12 C.F.R. § 253.2

Current through September 30, 2024
Section 253.2 - Definitions

30-day Average SOFR means the 30-calendar-day compounded average of SOFR, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any successor administrator.

90-day Average SOFR means the 90-calendar-day compounded average of SOFR, as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any successor administrator.

Benchmark means an index of interest rates or dividend rates that is used, in whole or in part, as the basis of or as a reference for calculating or determining any valuation, payment, or other measurement.

Benchmark administrator means a person that publishes a benchmark for use by third parties.

Benchmark replacement means a benchmark, or an interest rate or dividend rate (which may or may not be based in whole or in part on a prior setting of LIBOR) to replace LIBOR or any interest rate or dividend rate based on LIBOR, whether on a temporary, permanent, or indefinite basis, under or with respect to a LIBOR contract.

Benchmark replacement conforming change means any technical, administrative, or operational change, alteration, or modification that:

(1) The Board determines, in its discretion, would address one or more issues affecting the implementation, administration, and calculation of the Board-selected benchmark replacement in LIBOR contracts; or
(2) Solely with respect to a LIBOR contract that is not a consumer loan, in the reasonable judgment of a calculating person, are otherwise necessary or appropriate to permit the implementation, administration, and calculation of the Board-selected benchmark replacement under or with respect to a LIBOR contract after giving due consideration to any benchmark replacement conforming changes determined by the Board under paragraph (1) of this definition.

Board-selected benchmark replacement means the benchmark replacements identified in § 253.4 .

Business day means any day except for:

(1) A Saturday;
(2) A Sunday;
(3) A day on which the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the fixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of trading in United States Government securities; or
(4) A day on which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, with advance notice, chooses not to publish its Treasury repurchase agreement reference rates if participants in the Treasury repurchase agreement market broadly expect to treat that day as a holiday.

Calculating person means, with respect to any LIBOR contract, any person, including the determining person, responsible for calculating or determining any valuation, payment, or other measurement based on a benchmark.

CME Term SOFR means the CME Term SOFR Reference Rates published for one-, three-, six-, and 12-month tenors as administered by CME Group Benchmark Administration, Ltd. (or any successor administrator thereof).

Consumer has the same meaning as in section 103 of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1602 ) .

Consumer loan means a consumer credit transaction.

Credit has the same meaning as in section 103 of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1602 ) .

Derivative transaction means a contract that would satisfy the criteria to be a "Protocol Covered Document" under the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) protocol (see appendix A to this part) but for the fact that one or more parties to such contract is not an "Adhering Party" as such term is used in the ISDA protocol, provided that, for purposes of this definition, "Protocol Effective Date" as such term is used in the ISDA protocol means the LIBOR replacement date for the relevant LIBOR contract.

Derivative transaction fallback observation day means the day that is two payment business days prior to the payment date for the relevant calculation period.

Determining person means, with respect to any LIBOR contract, any person with the sole authority, right, or obligation, including on a temporary basis (as identified by the LIBOR contract or by the governing law of the LIBOR contract, as appropriate) to determine a benchmark replacement, whether or not the person's authority, right, or obligation is subject to any contingencies specified in the LIBOR contract or by the governing law of the LIBOR contract.

Fallback provisions means terms in a LIBOR contract for determining a benchmark replacement, including any terms relating to the date on which the benchmark replacement becomes effective.

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)-regulated entity has the same meaning as "regulated entity" in 12 U.S.C. 4502(20) .

Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) asset-backed securitization (ABS) means an asset-backed security for which more than 50 percent of the collateral pool consists of FFELP loans, as reported in the most recent servicer report available on the LIBOR replacement date.

FHFA-regulated-entity contract means a LIBOR contract that is a commercial or multifamily mortgage loan that has been purchased or guaranteed, in whole or in part, by an FHFA-regulated entity, or for which an FHFA-regulated entity is identified as a party in the transaction documents, and that is:

(1) A commercial or multifamily mortgage-backed security (other than a security backed by consumer loans);
(2) A collateralized mortgage obligation;
(3) A credit risk transfer transaction; or
(4) A Federal Home Loan Bank advance.

ISDA protocol means the ISDA 2020 IBOR Fallbacks Protocol published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., on October 23, 2020, and minor or technical amendments thereto (see appendix A to this part).

LIBOR, as used in this part:

(1) Means the overnight and one-, three-, six-, and 12-month tenors of U.S. dollar LIBOR (formerly known as the London interbank offered rate) as administered by ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (or any predecessor or successor administrator thereof); and
(2) Does not include the one-week or two-month tenors of U.S. dollar LIBOR.

LIBOR contract means any contract, agreement, indenture, organizational document, guarantee, mortgage, deed of trust, lease, security (whether representing debt or equity, including any interest in a corporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company), instrument, or other obligation or asset that, by its terms, uses LIBOR as a benchmark.

LIBOR replacement date means the first London banking day after June 30, 2023, unless the Board determines that any LIBOR tenor will cease to be published or cease to be representative on a different date.

Relevant benchmark administrator means:

(1) Bloomberg Index Services Limited with respect to Fallback Rate (SOFR);
(2) CME Group Benchmark Administration, Ltd. with respect to CME Term SOFR;
(3) Refinitiv Limited with respect to the Board-selected benchmark replacement for a LIBOR contract that is a consumer loan; and
(4) The Federal Reserve Bank of New York with respect to 30-day Average SOFR and 90-day Average SOFR.

Security has the same meaning as in section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77b(a) ) .

SOFR means the Secured Overnight Financing Rate published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any successor administrator.

State means any state, commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands.

12 C.F.R. §253.2

88 FR 5220, 2/27/2023