EXPLAINER: Municipal Liquidity Facility from April 9, 2020
Posted on 04/09/2020
The Federal Reserve updated its Municipal Liquidity Facility program.
Information is from the U.S. Federal Reserve from April 9, 2020.
Effective April 9, 2020 (1)
Facility
The Municipal Liquidity Facility (“Facility”), which has been authorized under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, will support lending to U.S. states and the District of Columbia (together, “States”), U.S. cities with a population exceeding one million residents (2) (“Cities”), and U.S. counties with a population exceeding two million residents (3) (“Counties”). Under the Facility, a Federal Reserve Bank (“Reserve Bank”) will commit to lend to a special purpose vehicle (“SPV”) on a recourse basis. The SPV will purchase Eligible Notes directly from Eligible Issuers at the time of issuance. The Reserve Bank will be secured by all the assets of the SPV. The Department of the Treasury, using funds appropriated to the Exchange Stabilization Fund under section 4027 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, will make an initial equity investment of $35 billion in the SPV in connection with the Facility. The SPV will have the ability to purchase up to $500 billion of Eligible Notes.
Eligible Notes
Eligible Notes are tax anticipation notes (TANs), tax and revenue anticipation notes (TRANs), bond anticipation notes (BANs), and other similar short-term notes issued by Eligible Issuers, provided that such notes mature no later than 24 months from the date of issuance. In each case, a note’s eligibility is subject to review by the Federal Reserve. Relevant legal opinions and disclosures will be required as determined by the Federal Reserve prior to purchase.
Eligible Issuer
An Eligible Issuer is a State, City, or County (or an instrumentality thereof that issues on behalf of the State, City, or County for the purpose of managing its cash flows), in each case subject to review and approval by the Federal Reserve. Only one issuer per State, City, or County is eligible.
Limit per State, City, and County
The SPV may purchase Eligible Notes issued by or on behalf of a State, City, or County in one or more issuances of up to an aggregate amount of 20% of the general revenue from own sources and utility revenue of the applicable State, City, or County government for fiscal year 2017 (4). States may request that the SPV purchase Eligible Notes in excess of the applicable limit in order to assist political subdivisions and instrumentalities that are not eligible for the Facility.
Pricing
Pricing will be based on an Eligible Issuer’s rating at the time of purchase with details to be provided later.
Origination Fee
Each Eligible Issuer that participates in the Facility must pay an origination fee equal to 10 basis points of the principal amount of the Eligible Issuer’s notes purchased by the SPV. The origination fee may be paid from the proceeds of the issuance.
Call Right
Eligible Notes purchased by the SPV are callable by the Eligible Issuer at any time at par.Eligible Use of Proceeds: An Eligible Issuer may use the proceeds of Eligible Notes purchased by the SPV to help manage the cash flow impact of income tax deferrals resulting from an extension of an income tax filing deadline; potential reductions of tax and other revenues or increases in expenses related to or resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; and requirements for the payment of principal and interest on obligations of the relevant State, City, or County. An Eligible Issuer may use the proceeds of the notes purchased by the SPV to purchase similar notes issued by, or otherwise to assist, political subdivisions and instrumentalities of the relevant State, City, or County for the purposes enumerated in the prior sentence.
Termination Date
The SPV will cease purchasing Eligible Notes on September 30, 2020, unless the Board and the Treasury Department extend the Facility. The Reserve Bank will continue to fund the SPV after such date until the SPV’s underlying assets mature or are sold.
Notes
1. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Board”) and Secretary of the Treasury may make adjustments to the terms and conditions described in this term sheet. Any changes will be announced on the Board’s website.
2. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018, as of April 6, 2020 (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html).
3. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, “Population, Population Change, and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (CO-EST2019-alldata)” dataset as of April 6, 2020(https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-counties-total.html#par_textimage_739801612.)
4. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 State & Local Government Historical Datasets and Tables, as of April 6, 2020 (https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/2017/econ/local/public-use-datasets.html).
Keywords: Federal Reserve System, U.S. Exchange Stabilization Fund.
