Fair value of financial assets and liabilities

Fair value hierarchy

All financial instruments for which fair value is recognized or disclosed are categorized within the fair value hierarchy, based on lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement as a whole, as follows:

Level 1 – Quoted (unadjusted) market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2 – Valuation techniques for which the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement is directly or indirectly observable;

Level 3 – Valuation technique for which the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement is unobservable.

Valuation processes

For recurring fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, FMO uses the valuation processes to decide its valuation policies and procedures and analyze changes in fair value measurement from period to period.

FMO’s fair value methodology and governance over its methods includes a number of controls and other procedures to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure its quality and adequacy. The responsibility of ongoing measurement resides with the relevant departments. Once submitted, fair value estimates are also reviewed and challenged by the Investment Review Committee (IRC). The IRC approves the fair values measured including the valuation techniques and other significant input parameters used.

Valuation techniques

When available, the fair value of an instrument is measured by using the quoted price in an active market for that instrument (level 1). A market is regarded as active if transactions of the asset or liability take place with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

If there is no quoted price in an active market, valuation techniques are used that maximize the use of relevant observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Valuation techniques include:

1. Recent broker / price quotations;

2. Discounted cash flow models;

3. Option-pricing models.

The techniques incorporate current market and contractual prices, time to expiry, yield curves and volatility of the underlying instrument. Inputs used in pricing models are market observable (level 2) or are not market observable (level 3). A substantial part of fair value (level 3) is based on net asset values.

FMO uses internal valuation models to value all (derivative) financial instruments. Due to model imperfections, there are initial differences between the transaction price and the calculated fair value. These differences are not recorded in the profit and loss at once, but are amortized over the remaining maturity of the transactions. 

Equity investments are measured at fair value when a quoted market price in an active market is available or when fair value can be estimated reliably by using a valuation technique. The main part of the fair value measurement related to equity investments (level 3) is based on net asset values of investment funds as reported by the fund manager and are based on advanced valuation methods and practices. When available, these fund managers value the underlying investments based on quoted prices, if not, multiples are applied as input for the valuation. For the valuation process of the equity investments we further refer to the accounting policies and related notes within these Annual Accounts. The determination of the timing of transfers is embedded in the quarterly valuation process, and therefore recorded at the end of each reporting period.

The table below presents the carrying value and estimated fair value of FMO’s financial assets and liabilities, not measured at fair value.

The carrying values of the financial asset and liability categories in the table below are measured at AC except for the funding in connection with hedge accounting. The underlying changes to the fair value of these assets and liabilities are therefore not recognized in the balance sheet.

The valuation technique we use for the fair value determination of these financial instruments is the discounted cash-flow method. The discount rate we apply is a spread curve based on the average spread of the portfolio. The fair value calculation is mainly based on level 3 inputs.

The following table gives an overview of the financial instruments measured at fair value using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used in making the measurements.

The following table shows the movements of financial assets measured at fair value based on level 3.

Transfers between levels 1 and 2 

There were no material transfers between levels 1 and 2.

Transfers from levels 1 and 2 to level 3 

There were no material transfers between level 1 and 2 to level 3.