholesale and retail exposures, including AACL associated with such exposures. Eligible credit reserves exclude allowances that reflect credit losses on purchased credit deteriorated assets and available-for-sale debt securities and other specific reserves created against recognized losses.

Eligible funded synthetic risk transfer means a credit risk transfer in which—

1. (1) A CRT SPE that is bankruptcy remote from the Enterprise and not consolidated with the Enterprise under GAAP is contractually obligated to reimburse the Enterprise for specified losses on a reference pool of mortgage exposures of the Enterprise upon designated credit events and designated modification events;
2. (2) The credit risk transferred to the CRT SPE is transferred to one or more third parties through two or more classes of securities of different seniority issued by the CRT SPE;
3. (3) The performance of each class of securities issued by the CRT SPE depends on the performance of the reference pool; and

4. (4) The proceeds of the securities issued by the CRT SPE—

   1. (i) Are, at the time of entry into the transaction, in the aggregate no less than the maximum obligation of the CRT SPE to the Enterprise; and
   2. (ii) Are invested in financial collateral that secures the payment obligations of the CRT SPE to the Enterprise.

Eligible guarantee means a guarantee that:

1. (1) Is written;

2. (2) Is either:

   1. (i) Unconditional, or
   2. (ii) A contingent obligation of the U.S. government or its agencies, the enforceability of which is dependent upon some affirmative action on the part of the beneficiary of the guarantee or a third party (for example, meeting servicing requirements);
3. (3) Covers all or a pro rata portion of all contractual payments of the obligated party on the reference exposure;
4. (4) Gives the beneficiary a direct claim against the protection provider;
5. (5) Is not unilaterally cancelable by the protection provider for reasons other than the breach of the contract by the beneficiary;
6. (6) Except for a guarantee by a sovereign, is legally enforceable against the protection provider in a jurisdiction where the protection provider has sufficient assets against which a judgment may be attached and enforced;
7. (7) Requires the protection provider to make payment to the beneficiary on the occurrence of a default (as defined in the guarantee) of the obligated party on the reference exposure in a timely manner without the beneficiary first having to take legal actions to pursue the obligor for payment;
8. (8) Does not increase the beneficiary's cost of credit protection on the guarantee in response to deterioration in the credit quality of the reference exposure;
9. (9) Is not provided by an affiliate of the Enterprise; and
10. (10) Is provided by an eligible guarantor.

Eligible guarantor means:

1. (1) A sovereign, the Bank for International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank, the European Commission, a Federal Home Loan Bank, Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac), the European Stability Mechanism, the European Financial Stability Facility, a multilateral development bank (MDB), a depository institution, a bank holding company as defined in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.), a savings and loan holding company, a credit union, a foreign bank, or a qualifying central counterparty; or

2. (2) An entity (other than a special purpose entity):

   1. (i) That at the time the guarantee is issued or anytime thereafter, has issued and outstanding an unsecured debt security without credit enhancement that is investment grade;
   2. (ii) Whose creditworthiness is not positively correlated with the credit risk of the exposures for which it has provided guarantees; and
   3. (iii) That is not an insurance company engaged predominately in the business of providing credit protection (such as a monoline bond insurer or re-insurer).

Eligible margin loan means:

1. (1) An extension of credit where:

   1. (i) The extension of credit is collateralized exclusively by liquid and readily marketable debt or equity securities, or gold;
   2. (ii) The collateral is marked-to-fair value daily, and the transaction is subject to daily margin maintenance requirements; and

   3. (iii) The extension of credit is conducted under an agreement that provides the Enterprise the right to accelerate and terminate the extension of credit and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default, including upon an event of receivership, insolvency, liquidation, conservatorship, or similar proceeding, of the counterparty, provided that, in any such case:

      1. (A) Any exercise of rights under the agreement will not be stayed or avoided under applicable law in the relevant jurisdictions, other than:

