Article 496

1. Competent authorities may waive in full or in part the 10 % limit for senior units issued by French Fonds Communs de Créances or by securitisation entities which are equivalent to French Fonds Communs de Créances laid down in points (d) and (f) of Article 129(1), provided that both of the following conditions are fulfilled ¹: 

(a) the securitised residential property or commercial immovable property exposures were originated by a member of the same consolidated group of which the issuer of the covered bonds is a member, or by an entity affiliated to the same central body to which the issuer of the covered bonds is affiliated, where that common group membership or affiliation shall be determined at the time the senior units are made collateral for covered bonds;

(b) a member of the same consolidated group of which the issuer of the covered bonds is a member, or an entity affiliated to the same central body to which the issuer of the covered bonds is affiliated, retains the whole first loss tranche supporting those senior units.

2. Until 31 December 2014, for the purposes of point (c) of Article 129(1), the senior unsecured exposures of institutions which qualified for a 20 % risk weight under national law before 28 June 2013 shall be considered to qualify for credit quality step 1.

3. Until 31 December 2014, for the purposes of Article 129(5), the senior unsecured exposures of institutions which qualified for a 20 % risk weight under national law before 28 June 2013shall be considered to qualify for a 20 % risk weight.