Line4

1 min readWarningEBA reporting framework 4.2Updated 10 November 2026

Provisions for commitments and guarantees given cannot be negative (EBA rule v3966_s)

A warning in the financial reporting return (FINREP 9), on template F 20.05.b, geographical breakdown of off-balance sheet items subject to credit risk by residence of the counterparty (b).

Check your file against this ruleWhat to do if it fails

The rule in plain words

Provisions for commitments and guarantees given cannot be negative.

EBA checks it for three rows: loan commitments given, financial guarantees given and other commitments given. That makes three checks. A failure names the one that failed.

How the Line4 Check report words itShow

The first of its checks, word for word as the report shows it when it fails. The others read the same, with their own column, row or sheet.

Other commitments given >= 0

What to do if your filing fails it

  1. 01Open the template below and find the cells the rule reads.
  2. 02Look for a value with the wrong sign in these cells, such as an amount entered as a negative number.
  3. 03EBA compares the values exactly here: there is no rounding tolerance.
  4. 04It runs only when your filing indicators mark F 20.05 as reported.
  5. 05This is a warning. It does not stop the filing on its own, but your authority may ask you to explain it.

The cells it reads

Geographical breakdown of off-balance sheet items subject to credit risk by residence of the counterparty (b) (F 20.05.b)

Rows

  • 0010Loan commitments given
  • 0020Financial guarantees given
  • 0030Other commitments given

Column

  • 0030Provisions for commitments and guarantees given

A worked example

The first of its checks, with simple numbers.

What the rule then expects

Other commitments given must then be at least 0.

0Passes
-100Fails

A file that reports 0 passes. One that reports -100 fails, by 100.

The numbers are illustrative.

Show the rule as writtenShow

EBA's formula, as written out for the first of its checks. Cells are written as {template, row, column, sheet}.

{F_20.05.b,r0030,c0030,} >= 0

The next two:

{F_20.05.b,r0010,c0030,} >= 0{F_20.05.b,r0020,c0030,} >= 0

Checks like this one, run at the point of submission, are the first step to real-time supervision.