Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 13 of 2012

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2012L01589 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.13 of 2012

 

Information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0

 

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Prepared by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA)

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act), section 57

 

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.13 of 2012 (the Determination), made on 19 July 2012 is APRA’s one hundred and first determination under section 57 of the APRA Act in relation to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) (ARS 320.0), taking into account both current and preceding versions of this reporting standard.[1] The purpose of the Determination is to enable APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, which will contain data in respect of June 2012.

Legislative background

Subsection 56(5C) of the APRA Act provides that it is not an offence against section 56(2) of that Act to disclose information in a reporting document given to APRA under section 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 (FSCOD Act) where APRA has determined, under section 57, that the document does not contain confidential information.

Section 57 of the APRA Act gives APRA power to determine whether a document given under section 13 of the FSCOD Act contains confidential information. The section provides that before doing so APRA must give relevant entities or bodies, or their representative association, a reasonable opportunity to make representations as to whether information of the kind contained in the document is confidential, and take such representations into account (consultation undertaken is discussed below).

Information covered by the determination

The Determination provides that certain information given to APRA under ARS 320.0 (made by Financial Sector (Collection of Data) (reporting standard) determination No. 30 of 2008), or another reporting standard in substantially the same form replacing it, being information received on or after the date of APRA’s last determination under section 57 in respect of information provided under ARS 320.0 and before the date of the Determination, is non-confidential. It applies to information given to APRA by foreign Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) and locally-incorporated banks.

The Determination excludes information of a sensitive nature, including information relating to shareholder’s equity, total income tax liability and total provisions. The latter two items were excluded as a result of consultations with industry under section 57 of the APRA Act (see below).

Items that will be disclosed (and which are covered by the Determination) are set out in the Appendix to this Explanatory Statement.

 

Consultation

 

APRA commenced consultations in relation to whether information of the kind covered by the Determination should be treated as non-confidential by writing to locally-incorporated banks, foreign ADIs, and their respective representative bodies, on 24 December 2003. Most agreed that information of the kind covered by the Determination could be treated as non-confidential. A small minority objected to the publication of any information from ARS 320.0, but in APRA’s view there is a strong public interest in the publication of the information, and it is noted that similar information was regularly published under the former section 51 of the Banking Act 1959.

 

Statement of compatibility prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011

 

The legislative instrument the subject of this explanatory statement does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011. Accordingly, in APRA’s assessment, this legislative instrument is compatible with human rights.

 


Appendix

 

Items to be published in the Monthly Banking Statistics publication 

 

Table 1: Selected Assets on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Cash and liquid assets

 Trading securities

 Investment securities

 Acceptances of customers

 Gross loans and advances

 Other investments

 Total resident assets

 Outstanding principal balance of securitised assets

 Value of housing loans securitised

 

Table 2: Loans and Advances on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Loans to non-financial corporations

 Loans to financial corporations

 Loans to general government

 Housing loans - owner-occupied

 Housing loans - investment

 Household credit cards

 Other household loans

 Loans to community service organisations and non-profit institutions

 Total gross loans and advances

 Intra-group loans and advances

 

Table 3: Selected Liabilities on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Due to clearing houses and financial institutions

 Acceptances

 Total deposits

 Intra-group deposits

 Bonds, notes and long-term borrowings

 Other borrowings

 

Table 4: Deposits on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Deposits from non-financial corporations

 Deposits from financial corporations

 Deposits from general government

 Deposits from households

 Deposits from community service organisations and non-profit institutions

 Other deposit accounts

 Certificates of deposit

 Total deposits

 

 

 

[1]  Prior to January 2006, determinations under section 57 of the APRA Act were entitled ‘Non-confidentiality determination No. X of 200X’.

Overview

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.13 of 2012, enacted on 19 July 2012 under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act), aims to facilitate the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) in publishing data in its Monthly Banking Statistics edition, specifically for June 2012. This legislation responds to the need for transparency in the banking sector while balancing the confidentiality concerns of financial institutions, particularly in the context of information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0. APRA, the enacting body, conducted consultations with relevant stakeholders to determine which data could be deemed non-confidential, ensuring a strong public interest in the information is maintained without compromising sensitive financial details. This determination underscores APRA's commitment to transparency and regulatory oversight in the banking sector.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.13 of 2012 pertains to the confidentiality of information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under the Reporting Standard ARS 320.0. This Determination, made under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, applies to information submitted to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) by these financial institutions. Specifically, it designates certain data as non-confidential, facilitating their publication in APRA's Monthly Banking Statistics. However, it deliberately excludes sensitive information such as details relating to shareholders' equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions. The scope of this Determination extends to information provided under ARS 320.0 or any future reporting standards that replace it, but it does not encompass the excluded sensitive categories. APRA has consulted with relevant entities and their representative associations to inform this determination, ensuring that a broad consensus supports the non-confidential status of the specified information. The Determination underscores APRA's commitment to transparency while safeguarding sensitive financial data, thereby balancing public interest with the need to protect proprietary information.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 13 of 2012 (the Determination) pertains to the non-confidential nature of specific financial information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (ARS 320.0). This Determination, made on 19 July 2012, was issued under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). It aims to allow APRA to publish data in its Monthly Banking Statistics edition, which includes financial data for June 2012 (section 1). The Determination explicitly states that certain financial information provided under ARS 320.0, or any subsequent reporting standard that replaces it, is not considered confidential if it was submitted to APRA after the last confidentiality determination regarding ARS 320.0 and before the date of this Determination (section 3). However, it excludes sensitive information such as details regarding shareholders’ equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions (section 4). This Determination imposes a clear obligation on locally-incorporated banks and foreign ADIs to provide specified financial information to APRA under ARS 320.0. These entities must ensure that the information they submit aligns with the non-confidential provisions outlined in the Determination, excluding any sensitive financial details (section 3). The entities must also be aware that APRA has the authority to determine whether the information they provide is confidential, and they must comply with any subsequent determinations made by APRA. The entities are also expected to adhere to the reporting standards stipulated in the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) (reporting standard) determination No. 30 of 2008 and any future standards that may replace it. The Determination does not specify any direct offences or penalties for breaches of its provisions. However, any failure to comply with the requirements of the APRA Act or the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 (FSCOD Act) could potentially lead to enforcement actions by APRA. While the Determination itself does not impose penalties, breaches of the APRA Act or the FSCOD Act could result in civil or criminal consequences. For example, under section 56(2) of the APRA Act, disclosing confidential information can lead to a penalty of up to $210,000 for individuals and $1,050,000 for bodies corporate. Additionally, section 56(5C) of the APRA Act provides that it is not an offence to disclose information if APRA has determined that the document does not contain confidential information, thereby providing a safeguard against inadvertent breaches (section 5).

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