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Regulation and Capital Adequacy

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Regulation and Capital Adequacy [Abstract]

Note 20.

Regulation and Capital Adequacy

The Federal Reserve Board is the primary regulator of Group Inc., a bank holding company and a financial holding company under the U.S. Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. As a bank holding company, the firm is subject to consolidated regulatory capital requirements that are computed in accordance with the Federal Reserve Board’s capital adequacy regulations currently applicable to bank holding companies (which are based on the ‘Basel 1’ Capital Accord of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (Basel Committee)). These capital requirements are expressed as capital ratios that compare measures of capital to risk-weighted assets (RWAs). The firm’s bank depository institution subsidiaries, including GS Bank USA, are subject to similar capital requirements.

Under the Federal Reserve Board’s capital adequacy requirements and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action that is applicable to GS Bank USA, the firm and its bank depository institution subsidiaries must meet specific capital requirements that involve quantitative measures of assets, liabilities and certain off-balance-sheet items as calculated under regulatory reporting practices. The firm and its bank depository institution subsidiaries’ capital amounts, as well as GS Bank USA’s prompt corrective action classification, are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.

Many of the firm’s subsidiaries, including GS&Co. and the firm’s other broker-dealer subsidiaries, are subject to separate regulation and capital requirements as described below.

Group Inc.

Federal Reserve Board regulations require bank holding companies to maintain a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 4% and a minimum total capital ratio of 8%. The required minimum Tier 1 capital ratio and total capital ratio in order to be considered a “well-capitalized” bank holding company under the Federal Reserve Board guidelines are 6% and 10%, respectively. Bank holding companies may be expected to maintain ratios well above the minimum levels, depending on their particular condition, risk profile and growth plans. The minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio is 3% for bank holding companies that have received the highest supervisory rating under Federal Reserve Board guidelines or that have implemented the Federal Reserve Board’s risk-based capital measure for market risk. Other bank holding companies must have a minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4%.

The table below presents information regarding Group Inc.’s regulatory capital ratios.


	As of December
$ in millions	2011			2010
Tier 1 capital	$	63,262		$	71,233
Tier 2 capital	$	13,881		$	13,660
Total capital	$	77,143		$	84,893
Risk-weighted assets	$	457,027		$	444,290
Tier 1 capital ratio		13.8	%		16.0	%
Total capital ratio		16.9	%		19.1	%
Tier 1 leverage ratio		7.0	%		8.0	%

RWAs under the Federal Reserve Board’s risk-based capital guidelines are calculated based on the amount of market risk and credit risk. RWAs for market risk are determined by reference to the firm’s Value-at-Risk (VaR) models, supplemented by other measures to capture risks not reflected in VaR models. Credit risk for on-balance sheet assets is based on the balance sheet value. For off-balance sheet exposures, including OTC derivatives and commitments, a credit equivalent amount is calculated based on the notional amount of each trade. All such assets and amounts are then assigned a risk weight depending on, among other things, whether the counterparty is a sovereign, bank or qualifying securities firm or other entity (or if collateral is held, depending on the nature of the collateral).

Tier 1 leverage ratio is defined as Tier 1 capital under Basel 1 divided by average adjusted total assets (which includes adjustments for disallowed goodwill and intangible assets, and the carrying value of equity investments in non-financial companies that are subject to deductions from Tier 1 capital).

Regulatory Reform

The firm is currently working to implement the requirements set out in the Federal Reserve Board’s Risk-Based Capital Standards: Advanced Capital Adequacy Framework — Basel 2, as applicable to Group Inc. as a bank holding company (Basel 2), which are based on the advanced approaches under the Revised Framework for the International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards issued by the Basel Committee. U.S. banking regulators have incorporated the Basel 2 framework into the existing risk-based capital requirements by requiring that internationally active banking organizations, such as Group Inc., adopt Basel 2, once approved to do so by regulators. As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, U.S. banking regulators have adopted a rule that requires large banking organizations, upon adoption of Basel 2, to continue to calculate risk-based capital ratios under both Basel 1 and Basel 2. For each of the Tier 1 and Total capital ratios, the lower of the Basel 1 and Basel 2 ratios calculated will be used to determine whether the bank meets its minimum risk-based capital requirements.

In December 2011, the U.S. federal bank regulatory agencies issued revised proposals to modify their market risk regulatory capital requirements for banking organizations in the United States that have significant trading activities. These modifications are designed to address the adjustments to the market risk framework that were announced by the Basel Committee in June 2010 (Basel 2.5), as well as the prohibition in the use of credit ratings, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Once implemented, it is likely that these changes will result in increased capital requirements for market risk.