         (1) In receivership, conservatorship, or resolution under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act, or under any similar insolvency law applicable to GSEs, ¹ or laws of foreign jurisdictions that are substantially similar to the U.S. laws referenced in this paragraph (1)(iii)(A)(1) in order to facilitate the orderly resolution of the defaulting counterparty; or

         (2) Where the agreement is subject by its terms to, or incorporates, any of the laws referenced in paragraph (1)(iii)(A)(1) of this definition; and

      2. (B) The agreement may limit the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out on a net basis all transactions under the agreement and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default of the counterparty to the extent necessary for the counterparty to comply with applicable law.
2. (2) In order to recognize an exposure as an eligible margin loan for purposes of this subpart, an Enterprise must comply with the requirements of § 1240.3(b) with respect to that exposure.

Eligible multifamily lender risk share means a credit risk transfer under which an entity that is approved by an Enterprise to sell multifamily mortgage exposures to an Enterprise retains credit risk of one or more multifamily mortgage exposures on substantially the same terms and conditions as in effect on June 30, 2020 for Fannie Mae's credit risk transfers known as the “Delegated Underwriting and Servicing program”.

Eligible reinsurance risk transfer means a credit risk transfer in which the Enterprise transfers the credit risk on one or more mortgage exposures to an insurance company or reinsurer that has been approved by the Enterprise.

Eligible senior-subordinated structure means a traditional securitization in which the underlying exposures are mortgage exposures of the Enterprise and the Enterprise guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest on one or more senior tranches.

Eligible single-family lender risk share means any partial or full recourse agreement or similar agreement (other than a participation agreement) between an Enterprise and the seller or servicer of a single-family mortgage exposure pursuant to which the seller or servicer agrees either to reimburse the Enterprise for losses arising out of the default of the single-family mortgage exposure or to repurchase or replace the single-family mortgage exposure in the event of the default of the single-family mortgage exposure.

Eligible time-based call means a time-based call that:

1. (1) Is exercisable solely at the discretion of the originating Enterprise, provided the Enterprise obtains FHFA's non-objection prior to exercising the time-based call;
2. (2) Is not structured to avoid allocating credit losses to investors or otherwise structured to provide at most de minimis credit protection to the securitization or credit risk transfer; and
3. (3) Is exercisable no less than five years after the securitization or credit risk transfer issuance date or effective date, where the underlying collateral is mortgage exposures with amortization terms greater than 20 years.
4. (4) Is exercisable no less than four years after the securitization or credit risk transfer issuance date or effective date, where the underlying collateral is mortgage exposures with amortization terms of 20 years or less.

Equity exposure means:

1. (1) A security or instrument (whether voting or non-voting and whether certificated or not certificated) that represents a direct or an indirect ownership interest in, and is a residual claim on, the assets and income of a company, unless:

   1. (i) The issuing company is consolidated with the Enterprise under GAAP;
   2. (ii) The Enterprise is required to deduct the ownership interest from tier 1 or tier 2 capital under this part;
   3. (iii) The ownership interest incorporates a payment or other similar obligation on the part of the issuing company (such as an obligation to make periodic payments); or
   4. (iv) The ownership interest is a securitization exposure;
2. (2) A security or instrument that is mandatorily convertible into a security or instrument described in paragraph (1) of this definition;
3. (3) An option or warrant that is exercisable for a security or instrument described in paragraph (1) of this definition; or
4. (4) Any other security or instrument (other than a securitization exposure) to the extent the return on the security or instrument is based on the performance of a security or instrument described in paragraph (1) of this definition.

ERISA means the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

Executive officer means a person who holds the title or, without regard to title, salary, or compensation, performs the function of one or more of the following positions: President, chief executive officer, executive chairman, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, chief investment officer, chief legal officer, chief lending officer, chief risk officer, or head of a major business line, and other staff that the board of directors of the Enterprise deems to have equivalent responsibility.

