Further details about monetary financial institutions' consolidated balance sheet (and contributions) data

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Availability

Data (levels and flows) are available quarterly from 1990 Q2 and monthly from April 1990. Data for the contributions are available only from April 1998. The data are available not seasonally adjusted and seasonally adjusted.

Other banks' contribution to the MFIs' consolidated balance sheet (until December 2009) (Tables B2.3) and Building societies' contribution to the MFIs' consolidated balance sheet (until December 2009) (Table B2.4) show historical balance sheets. To protect the confidentiality of reporting institutions’ data, we stopped publishing separate series for building societies from January 2010.

We usually publish data on the twenty-first working day following the end of the period in tables Monetary financial institutions' consolidated balance sheet (Table B2.1) to Monetary financial institutions' (excluding central bank) consolidated balance sheet (Table B2.5).

Sources

The MFIs' consolidated balance sheet is provided by the following monetary and financial institutions:

UK-resident banks

All UK-resident banks report data to us quarterly on Form BT. Banks with total assets (BT items £40 + E40 + C40) in excess of £3 billion, or private sector holdings (BT items £2H + £3H or £29D) in excess of £1 billion report data on a monthly basis. Before September 1997, balance sheet data were reported on the BS form. A further sector breakdown of business with UK residents is also provided monthly on Form BE  by the UK-resident banks that report Form BT monthly. All data are reported in sterling, with foreign currency data converted to sterling at the middle spot sterling exchange rate at 4pm on the last working day of the month.

UK-resident building societies

Since January 2008 data from building societies have been collected on the same basis as for UK-resident banks, monthly on the Forms BT and BE (see the article ‘Transition of building society statistical reporting’). Before this, data for building societies were collected by the Financial Services Authority. These figures were based on a sample of societies, which were grossed up to achieve full coverage of the building society population in the published data.

UK central bank

Data from the Bank of England Banking Department and Issue Department are collected on the same basis as for other UK-resident banks, monthly on the Forms BT and BE. Before March 1998, the Banking Department of the Bank of England was included in the banks sector. The Issue Department was included as part of central government, and hence did not appear on the MFI consolidated balance sheet.

All data are subject to revision if and when new information becomes available. For more information on revisions practices see further details about revisions.

Definitions

Balance sheet data cover both the liabilities and assets of all UK resident banks and building societies.

Transactions within the MFI sector are netted out. Because the contributions of the central bank, other banks and building societies are consolidated at the MFI level, they do not, for instance, show banks' positions with building societies. As a result, the contributions of the central bank, other banks and building societies are not balance sheets in their own right, but show the contributions to the wider MFI balance sheet. 

With effect from April 1998, UK statistics were brought into line with the standards of the European System of Accounts ('ESA95'). A new monetary financial institutions (MFI) sector was introduced, comprising the central bank, other banks and building societies. 

Further explanation of the link between the published monetary statistics and the MFIs' consolidated balance sheet is detailed in the Statistics article ‘Monetary statistics and the monetary financial institutions consolidated balance sheet’.

Instrument detail

The instrument detail is consistent with that specified in ESA95. The full instrument breakdown is as follows:

Liabilities

• currency, deposits and money market instruments
• financial derivatives
• other securities issued
• other financial liabilities
• other

Assets

• loans
• securities other than financial derivatives
• financial derivatives
• other financial assets
• other

Adjustments on consolidation

As noted above, in producing the MFI consolidated balance sheet, transactions between MFIs are netted. Any difference between reported liabilities to, and claims on, other MFIs is handled as follows.

The inter-MFI difference is allocated to sectors according to the results of a detailed investigation of its causes. For further details see the article ‘Estimation and allocation methods within money and credit data’. In particular, the allocation of the sterling inter-MFI difference is as follows:

• 35% added to other financial corporation (OFC) deposits, within wholesale M4
• 15% added to non-resident deposits
• 35% deducted from OFC loans, within M4 lending
• 15% deducted from non-resident loans

The allocation of the foreign currency inter-MFI difference is as follows:

• 30% added to OFC foreign currency deposits
• 20% added to non-resident foreign currency deposits
• 30% deducted from OFC foreign currency loans
• 20% deducted from non-resident foreign currency loans

Before September 2011, 95% of the sterling inter-MFI difference was allocated to OFC deposits within wholesale M4, the remaining 5% being allocated to transits. In addition, 60% of the foreign currency inter-MFI difference was allocated to non-resident foreign currency deposits, and 40% to OFC foreign currency deposits. This was based on the results of an earlier investigation.

