Goldman Sachs 2012 Annual Report Download - page 142

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Derivatives with Credit-Related Contingent Features
Certain of the firm’s derivatives have been transacted under
bilateral agreements with counterparties who may require
the firm to post collateral or terminate the transactions
based on changes in the firm’s credit ratings. The firm
assesses the impact of these bilateral agreements by
determining the collateral or termination payments that
would occur assuming a downgrade by all rating agencies.
A downgrade by any one rating agency, depending on the
agency’s relative ratings of the firm at the time of the
downgrade, may have an impact which is comparable to
the impact of a downgrade by all rating agencies. The table
below presents the aggregate fair value of net derivative
liabilities under such agreements (excluding application of
collateral posted to reduce these liabilities), the related
aggregate fair value of the assets posted as collateral, and
the additional collateral or termination payments that
could have been called at the reporting date by
counterparties in the event of a one-notch and two-notch
downgrade in the firm’s credit ratings.
As of December
in millions 2012 2011
Net derivative liabilities under bilateral
agreements $27,885 $35,066
Collateral posted 24,296 29,002
Additional collateral or termination payments for
a one-notch downgrade 1,534 1,303
Additional collateral or termination payments for
a two-notch downgrade 2,500 2,183
Credit Derivatives
The firm enters into a broad array of credit derivatives in
locations around the world to facilitate client transactions
and to manage the credit risk associated with market-
making and investing and lending activities. Credit
derivatives are actively managed based on the firm’s net
risk position.
Credit derivatives are individually negotiated contracts and
can have various settlement and payment conventions.
Credit events include failure to pay, bankruptcy,
acceleration of indebtedness, restructuring, repudiation and
dissolution of the reference entity.
Credit Default Swaps. Single-name credit default swaps
protect the buyer against the loss of principal on one or
more bonds, loans or mortgages (reference obligations) in
the event the issuer (reference entity) of the reference
obligations suffers a credit event. The buyer of protection
pays an initial or periodic premium to the seller and receives
protection for the period of the contract. If there is no credit
event, as defined in the contract, the seller of protection
makes no payments to the buyer of protection. However, if
a credit event occurs, the seller of protection is required to
make a payment to the buyer of protection, which is
calculated in accordance with the terms of the contract.
Credit Indices, Baskets and Tranches. Credit derivatives
may reference a basket of single-name credit default swaps
or a broad-based index. If a credit event occurs in one of the
underlying reference obligations, the protection seller pays
the protection buyer. The payment is typically a pro-rata
portion of the transaction’s total notional amount based on
the underlying defaulted reference obligation. In certain
transactions, the credit risk of a basket or index is separated
into various portions (tranches), each having different levels
of subordination. The most junior tranches cover initial
defaults and once losses exceed the notional amount of
these junior tranches, any excess loss is covered by the next
most senior tranche in the capital structure.
Total Return Swaps. A total return swap transfers the
risks relating to economic performance of a reference
obligation from the protection buyer to the protection
seller. Typically, the protection buyer receives from the
protection seller a floating rate of interest and protection
against any reduction in fair value of the reference
obligation, and in return the protection seller receives the
cash flows associated with the reference obligation, plus
any increase in the fair value of the reference obligation.
Credit Options. In a credit option, the option writer
assumes the obligation to purchase or sell a reference
obligation at a specified price or credit spread. The option
purchaser buys the right, but does not assume the
obligation, to sell the reference obligation to, or purchase it
from, the option writer. The payments on credit options
depend either on a particular credit spread or the price of
the reference obligation.
The firm economically hedges its exposure to written credit
derivatives primarily by entering into offsetting purchased
credit derivatives with identical underlyings. Substantially
all of the firm’s purchased credit derivative transactions are
with financial institutions and are subject to stringent
collateral thresholds. In addition, upon the occurrence of a
specified trigger event, the firm may take possession of the
reference obligations underlying a particular written credit
derivative, and consequently may, upon liquidation of the
reference obligations, recover amounts on the underlying
reference obligations in the event of default.
140 Goldman Sachs 2012 Annual Report