The objective of this project is to add guidance to IFRS 7 to clarify how the principle in paragraph 42C of IFRS 7 is applied to a servicing contract for the purpose of the transfer disclosure requirements in paragraph 42E-42H of IFRS 7.
The IASB issued Disclosures—Transfers of Financial Assets (Amendments to IFRS 7) (the transfer disclosures) in October 2010. The transfer disclosures amended IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures to require an entity to disclose information related to the transfer of financial assets, including its continuing involvement in the transferred assets. The amendments to IFRS 7 also included a description of the term “continuing involvement” for the purpose of the transfer disclosures.
The Interpretations Committee received a request for clarification on whether servicing agreements constitute continuing involvement for the purpose of the transfer disclosures.
The IASB discussed this issue in the February 2013 meeting. In that meeting, the IASB indicated that their intention was that servicing contracts would generally meet the definition of continuing involvement for the purposes of the transfer disclosure requirements. Furthermore, assessing whether a servicing contract represents continuing involvement in the financial assets being serviced requires assessment against the description of continuing involvement in paragraph 42C of IFRS 7 and the guidance in paragraph B30 of IFRS 7.
The Interpretations Committee discussed this issue in January 2013, May 2013, and September 2013. The Interpretations Committee noted that the intention of the IASB is not necessarily clear on the basis of the wording of paragraph 42C of IFRS 7. Accordingly, in September 2013, the Interpretations Committee decided to recommend to the IASB that it should amend IFRS 7 through an Annual Improvement to clarify how the guidance in paragraph 42C of IFRS 7 should be applied to decide whether a servicing contract constitutes continuing involvement for the purposes of the transfer disclosure requirements.
The IASB considered the recommendation from the Interpretations Committee and published the Exposure Draft Annual Improvements 2012-2014 Cycle in December 2013.
The Interpretations Committee discussed comments received on the proposed amendments to IFRS 7 in May 2014. As a result of the discussions, the Interpretations Committee recommended that the IASB should finalise the proposed amendment to IFRS 7. Having considered the comments received, the Interpretations Committee recommended to the IASB that:
a. it should not include the presumption that the right to earn a fee for servicing the financial asset is generally continuing involvement; and
b. it should clarify that the term ‘continuing involvement’ in IFRS 7 is used in a different way from that term in IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (or IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement).
The Interpretations Committee also recommended the IASB to retain the proposed transition provision that an entity need not apply the proposed amendment to any period presented that begins before the annual period for which the entity first applies those amendments.
At its June 2014 meeting, the IASB tentatively decided to finalise the proposed amendment to IFRS 7.
At its July 2014 meeting the IASB agreed that all the required due process steps have been complied with.