12 CFR 1.2 – Definitions
(a) Capital and surplus means:
Terms Used In 12 CFR 1.2
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. Source: OCC
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
(1) For qualifying community banking organizations that have elected to use the community bank leverage ratio framework, as set forth under the OCC’s Capital Adequacy Standards at part 3 of this chapter:
(i) A qualifying community banking organization’s tier 1 capital, as used under § 3.12 of this chapter; plus
(ii) A qualifying community banking organization’s allowance for loan and lease losses or adjusted allowances for credit losses, as applicable, as reported in the bank’s Consolidated Report of Condition and Income (Call Report); or
(2) For all other banks:
(i) A bank’s tier 1 and tier 2 capital calculated under the OCC’s risk-based capital standards set forth in part 3 of this chapter, as applicable (or comparable capital guidelines of the appropriate Federal banking agency), as reported in the bank’s Call Report; plus
(ii) The balance of a bank’s allowance for loan and lease losses or adjusted allowances for credit losses, as applicable, not included in the bank’s tier 2 capital, for purposes of the calculation of risk-based capital described in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section, as reported in the bank’s Call Report.
(b) General obligation of a State or political subdivision means:
(1) An obligation supported by the full faith and credit of an obligor possessing general powers of taxation, including property taxation; or
(2) An obligation payable from a special fund or by an obligor not possessing general powers of taxation, when an obligor possessing general powers of taxation, including property taxation, has unconditionally promised to make payments into the fund or otherwise provide funds to cover all required payments on the obligation.
(c) Investment company means an investment company, including a mutual fund, registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, 15 U.S.C. §§ 80a-8.
(d) Investment grade means the issuer of a security has an adequate capacity to meet financial commitments under the security for the projected life of the asset or exposure. An issuer has an adequate capacity to meet financial commitments if the risk of default by the obligor is low and the full and timely repayment of principal and interest is expected.
(e) Investment security means a marketable debt obligation that is investment grade and not predominately speculative in nature.
(f) Marketable means that the security:
(1) Is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77a et seq.;
(2) Is a municipal revenue bond exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77c(a)(2);
(3) Is offered and sold pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 144A, 17 CFR 230.144A, and investment grade; or
(4) Can be sold with reasonable promptness at a price that corresponds reasonably to its fair value.
(g) Municipal bonds means obligations of a State or political subdivision other than general obligations, and includes limited obligation bonds, revenue bonds, and obligations that satisfy the requirements of section 142(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 issued by or on behalf of any State or political subdivision of a State, including any municipal corporate instrumentality of 1 or more States, or any public agency or authority of any State or political subdivision of a State.
(h) [Reserved]
(i) Political subdivision means a county, city, town, or other municipal corporation, a public authority, and generally any publicly-owned entity that is an instrumentality of a State or of a municipal corporation.
(j) Type I security means:
(1) Obligations of the United States;
(2) Obligations issued, insured, or guaranteed by a department or an agency of the United States Government, if the obligation, insurance, or guarantee commits the full faith and credit of the United States for the repayment of the obligation;
(3) Obligations issued by a department or agency of the United States, or an agency or political subdivision of a State of the United States, that represent an interest in a loan or a pool of loans made to third parties, if the full faith and credit of the United States has been validly pledged for the full and timely payment of interest on, and principal of, the loans in the event of non-payment by the third party obligor(s);
(4) General obligations of a State of the United States or any political subdivision thereof; and municipal bonds if the national bank is well capitalized as defined in 12 CFR 6.4;
(5) Obligations authorized under 12 U.S.C. § 24 (Seventh) as permissible for a national bank to deal in, underwrite, purchase, and sell for the bank’s own account, including qualified Canadian government obligations; and
(6) Other securities the OCC determines to be eligible as Type I securities under 12 U.S.C. § 24 (Seventh).
(k) Type II security means an investment security that represents:
(1) Obligations issued by a State, or a political subdivision or agency of a State, for housing, university, or dormitory purposes that would not satisfy the definition of Type I securities pursuant to paragraph (j) of § 1.2;
(2) Obligations of international and multilateral development banks and organizations listed in 12 U.S.C. § 24 (Seventh);
(3) Other obligations listed in 12 U.S.C. § 24 (Seventh) as permissible for a bank to deal in, underwrite, purchase, and sell for the bank’s own account, subject to a limitation per obligor of 10 percent of the bank’s capital and surplus; and
(4) Other securities the OCC determines to be eligible as Type II securities under 12 U.S.C. § 24 (Seventh).
(l) Type III security means an investment security that does not qualify as a Type I, II, IV, or V security. Examples of Type III securities include corporate bonds and municipal bonds that do not satisfy the definition of Type I securities pursuant to paragraph (j) of § 1.2 or the definition of Type II securities pursuant to paragraph (k) of § 1.2.
(m) Type IV security means:
(1) A small business-related security as defined in section 3(a)(53)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78c(a)(53)(A), that is fully secured by interests in a pool of loans to numerous obligors.
(2) A commercial mortgage-related security that is offered or sold pursuant to section 4(5) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77d(5), that is investment grade, or a commercial mortgage-related security as described in section 3(a)(41) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78c(a)(41), that represents ownership of a promissory note or certificate of interest or participation that is directly secured by a first lien on one or more parcels of real estate upon which one or more commercial structures are located and that is fully secured by interests in a pool of loans to numerous obligors.
(3) A residential mortgage-related security that is offered and sold pursuant to section 4(5) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77d(5), that is investment grade, or a residential mortgage-related security as described in section 3(a)(41) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78c(a)(41)) that does not otherwise qualify as a Type I security.
(n) Type V security means a security that is:
(1) Investment grade;
(2) Marketable;
(3) Not a Type IV security; and
(4) Fully secured by interests in a pool of loans to numerous obligors and in which a national bank could invest directly.