Does Bank Resolution Rule out the Use of Public Funds? The Case of the Podkarpacki Bank Spółdzielczy

On 15 January 2020 Polish resolution authority made a decision to launch the resolution of a regional cooperative bank. The aim of the resolution was to maintain the service of local government units, considered as the critical function of the bank. The tool used was a bridge bank combined with bail-in to subordinated bonds and unguaranteed deposits, including deposits from local government units. The author is of the opinion that the write-off deposits from public entities was a substitute of the insufficient amount of liabilities contractually eligible for bail-in, served as the instrument enhancing credibility of resolution as well as protecting other creditors from excessive losses (i.e. mitigating contagion risk). The presented case of bank resolution, has been assessed as an example of intentionally bending of the stiff BRRD rules to an unusual case to find the practical, socially acceptable solution. By comparing this case with resolution of other small banks in the EU, the author argues that national authorities seek to limit the scope for bail-in and try to use the financial arrangements within the resolution of small local banks as more secure for the banking sector and socially acceptable manner.

The Rise of ‘Group Solution’ in Insolvency Law and Bank Resolution

This article traces the emergence of the concept of ‘group solution’ and its manifestations in insolvency law and bank resolution as an alternative to the rigid entity-by-entity approach. The rise of this concept can be linked to the recognition of the specificity of problems related to the insolvency of multinational enterprise groups, arising from group operational and financial interconnectedness. This has not happened at once, but has resulted from the evolution of views and ideas, evident in hard and soft law instruments of the 2000s and the 2010s. In light of this important development the article explores the concept of a group solution, its rationale, scope of application and limitations. It concludes that despite the gradual acceptance of the group phenomenon, a group solution has not been formed as a coherent and well-defined legal principle. Instead, it represents a variety of approaches, tools and practices, which pursue different policy objectives underpinned by different societal values. Among them are asset value maximization, business rescue, the protection of financial stability and the preservation of banks’ critical functions. With all its flexibility, a group solution has one pervasive limitation—it cannot trump the interests of individual group members and their creditors. At the same time, in order to realize the full potential of a group solution, it is necessary to embrace the group-sensitive and forward-looking interpretation of creditors’ interest, facilitating commercially sensible and practical group solutions.

THE TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNANCE OF BANK RESOLUTION AND THE TREATMENT OF NATIONAL REGULATORY VARIATION IN THE EU

The transnational governance of bank resolution must be well-designed to provide credible solutions to financial crisis management. While at policy level, there is a broad consensus on best practice, the implementation stage often leaves something to be desired. Focusing on the implementation of the relevant Financial Stability Board (FSB) recommendations in the EU, this article explores this issue and proposes certain reforms. It argues for closer EU control and scrutiny over national decision-making without, however advocating a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Its main insight is that the promotion of transnational convergence need not come at the expense of the distinctive attentiveness of EU law to local conditions nor indeed involve a massive shake-up of the existing EU architecture. Its aim is to contribute to scholarly and public policy debates in this field in anticipation of the EU response to the final conclusions of the post-implementation evaluation of the FSB recommendations, which is currently in progress.