Readily ascertainable value. Proposed § 950.7(b)(1) authorized the Banks to accept from CFI members or their affiliates as security for advances, CFI-eligible collateral provided that: (i) the loans have a readily ascertainable liquidation value and can be freely liquidated in due course; and (ii) the Bank can perfect a security interest in such collateral. The basis of this standard was the Finance Board’s belief that the liquidation value of collateral, and the ability to liquidate the collateral quickly, was an appropriate measure of the value of CFI-eligible collateral securing an advance. A substantial number of Bank commenters opposed the proposed standard on the grounds that liquidation value is difficult to measure and, therefore, impractical as a standard. The commenters also found the phrase ‘‘freely liquidated in due course’’ to be unclear in terms of when and how frequently such determination would have to be made. In response to the Banks’ concerns, § 950.7(a)(4) is revised in the final rule to provide that CFI-eligible collateral is eligible to secure advances if it has ‘‘a readily ascertainable value, can be reliably discounted to account for liquidation and other risks, and can be liquidated in due course.’’ This standard is intended to clarify that the critical factor is the Bank’s ability to reliably discount the collateral in question. The phrase ‘‘can be liquidated in due course’’ is intended to mean that there are no known impediments to liquidation at the time the collateral is accepted by the Bank. This change also is made in § 950.7(a)(4)(i)(A) of the final rule with respect to other real estate- related collateral.
