v2.4.0.6
Regulatory Requirements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Regulatory Requirements
12.   Regulatory Requirements

CSC is a savings and loan holding company and Schwab Bank, CSC’s depository institution subsidiary, is a federal savings bank. CSC is subject to supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve) and Schwab Bank is subject to supervision and regulation by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. CSC is currently not subject to specific statutory capital requirements, however CSC is required to serve as a source of strength for Schwab Bank. Under the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act”, CSC will be subject to new minimum leverage and minimum risk-based capital ratio requirements that will be set by the Federal Reserve that are at least as stringent as the requirements generally applicable to insured depository institutions as of July 21, 2011.

Schwab Bank is required to maintain minimum capital levels as specified in federal banking laws and regulations. Failure to meet the minimum levels could result in certain mandatory, and possibly additional discretionary actions by the regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on Schwab Bank. At September 30, 2012, CSC and Schwab Bank met the capital level requirements.

The regulatory capital and ratios for Schwab Bank at September 30, 2012, are as follows:

 

     Actual     Minimum Capital
Requirement
    Minimum to be
Well Capitalized
 
     Amount          Ratio         Amount          Ratio         Amount          Ratio      

Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital

   $ 5,584         21.7   $ 1,031         4.0   $     1,547         6.0

Total Risk-Based Capital

   $ 5,639         21.9   $ 2,062         8.0   $ 2,578         10.0

Tier 1 Leverage

   $ 5,584         7.5   $ 2,993         4.0   $ 3,741         5.0

Tangible Equity

   $     5,584         7.5   $     1,496         2.0     N/A      

 

N/A Not applicable.

Based on its regulatory capital ratios at September 30, 2012, Schwab Bank is considered well capitalized (the highest category) pursuant to banking regulatory guidelines. There are no conditions or events since September 30, 2012, that management believes have changed Schwab Bank’s capital category.

CSC’s principal U.S. broker-dealers are Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. optionsXpress, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of optionsXpress. Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. are both subject to Rule 15c3-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Uniform Net Capital Rule). Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. compute net capital under the alternative method permitted by the Uniform Net Capital Rule. This method requires the maintenance of minimum net capital, as defined, of the greater of 2% of aggregate debit balances arising from client transactions or a minimum dollar requirement ($250,000 for Schwab), which is based on the type of business conducted by the broker-dealer. Under the alternative method, a broker-dealer may not repay subordinated borrowings, pay cash dividends, or make any unsecured advances or loans to its parent company or employees if such payment would result in a net capital amount of less than 5% of aggregate debit balances or less than 120% of its minimum dollar requirement.

optionsXpress, Inc. is also subject to Commodity Futures Trading Commission Regulation 1.17 (Reg. 1.17) under the Commodity Exchange Act, which also requires the maintenance of minimum net capital. optionsXpress, Inc., as a futures commission merchant, is required to maintain minimum net capital equal to the greater of its net capital requirement under Reg. 1.17 ($1 million), or the sum of 8% of the total risk margin requirements for all positions carried in client accounts and 8% of the total risk margin requirements for all positions carried in non-client accounts (as defined in Reg. 1.17).

Net capital and net capital requirements for Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc. at September 30, 2012, are as follows:

 

     Net Capital      % of
Aggregate
  Debit Balances  
    Minimum
Net Capital
Required
     2% of
Aggregate
Debit Balances
     Net Capital
in Excess of
Required

Net Capital
     Net Capital
in Excess of
5% of
Aggregate
Debit Balances
 

Schwab

   $             1,371         10   $             0.250       $     272       $             1,099       $ 692   

optionsXpress, Inc.

   $ 78         33   $ 1       $ 5       $ 73       $ 66