Title
Check Clearing Rules for Rural and Thrift Banks
Law
Bsp Circular No. 175
Decision Date
Sep 3, 1998
BSP Circular No. 175 establishes new check clearing rules for rural and thrift banks participating in the Philippine Clearing House Corporation, including measures for managing settlement risks and setting ceilings on clearing losses and overdrafts.
A

Clearing Loss Ceilings and Collateralized Overnight Clearing Line

  • Establishes ceilings for clearing losses not covered by interbank borrowings.
  • Authorizes unwinding of clearing transactions if loss ceilings are breached.
  • Defines ceiling as a collateralized overnight clearing line extended by BSP.
  • Rural and thrift banks must apply to BSP Department of Loans and Credit (DLC) for this loan line.
  • Loan availments bear interest at the 91-day Treasury Bill rate from the last auction before each availment.

Procedures for Unwinding Clearing Transactions

  • Applies to inward items except returned items and limited to local exchanges.
  • Aggregate inward items from all clearing centers, including "On Manila" clearing demands, are ranked from highest to lowest.
  • Unsettled net clearing losses are eliminated by unwinding inward items starting with centers having the highest aggregate values.
  • If inward items for a clearing center exceed unsettled losses, all inward items for that center are unwound.
  • For checks cleared through PCHC, unwinding is done to the extent of unsettled clearing loss based on PCHC rules.
  • Unwound checks must be returned to presenting banks by 9:00 AM the following clearing day.

Settlement Risk Management Measures for Rural and Thrift Banks

  • Outward items settlement is value dated on the clearing day net of returns.
  • Defines "value date" or "settlement date" uniformly as the next clearing day when dishonored checks are returned within the reglementary period.
  • For inter-regional and Manila clearing items, value dates are defined in BSP clearing circulars.
  • A ceiling on overdrafts due to unaddressed clearing losses is set, aligned with the collateralized overnight clearing line.
  • Overdrafts exceeding the ceiling authorize BSP Accounting Department to instruct clearing centers to unwind transactions per Section 3 procedures.

Effective Date and Implementation

  • Circular and its rules effective September 15, 1998.
  • Signed by Governor Gabriel C. Singson on September 3, 1998.

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