To

All RBI regulated entities (Commercial Banks, Co-operative Banks, Primary Dealers, Financial Institutions, RRBs and NBFCs)

Dear Sir,

Guidelines for accounting for Repo / Reverse repo transactions

Please refer to our Circular IDMC.3810/11.08.10/2002-03 dated March 24, 2003 setting out uniform guidelines for accounting of repo/reverse repo transactions.  These guidelines captured the character of repo/reverse repo transaction as outright sale and outright purchase as per the legal position prevailing then.  The Reserve Bank of India (Amendment) Act, 2006 ( Act No. 26 of 2006) provides a legal definition of 'repo' and 'reverse repo' ( vide sub-sections (c) and (d) of section 45 U of Chapter III D of the Act) as an instrument for borrowing ( lending) funds by selling ( purchasing) securities with an agreement to repurchase ( resell) the securities on a mutually agreed future date at an agreed price which includes interest for the funds borrowed( lent).  Accordingly, to bring such transactions to the balance sheet in their true economic sense and enhance transparency, the accounting guidelines have been reviewed and the revised guidelines are set out below:

2. Market participants may undertake repos from any of the three categories of investments, viz., Held For Trading, Available For Sale and Held To Maturity.  

3. The economic essence of a repo transaction, viz., borrowing (lending) of funds by selling (purchasing) securities shall be reflected in the books of repo participants, by accounting the same as collateralized lending and borrowing transactions, with an agreement to repurchase, on the agreed terms.    Accordingly, the repo seller, i.e., borrower of funds in the first leg, shall not exclude the securities sold under repo but continue to carry the same in his investment account as a contra item (please see the illustration given in the Annex) reflecting his continued economic interest in the securities during the repo period.  On the other hand, the repo buyer, i.e., lender of funds in the first leg, shall not include the securities purchased under repo in his investment account but show it in a separate sub-head (see the Annex).  The securities would, however, be transferred from the repo seller to repo buyer as in the case of normal outright/sale purchase transactions and such movement of securities shall be reflected using the Repo/Reverse Repo Accounts and  contra entries.   In the case of repo seller, the Repo Account is credited in the first leg for the securities sold (funds received), while the same is reversed when the securities are repurchased in the second leg.  Similarly, in the case of repo buyer, the Reverse Repo Account is debited for the amount of securities purchased (funds lent) and the same is reversed in the second leg when the securities are sold back. 

4. The first leg of the repo transaction should be contracted at the prevailing market rates. The price for the second leg shall be so derived that the difference between the prices of first and second legs should reflect the repo interest. 

5. The accounting principles to be followed while accounting for repos / reverse repos are as under:

(i) Coupon /Discount

a.  The repo seller shall continue to accrue the coupon/discount on the securities sold under repo even during the repo period while the repo buyer shall not accrue the same. 

b.  In case the interest payment date of the security offered under repo falls within the repo period, the coupons received by the buyer of the security should be passed on to the seller of the security on the date of receipt as the cash consideration payable by the seller in the second leg does not include any intervening cash flows.

(ii) Repo Interest Income / Expenditure

After the second leg of the repo / reverse repo transaction is over,

a. the difference between consideration amounts of the first leg and second leg of the repo shall be reckoned as Repo Interest Income  / Expenditure in the books of the repo buyer / seller respectively ; and

b. the balance outstanding in the Repo Interest Income / Expenditure account should be transferred to the Profit and Loss account as an income or an expenditure . As regards repo / reverse repo transactions outstanding on the balance sheet date, only the accrued income / expenditure till the balance sheet date should be taken to the Profit and Loss account. Any repo income / expenditure for the remaining period should be reckoned for the next accounting period.

(iii) Marking to Market

The repo seller shall continue to mark to market the securities sold under repo transactions as per the investment classification of the security. To illustrate, for banks, in case the securities sold by them under repo transactions are out of the  Available for Sale category, then the mark to market valuation for such securities should be done at least once a quarter. For entities which do not follow any investment classification norms, the valuation for securities sold under repo transactions may be in accordance with the valuation norms followed by them in respect of securities of similar nature.

6.  Disclosure

The following disclosures should be made by banks in the “Notes on Accounts’ to the Balance Sheet:

7. Treatment for Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)

The liabilities on account of repo borrowing should be included in the Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) for calculation of the CRR to be maintained.  However, repo borrowing from banks will be excluded on par with interbank borrowing, as hitherto.   Considering the character of 'repo' as a sale/purchase of securities in terms of the RBI (Amendment) Act 2006, the securities acquired under a reverse repo transaction shall be reckoned for SLR, if they are approved securities for the purpose.  As such, the liabilities on account of repo borrowing may be excluded for calculation of the Demand and Time Liabilities (DTL) for the purpose of SLR.

8. Accounting Methodology

The accounting methodology to be followed along with the illustrations are given in Annexes I and II. While market participants, having different accounting systems, may use accounting heads different from those used in the illustration, there should not be any deviation from the accounting principles enunciated above. Further, to obviate the disputes arising out of repo transactions, the participants may consider entering into bilateral Master Repo Agreement as per the documentation finalized by Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India (FIMMDA).

