(a) Responsibilities of board of directors. The board of directors must adopt written policies for managing the institution's investment activities. The board must also ensure that management complies with these policies and that appropriate internal controls are in place to prevent loss. At least annually, the board, or a designated committee of the board, must review the sufficiency of these investment policies.
(b) Investment policies - general requirements. Investment policies must address the purposes and objectives of investments; risk tolerance; delegations of authority; internal controls; due diligence; and reporting requirements. The investment policies must fully address the extent of pre-purchase analysis that management must perform for various classes of investments. The investment policies must also address the means for reporting, and approvals needed for, exceptions to established policies. A Farm Credit bank's investment policy must address portfolio diversification and obligor limits under paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section. Investment policies must be sufficiently detailed, consistent with, and appropriate for the amounts, types, and risk characteristics of its investments.
(c) Investment policies - risk tolerance. Investment policies must establish risk limits for eligible investments and for the entire investment portfolio. The investment policies must include concentration limits to ensure prudent diversification of credit, market, and, as applicable, liquidity risks in the investment portfolio. Risk limits must be based on all relevant factors, including the institution's objectives, capital position, earnings, and quality and reliability of risk management systems and must take into consideration the interest rate risk management program required by § 615.5180 or § 615.5182, as applicable. Investment policies must identify the types and quantity of investments that the institution will hold to achieve its objectives and control credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk as applicable. Each association or service corporation that holds significant investments and each Farm Credit bank must establish risk limits in its investment policies, as applicable, for the following types of risk:
(1) Credit risk. Investment policies must establish:
(i) Credit quality standards. Credit quality standards must be established for single or related obligors, sponsors, secured and unsecured exposures, and asset classes or obligations with similar characteristics.
(ii) Concentration limits. Concentration limits must be established for single or related obligors, sponsors, geographical areas, industries, unsecured exposures, asset classes or obligations with similar characteristics.
(iii) Criteria for selecting brokers and, dealers. Each institution must buy and sell eligible investments with more than one securities firm. The institution must define its criteria for selecting brokers and dealers used in buying and selling investments.
(iv) Collateral margin requirements on repurchase agreements. To the extent the institution engages in repurchase agreements, it must regularly mark the collateral to fair market value and ensure appropriate controls are maintained over collateral held.
(2) Market risk. Investment policies must set market risk limits for specific types of investments and for the investment portfolio.
(3) Liquidity risk -
(i) Liquidity at Farm Credit banks. Investment policies must describe the liquidity characteristics of eligible investments that the bank will hold to meet its liquidity needs and other institutional objectives.
(ii) Liquidity at associations. Investment policies must describe the liquid characteristics of eligible investments that the association will hold.
(4) Operational risk. Investment policies must address operational risks, including delegations of authority and internal controls under paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section.
(d) Delegation of authority. All delegations of authority to specified personnel or committees must state the extent of management's authority and responsibilities for investments.
(e) Internal controls. Each institution must:
(1) Establish appropriate internal controls to detect and prevent loss, fraud, embezzlement, conflicts of interest, and unauthorized investments.
(2) Establish and maintain a separation of duties between personnel who supervise or execute investment transactions and personnel who supervise or engage in all other investment-related functions.
(3) Maintain records and management information systems that are appropriate for the level and complexity of the institution's investment activities.
(4) Implement an effective internal audit program to review, at least annually, the investment management practices including internal controls, reporting processes, and compliance with FCA regulations. This annual review's scope must be appropriate for the size, risk and complexity of the investment portfolio.
(f) Farm Credit bank portfolio diversification -
(1) Well-diversified portfolio. Subject to the exemptions set forth in paragraph (f)(3) of this section, each Farm Credit bank must maintain a well-diversified investment portfolio as set forth in paragraph (f)(2) of this section.
(2) Investment portfolio diversification requirements. A well-diversified investment portfolio means that, at a minimum, investments are comprised of different asset classes, maturities, industries, geographic areas, and obligors. These diversification requirements apply to each individual security that the Farm Credit bank holds within a DIF. In addition, except as exempted by paragraph (f)(3) of this section, no more than 15 percent of the investment portfolio may be invested in any one asset class. Securities within each DIF count toward the appropriate asset class. Measurement of this diversification requirement must be based on the portfolio valued at amortized cost.
(3) Exemptions from investment portfolio diversification requirements. The following investments are not subject to the 15-percent investment portfolio diversification requirement specified in paragraph (f)(2) of this section:
(i) Investments that are fully guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by a U.S. Government agency;
(ii) Investments that are fully and explicitly guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by a GSE, except that no more than 50 percent of the investment portfolio may be comprised of GSE MBS. Investments in Farmer Mac securities are governed by § 615.5174 and are not subject to this limitation; and
(iii) Money market instruments identified in § 615.5131.