Exposure amount means:

1. (1) For the on-balance sheet component of an exposure (including a mortgage exposure); (other than an OTC derivative contract; a repo-style transaction or an eligible margin loan for which the Enterprise determines the exposure amount under § 1240.39; a cleared transaction; a default fund contribution; or a securitization exposure), the Enterprise's carrying value of the exposure.
2. (2) For the off-balance sheet component of an exposure (other than an OTC derivative contract; a repo-style transaction or an eligible margin loan for which the Enterprise calculates the exposure amount under § 1240.39; a cleared transaction; a default fund contribution; or a securitization exposure), the notional amount of the off-balance sheet component multiplied by the appropriate credit conversion factor (CCF) in § 1240.35.
3. (3) For an exposure that is an OTC derivative contract, the exposure amount or exposure at default (EAD) determined under § 1240.36.
4. (4) For an exposure that is a cleared transaction, the exposure amount determined under § 1240.37.
5. (5) For an exposure that is an eligible margin loan or repo-style transaction for which the Enterprise calculates the exposure amount as provided in § 1240.39, the exposure amount determined under § 1240.39.
6. (6) For an exposure that is a securitization exposure, the exposure amount determined under § 1240.42.

Federal Deposit Insurance Act means the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813).

Federal Reserve Board means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Financial collateral means collateral:

1. (1) In the form of:

   1. (i) Cash on deposit with the Enterprise (including cash held for the Enterprise by a third-party custodian or trustee);
   2. (ii) Gold bullion;
   3. (iii) Long-term debt securities that are not resecuritization exposures and that are investment grade;
   4. (iv) Short-term debt instruments that are not resecuritization exposures and that are investment grade;
   5. (v) Equity securities that are publicly traded;
   6. (vi) Convertible bonds that are publicly traded; or
   7. (vii) Money market fund shares and other mutual fund shares if a price for the shares is publicly quoted daily; and
2. (2) In which the Enterprise has a perfected, first-priority security interest or, outside of the United States, the legal equivalent thereof, (with the exception of cash on deposit; and notwithstanding the prior security interest of any custodial agent or any priority security interest granted to a CCP in connection with collateral posted to that CCP).

Gain-on-sale means an increase in the equity capital of an Enterprise resulting from a traditional securitization other than an increase in equity capital resulting from:

1. (1) The Enterprise's receipt of cash in connection with the securitization; or
2. (2) The reporting of a mortgage servicing asset.

General obligation means a bond or similar obligation that is backed by the full faith and credit of a public sector entity (PSE).

Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) means an entity established or chartered by the U.S. government to serve public purposes specified by the U.S. Congress but whose debt obligations are not explicitly guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, including an Enterprise.

Guarantee means a financial guarantee, letter of credit, insurance, or other similar financial instrument (other than a credit derivative) that allows one party (beneficiary) to transfer the credit risk of one or more specific exposures (reference exposure) to another party (protection provider).

Guarantee asset means the present value of a future consideration to be received for providing a financial guarantee on a portfolio of mortgage exposures not recognized on the balance sheet.

Independent collateral means financial collateral, other than variation margin, that is subject to a collateral agreement, or in which an Enterprise has a perfected, first-priority security interest or, outside of the United States, the legal equivalent thereof (with the exception of cash on deposit; notwithstanding the prior security interest of any custodial agent or any prior security interest granted to a CCP in connection with collateral posted to that CCP), and the amount of which does not change directly in response to the value of the derivative contract or contracts that the financial collateral secures.

Investment grade means that the entity to which the Enterprise is exposed through a loan or security, or the reference entity with respect to a credit derivative, has adequate capacity to meet financial commitments for the projected life of the asset or exposure. Such an entity or reference entity has adequate capacity to meet financial commitments if the risk of its default is low and the full and timely repayment of principal and interest is expected.

Minimum transfer amount means the smallest amount of variation margin that may be transferred between counterparties to a netting set pursuant to the variation margin agreement.

