rec_23

(23) A core element of ensuring the protection of covered bond investors is mitigating the instrument’s liquidity risk. That is crucial for ensuring the timely repayment of liabilities attached to the covered bond. Therefore, it is appropriate to introduce a cover pool liquidity buffer to address risks of liquidity shortage, such as mismatches in maturities and interest rates, payment interruptions, commingling risks, payment obligations attached to derivative contracts and other operational liabilities falling due within the covered bond programme. The credit institution may experience situations where it becomes difficult to comply with the cover pool liquidity buffer requirement, for example in times of stress where the buffer is used to cover outflows. The competent authorities designated pursuant to this Directive should monitor compliance with the cover pool liquidity buffer requirement, and, if necessary, take measures to ensure that the credit institution complies with the buffer requirement. The liquidity buffer for the cover pool differs from the general liquidity requirements imposed on credit institutions in accordance with other Union legal acts, as the former is directly related to the cover pool and seeks to mitigate liquidity risks specific to it. To minimise regulatory burdens, Member States should be able to allow an appropriate interaction with liquidity requirements established by other Union legal acts that serve purposes different from the cover pool liquidity buffer. Member States should therefore be able to decide that, until the date on which those Union legal acts are amended, the cover pool liquidity buffer requirement is applicable only if no other liquidity requirement is imposed on the credit institution under Union law during the period covered by such other requirements. Such decisions should avoid subjecting credit institutions to an obligation to cover the same outflows with different liquid assets for the same period. The possibility for Member States to decide for the cover pool liquidity buffer not to apply should be reassessed in the context of future changes to the liquidity requirements for credit institutions under Union law, including the applicable delegated regulation adopted pursuant to Article 460 of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013. Liquidity risks could be addressed by means other than providing liquid assets, for example by issuing covered bonds subject to extendable maturity structures where the triggers address liquidity shortage or stress. In such cases, Member States should be able to allow for the calculation of the liquidity buffer to be based on the final maturity date of the covered bond, taking into consideration possible maturity extensions, where the triggers address liquidity risks. Furthermore, Member States should be able to allow the cover pool liquidity requirements not to apply to covered bonds that are subject to match funding requirements where incoming payments contractually fall due before outgoing payments and are placed in highly liquid assets in the meantime.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-12 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.