(g) Farm Credit bank obligor limit. No more than 10 percent of a Farm Credit bank's total capital (Tier 1 and Tier 2) as defined by § 628.2 of this chapter may be invested in any one obligor. This obligor limit does not apply to investments in obligations that are fully guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by U.S. Government agencies or fully and explicitly guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GSEs. For a DIF, both the DIF itself and the entities obligated to pay the underlying debt are obligors.
(h) Due diligence -
(1) Pre-purchase analysis -
(i) Eligibility and compliance with investment policies. Before purchasing an investment, the institution must conduct sufficient due diligence to determine whether the investment is eligible under § 615.5140 and complies with its board's investment policies. The institution must document its assessment and retain any supporting information used in that assessment. The institution may hold an investment that does not comply with its investment policies only with the prior approval of its board.
(ii) Valuation. Prior to purchase, the institution must verify the fair market value of the investment (unless it is a new issue) with a source that is independent of the broker, dealer, counterparty or other intermediary to the transaction.
(iii) Risk assessment. At purchase, the institution must at a minimum include an evaluation of the credit risk (including country risk when applicable), liquidity risk, market risk, interest rate risk, and underlying collateral of the investment, as applicable. This assessment must be commensurate with the complexity and type of the investment. The institution must also perform stress testing on any structured investment that has uncertain cash flows, including all MBS and ABS, before purchase. The stress test must be commensurate with the type and complexity of the investment and must enable the institution to determine that the investment does not expose its capital, earnings, or liquidity if applicable, to risks that are greater than those specified in its investment policies. The stress testing must comply with the requirements in paragraph (h)(4)(ii) of this section. The institution must document and retain its risk assessment and stress tests conducted on investments purchased.
(2) Ongoing value determination. At least monthly, the institution must determine the fair market value of each investment in its portfolio and the fair market value of its whole investment portfolio.
(3) Ongoing analysis of credit risk. The institution must establish and maintain processes to monitor and evaluate changes in the credit quality of each investment in its portfolio and in its whole investment portfolio on an ongoing basis.
(4) Quarterly stress testing.
(i) The institution must stress test its entire investment portfolio, including stress tests of each investment individually and the whole portfolio, at the end of each quarter. The stress tests must enable the institution to determine that its investment securities, both individually and on a portfolio-wide basis, do not expose its capital, earnings, or liquidity if applicable, to risks that exceed the risk tolerance specified in its investment policies. If the institution's portfolio risk exceeds its investment policy limits, the institution must develop a plan to comply with those limits.
(ii) The institution's stress tests must be defined in a board-approved policy and must include defined parameters for the security types purchased. The stress tests must be comprehensive and appropriate for the institution's risk profile. At a minimum, the stress tests must be able to measure the price sensitivity of investments over a range of possible interest rates and yield curve scenarios. The stress test methodology must be appropriate for the complexity, structure, and cash flows of the investments in the institution's portfolio. The institution must rely to the maximum extent practicable on verifiable information to support all its stress test assumptions, including prepayment and interest rate volatility assumptions. The institution must document the basis for all assumptions used to evaluate the security and its underlying collateral. The institution must also document all subsequent changes in its assumptions.
(5) Presale value verification. Before the institution sells an investment, it must verify its fair market value with an independent source not connected with the sale transaction.
(i) Reports to the board of directors. At least quarterly, the institution's management must report on the following to its board of directors or a designated board committee:
(1) Plans and strategies for achieving the board's objectives for the investment portfolio;
(2) Whether the investment portfolio effectively achieves the board's objectives;
(3) The current composition, quality, and the risk and liquidity profiles of the investment portfolio;
(4) The performance of each class of investments and the entire investment portfolio, including all gains and losses realized during the quarter on individual investments that the institution sold before maturity and why they were liquidated;
(5) Potential risk exposure to changes in market interest rates as identified through quarterly stress testing and any other factors that may affect the value of its investment holdings;
(6) How investments affect its capital, earnings, and overall financial condition;
(7) Any deviations from the board's policies (must be specifically identified);
(8) The status and performance of each investment described in § 615.5143(a) and (b) or that does not comply with the institution's investment policies; including the expected effect of these investments on its capital, earnings, liquidity, as applicable, and collateral position; and
(9) The terms and status of any required divestiture plan or risk reduction plan.
[83 FR 27499, June 12, 2018; 83 FR 30833, July 2, 2018]