Mortgage-backed security (MBS) means a security collateralized by a pool or pools of mortgage exposures, including any pass-through or collateralized mortgage obligation.

Mortgage exposure means either a single-family mortgage exposure or a multifamily mortgage exposure.

Multifamily mortgage exposure means an exposure that is secured by a first or subsequent lien on a property with five or more residential units.

Mortgage servicing assets (MSAs) means the contractual rights to service mortgage loans for a fee.

Multilateral development bank (MDB) means the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund, the Nordic Investment Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, and any other multilateral lending institution or regional development bank in which the U.S. government is a shareholder or contributing member or which FHFA determines poses comparable credit risk.

Net independent collateral amount means the fair value amount of the independent collateral, as adjusted by the standard supervisory haircuts under § 1240.39(b)(2)(ii), as applicable, that a counterparty to a netting set has posted to an Enterprise less the fair value amount of the independent collateral, as adjusted by the standard supervisory haircuts under § 1240.39(b)(2)(ii), as applicable, posted by the Enterprise to the counterparty, excluding such amounts held in a bankruptcy remote manner or posted to a QCCP and held in conformance with the operational requirements in § 1240.3.

Netting set means a group of transactions with a single counterparty that are subject to a qualifying master netting agreement or a qualifying cross-product master netting agreement. For derivative contracts, netting set also includes a single derivative contract between an Enterprise and a single counterparty.

Non-guaranteed separate account means a separate account where the insurance company:

1. (1) Does not contractually guarantee either a minimum return or account value to the contract holder; and
2. (2) Is not required to hold reserves (in the general account) pursuant to its contractual obligations to a policyholder.

Nth-to-default credit derivative means a credit derivative that provides credit protection only for the nth-defaulting reference exposure in a group of reference exposures.

Original maturity with respect to an off-balance sheet commitment means the length of time between the date a commitment is issued and:

1. (1) For a commitment that is not subject to extension or renewal, the stated expiration date of the commitment; or

2. (2) For a commitment that is subject to extension or renewal, the earliest date on which the Enterprise can, at its option, unconditionally cancel the commitment.

   Originating Enterprise, with respect to a securitization, means an Enterprise that directly or indirectly originated or securitized the underlying exposures included in the securitization.

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contract means a derivative contract that is not a cleared transaction. An OTC derivative includes a transaction:

1. (1) Between an Enterprise that is a clearing member and a counterparty where the Enterprise is acting as a financial intermediary and enters into a cleared transaction with a CCP that offsets the transaction with the counterparty; or
2. (2) In which an Enterprise that is a clearing member provides a CCP a guarantee on the performance of the counterparty to the transaction.

Participation agreement is defined in § 1240.33(a).

Protection amount (P) means, with respect to an exposure hedged by an eligible guarantee or eligible credit derivative, the effective notional amount of the guarantee or credit derivative, reduced to reflect any currency mismatch, maturity mismatch, or lack of restructuring coverage (as provided in § 1240.38).

Publicly-traded means traded on:

1. (1) Any exchange registered with the SEC as a national securities exchange under section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act; or

2. (2) Any non-U.S.-based securities exchange that:

   1. (i) Is registered with, or approved by, a national securities regulatory authority; and
   2. (ii) Provides a liquid, two-way market for the instrument in question.

Public sector entity (PSE) means a state, local authority, or other governmental subdivision below the sovereign level.

