Assessment of Significant Increases in Credit Risk The determination of whether a loan has experienced a SICR has a significant impact on the estimation of allowance for credit losses as 12-month ECL is recorded for loans in Stage 1 and lifetime ECL is recorded for loans that have migrated to Stage 2. Movement between Stages 1 and 2 is impacted by changes in borrower-specific risk characteristics as well as changes in applicable forward-looking information. The main factors considered in assessing whether a loan has experienced a SICR are relative changes in internal risk ratings since initial recognition, incorporating forward-looking information, and certain other criteria such as 30 days past due and migration to watchlist status. Forecasting Forward-looking Information Forward-looking information is incorporated into both the assessment of whether a loan has experienced a SICR since its initial recognition and the estimation of ECL. The models used to estimate ECL consider macroeconomic factors that are most closely correlated with credit risk in the relevant portfolios and are calibrated to consider our geographic diversification. The forward-looking macroeconomic scenario described below is calibrated to an average of the large Canadian banks’ macroeconomic forecasts and reflects our best estimate as at October 31, 2022 based on information and facts available. The forecast reflects the tightening of monetary policy through higher interest rates and assumes modest economic growth. Hindsight cannot be used, so while these evolving assumptions may result in future forecasts that differ from those used in the ECL estimation as at October 31, 2022, those changes will be reflected in future quarters.
The primary macroeconomic variables, for the next year and the remaining forecast period thereafter, used to estimate ECL are as follows:
Forecast
Remaining Forecast Period
October 31 2023
Macroeconomic Variable
GDP growth, year over year
1 %
2 %
Unemployment rate
6
7
Housing price growth, year over year
(12)
(1)
Three-month treasury bill rate
3.6
2.4
U.S. dollar/Canadian dollar exchange rate
$
1.29
$
1.26
WTI oil price (U.S. dollar per barrel)
93
91
The primary macroeconomic variables impacting ECL for personal loan portfolios are unemployment rates and Multiple Listings Service (MLS) housing resale price growth. Business portfolios are impacted by all of the variables in the table above, to varying degrees. Increases in unemployment rates and interest rates will generally correlate with higher ECL while increases in annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth, the WTI oil price, MLS housing price growth, and the U.S. dollar/Canadian dollar exchange rate will generally result in lower ECL. ECL is sensitive to changes in both the scenario described above as well as the incorporation of multiple macroeconomic scenarios. Our models include a simulation incorporating a large volume of alternate macroeconomic scenarios into our ECL estimate. This approach resulted in an increase of approximately $9 million (October 31, 2021 – $4 million) to the performing loan allowance for credit losses at October 31, 2022, relative to using only the forecast scenario presented above. In estimating the performing loan allowance, we continue to supplement our modeled ECL to reflect expert credit judgments. These expert credit judgments account for the variability in the results provided by the models and consider the impact of both tail-risk events and the lagging impacts of typical credit cycles, where loan defaults occur in periods subsequent to the onset of a decline in macroeconomic conditions. These expert credit judgments also allow us to incorporate the estimated impact of the unprecedented levels of government stimulus and support, and the impacts of their withdrawal, which cannot be modelled using historical data as they have not occurred in the past. Stage 3 Allowance for Credit Losses For impaired loans in Stage 3, the allowance for credit losses is measured for each loan as the difference between the carrying value of the loan at the time it is classified as impaired and the present value of the cash flows we expect to receive, using the original effective interest rate of the loan. When the amounts and timing of future cash flows cannot be reliably estimated, either the fair value of the security underlying the loan, net of any expected realization costs, or the current market price for the loan may be used to measure the estimated realizable amount. Security can vary by type of loan and may include real property, working capital, guarantees, or other equipment.
82 | CWB Financial Group 2022 Annual Report
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