We only utilize the nation’s largest and strongest insurance carriers (with extremely high credit ratings) to issue Depositor Bonds. The ratings of these carriers are the strongest type of security next to U.S. government obligations. Credit ratings of each carrier are constantly monitored by S&P, Moody’s, A.M. Best, and the U.S Treasury.
A primary benefit of Depositor Bonds is the release of a bank’s Tier 1 capital when assets are no longer pledged to secure deposits, which also improves stress tests from regulators.
We believe it’s prudent for banks to have a diversity of collateral options including U.S. Government Securities, FHLB LOCs, CDARS, and Depositor Bonds. Collateral optionality provides increased flexibility for Treasury and Liquidity operations as market conditions fluctuate.
Depositor bonds are stable, cost effective credit instruments which only have a premium charge by the insurance carrier. They do not have market value fluctuations, and do not require any hedging activities to protect their value. When evaluated against the total transfer cost pricing of other collateral options, they are extremely competitive and normally cost less than other collateral options.
One of the primary advantages of Depositor Bonds is that they do not require the pledge of any bank assets, and are unsecured credit obligations of the bank which do not restrict your balance sheet.
Depositor bonds provide excess FDIC insurance, which allows your bank to provide any of your larger customers (and new clients) the peace of mind that their deposits are fully insured.