Qualifying central counterparty (QCCP) means a central counterparty that:

1. (1)

   1. (i) Is a designated financial market utility (FMU) under Title VIII of the Dodd-Frank Act;
   2. (ii) If not located in the United States, is regulated and supervised in a manner equivalent to a designated FMU; or

   3. (iii) Meets the following standards:

      1. (A) The central counterparty requires all parties to contracts cleared by the counterparty to be fully collateralized on a daily basis;

      2. (B) The Enterprise demonstrates to the satisfaction of FHFA that the central counterparty:

         (1) Is in sound financial condition;

         (2) Is subject to supervision by the Federal Reserve Board, the CFTC, or the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), or, if the central counterparty is not located in the United States, is subject to effective oversight by a national supervisory authority in its home country; and

         (3) Meets or exceeds the risk-management standards for central counterparties set forth in regulations established by the Federal Reserve Board, the CFTC, or the SEC under Title VII or Title VIII of the Dodd-Frank Act; or if the central counterparty is not located in the United States, meets or exceeds similar risk-management standards established under the law of its home country that are consistent with international standards for central counterparty risk management as established by the relevant standard setting body of the Bank of International Settlements; and

2. (2)

   1. (i) Provides the Enterprise with the central counterparty's hypothetical capital requirement or the information necessary to calculate such hypothetical capital requirement, and other information the Enterprise is required to obtain under § 1240.37(d)(3);
   2. (ii) Makes available to FHFA and the CCP's regulator the information described in paragraph (2)(i) of this definition; and
   3. (iii) Has not otherwise been determined by FHFA to not be a QCCP due to its financial condition, risk profile, failure to meet supervisory risk management standards, or other weaknesses or supervisory concerns that are inconsistent with the risk weight assigned to qualifying central counterparties under § 1240.37.
3. (3) A QCCP that fails to meet the requirements of a QCCP in the future may still be treated as a QCCP under the conditions specified in § 1240.3(f).

Qualifying cross-product master netting agreement means a qualifying master netting agreement that provides for termination and close-out netting across multiple types of financial transactions or qualifying master netting agreements in the event of a counterparty's default, provided that the underlying financial transactions are OTC derivative contracts, eligible margin loans, or repo-style transactions. In order to treat an agreement as a qualifying cross-product master netting agreement for purposes of this subpart, an Enterprise must comply with the requirements of § 1240.3(c) with respect to that agreement.

Qualifying master netting agreement means a written, legally enforceable agreement provided that:

1. (1) The agreement creates a single legal obligation for all individual transactions covered by the agreement upon an event of default following any stay permitted by paragraph (2) of this definition, including upon an event of receivership, conservatorship, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding, of the counterparty;

2. (2) The agreement provides the Enterprise the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out on a net basis all transactions under the agreement and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default, including upon an event of receivership, conservatorship, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding, of the counterparty, provided that, in any such case:

   1. (i) Any exercise of rights under the agreement will not be stayed or avoided under applicable law in the relevant jurisdictions, other than:

      1. (A) In receivership, conservatorship, or resolution under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act, or under any similar insolvency law applicable to GSEs, or laws of foreign jurisdictions that are substantially similar to the U.S. laws referenced in this paragraph (2)(i)(A) in order to facilitate the orderly resolution of the defaulting counterparty; or
      2. (B) Where the agreement is subject by its terms to, or incorporates, any of the laws referenced in paragraph (2)(i)(A) of this definition; and
   2. (ii) The agreement may limit the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out on a net basis all transactions under the agreement and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default of the counterparty to the extent necessary for the counterparty to comply with applicable law.

Repo-style transaction means a repurchase or reverse repurchase transaction, or a securities borrowing or securities lending transaction, including a transaction in which the Enterprise acts as agent for a customer and indemnifies the customer against loss, provided that:

1. (1) The transaction is based solely on liquid and readily marketable securities, cash, or gold;
2. (2) The transaction is marked-to-fair value daily and subject to daily margin maintenance requirements;

3. (3)

   1. (i) The transaction is a “securities contract” or “repurchase agreement” under section 555 or 559, respectively, of the Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. 555 or 559), a qualified financial contract under section 11(e)(8) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, or a netting contract between or among financial institutions; or

   2. (ii) If the transaction does not meet the criteria set forth in paragraph (3)(i) of this definition, then either:

