Variable interest entities Commercial paper conduit
The Bank acts as the administrator and provider of liquidity and credit enhancement facilities for Alpine Securitization Ltd (Alpine), a multi-seller asset-backed CP conduit used for client and Bank financing purposes. Alpine discloses to CP investors certain portfolio and asset data and submits its portfolio to rating agencies for public ratings on its CP. This CP conduit purchases assets such as loans and receivables or enters into reverse repurchase agreements and finances such activities through the issuance of CP backed by these assets. In addition to CP, Alpine may also issue term notes with maturities up to 30 months. The Bank (including Alpine) can enter into liquidity facilities with third-party entities pursuant to which it may be required to purchase assets from these entities to provide them with liquidity and credit support. The financing transactions are structured to provide credit support in the form of over-collateralization and other asset-specific enhancements. Alpine is a separate legal entity that is wholly owned by the Bank. However, its assets are available to satisfy only the claims of its creditors. In addition, the Bank, as administrator and liquidity facility provider, has significant exposure to and power over the activities of Alpine. Alpine is considered a VIE for accounting purposes and the Bank is deemed the primary beneficiary and consolidates this entity.
The overall average maturity of Alpine’s outstanding CP was approximately 161 days as of the end of 6M20. Alpine’s CP was rated A-1(sf) by Standard & Poor’s and P-1(sf) by Moody’s. Alpine had exposures mainly in reverse repurchase agreements with a Group entity, consumer loans, solar loans and leases, aircraft loans and leases and car loans and leases.
The Bank’s financial commitment to this CP conduit consists of obligations under liquidity agreements. The liquidity agreements are asset-specific arrangements, which require the Bank to provide short-term financing to the CP conduit or to purchase assets from the CP conduit in certain circumstances, including but not limited to, a lack of liquidity in the CP market such that the CP conduit cannot refinance its obligations or a default of an underlying asset. The asset-specific credit enhancements provided by the client seller of the assets remain unchanged as a result of such a purchase. In entering into such agreements, the Bank reviews the credit risk associated with these transactions on the same basis that would apply to other extensions of credit.
The Bank enters into liquidity facilities with CP conduits administrated and sponsored by third parties. These third-party CP conduits are considered to be VIEs for accounting purposes. The Bank is not the primary beneficiary and does not consolidate these third-party CP conduits. The Bank’s financial commitment to these third-party CP conduits consists of obligations under liquidity agreements. The liquidity agreements are asset-specific arrangements, which require the Bank to provide short-term financing to the third-party CP conduits or to purchase assets from these CP conduits in certain circumstances, including but not limited to, a lack of liquidity in the CP market such that the CP conduits cannot refinance their obligations or a default of an underlying asset. The asset-specific credit enhancements, if any, provided by the client seller of the assets remain unchanged as a result of such a purchase. In entering into such agreements, the Bank reviews the credit risk associated with these transactions on the same basis that would apply to other extensions of credit. In some situations, the Bank can enter into liquidity facilities with these third-party CP conduits through Alpine. As of the end of 6M20 and 2019, the Bank’s outstanding facilities provided to these third-party conduits through Alpine are not included in the tabular disclosure of non-consolidated VIEs and represent a maximum exposure to loss of CHF 6,157 million and CHF 6,159 million, respectively, and total assets of these non-consolidated VIEs of CHF 13,103 million and CHF 13,488 million, respectively.
The Bank’s economic risks associated with the Alpine CP conduit and the third-party CP conduits are included in the Bank’s risk management framework including counterparty, economic risk capital and scenario analysis.
Consolidated VIEs
The consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) tables provide the carrying amounts and classifications of the assets and liabilities of consolidated VIEs as of the end of 6M20 and 2019.