What Are Undisclosed Reserves?
Undisclosed reserves include unpublished or "hidden" reserves that may not appear on public documents—such as on the balance sheet—but are nonetheless 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:real assets and are considered as 𓆏such by most banking institutions.
澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Bank reserves are the cash minimums that financial institutions must keep on hand. The Federal Reserve (Fed) sets the requirements in 🎃order to ensure that banks have enough money on hand to cover withdrawals.
Key Takeaways
- Undisclosed reserves are on the books of a financial institution, but "hidden" from the public and not listed on financial statements.
- Undisclosed reserves are included as part of Tier 2 capital along with general loan-loss and revaluation reserves.
- Some countries' regulatory environments do not recognize undisclosed reserves as assets.
Understanding Undisclosed Reserves
Undisclosed reserves relate to capital requirements in the banking industry and are designated as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Tier 2 capital. Tier 2 is designated as the second or supplementary layer of a bank's capital and is less liquid than Tier 1 capital.
Undisclosed reserves are included in Tier 2 capital and will occur through 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:provisions or when a bank charges expenses against a P&L. These items are not disclosed and not visible on public statements, such as the balance sheet. Tier 2 capital, or supplementary capital, also includes a number of important and legitimate constituents of a bank's capital requ💃irement. Five items can typically be included in Tier 2 capital calculations:
- Undisclosed reserves
- 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Revaluation reserves
- General 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:loan-loss reserves
- Hybrid debt-equity capital instruments
- 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Subordinated term debt
澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Tier 1 capital, which is also known as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:core capital, is more liquid and consists of equity capital and disclosed reserves (e.g. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:retained earnings). Tier 1 capital is thౠe money the bank has on its books while it undertakes lending, investing, trading, or other risky transactions. Simply put, Tier 1 funds support banks when losses are absorbed so that business functions do not have to be shut down.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital requirements were largely standardized in the Basel I accord, issued by the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Basel Committee on Ba♓nking Supervi♐sion and left untouched by the Basel II accord. National regulators of most countries around the world have implemented Tier 2 standards in local legislation. In the calculation of regulatory capital, Tier 2 is limited to 100% of Tier 1 capital.
Undisclosed Reserves Special Considerations
Preferred or accepted forms of capital and collateral have grown in importance, particularly after the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:banking crisis during 2008 and 2009. Bank stress tests, which were conducted in response to numerous taxpayer-funded 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:bailout programs, highlighted how certain assets and reserves were woefully inadequate ♏during the volatile markets of the Great Recession.
In practice, undisclosed reserves are not common but are accepted by some regulators where a bank has made a profit, but the profit has not appeared in normal retained earnings or in general reserves of the bank. It is fairly standard for undisclosed reserves to be accepted by a bank's supervisory authorities. However, many countries do not accept undisclosed reserves as an accounting concept or even as a legitimate form of capital.