      1. (A) The transaction is executed under an agreement that provides the Enterprise the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out the transaction on a net basis and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default, including upon an event of receivership, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding, of the counterparty, provided that, in any such case:

         (1) Any exercise of rights under the agreement will not be stayed or avoided under applicable law in the relevant jurisdictions, other than:

         (i) In receivership, conservatorship, or resolution under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act, or under any similar insolvency law applicable to GSEs, or laws of foreign jurisdictions that are substantially similar to the U.S. laws referenced in this paragraph (3)(ii)(A)(1)(i) in order to facilitate the orderly resolution of the defaulting counterparty;

         (ii) Where the agreement is subject by its terms to, or incorporates, any of the laws referenced in paragraph (3)(ii)(A)(1)(i) of this definition; and

         (2) The agreement may limit the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out on a net basis all transactions under the agreement and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default of the counterparty to the extent necessary for the counterparty to comply with applicable law; or

      2. (B) The transaction is:

         (1) Either overnight or unconditionally cancelable at any time by the Enterprise; and

         (2) Executed under an agreement that provides the Enterprise the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out the transaction on a net basis and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of counterparty default; and

         (3) In order to recognize an exposure as a repo-style transaction for purposes of this subpart, an Enterprise must comply with the requirements of § 1240.3(e) with respect to that exposure.

Resecuritization means a securitization which has more than one underlying exposure and in which one or more of the underlying exposures is a securitization exposure.

Resecuritization exposure means:

1. (1) An on- or off-balance sheet exposure to a resecuritization; or
2. (2) An exposure that directly or indirectly references a resecuritization exposure.

Retained CRT exposure means, with respect to an Enterprise, any exposure that arises from a credit risk transfer of the Enterprise and has been retained by the Enterprise since the issuance or entry into the credit risk transfer by the Enterprise.

Revenue obligation means a bond or similar obligation that is an obligation of a PSE, but which the PSE is committed to repay with revenues from the specific project financed rather than general tax funds.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78).

Securitization exposure means:

1. (1) An on-balance sheet or off-balance sheet credit exposure that arises from a traditional securitization or synthetic securitization (including a resecuritization);
2. (2) An exposure that directly or indirectly references a securitization exposure described in paragraph (1) of this definition;
3. (3) A retained CRT exposure; or
4. (4) An acquired CRT exposure.

Securitization special purpose entity (securitization SPE) means a corporation, trust, or other entity organized for the specific purpose of holding underlying exposures of a securitization, the activities of which are limited to those appropriate to accomplish this purpose, and the structure of which is intended to isolate the underlying exposures held by the entity from the credit risk of the seller of the underlying exposures to the entity.

Separate account means a legally segregated pool of assets owned and held by an insurance company and maintained separately from the insurance company's general account assets for the benefit of an individual contract holder. To be a separate account:

1. (1) The account must be legally recognized as a separate account under applicable law;
2. (2) The assets in the account must be insulated from general liabilities of the insurance company under applicable law in the event of the insurance company's insolvency;
3. (3) The insurance company must invest the funds within the account as directed by the contract holder in designated investment alternatives or in accordance with specific investment objectives or policies; and
4. (4) All investment gains and losses, net of contract fees and assessments, must be passed through to the contract holder, provided that the contract may specify conditions under which there may be a minimum guarantee but must not include contract terms that limit the maximum investment return available to the policyholder.

Servicer cash advance facility means a facility under which the servicer of the underlying exposures of a securitization may advance cash to ensure an uninterrupted flow of payments to investors in the securitization, including advances made to cover foreclosure costs or other expenses to facilitate the timely collection of the underlying exposures.

Single-family mortgage exposure means an exposure that is secured by a first or subsequent lien on a property with one to four residential units.

Sovereign means a central government (including the U.S. government) or an agency, department, ministry, or central bank of a central government.

Sovereign default means noncompliance by a sovereign with its external debt service obligations or the inability or unwillingness of a sovereign government to service an existing loan according to its original terms, as evidenced by failure to pay principal and interest timely and fully, arrearages, or restructuring.

