v.1) Financial guarantees
“Financial guarantees” are defined as contracts whereby an entity undertakes to make specific payments for a third party if the latter does not do so, irrespective of the various legal forms they may have, such as guarantees, irrevocable documentary credits issued or confirmed by the entity, among others.
The Bank initially recognizes the commission of the financial guarantees as liability in the consolidated financial statements at fair value, which is generally the present value of the fees, commissions and similar interest receivable from these contracts over their term.
Financial guarantees, regardless of the guarantor, type of instrument or other circumstances, are reviewed periodically so as to determine the credit risk to which they are exposed and, if appropriate, to consider whether a provision is required. The credit risk is determined by application of criteria similar to those established for quantifying impairment losses on debt instruments measured at amortized cost.
The provisions made for these transactions are recognized in the heading “Provisions - Provisions for contingent liabilities, commitments and other provisions” in the consolidated financial statements (note 24).
If a specific provision is required for financial guarantees, the related unearned commissions are recognized in the heading “Financial liabilities at amortized cost - Other financial liabilities” in the consolidated financial statements are reclassified to the appropriate provision.
v.2) Guarantees and Credit Risk Mitigation Policy
Banco Santander controls the credit risk using the collateral in its operations. Each business unit is responsible for credit risk management and formalizes the use of collateral in its lending policies.
Banco Santander uses guarantees in order to increase its ability to recover operations subject to credit risk. The guarantees can be fiduciary, real, legal structures with power mitigation and compensation agreements. The Bank periodically reviews its policy guarantees through technical parameters, normative and also its historical basis, to determine whether the guarantee is legally valid and enforceable.
Credit limits are continually monitored and changed in client behavior function. Thus, the potential loss values represent a fraction of the amount available.