Risk Audit - Training and Recruitment
Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Credit Suisse Pays Bonuses in Derivative Notes

Credit Suisse has announced that it will be paying a large part of this year’s bonuses in the form of a derivative note.

The “PAF 2” as it is called will be a fixed income note carrying a coupon of 5 to 6.5 per cent with a nine year maturity. The bank will be able to cancel the mote after four years (read “clawback”).

The cash flow for the notes will come from derivatives on some 800 names in the bank’s portfolio. In the event of default of one of these names the value of the note will decline. The bank will absorb the first $ 500 million of any losses.

According the Credit Suisse the bank benefits by increasing capital and cutting the cash components of any bonuses.

Wow.

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