Sovereign exposure means:

1. (1) A direct exposure to a sovereign; or
2. (2) An exposure directly and unconditionally backed by the full faith and credit of a sovereign.

Specific wrong-way risk means wrong-way risk that arises when either:

1. (1) The counterparty and issuer of the collateral supporting the transaction; or
2. (2) The counterparty and the reference asset of the transaction, are affiliates or are the same entity.

Speculative grade means the reference entity has adequate capacity to meet financial commitments in the near term, but is vulnerable to adverse economic conditions, such that should economic conditions deteriorate, the reference entity would present an elevated default risk.

Standardized market risk-weighted assets means the standardized measure for spread risk calculated under § 1240.204(a) multiplied by 12.5.

Standardized total risk-weighted assets means:

1. (1) The sum of—

   1. (i) Total risk-weighted assets for general credit risk as calculated under § 1240.31;
   2. (ii) Total risk-weighted assets for cleared transactions and default fund contributions as calculated under § 1240.37;
   3. (iii) Total risk-weighted assets for unsettled transactions as calculated under § 1240.40;
   4. (iv) Total risk-weighted assets for retained CRT exposures, acquired CRT exposures, and other securitization exposures as calculated under § 1240.42;
   5. (v) Total risk-weighted assets for equity exposures as calculated under § 1240.52;
   6. (vi) Credit valuation adjustment (CVA) risk-weighted assets as calculated under § 1240.36(d);
   7. (vii) Risk-weighted assets for operational risk, as calculated under § 1240.162(c) or § 1240.162(d), as applicable; and
   8. (viii) Standardized market risk-weighted assets, as calculated under § 1240.204; minus
2. (2) Excess eligible credit reserves not included in the Enterprise's tier 2 capital.

Subsidiary means, with respect to a company, a company controlled by that company.

Sub-speculative grade means the reference entity depends on favorable economic conditions to meet its financial commitments, such that should such economic conditions deteriorate the reference entity likely would default on its financial commitments.

Synthetic securitization means a transaction in which:

1. (1) All or a portion of the credit risk of one or more underlying exposures is retained or transferred to one or more third parties through the use of one or more credit derivatives or guarantees (other than a guarantee that transfers only the credit risk of an individual mortgage exposure or other retail exposure);
2. (2) The credit risk associated with the underlying exposures has been separated into at least two tranches reflecting different levels of seniority;
3. (3) Performance of the securitization exposures depends upon the performance of the underlying exposures; and
4. (4) All or substantially all of the underlying exposures are financial exposures (such as mortgage exposures, loans, commitments, credit derivatives, guarantees, receivables, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, other debt securities, or equity securities).

Tier 1 capital means the sum of common equity tier 1 capital and additional tier 1 capital.

Tier 2 capital is defined in § 1240.20(d).

Time-based call means a contractual provision that permits an originating Enterprise to redeem a securitization exposure on or after a specified redemption or cancellation date.

Total capital has the meaning given in section 1303(23) of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4502(23)).

Traditional securitization means a transaction in which:

1. (1) All or a portion of the credit risk of one or more underlying exposures is transferred to one or more third parties other than through the use of credit derivatives or guarantees;
2. (2) The credit risk associated with the underlying exposures has been separated into at least two tranches reflecting different levels of seniority;
3. (3) Performance of the securitization exposures depends upon the performance of the underlying exposures;
4. (4) All or substantially all of the underlying exposures are financial exposures (such as mortgage exposures, loans, commitments, credit derivatives, guarantees, receivables, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, other debt securities, or equity securities);
5. (5) The underlying exposures are not owned by an operating company;
6. (6) The underlying exposures are not owned by a small business investment company defined in section 302 of the Small Business Investment Act;
7. (7) The underlying exposures are not owned by a firm an investment in which qualifies as a community development investment under section 24 (Eleventh) of the National Bank Act;
8. (8) FHFA may determine that a transaction in which the underlying exposures are owned by an investment firm that exercises substantially unfettered control over the size and composition of its assets, liabilities, and off-balance sheet exposures is not a traditional securitization based on the transaction's leverage, risk profile, or economic substance;
9. (9) FHFA may deem a transaction that meets the definition of a traditional securitization, notwithstanding paragraph (5), (6), or (7) of this definition, to be a traditional securitization based on the transaction's leverage, risk profile, or economic substance; and

