3
Consideration of pension scheme obligations in the calibration of internal models with regard to credit spread risk
3.1
Internal models need to cover the risk of credit spreads widening, where this is a material risk to the firm.[10]
Footnotes
- 10. Solvency Capital Requirement - Internal Models 11.6 in the PRA Rulebook.
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3.2
IAS 19 requires the pension scheme discount rate to be based on the yield on high-quality corporate bonds for which there is a deep market.[11] When a firm’s internal model projects the value of the pension scheme liabilities following a hypothetical shock to credit spreads, the PRA will expect any change to the liabilities following this shock to be justified. Firms also should consider which bonds will remain high quality with a deep market following this shock, and what their yield would be in these circumstances.
Footnotes
- 11. Paragraph 83 of IAS 19.
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3.3
The approach taken should capture adequately the risks that the firm is exposed to. In particular, there is a risk that under stressed conditions:
- the market in some high quality corporate bonds may not be considered ‘deep’ and therefore using the yield on these bonds may not satisfy the requirements of IAS 19, even if an adjustment is made to ensure that they remain high quality; and
- there is a significant divergence between the IAS 19 deficit and the scheme funding deficit, increasing the likelihood that the firm is required to pay additional contributions to the pension scheme.
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3.4
The PRA expects firms to reflect these risks within their internal models and considers that an approximate approach of assuming that only part of the movement in credit spreads is passed on to the IAS 19 discount rate may be acceptable in appropriate circumstances.
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