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Forwards and Futures Contractual agreements to either buy or sell a specified amount of a currency, commodity or security at a specific price and date in the future. Forwards are customized contracts transacted in the over-the-counter market. Futures are transacted in standardized amounts on regulated exchanges and are subject to daily cash margining.
General Allowance We maintain a general allowance in order to cover any impairment in the existing portfolio that cannot yet be associated with specific loans. Our approach to establishing and maintaining the general allowance is based on the guideline issued by our regulator, the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada.
Hedging A risk management technique used to neutralize or manage interest rate, foreign currency, equity, commodity or credit exposures arising from normal banking activities.
Impaired Loans Loans for which there is no longer reasonable assurance of the timely collection of principal or interest.
Innovative Tier 1 Capital OSFI allows banks to issue instruments that qualify as "Innovative" Tier 1 capital. In order to qualify, these instruments have to be issued indirectly through a special-purpose entity, be permanent in nature and free of any fixed charges and accounted for as non-controlling interests. Innovative Tier 1 capital cannot comprise more than 15% of net Tier 1 capital and the sum of innovative Tier 1 capital and non-cumulative perpetual preferred shares cannot exceed 25% of net Tier 1 capital.
Issuer Risk Measures the adverse impact of credit spread, credit migration and default risks on the market value of non-sovereign fixed income instruments and similar securities. Issuer risk MVE is measured at a 99% confidence level over an appropriate holding period.
Liquidity and Funding Risk The potential for loss if BMO is unable to meet financial commitments in a timely manner at reasonable prices as they fall due. Financial commitments include liabilities to depositors and suppliers, and lending and investment commitments.
Mark-to-Market Represents valuation at market rates, as of the balance sheet date, of securities and derivatives held for trading purposes.
Market Risk The potential for a negative impact on the balance sheet and/or income statement resulting from adverse changes in the value of financial instruments as a result of changes in certain market variables. These variables include interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity or commodity prices and their implied volatilities, as well as credit spreads, credit migration and default.
Market Value Exposure (MVE) A measure of the adverse impact of changes in market parameters on the market value of a portfolio of assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet positions, measured at a 99% confidence level over a specified holding period. The holding period considers current market conditions and composition of the portfolios to determine how long it would take to neutralize the market risk without adversely affecting market prices. For trading and underwriting activities, MVE is comprised of VaR and issuer risk.
Net Economic Profit (NEP) Represents cash net income available to common shareholders, less a charge for capital. NEP is an effective measure of economic value added. NEP is a non-GAAP measure.
Net Interest Income Comprised of earnings on assets such as loans and securities, including interest and dividend income and BMO's share of income from investments accounted for using the equity method of accounting, less interest expense paid on liabilities such as deposits.
Net Interest Margin The ratio of net interest income to average assets, expressed as a percentage or in basis points.
Notional Amount The principal used to calculate interest and other payments under derivative contracts. The principal amount does not change hands under the terms of a derivative contract, except in the case of crosscurrency swaps.
