Tangible common equity (TCE)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=anGxzRYhVF_Y&refer=home
Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration, which says it doesnât want to nationalize U.S. banks, may find itself taking a step in that direction if it converts the governmentâs preferred shares in Citigroup Inc. into common equity to help the firm withstand losses.
Citigroup and rival Bank of America Corp., beaten down in New York trading last week on U.S.-takeover speculation, are among more than 20 lenders that could wind up majority-owned by the government if such conversions took place. Executives at New York-based Citigroup have discussed the change as a way to quell concerns about capital adequacy while heading off all-out nationalization, according to a person familiar with the matter. Citigroup rose 25 percent to $2.44 in German trading today.
âConversion would make a lot of sense for the banks that are struggling with their tangible common equity ratio, because they cannot go out today and raise common,â said Gerard Cassidy, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Portland, Maine, referring to a measure of a lenderâs ability to absorb shocks.
Citigroup is talking to regulators about expanding the U.S. stake to as much as 40 percent, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is poised to announce details of a new âstress testâ for the nationâs largest banks this week. The test will determine which firms should hold an extra buffer of capital to withstand a more severe economic climate, according to a person familiar with the Obama administrationâs plans. Those that fail will be given additional support, said the person, who declined to be identified because the policy hasnât been announced.
âWe Are Openâ
Financial firms can apply to convert U.S. preferred stakes into common equity âto strengthen their capital structure,â said Treasury Department spokesman Isaac Baker, who declined to comment on specific banks. âWe are open to considering a request to do so if the institution and itâs regulator believe it would promote the long-term stability of that institution, and if we believe itâs in the best interest of long-term stability of our economy and financial system,â Baker said.
The idea of nationalizing banks has gained traction in recent weeks as Nouriel Roubini, the economist and professor at New York Universityâs Stern School of Business, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan all suggested it as a solution to banksâ woes.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said in a Jan. 20 interview with Bloomberg Television that âshort-termâ government takeovers may be unavoidable.
Step One
Bank shares plummeted last week, with Citigroup sinking in New York trading to an 18-year low of $1.95. Bank of America fell to $3.79, the lowest price since 1984.
âNationalization has become part of the public debate, and thatâs the first step,â said Paul Miller, an analyst at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group Inc. in Arlington, Virginia, who added that the U.S. is moving âfaster than people thinkâ toward government control.
âThis is the only way out,â Miller said. âLosses are just going to accelerate in the next couple of quarters. The holes in these banks are just too big.â
By converting its preferred shares to common, the government could pad too-thin tangible common equity, or TCE, ratios. TCE strips out intangible assets, goodwill -- the premium above net assets paid for acquisitions -- and preferred stock, including shares issued to the U.S. Treasury. The ratio measures TCE against tangible assets.
Preferred Stakes
Such conversions could be imposed unilaterally under terms of the Troubled Asset Relief Program passed by Congress last fall, which has so far appropriated $300 billion to banks, insurers and credit card companies. Changing the governmentâs preferred holdings to common shares would provide a cash infusion to a bankâs lowest tier of capital, boosting its first line of defense against losses.
Preferred stock âis not seen in the investment community as protection against losses,â said Anthony Davis, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Florham Park, New Jersey. The stock is more senior in the capital structure than common shares, so âloan-loss reserves and tangible common equity are the first line of defense,â he said.
The government holds $52 billion of preferred shares in Citigroup, five times the bankâs market value as of Feb. 20. If the U.S. were to convert all of its holdings into common shares, it would own more than 80 percent of the company.
Regions, Fifth Third
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America, which has received $45 billion in TARP funds in exchange for preferred shares and warrants, would be 66 percent owned by the government if its entire stake were converted to common equity, according to data compiled by KBW Inc., a New York-based investment bank. The figure would be 69 percent at Regions Financial Corp. in Birmingham, Alabama, which has received $3.5 billion from the U.S. It would be 83 percent at Fifth Third Bancorp, the largest Ohio- based lender, which got $3.4 billion.
KBW calculated the government stakes based on a conversion price of 80 percent of the stockâs value as of Feb. 5.
Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo & Co. in San Francisco are among more than 400 financial institutions that have received cash in exchange for preferred shares under the program. They now face increased scrutiny from regulators and investors, who are focused on their tangible common equity.
Lewis Speaks Out
Bank of America, the largest U.S. bank by assets, said in January that its tangible common equity was 2.83 percent of tangible assets. At Citigroup, itâs only 1.5 percent, according to estimates from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts led by Richard Ramsden. JPMorgan Chase & Co., based in New York, has tangible common equity equal to 3.8 percent of tangible assets.
Institutions have âsome discretionâ as to what their TCE ratios are, although lenders with tangible common equity below 3 percent of assets should consider raising more capital, said James Barth, a former chief economist at the Office of Thrift Supervision and now a professor of finance at Auburn University in Alabama.
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