1.Wherever a Member State lays down by law, regulation or administrative action a provision in implementation of Community legislation concerning the prudential supervision of an operative credit institution which uses the term or refers to the concept of own funds, it shall bring this term or concept into line with the definition given in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 and Articles 35 to 38.
2.Subject to the limits imposed in Article 38, the unconsolidated own funds of credit institutions shall consist of the following items: (1) capital within the meaning of Article 22 of Directive 86/635/EEC, in so far as it has been paid up, plus share premium accounts but excluding cumulative preferential shares; (2) reserves within the meaning of Article 23 of Directive 86/635/EEC and profits and losses brought forward as a result of the application of the final profit or loss. The Member States may permit inclusion of interim profits before a formal decision has been taken only if these profits have been verified by persons responsible for the auditing of the accounts and if it is proved to the satisfaction of the competent authorities that the amount thereof has been evaluated in accordance with the principles set out in Directive 86/635/EEC and is net of any foreseeable charge or dividend; (3) funds for general banking risks within the meaning of Article 38 of Directive 86/635/EEC; (4) revaluation reserves within the meaning of Article 33 of Directive 78/660/EEC; (5) value adjustments within the meaning of Article 37(2) of Directive 86/635/EEC; (6) other items within the meaning of Article 35; (7) the commitments of the members of credit institutions set up as cooperative societies and the joint and several commitments of the borrowers of certain institutions organised as funds, as referred to in Article 36(1); (8) fixed-term cumulative preferential shares and subordinated loan capital as referred to in Article 36(3). The following items shall be deducted in accordance with Article 38: (9) own shares at book value held by a credit institution; (10) intangible assets within the meaning of Article 4(9) ("Assets") of Directive 86/635/EEC; (11) material losses of the current financial year; (12) holdings in other credit and financial institutions amounting to more than 10 % of their capital, subordinated claims and the instruments referred to in Article 35 which a credit institution holds in respect of credit and financial institutions in which it has holdings exceeding 10 % of the capital in each case. Where shares in another credit or financial institution are held temporarily for the purposes of a financial assistance operation designed to reorganise and save that institution, the competent authority may waive this provision; (13) holdings in other credit and financial institutions of up to 10 % of their capital, the subordinated claims and the instruments referred to in Article 35 which a credit institution holds in respect of credit and financial institutions other than those referred to in point (12) in respect of the amount of the total of such holdings, subordinated claims and instruments which exceed 10 % of that credit institution's own funds calculated before the deduction of items in point (12) and in this point. Pending subsequent coordination of the provisions on consolidation, Member States may provide that, for the calculation of unconsolidated own funds, parent companies subject to supervision on a consolidated basis need not deduct their holdings in other credit institutions or financial institutions which are included in the consolidation. This provision shall apply to all the prudential rules harmonised by Community acts.
3.The concept of own funds as defined in points (1) to (8) of paragraph 2 embodies a maximum number of items and amounts. The use of those items and the fixing of lower ceilings, and the deduction of items other than those listed in points (9) to (13) of paragraph 2 shall be left to the discretion of the Member States. Member States shall nevertheless be obliged to consider increased convergence with a view to a common definition of own funds. To that end, the Commission shall, by 1 January 1996 at the latest, submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the application of this Article and Articles 35 to 39, accompanied, where appropriate, by such proposals for amendment as it shall deem necessary. Not later than 1 January 1998, the European Parliament and the Council shall, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty and after consultation of the Economic and Social Committee, examine the definition of own funds with a view to the uniform application of the common definition.
4.The items listed in points (1) to (5) of paragraph 2 must be available to a credit institution for unrestricted and immediate use to cover risks or losses as soon as these occur. The amount must be net of any foreseeable tax charge at the moment of its calculation or be suitably adjusted in so far as such tax charges reduce the amount up to which these items may be applied to cover risks or losses.