Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 2 of 2006

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2006L00584 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination    No. 2 of 2006

 

Information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005)

 

 

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Issued by the authority of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (‘APRA’)

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (‘APRA Act’), s 57

 

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 2 of 2006 (the ‘Determination’), made on 16 February 2006 is APRA’s twentieth determination in relation to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005) (and its predecessor reporting standards) under s 57 of the APRA Act.[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 January 2006.

Legislative background

Subsection 56(5C) of the APRA Act provides that it is not an offence against s 56(2) of that Act to disclose information in a reporting document given to APRA under s 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 where APRA has determined, under s 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 s 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) 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 Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005) Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) (made under s13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act by Financial Sector (Collection of Data) determination No. 37 of 2005[2]), being information received on or after the date of APRA’s last determination under s 57 and before the date of this one, is non-confidential.  It applies to information given to APRA by foreign ADIs (generally banks) 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 s 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 s 51 of the Banking Act 1959.

 

Regulation Impact Statement

 

The Office of Regulation Review has exempted APRA from the requirement to provide a Regulation Impact Statement in relation to the Determination.

 


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 value of all assets that have been securitised

 Value of housing loans securitised during the month

 

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’. 

[2]  Legislative Instrument - F2005L01683: see http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/LegislativeInstrument1.nsf/asmade/bytitle/0F204D94AC5C5E1FCA2570280080F2F0?OpenDocument.

Overview

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 2 of 2006, enacted on 16 February 2006, was introduced under the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 to address the issue of ensuring that certain financial information provided to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) by banks and authorised deposit-taking institutions is not considered confidential. This was intended to facilitate the publication of financial statistics by APRA. The determination was made under section 57 of the APRA Act, which empowers APRA to assess whether specific financial information provided to it should be treated as confidential or not. The determination process involved consultation with relevant entities and their representative associations to determine whether the specified information should be treated as non-confidential, balancing the public interest in disclosure against any potential harm that might arise from such disclosure. The determination specifically excludes certain sensitive information from being treated as non-confidential.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 2 of 2006 applies to information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005). The primary objective of this Determination is to facilitate the publication of data in the Monthly Banking Statistics by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), specifically for the month of January 2006. The legislation enables APRA to disclose certain information as non-confidential, thereby permitting its publication. However, it explicitly excludes sensitive information, such as details relating to shareholders' equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions. The Determination encompasses data provided under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001, which was received by APRA from the specified entities between the last confidentiality determination and the date of this determination. This legislation operates within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Australia and applies to the entities mentioned, ensuring a standardised approach to the disclosure of banking statistics.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has made the Determination No. 2 of 2006 under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). This Determination pertains to information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005). It allows APRA to publish certain non-confidential information in the Monthly Banking Statistics, specifically for January 2006. The information covered includes selected assets, loans and advances, liabilities, and deposits as detailed in the appendix of the Determination. Banks and ADIs governed by the Determination are required to provide specific financial data to APRA, which may then be published as non-confidential information in the Monthly Banking Statistics. This requirement is subject to the exclusion of sensitive information, such as details about shareholders' equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, which have been determined to remain confidential following consultations with industry. The entities must ensure that the information they submit adheres to the reporting standards set forth in the Determination. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Determination may result in the disclosure of confidential information, which could potentially lead to legal consequences. The APRA Act includes provisions that protect the confidentiality of certain information, and any breach of these provisions could result in penalties. While the Determination itself does not specify penalties, the APRA Act provides for fines and other penalties for breaches of confidentiality provisions, which could be significant depending on the severity and impact of the breach.

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