Agencies address nonfinancial corporations’ LIBOR transition concerns

Federal Issues Department of Treasury Federal Reserve SEC CFTC LIBOR Bank Regulatory

On August 23, the U.S. Treasury Department, Federal Reserve Board, SEC, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and CFTC released a letter responding to nonfinancial corporate stakeholders’ concerns as they prepare to transition from LIBOR to another reference rate. The agencies acknowledged that LIBOR’s cessation “presents considerable operational, technological, accounting, tax, and legal challenges for Main Street companies,” and recognized that “a smooth transition will be best supported if financial institutions offer alternatives to USD LIBOR that meet borrower needs and if this is done in a timely fashion.” The agencies further acknowledged challenges some stakeholders have faced when obtaining loan agreements based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)—“even after they indicated that loan agreements based on SOFR would be their preferred choice”—and expressed concerns that nonfinancial corporations are not being offered such alternatives despite the short period of time before LIBOR’s cessation. Stressing the importance of using “reference rates built on deep, liquid markets that are not susceptible to manipulation” while also reiterating that “the official sector is not positioned to adjudicate the selection of reference rates between banks and their commercial customers,” the agencies stressed that “borrower preferences and needs clearly have a significant role to play in the selection of such rates.”

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