How shall Article 147 (8)(b) CRR be interpreted when identifying ‘contractual arrangements that give the lender a substantial degree of control over the assets and the income that they generate’ in the context of real estate financing?

Art. 147 (8) CRR outlines the conditions for the separate identification of corporate exposures as specialised lending exposures. While condition (a) and (c) of Art. 147 (8) CRR are generally uncontroversial, there is a perceived inconsistency in the interpretation of point (b) of Art. 147 (8) CRR across jurisdictions and among competent authorities. Questions arise about what can be considered contractual arrangements that give the lender a substantial degree of control and to what extent the degree of control can be considered substantial where the exposure as such is not classified as being in default.

Please note that as part of adjustments to the Single Rulebook Q&A process, agreed by the EBA and the European Commission, it has been decided to reject outstanding questions submitted before 1 January 2020, when the Q&A process was updated as part of the last ESAs Review. In particular, the question that you have submitted has now regrettably been rejected and will not be addressed.

If you believe your question would still benefit from clarification, you are invited to resubmit your question, adapting it to reflect any legislative, regulatory or other relevant developments that may have occurred since the initial date of submission. The EBA will aim to address resubmitted questions as a matter of priority. When considering to resubmit, you are kindly requested to observe the updated admissibility criteria agreed in the context of the adjustment of the Q&A process, available in the Additional background and guidance for asking questions. We hope for your understanding.

For further information please refer to the press release and the updated Q&A page.