Currency, deposits and money market instruments

Currency includes notes issued by Scottish and Northern Irish banks (net of Bank of England notes held as backing) as well as notes issued by the Issue Department of the Bank of England. Holdings of currency by the private sector are the residual of the total issued less estimated holdings by all other sectors. (Coin is a liability of the Government and not included within currency in the MFIs' balance sheet.) Deposits and money market instruments include estimated holdings of MFIs’ certificates of deposit, commercial paper, bonds, floating-rate notes and other instruments of up to and including five years' original maturity, and, from December 1995, liabilities arising from repos. 

With the addition of its holding of UK coin, the private sector's holding of sterling bank notes, deposits and money market instruments equals M4. 

Other liabilities 

This is made up of:

• MFIs’ net liabilities under financial derivatives
• unsubordinated instruments of more than five years' original maturity
• other capital items, including retained profits

In the contributions tables, these instruments are shown as one category ('other liabilities'), while they are shown separately at the MFI balance sheet level.

Loans

This includes all forms of lending by MFIs, other than holdings of securities. It includes holdings of non-bank bills, amounts receivable under finance leases, and, from December 1995, lending under reverse repos. A revised treatment of acceptances was introduced in September 1997 and backdated. Although acceptances are still reported off balance sheet by individual reporters, in aggregate in the consolidated balance sheet, and in the monetary statistics, they now count as on the balance sheet of the accepting reporter i.e. a bank accepting a bill is regarded as having a claim on the party on whose behalf the acceptance credit facility was opened, and a liability to the holder of the bill. Almost all sterling bank bills are held by other MFIs, so the resulting liabilities and claims net out on consolidation. For further details see the Statistics articles ‘Outcome of the review of banking statistics, including effects on monetary and other banking statistics’ and ‘Impact of the review of banking statistics: changes and additions to published data’.

MFIs' sterling loans to, and investments in, the private sector are equal to the sterling lending counterpart to M4.

Other assets include fixed assets, gold bullion beneficially owned, and other commodities.

Transit and suspense items

Transit items appear in banks' and building societies' balance sheets both as credits and debits (e.g. standing orders or cheques in course of collection).

Suspense items relate to customers' funds that are not held in customers' names.

When reporters' figures are aggregated, these items may give rise to double-counting of deposits received from customers outside the banking system or, where overdrawn or loan accounts are concerned, to the under-recording of total lending made to such customers. The data for deposits and loans are therefore adjusted with slight variations between banks and building societies to take account of the different types of activity these sets of reporters are predominant in. For banks, these adjustments started from February 2006. For building societies, they started from January 2008. Before January 2008, no similar adjustments were required for building societies' transit items because they represented 'uncleared cheque' business with banks and did not therefore give rise to double-counting.

For banks (and building societies respectively):

70.4% (84%) and 3.6% (8%) of sterling credit transit items are added to non-interest-bearing deposits from the UK private and public sectors respectively. The remaining 23.6% (8%) and 2.4% (0%), for UK private and public sectors respectively, is subtracted from advances.

72% (91%) of sterling debit transit items are subtracted from non-interest-bearing deposits from the UK private sector, and 28% (9%) are added to advances to the UK private sector.

71% (90%) of sterling credit items in suspense are added to the UK private sector's non-interest-bearing deposits. The remaining 29% (10%) is subtracted from advances to the UK private sector.

67% (88%) of sterling debit items in suspense are subtracted from the UK private sector's non-interest-bearing deposits. The remaining 33% (12%) is added to advances to the UK private sector.

For foreign currency transit items, the difference between credit and debit items is added to deposits from non-residents.

