Tier 3 Basic own-funds– Features determining classification

1. The features referred to in Article 76 shall be the following:

(a) the basic own-fund item, in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) and point (b) of Article 76, ranks after the claims of all policy holders and beneficiaries and non-subordinated creditors;

(b) the basic own-fund item does not include features which may cause the insolvency of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking or may accelerate the process of the undertaking becoming insolvent;

(c) the basic own-fund item, in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) and point (b) of Article 76, is undated or has an original maturity of at least 5 years, where the maturity date is the first contractual opportunity to repay or redeem the basic own-fund item;

(d) the basic own-fund item, in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) and point (b) of Article 76, is only repayable or redeemable at the option of the insurance or reinsurance undertaking and the repayment or redemption of the basic own-fund item is subject to prior supervisory approval;

(e) the basic own-fund item, in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) and point (b) of Article 76, may include limited incentives to repay or redeem that basic own-fund item;

(f) the basic own-fund item, in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) and point (b) of Article 76, provides for the suspension of repayment or redemption where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or repayment or redemption would lead to such non-compliance until the undertaking complies with the Solvency Capital Requirement and the repayment or redemption would not lead to non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement;

(g) the basic own-fund item, in the case of items referred to in points (a)(i) and (ii) and point (b) of Article 76, provides for the deferral of distributions where there is non-compliance with the Minimum Capital Requirement or the distribution would lead to such non-compliance until the undertaking complies with the Minimum Capital Requirement and the distribution would not lead to non-compliance with the Minimum Capital Requirement;

(h) the basic own-fund item is free from encumbrances and is not connected with any other transaction, which could undermine the features that the item is required to possess in accordance with this Article.

Notwithstanding point (f), the basic own-fund item may only allow for the repayment or redemption of that item where there is non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement or repayment or redemption would lead to such non-compliance, where all the following conditions are met:

(i) the supervisory authority has exceptionally waived the suspension of repayment or redemption of that item;

(ii) the item is exchanged for or converted into another Tier 1, Tier 2 basic own-fund item or Tier 3 basic own-fund item of at least the same quality;

(iii) the Minimum Capital Requirement is complied with after the repayment or redemption.

2. For the purposes of this Article, the exchange or conversion of a basic own-fund item into another Tier 1, Tier 2 basic own-fund item or Tier 3 basic own-fund item or the repayment or redemption of a Tier 3 basic own-fund item out of the proceeds of a new basic own-fund item of at least the same quality shall not be deemed to be a repayment or redemption, provided that the exchange, conversion, repayment or redemption is subject to the approval of the supervisory authority.

3. For the purposes of point (f) of paragraph 1, references to the Solvency Capital Requirement shall be read as references to the Minimum Capital Requirement where non-compliance with the Minimum Capital Requirement occurs before non-compliance with the Solvency Capital Requirement.

4. For the purposes of point (e) of paragraph 1, undertakings shall consider incentives to redeem in the form of an interest rate step-up associated with a call option as limited where the step-up takes the form of a single increase in the coupon rate and results in an increase in the initial rate that is no greater than the higher of the following amounts:

(a) 100 basis points, less the swap spread between the initial index basis and the stepped-up index basis;

(b) 50 % of the initial credit spread, less the swap spread between the initial index basis and the stepped-up index basis.