Background:
In the first quarter of 2009, ING Groep N.V. (“ING”) reached an agreement, for itself and on behalf of certain ING affiliates including the Company, with The State of the Netherlands (the “Dutch State”) on an Illiquid Assets Back-Up Facility (the “Back-Up Facility”) covering 80% of ING's Alt-A residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”). Under the terms of the Back-Up Facility, a full credit risk transfer to the Dutch State was realized on 80% of ING's Alt-A RMBS owned by ING Bank, fsb and certain ING affiliates that are subsidiaries of ING U.S., Inc., including the Company with an aggregate book value of $36.0 billion, including book value of $1.4 billion of the Alt-A RMBS portfolio owned by the Company (with respect to the Company's portfolio, the “Designated Securities Portfolio”) (the “ING-Dutch State Transaction”). As a result of the risk transfer, the Dutch State participates in 80% of any results of the ING Alt-A RMBS portfolio. The risk transfer to the Dutch State took place at a discount of approximately 10% of par value. In addition, under the Back-Up Facility, the Company and the Dutch State were obligated to pay other fees. Each ING company participating in the ING-Dutch State Transaction, including the Company remained the legal owner of 100% of its Alt-A RMBS portfolio and remained exposed to 20% of any results on its portfolio. The ING-Dutch State Transaction closed on March 31, 2009, with the risk transfer to the Dutch State taking effect as of January 26, 2009.
In order to implement that portion of the ING-Dutch State Transaction related to the Company's Designated Securities Portfolio, the Company entered into a participation agreement dated as of March 31, 2009 by and among itself and its affiliates, ING Support Holding B.V. (“ING Support Holding”) and ING pursuant to which the Company conveyed to ING Support Holding an 80% participation interest in its Designated Securities Portfolio and agreed to pay a periodic transaction fee (together with subsequent amendment, the “Participation Agreement”). As consideration for the participation interest conveyed under the Participation Agreement, ING Support Holding assigned to the Company, pursuant to the Deed of Assignment of Receivables among ING Support Holding, the Company, the Dutch State and Stichting Derdengelden ING Support Holding (the “Collection Foundation”) (the “Dutch State Obligation”) the right to receive payments from the Dutch State under the Illiquid Assets Back-Up Facility dated as of March 31, 2009 related to the Company's Designated Securities Portfolio among ING, ING Support Holding and the Dutch State (together with subsequent amendment, the “Company Back-Up Facility”). Under the Company Back-Up Facility, the Dutch State is obligated to pay certain periodic fees and make certain periodic payments with respect to the Company's Designated Securities Portfolio, and ING Support Holding is obligated to pay a periodic guarantee fee and make periodic payments to the Dutch State equal to the distributions made with respect to the 80% participation interest in the Company's Designated Securities Portfolio. |