Article 55
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Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) > TITLE IV > CHAPTER IV > Section 5 > Subsection 4 > Article 55
Title:
Article 55
Description: 
Contractual recognition of bail-in
Main content: 

1.  Member States shall require institutions and entities referred to in points (b), (c) and (d) of Article 1(1) to include a contractual term by which the creditor or party to the agreement or instrument creating the liability recognises that that liability may be subject to the write down and conversion powers and agrees to be bound by any reduction of the principal or outstanding amount due, conversion or cancellation that is effected by the exercise of those powers by a resolution authority, provided that that liability complies with all of the following conditions:

(a) the liability is not excluded under Article 44(2);

(b) the liability is not a deposit as referred to in point (a) of Article 108;

(c) the liability is governed by the law of a third country;

(d) the liability is issued or entered into after the date on which a Member State applies the provisions adopted in order to transpose this Section.

Resolution authorities may decide that the obligation in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall not apply to institutions or entities in respect of which the requirement under Article 45(1) equals the loss-absorption amount as defined under point (a) of Article 45c(2), provided that liabilities that meet the conditions referred to in the first subparagraph and which do not include the contractual term referred to in that subparagraph are not counted towards that requirement.

The first subparagraph shall not apply where the resolution authority of a Member State determines that the liabilities or instruments referred to in the first subparagraph can be subject to write down and conversion powers by the resolution authority of a Member State pursuant to the law of the third country or to a binding agreement concluded with that third country.

2.  Member States shall ensure that where an institution or entity referred to in point (b), (c) or (d) of Article 1(1) reaches the determination that it is legally or otherwise impracticable to include in the contractual provisions governing a relevant liability a term required in accordance with paragraph 1, such institution or entity notifies its determination, including the designation of the class of the liability and the justification of that determination, to the resolution authority. The institution or entity shall provide the resolution authority with all information that the resolution authority requests, within a reasonable timeframe following the receipt of the notification, in order for the resolution authority to assess the effect of such notification on the resolvability of that institution or entity.

Member States shall ensure that, in the case of a notification under the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the obligation to include in the contractual provisions a term required in accordance with paragraph 1 is automatically suspended from the moment of receipt by the resolution authority of the notification.

In the event that the resolution authority concludes that it is not legally or otherwise impracticable to include in the contractual provisions a term required in accordance with paragraph 1, taking into account the need to ensure the resolvability of the institution or entity, it shall require, within a reasonable timeframe after the notification pursuant to the first subparagraph, the inclusion of such contractual term. The resolution authority may, in addition, require the institution or entity to amend its practices concerning the application of the exemption from contractual recognition of bail-in.

The liabilities referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall not include Additional Tier 1 instruments, Tier 2 instruments and debt instruments referred to in point (48)(ii) of Article 2(1), where those instruments are unsecured liabilities. Moreover, the liabilities referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall be senior to the liabilities referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of Article 108(2) and in Article 108(3).

Where the resolution authority, in the context of the assessment of the resolvability of an institution or entity referred to in point (b), (c) or (d) of Article 1(1) in accordance with Articles 15 and 16, or at any other time, determines that, within a class of liabilities which includes eligible liabilities, the amount of liabilities that, in accordance with the first subparagraph of this paragraph, do not include the contractual term referred to in paragraph 1, together with the liabilities which are excluded from the application of the bail-in tool in accordance with Article 44(2) or which are likely to be excluded in accordance with Article 44(3) amounts to more than 10 % of that class, it shall immediately assess the impact of that particular fact on the resolvability of that institution or entity, including the impact on the resolvability resulting from the risk of breaching the creditor safeguards provided in Article 73 when applying write-down and conversion powers to eligible liabilities.

Where the resolution authority concludes, on the basis of the assessment referred to in the fifth subparagraph of this paragraph, that the liabilities which, in accordance with the first subparagraph, do not include the contractual term referred to in paragraph 1, create a substantive impediment to resolvability, it shall apply the powers provided in Article 17 as appropriate to remove that impediment to resolvability.

Liabilities for which the institution or entity referred to in point (b), (c) or (d) of Article 1(1) fails to include in the contractual provisions the term required by paragraph 1 of this Article or for which, in accordance with this paragraph, that requirement does not apply, shall not be counted towards the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities.

3.  Member States shall ensure that resolution authorities may require institutions and entities referred to in points (b), (c) and (d) of Article 1(1) to provide authorities with a legal opinion relating to the legal enforceability and effectiveness of the contractual term referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

4.  Where an institution or entity referred to in point (b), (c) or (d) of Article 1(1) does not include in the contractual provisions governing a relevant liability a contractual term required in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article, that shall not prevent the resolution authority from exercising the write down and conversion powers in relation to that liability.

5.  EBA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards in order to further determine the list of liabilities to which the exclusion in paragraph 1 applies, and the contents of the contractual term required in that paragraph, taking into account institutions' different business models.

EBA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 3 July 2015.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010.

6.  EBA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards in order to further specify:

(a) the conditions under which it would be legally or otherwise impracticable for an institution or entity referred to in point (b), (c) or (d) of Article 1(1) to include the contractual term referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article in certain categories of liabilities;

(b) the conditions for the resolution authority to require the inclusion of the contractual term pursuant to the third subparagraph of paragraph 2;

(c) the reasonable timeframe for the resolution authority to require the inclusion of a contractual term pursuant to the third subparagraph of paragraph 2.

EBA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 28 June 2020.

Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010.

7.  The resolution authority shall specify, where it deems it necessary, the categories of liabilities for which an institution or entity referred to in point (b), (c) or (d) of Article 1(1) may reach the determination that it is legally or otherwise impracticable to include the contractual term referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, based on the conditions further specified as a result of the application of paragraph 6.

8.  EBA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to specify uniform formats and templates for the notification to resolution authorities for the purposes of paragraph 2.

EBA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 28 June 2020.

Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010.