Additionally, the guidelines issued by the Basel Committee in December 2010 (Basel 3) revise the definition of Tier 1 capital, introduce Tier 1 common equity as a regulatory metric, set new minimum capital ratios (including a new “capital conservation buffer,” which must be composed exclusively of Tier 1 common equity and will be in addition to the minimum capital ratios), introduce a Tier 1 leverage ratio within international guidelines for the first time, and make substantial revisions to the computation of RWAs for credit exposures. Implementation of the new requirements is expected to take place over the next several years. The federal banking agencies have not yet proposed rules to implement the Basel 3 guidelines in the United States.

The Basel Committee has published its final provisions for assessing the global systemic importance of banking institutions and the range of additional Tier 1 common equity that should be maintained by banking institutions deemed to be globally systemically important. The additional capital for these institutions would initially range from 1% to 2.5% of Tier 1 common equity and could be as much as 3.5% for a bank that increases its systemic footprint (e.g., by increasing total assets). The firm was one of 29 institutions identified by the Financial Stability Board (established at the direction of the leaders of the Group of 20) as globally systemically important under the Basel Committee’s methodology. Therefore, depending upon the manner and timing of the U.S. banking regulators’ implementation of the Basel Committee’s methodology, the firm expects that the minimum Tier 1 common ratio requirement applicable to the firm will include this additional capital assessment. The final determination of whether an institution is classified as globally systemically important and the calculation of the required additional capital amount is expected to be disclosed by the Basel Committee no later than November 2014 based on data through the end of 2013.

The Federal Reserve Board has proposed regulations designed to strengthen the regulation and supervision of large bank holding companies and systemically important nonbank financial firms. These proposals address risk-based capital and leverage requirements, liquidity requirements, stress tests, single counterparty limits and early remediation requirements that are designed to address financial weakness at an early stage. Although many of the proposals mirror initiatives to which bank holding companies are already subject, their full impact on the firm will not be known with certainty until the rules are finalized.

The Dodd-Frank Act will subject the firm at a firmwide level to the same leverage and risk-based capital requirements that apply to depository institutions and directs banking regulators to impose additional capital requirements as disclosed above. The Federal Reserve Board is expected to adopt the new leverage and risk-based capital regulations in 2012. As a consequence of these changes, Tier 1 capital treatment for the firm’s junior subordinated debt issued to trusts will be phased out over a three-year period beginning on January 1, 2013. The interaction among the Dodd-Frank Act, the Basel Committee’s proposed changes and other proposed or announced changes from other governmental entities and regulators adds further uncertainty to the firm’s future capital requirements and those of our subsidiaries.

A number of other governmental entities and regulators, including the European Union (EU) and the U.K.’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), have also proposed or announced changes that will result in increased capital requirements for financial institutions.

As a consequence of these developments, the firm expects minimum capital ratios required to be maintained under Federal Reserve Board regulations will be increased and changes in the prescribed calculation methodology are expected to result in higher RWAs and lower capital ratios than those currently computed.

The capital and liquidity requirements of several of the firm’s subsidiaries will also be impacted in the future by the various developments arising from the Basel Committee, the Dodd-Frank Act, and other governmental entities and regulators.

Bank Subsidiaries

GS Bank USA, an FDIC-insured, New York State-chartered bank and a member of the Federal Reserve System, is supervised and regulated by the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC and the New York State Department of Financial Services (formerly the New York State Banking Department) and is subject to minimum capital requirements (described below) that are calculated in a manner similar to those applicable to bank holding companies. GS Bank USA computes its capital ratios in accordance with the regulatory capital guidelines currently applicable to state member banks, which are based on Basel 1 as implemented by the Federal Reserve Board, for purposes of assessing the adequacy of its capital. Under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action that is applicable to GS Bank USA, in order to be considered a “well-capitalized” depository institution, GS Bank USA must maintain a Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6%, a total capital ratio of at least 10% and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5%. GS Bank USA has agreed with the Federal Reserve Board to minimum capital ratios in excess of these “well-capitalized” levels. Accordingly, for a period of time, GS Bank USA is expected to maintain a Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 8%, a total capital ratio of at least 11% and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 6%. As noted in the table below, GS Bank USA was in compliance with these minimum capital requirements as of December 2011 and December 2010.

The table below presents information regarding GS Bank USA’s regulatory capital ratios under Basel 1 as implemented by the Federal Reserve Board.


	As of December
$ in millions	2011			2010
Tier 1 capital	$	19,251		$	18,604
Tier 2 capital		6	¹		5,004
Total capital		19,257			23,608
Risk-weighted assets		112,824			98,719
Tier 1 capital ratio		17.1	%		18.8	%
Total capital ratio		17.1	%¹		23.9	%
Tier 1 leverage ratio		18.5	%		19.5	%

1.	The decrease from December 2010 to December 2011 is primarily related to GS Bank USA’s repayment of $5.00 billion of subordinated debt to Group Inc. and $1.00 billion dividend to Group Inc. during 2011.