10. (10) The transaction is not:

    1. (i) An investment fund;

    2. (ii) A collective investment fund held by a State member bank as fiduciary and, consistent with local law, invested collectively—

       1. (A) In a common trust fund maintained by such bank exclusively for the collective investment and reinvestment of monies contributed thereto by the bank in its capacity as trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, or custodian under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act; or
       2. (B) In a fund consisting solely of assets of retirement, pension, profit sharing, stock bonus or similar trusts which are exempt from Federal income taxation under the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C.).
    3. (iii) An employee benefit plan (as defined in 29 U.S.C. 1002(3)), a governmental plan (as defined in 29 U.S.C. 1002(32)) that complies with the tax deferral qualification requirements provided in the Internal Revenue Code;
    4. (iv) A synthetic exposure to the capital of a financial institution to the extent deducted from capital under § 1240.22; or
    5. (v) Registered with the SEC under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1 et seq.) or foreign equivalents thereof.

Tranche means all securitization exposures associated with a securitization that have the same seniority level.

Transition order means an order issued by the Director under section 1371 of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4631), a plan required by the Director under section 1313B of the Safety and Soundness Act (12 U.S.C. 4513b), or an order, agreement, or similar arrangement of FHFA that, in any case, provides for a compliance date for a requirement of this part that is later than the compliance date for the requirement specified under § 1240.4.

Unconditionally cancelable means with respect to a commitment, that an Enterprise may, at any time, with or without cause, refuse to extend credit under the commitment (to the extent permitted under applicable law).

Underlying exposures means one or more exposures that have been securitized in a securitization transaction.

Uniform Mortgage-backed Security (UMBS) means the same as that defined in § 1248.1.

Value-at-Risk (VaR) means the estimate of the maximum amount that the value of one or more exposures could decline due to market price or rate movements during a fixed holding period within a stated confidence interval.

Variation margin means financial collateral that is subject to a collateral agreement provided by one party to its counterparty to meet the performance of the first party's obligations under one or more transactions between the parties as a result of a change in value of such obligations since the last time such financial collateral was provided.

Variation margin agreement means an agreement to collect or post variation margin.

Variation margin amount means the fair value amount of the variation margin, as adjusted by the standard supervisory haircuts under § 1240.39(b)(2)(ii), as applicable, that a counterparty to a netting set has posted to an Enterprise less the fair value amount of the variation margin, as adjusted by the standard supervisory haircuts under § 1240.39(b)(2)(ii), as applicable, posted by the Enterprise to the counterparty.

Variation margin threshold means the amount of credit exposure of an Enterprise to its counterparty that, if exceeded, would require the counterparty to post variation margin to the Enterprise pursuant to the variation margin agreement.

Volatility derivative contract means a derivative contract in which the payoff of the derivative contract explicitly depends on a measure of the volatility of an underlying risk factor to the derivative contract.

Wrong-way risk means the risk that arises when an exposure to a particular counterparty is positively correlated with the probability of default of such counterparty itself.

¹ This requirement is met where all transactions under the agreement are (i) executed under U.S. law and (ii) constitute “securities contracts” under section 555 of the Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. 555), qualified financial contracts under section 11(e)(8) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, or netting contracts between or among financial institutions.

[85 FR 82198, Dec. 17, 2020, as amended at 87 FR 14770, Mar. 16, 2022; 88 FR 83474, Nov. 30, 2023]