Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 6 of 2010

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2010L00753 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.6 of 2010

 

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 2010 (the Determination), made on 24 March 2010 is APRA’s seventy second 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.[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 February 2010.

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[2]), 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]  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. 6 of 2010, made under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act), aims to allow the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics containing data in respect of February 2010. This determination addresses the need for APRA to ensure that certain financial information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions does not contain confidential information before it can be published. This was achieved through a process of consultation with industry as required by the APRA Act, and the exclusion of sensitive information such as shareholder's equity and total provisions from the publication. The policy objective behind this determination is to facilitate the public disclosure of financial information, which is in the public interest, while protecting sensitive information that could undermine the stability of the financial system.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.6 of 2010 applies to information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under the Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005). This determination, made under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, allows the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, specifically for February 2010, containing non-confidential data. This data is sourced from reports submitted to APRA by these financial institutions, and the scope of the Determination excludes information of a sensitive nature, such as details relating to shareholders' equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions. The Determination is applicable nationally, as it is a Commonwealth regulation, and aims to balance the public interest in financial transparency with the need to protect sensitive information. APRA has consulted with relevant entities and their representative associations to ensure the information to be published does not compromise the confidentiality of sensitive data.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) made the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.6 of 2010 (the Determination) under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). The Determination, which came into effect on 24 March 2010, aims to allow APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics containing data for February 2010. It specifies that certain information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005) is non-confidential and thus can be published by APRA. This information is provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under section 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001. Under this Determination, APRA is required to consult with relevant entities or bodies, or their representative associations, before determining that the information does not contain confidential information. The Determination applies to information given to APRA by foreign ADIs and locally-incorporated banks, which is received after the date of APRA’s last determination under section 57 and before the date of this one. However, it excludes information of a sensitive nature, such as shareholder’s equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, as determined through consultations with the industry. The Determination imposes several obligations on the entities subject to it. Firstly, they are required to provide information to APRA under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 (2005). This includes information on selected assets, loans and advances, liabilities, and deposits. Secondly, they must ensure that the information provided does not contain any confidential details. Lastly, they must be prepared to participate in consultations with APRA regarding the confidentiality of the information provided. Breaches of the obligations under this Determination may lead to civil or criminal consequences. However, under subsection 56(5C) of the APRA Act, it is not an offence to disclose information in a reporting document given to APRA where APRA has determined, under section 57, that the document does not contain confidential information. The maximum penalties for breaches of the APRA Act are not specified in the text. However, penalties may include fines, imprisonment, or both, depending on the nature and severity of the breach. It is important to note that the Determination does not specify any particular penalties for breaches of its provisions.

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