GS Bank USA is currently working to implement the Basel 2 framework, as implemented by the Federal Reserve Board. Similar to the firm’s requirement as a bank holding company, GS Bank USA is required to adopt Basel 2, once approved to do so by regulators. In addition, the capital requirements for GS Bank USA are expected to be impacted by changes to the Basel Committee’s capital guidelines, as outlined above. Furthermore, the firm expects that GS Bank USA will be impacted by aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act, including stress test and resolution plan requirements.

The deposits of GS Bank USA are insured by the FDIC to the extent provided by law. The Federal Reserve Board requires depository institutions to maintain cash reserves with a Federal Reserve Bank. The amount deposited by the firm’s depository institution held at the Federal Reserve Bank was approximately $40.06 billion and $28.12 billion as of December 2011 and December 2010, respectively, which exceeded required reserve amounts by $39.51 billion and $27.45 billion as of December 2011 and December 2010, respectively.

Transactions between GS Bank USA and its subsidiaries and Group Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (other than, generally, subsidiaries of GS Bank USA) are regulated by the Federal Reserve Board. These regulations generally limit the types and amounts of transactions (including loans to and borrowings from GS Bank USA) that may take place and generally require those transactions to be on an arm’s-length basis.

Goldman Sachs International Bank, a wholly-owned credit institution, regulated by the FSA, and GS Bank Europe, a wholly-owned credit institution, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, are both subject to minimum capital requirements. As of December 2011 and December 2010, Goldman Sachs International Bank and GS Bank Europe were in compliance with all regulatory capital requirements.

Broker-Dealer Subsidiaries

The firm’s U.S. regulated broker-dealer subsidiaries include GS&Co. and GSEC. GS&Co. and GSEC are registered U.S. broker-dealers and futures commission merchants, and are subject to regulatory capital requirements, including those imposed by the SEC, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and the National Futures Association. Rule 15c3-1 of the SEC and Rule 1.17 of the CFTC specify uniform minimum net capital requirements, as defined, for their registrants, and also effectively require that a significant part of the registrants’ assets be kept in relatively liquid form. GS&Co. and GSEC have elected to compute their minimum capital requirements in accordance with the “Alternative Net Capital Requirement” as permitted by Rule 15c3-1.

As of December 2011, GS&Co. had regulatory net capital, as defined by Rule 15c3-1, of $11.24 billion, which exceeded the amount required by $9.34 billion. As of December 2011, GSEC had regulatory net capital, as defined by Rule 15c3-1, of $2.10 billion, which exceeded the amount required by $2.00 billion.

In addition to its alternative minimum net capital requirements, GS&Co. is also required to hold tentative net capital in excess of $1 billion and net capital in excess of $500 million in accordance with the market and credit risk standards of Appendix E of Rule 15c3-1. GS&Co. is also required to notify the SEC in the event that its tentative net capital is less than $5 billion. As of December 2011 and December 2010, GS&Co. had tentative net capital and net capital in excess of both the minimum and the notification requirements.

Insurance Subsidiaries

The firm has U.S. insurance subsidiaries that are subject to state insurance regulation and oversight in the states in which they are domiciled and in the other states in which they are licensed. In addition, certain of the firm’s insurance subsidiaries outside of the U.S. are regulated by the FSA and certain are regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. The firm’s insurance subsidiaries were in compliance with all regulatory capital requirements as of December 2011 and December 2010.

Other Non-U.S. Regulated Subsidiaries

The firm’s principal non-U.S. regulated subsidiaries include GSI and Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. (GSJCL). GSI, the firm’s regulated U.K. broker-dealer, is subject to the capital requirements imposed by the FSA. GSJCL, the firm’s regulated Japanese broker-dealer, is subject to the capital requirements imposed by Japan’s Financial Services Agency. As of December 2011 and December 2010, GSI and GSJCL were in compliance with their local capital adequacy requirements. Certain other non-U.S. subsidiaries of the firm are also subject to capital adequacy requirements promulgated by authorities of the countries in which they operate. As of December 2011 and December 2010, these subsidiaries were in compliance with their local capital adequacy requirements.

Restrictions on Payments

The regulatory requirements referred to above restrict Group Inc.’s ability to withdraw capital from its regulated subsidiaries. As of December 2011 and December 2010, approximately $25.53 billion and $24.70 billion, respectively, of net assets of regulated subsidiaries were restricted as to the payment of dividends to Group Inc. In addition to limitations on the payment of dividends imposed by federal and state laws, the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC and the New York State Department of Financial Services have authority to prohibit or to limit the payment of dividends by the banking organizations they supervise (including GS Bank USA) if, in the relevant regulator’s opinion, payment of a dividend would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice in the light of the financial condition of the banking organization.