Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 6 of 2008

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2008L01675 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.6 of 2008 [1]

 

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), section 57

 

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.6 of 2008 (the Determination), made on 21 May 2008 is APRA’s forty seventh determination in relation to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005) Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) (ARS 320.0) (and its predecessor reporting standards) under section 57 of the APRA Act.[2] The purpose of the Determination is to enable APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, which will contain data in respect of April 2008.

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 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 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 ARS 320.0 (made under section 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act by Financial Sector (Collection of Data) determination No. 37 of 2005[3]), being information received on or after the date of APRA’s last determination under section 57 and before the date of this one, is non-confidential. It applies to information given to APRA by foreign Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (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 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.

 

 


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]  Commonwealth Office of Best Practice Regulation - Monthly Banking Statistics business impact approval ID 9550 of  17 March 2008

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

[3]  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. 6 of 2008, issued under the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, aims to facilitate the publication of banking data by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Enacted to address the need for transparency in the financial sector, this determination enables APRA to disclose specific information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under the Reporting Standard ARS 320.0. The objective is to support the publication of an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, containing data pertinent to April 2008, while ensuring that certain sensitive information remains confidential. APRA consulted with industry stakeholders before making the determination, and the final decision reflects a balance between public interest and the need to protect certain sensitive financial data.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.6 of 2008 applies to information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0. This information, which must be provided to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001, pertains to the financial data reported on the Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) for the month of April 2008. The Determination specifies that certain data contained within these reports are to be treated as non-confidential, enabling APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics that includes this data. Notably, the Determination does not apply to sensitive information such as details relating to shareholders' equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, which remain exempt from disclosure. The Determination applies nationally, affecting all banks and ADIs operating within Australia, thereby impacting the financial services sector across the Commonwealth. The applicability of the Determination is contingent upon the provisions outlined in the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 and the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001, and it extends to the publication of specified financial data as detailed in the accompanying appendix.

Key Provisions

Section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act) empowers APRA to determine whether information provided under certain reporting standards is confidential or non-confidential. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 6 of 2008 (the Determination) is APRA’s forty-seventh determination under this section, allowing APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics containing data for April 2008. The Determination specifies that certain information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005) is non-confidential. It applies to information submitted to APRA by both foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions and locally-incorporated banks. However, sensitive information such as that relating to shareholder equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions is excluded from this determination. The specific items that will be disclosed are detailed in the Appendix to the Explanatory Statement. The Determination imposes a requirement on APRA to consult with relevant entities or bodies, or their representative associations, before making a determination regarding the confidentiality of information. This requirement ensures that APRA takes into account the views of stakeholders before publishing potentially sensitive financial data. The Determination also mandates that APRA must give these entities a reasonable opportunity to make representations about whether the information is confidential. APRA has undertaken such consultations, as evidenced by the communications sent to locally-incorporated banks, foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions, and their respective representative bodies on 24 December 2003. There are no explicit offences, penalties, or consequences for breaches of this Determination, as it primarily concerns the classification of information as confidential or non-confidential for the purposes of publication. However, any misuse or unauthorised disclosure of the non-confidential information could potentially lead to other legal consequences under different provisions of the APRA Act or other relevant legislation, such as the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001. While the Determination itself does not specify maximum penalties for breaches, any unauthorised disclosure of confidential information not covered by this determination could lead to significant penalties under the APRA Act.

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