HomeCirculars › RBI/2012-13/501

SLR HTM Cap Aligned to 23% of DTL by March 2014

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/501 · issued 15 May 2013 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has phased down the SLR securities held under HTM category from 25% to 23% of DTL by March 2014, with quarterly reduction steps. Banks must shift excess SLR securities out of HTM to AFS/HFT each quarter starting June 2013.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A treasury officer in Indore, Mr. Kumar, needs to ensure that the SLR securities in the Held to Maturity (HTM) category do not exceed 23% of the bank's Demand and Time Liabilities (DTL) by March 2014. He reviews the current portfolio and identifies excess SLR securities that need to be shifted to Alternative Fair Value (AFS) or Held to Maturity (HFT) categories. With the approval of the Board of Directors, Mr. Kumar shifts the excess securities at the beginning of each quarter, ensuring compliance with the new SLR cap.

What changed

Previously, banks could hold up to 25% of DTL as SLR securities in HTM. Now, the cap is being reduced to 23% of DTL in 50 bps quarterly steps: 24.5% by June 2013, 24% by September 2013, 23.5% by December 2013, and 23% by March 2014. Banks are allowed to shift securities from HTM to AFS/HFT at the beginning of each quarter during 2013-14 instead of only once a year.

What it means for you

Banks must actively manage their HTM portfolios to comply with the lower SLR cap, which will increase the proportion of securities in AFS/HFT categories. This enhances liquidity in government securities markets but exposes banks to higher mark-to-market volatility on the shifted holdings. Lenders need to plan quarterly rebalancing and ensure board approval for the shifts.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs), Treasury and investment departments, Risk management teams handling market risk, Board of directors approving investment shifts

❓ Common questions

What is the new limit for SLR securities in HTM category?

The total SLR securities held in HTM cannot exceed 23% of DTL by March 2014, with interim caps: 24.5% by June 2013, 24% by September 2013, and 23.5% by December 2013.

Can we shift securities out of HTM more than once a year now?

Yes, for 2013-14, RBI allows shifting of SLR securities from HTM to AFS/HFT at the beginning of each quarter, instead of the usual once-a-year window, to facilitate the phased reduction.

What happens if we exceed the quarterly cap?

You must shift the excess SLR securities out of HTM to AFS/HFT by the end of that quarter. Failure to comply may attract regulatory action, as the cap is mandatory.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
The guidelines have been repealed. Please refer to the Reserve Bank of India (Classification, Valuation and Operation of Investment Portfolio of Commercial Banks) Directions, 2021 . RBI/2012-13/501 DBOD.No.BP.BC.92/21.04.141/2012-13 May 15, 2013 All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding RRBs) Dear Sir, Monetary Policy Statement 2013-14 – SLR Holdings under Held to Maturity Category Please refer to paragraph 84 of the Monetary Policy Statement 2013-14 ( extract enclosed ) announced on May 3, 2013 on ‘SLR Holdings under Held to Maturity Category’. 2. In terms of our circular No.DBOD.BP.BC.37/21.04.141/2004-05 dated September 2, 2004 on Prudential Norms on Classification of Investment Portfolio of Banks, the limit of 25 per cent of total investments under Held to Maturity (HTM) category may be exceeded provided the excess comprised only of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) securities, and the total SLR securities held in the HTM category is not more than 25 per cent of banks’ Demand and Time Liabilities (DTL) as on the last Friday of the second preceding fortnight. This relaxation was allowed taking into account the requirement of maintenance of SLR at 25 per cent of DTL under Section 24 of the Banking Regulations Act, 1949 at that time. The SLR has since been brought down to 23 per cent of DTL. With a view to align the above and in line with the recommendations of the Working Group on Enhancing Liquidity in the Government Securities and Interest Rate Derivatives Markets (Chairman: R.Gandhi), it has been decided as under: (i) Banks are permitted to exceed the limit of 25 per cent of total investments under HTM category provided: the excess comprises only of SLR securities, and the total SLR securities held in the HTM category is not more than 24.50 per cent by end June 2013, 24.00 per cent by end September 2013, 23.50 per cent by end December 2013, and 23.00 per cent by end March 2014 of their DTL as on the last Friday of the second preceding fortnight. 3. As per extant instructions, banks may shift investments to/from HTM with the approval of the Board of Directors once a year and such shifting will normally be allowed at the beginning of the accounting year. In order to enable banks to shift their SLR securities from the HTM category to AFS/HFT once in each quarter as indicated in paragraph 2 above, it has been decided to allow such shifting at the beginning of each quarter during 2013-14. Yours faithfully (Chandan Sinha) Chief General Manager - in - Charge Extract from Monetary Policy Statement 2013 - 14 announced on May 3, 2013 SLR Holdings under Held to Maturity Category 84. In terms of extant instructions issued in September 2004, banks are permitted to exceed the limit of 25 per cent of total investments under HTM category, provided the excess comprises only of SLR securities and the total SLR securities held in the HTM category is not more than 25 per cent of their demand and time liabilities (DTL) as on the last Friday of the second preceding fortnight. This relaxation was allowed taking into account the requirement of maintenance of SLR of 25 per cent of DTL under Section 24 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 at that time. The SLR requirement has since been brought down to 23 per cent of DTL. Accordingly, it is proposed that: • banks may exceed the present limit of 25 per cent of total investments under the HTM category provided: (a) the excess comprises only of SLR securities; and (b) the total SLR securities held in the HTM category is not more than 23 per cent of their DTL as on the last Friday of the second preceding fortnight, i.e. , in alignment with the current SLR requirement. This realignment from 25 per cent to 23 per cent, in line with the recommendations of the Working Group on Government Securities and Interest Rate Derivatives Markets, would be effected by way of reduction of at least 50 bps every quarter, beginning with the quarter ending June 2013. Detailed guidelines will be issued separately.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/501 · issued 15 May 2013. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=7984&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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