TITLE IU.K. [X1VALUATION AND RISK-BASED CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS (PILLAR I), ENHANCED GOVERNANCE (PILLAR II) AND INCREASED TRANSPARENCY (PILLAR III)]

CHAPTER IVU.K. OWN FUNDS

SECTION 2 U.K. Classification of own funds

Article 73U.K.Tier 2 Basic own-funds — Features determining classification

1.[F1The features referred to in Article 72 shall be either those set out in points (a) to (i) or those set out in point (j):]

(a)the basic own-fund item ranks after the claims of all policy holders and beneficiaries and non-subordinated creditors;

(b)the basic own-fund item does not include features which may cause the insolvency of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking or may accelerate the process of the undertaking becoming insolvent;

(c)the basic own-fund item is undated or has an original maturity of at least 10 years; the first contractual opportunity to repay or redeem the basic own-fund item does not occur before 5 years from the date of issuance;

(d)the basic own-fund item is only repayable or redeemable at the option of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking and the repayment or redemption of the basic own-fund item is subject to prior supervisory approval;

(e)the basic own-fund item may include limited incentives to repay or redeem that basic own-fund item, provided that these do not occur before 10 years from the date of issuance;

(f)the basic own-fund item provides for the suspension of repayment or redemption of that item where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or repayment or redemption would lead to such non-compliance until the undertaking complies with the Solvency Capital Requirement and the repayment or redemption would not lead to non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement;

(g)the basic own-fund item meets one of the following criteria:

(i)

in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) of Article 72, either the legal or contractual arrangements governing the basic own-fund item or national legislation allow for the distributions in relation to that item to be deferred where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or the distribution would lead to such non-compliance until the undertaking complies with the Solvency Capital Requirement and the distribution would not lead to non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement;

(ii)

in the case of items referred to in points (a)(iii) and (iv) and point (b) of Article 72 the terms of the contractual arrangement governing the basic own-fund item provide for the distributions in relation to that item to be deferred where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or the distribution would lead to such non-compliance until the undertaking complies with the Solvency Capital Requirement and the distribution would not lead to non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement;

(h)the basic own-fund item may only allow for a distribution to be made where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or the distribution on a basic-own fund item would lead to such non-compliance, where all of the following conditions are met:

(i)

the supervisory authority has exceptionally waived the deferral of distributions;

(ii)

the payment does not further weaken the solvency position of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking;

(iii)

the Minimum Capital Requirement is complied with after the distribution is made.

(i)the basic own-fund item is free from encumbrances and is not connected with any other transaction, which when considered with the basic own-fund item, could result in that basic own-fund item not complying with the first subparagraph of Article 94(2) of Directive 2009/138/EC.

(j)the basic own-fund item displays the features set out in Article 71 that are relevant for basic own-fund items referred to in points (a)(iii), (v) and (b) of Article 69, but exceeds the limit set out in Article 82(3).

Notwithstanding point (f), the basic own-fund item may only allow for the repayment or redemption of that item where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or repayment or redemption would lead to such non-compliance, where all of the following conditions are met:

(i)

the supervisory authority has exceptionally waived the suspension of repayment or redemption of that item;

(ii)

the item is exchanged for or converted into another Tier 1 or Tier 2 basic own-fund item of at least the same quality;

(iii)

the Minimum Capital Requirement is complied with after the repayment or redemption.

2.For the purposes of this Article, the exchange or conversion of a basic own-fund item into another Tier 1 or Tier 2 basic own-fund item or the repayment or redemption of a Tier 2 basic own-fund item out of the proceeds of a new basic own-fund item of at least the same quality shall not be deemed to be a repayment or redemption, provided that the exchange, conversion, repayment or redemption is subject to the approval of the supervisory authority.

3.For the purposes of points (f) and (g) of paragraph 1, references to the Solvency Capital Requirement shall be read as references to the Minimum Capital Requirement where non-compliance with the Minimum Capital Requirement occurs before non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement.

4.For the purposes of point (e) of paragraph 1, undertakings shall consider incentives to redeem in the form of an interest rate step-up associated with a call option as limited where the step-up takes the form of a single increase in the coupon rate and results in an increase in the initial rate that is no greater than the higher of the following amounts:

(a)100 basis points, less the swap spread between the initial index basis and the stepped-up index basis;

(b)50 % of the initial credit spread, less the swap spread between the initial index basis and the stepped-up index basis.

[F25. Notwithstanding the requirement in point (c) of paragraph 1, the basic own-fund item may allow for repayment or redemption before 5 years where all of the following conditions are met:

(a) the undertaking's Solvency Capital Requirement, after the repayment or redemption, will be exceeded by an appropriate margin, taking into account the solvency position of the undertaking, including the undertaking's medium-term capital management plan;

(b) the circumstances are as described in point (i) or point (ii):

(i)

there is a change in the regulatory classification of the basic own-fund item which would be likely to result in its exclusion from own funds or reclassification as a lower tier of own funds, and both of the following conditions are met:

  • the supervisory authority considers such a change to be sufficiently certain;

  • the undertaking demonstrates to the satisfaction of the supervisory authority that the regulatory reclassification of the basic own-fund item was not reasonably foreseeable at the time of its issuance;

(ii)

there is a change in the applicable tax treatment of the basic own-fund item which the undertaking demonstrates to the satisfaction of the supervisory authority is material and was not reasonably foreseeable at the time of its issuance.]

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