39% (39%) of foreign currency credit items in suspense are added to non-residents’ deposits and 23% (23%) to UK private sector deposits. The remainder is subtracted from advances, 26% (26%) non-resident and 12% (12%) UK private sector.

36% (36%) of foreign currency debit items in suspense are subtracted from non-residents' deposits and 24% (24%) from UK private sector deposits. The remainder is added to advances, 24% (24%) non-resident and 16% (16%) UK private sector.

Valuation and breaks

The central bank sector is made up of the Bank of England’s Banking Department (these assets and liabilities were previously included in the banks sector) and the Bank of England’s Issue Department (which was previously classified as part of central government).

The ‘other banks’ sector is made up of all banks operating in the UK, other than the Bank of England.

‘Banks within the UK’ is made up of institutions authorised under the Banking Act 1987 with offices in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From 1983 until March 1998 it included the Bank of England’s Banking Department. Since 1 January 1993, in accordance with the Second Banking Coordination Directive, it has also included UK branches of European authorised institutions. The building societies sector consists of all building societies operating in the UK.

Building societies’ transition to Bank of England reporting

Building societies' statistical reporting transitioned from the Financial Services Authority to the Bank of England on 1 January 2008, and some minor changes to the calculation of the monetary financial institutions consolidated balance sheet were implemented. The effects of these have been removed from the flows data, and are small in terms of the amounts outstanding unless otherwise footnoted.

Exchange rate adjustments

The figures for reporters' transactions in liabilities and assets in foreign currencies (including gold) have been adjusted to exclude the estimated effect of movements in exchange rates. Before January 2008, building societies' non-sterling assets and liabilities were not adjusted for exchange rate changes.

Building society conversions

The transfer of business of a number of building societies to the bank sector has affected both bank and building society flows and levels data for Other banks' contribution to the MFIs' consolidated balance sheet (until December 2009) (Tables B2.3) and Building societies' contribution to the MFIs' consolidated balance sheet (until December 2009) (Table B2.4). From the month of transfer, the business of these societies is included in the bank rather than building society sector. Flows for the month of transfer have been adjusted for the change in both populations. Levels data however are not break adjusted.

• Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society joined the Lloyds Bank Group in August 1995
• National and Provincial Building Society transferred its business to Abbey National plc in August 1996
• Alliance & Leicester Building Society converted to public limited company status in April 1997
• Halifax Building Society converted to public limited company status in June 1997
• Woolwich Building Society converted to public limited company status in July 1997
• Bristol and West Building Society joined the Bank of Ireland Group in July 1997
• Northern Rock Building Society converted to public limited company status in October 1997
• Birmingham Midshires Building Society joined the Halifax Group in April 1999
• Bradford and Bingley Building Society converted to public limited company status in December 2000

Securitisations reporting

From the January 2010 data onwards, all loans that have been securitised by monetary financial institutions have been included on the institutions' balance sheet for statistical reporting purposes. Some institutions reported securitisations on balance sheet before 2010, so their reporting did not change. However, other institutions brought back onto their balance sheets loans that had been securitised in the past. When these loans came back on balance sheet, an additional liability to the special purpose vehicle was also brought on balance sheet to balance out the increase in loans. This caused a level shift in various series in January 2010, as well as changing the coverage of various series from the January 2010 data onwards. For more details, please see the Statistics article ‘Statistical Reporting of Securitisations’.

Treatment of securities

From the February 2014 data onwards, transfers of quoted shares have been omitted from net securities flow series, bringing their treatment more into line with our approach to transfers of loans. For more details about this change, see the Statistics article ‘Changes to the treatment of securities transactions in the Bank of England’s monetary statistics’.

Further information

The implications of money market reform for data Bank of England (2006), Statistics article, June
Suspense items - allocation within aggregate banks' data Docker, S (2006), Statistics article, February
Data cleansing for Banking and monetary statistics Bigwood, J (2004), Statistics article, May
Compilation methods of the components of broad money and its balance sheet counterparts Westley, K and Brunken, S (2002), Statistics article, October
Investigating the domestic interbank difference, Dooks, D and Finbow, G, (1992), June, page 101-104 Economic Trends.