9. Effective Date

These accounting principles will be applicable from the financial year 2009-10.

10. Exclusion

For the present, these norms would not apply to repo / reverse repo transactions conducted under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) with RBI.

ANNEX - I

Recommended Accounting Methodology for accounting of Repo / Reverse Repo transactions

i. The following accounts may be maintained , viz. i) Repo Account, ii) Reverse Repo Account, iii) Repo Interest Income Account,  iv) Repo Interest Expenditure Account v) Repo Interest Receivable Account and vi) Repo Interest Payable Account.

ii. In addition to the above, the following 'contra' accounts may also be maintained, viz. i) Securities Sold under Repo Account, (ii) Securities Purchased under Reverse Repo Account, (iii) Securities Receivable under Repo Account and (iv) Securities Deliverable under Reverse Repo Account. 

     
Repo

iii. In a repo transaction, the securities should be sold in the first leg at market related prices and re-purchased in the second leg at the derived prices. The sale and repurchase should be reflected in the Repo Account.

iv. Though the securities are not excluded from the repo seller's investment account and not included in the repo buyer's investment account, the transfer of securities shall be reflected by using the necessary contra entries.

Reverse Repo

v. In a reverse repo transaction, the securities should be purchased in the first leg at prevailing market prices and sold in the second leg at the derived prices. The purchase and sale should be reflected in the Reverse Repo Account. 

vi. The balances in the Reverse Repo Account shall not be a part of the  Investment Account for balance sheet purposes but can be reckoned for SLR purposes  if the securities acquired under reverse repo transactions are approved securities. 

Other aspects relating to Repo/Reverse Repo

vii. In case the interest payment date of the securities sold under repo falls within the repo period, the coupons received by the buyer of the security should be passed on to the seller on the date of receipt as the cash consideration payable by the seller in the second leg does not include any intervening cash flows. 

viii. To reflect the accrual of interest in respect of the outstanding repo transactions at the end of the accounting period, appropriate entries should be passed in the Profit and Loss account to reflect Repo Interest Income / Expenditure in the books of the buyer / seller respectively and the same should be debited / credited as an income / expenditure payable/receivable. Such entries passed should be reversed on the first working day of the next accounting period.

ix. Repo seller continues to accrue coupon/discount as the case may be, even during the repo period while the repo buyer shall not accrue the same.

x. Illustrative examples are given in Annex II

ANNEX - II

Illustrative examples for accounting of Repo / Reverse repo transactions (Encl. to RBI Circular on uniform guidelines for accounting of repo/reverse repo transactions)

While in the body of the circular, the term "repo" is used generically to include both repo and reverse repo (which is simply a mirror image of a repo transaction), in this Annex the accounting guidelines have been set out separately for repo and reverse repo for clarity.

A. Repo/Reverse Repo of dated security

1. Details of Repo in a coupon bearing security:

* Using 30/360 day count convention
**  Using Actual/365 day count convention

2. Accounting for Repo Seller (Borrower of Funds)
First leg

Second Leg

3. Accounting for Repo Buyer (Lender of Funds)

First leg

Second Leg

4. Journal entries for the adjustment accounts

Securities Receivable under Repo A/c

Securities Sold under Repo A/c

Securities Deliverable under Repo A/c

Securities Purchased under Repo A/c

5. If the balance sheet date falls during the tenor of the repo, participants may use the transit accounts, i.e.,  Repo Interest Payable A/c and Repo Interest Receivable A/c to record the accrued interest and reverse the same the following day.  The balances in the repo interest receivable and payable shall be taken to the P & L Account with appropriate entries passed in the Balance sheet, as below:- 

a) Entries in the Books of Repo Seller (borrower of funds) on 31-Mar-08

b) Reversal of entries in the Books of Repo Seller (borrower of funds) on 01-Apr-08

c) Entries in books of Repo Buyer ( Lender of Funds)on 31-Mar-08

d) Reversal of entries in the Books of Repo Buyer (Lender of Funds) on 01-Apr-08

B. Repo/ Reverse Repo of Treasury Bill
1. Details of Repo on a Treasury Bill

2. Accounting for Repo Seller (Borrower of Funds)
First leg

Second Leg

3. Accounting for Repo Buyer (Lender of Funds)
First leg

Second Leg

4. If the balance sheet date falls during the tenor of the repo, participants may use the transit accounts, i.e.  Repo Interest Payable A/c and Repo Interest Receivable A/c to record the accrued interest and reverse the same the following day.  The balances in the repo interest receivable and payable shall be taken to the P & L Account with appropriate entries passed in the Balance sheet, as below:-

a) Entries in the Books of Repo Seller (borrower of funds) on 31-Mar-08

b) Reversal of entries in the Books of Repo Seller (borrower of funds) on 01-Apr-08

c) Entries in books of Repo Buyer ( Lender of Funds)on 31-Mar-08

d) Reversal of entries in the Books of Repo Buyer (Lender of Funds) on 01-Apr-08