Strategic Shareholder Climate and Risk Financial Financial Barclays PLC 482 report information sustainability report Governance review review statements Annual Report 2022 Notes to the financial statements (continued) Accruals, provisions, contingent liabilities and legal proceedings BDC Finance L.L.C. In 2008, BDC Finance L.L.C. (BDC) filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York (NY Supreme Court), demanding damages of $298m, alleging that Barclays Bank PLC had breached a contract in connection with a portfolio of total return swaps governed by an ISDA Master Agreement (the Master Agreement). Following a trial, the court ruled in 2018 that Barclays Bank PLC was not a defaulting party, which was affirmed on appeal. In April 2021, the trial court entered judgement in favour of Barclays Bank PLC for $3.3m and as yet to be determined legal fees and costs. BDC appealed. In January 2022, the appellate court reversed the trial court’s summary judgment decision in favour of Barclays Bank PLC and remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings. The parties have filed cross-motions on the scope of trial. The trial has been adjourned pending a decision on the motions and any subsequent appeal. In 2011, BDC’s investment advisor, BDCM Fund Adviser, LLC and its parent company, Black Diamond Capital Holdings, LLC, also sued Barclays Bank PLC and BCI in Connecticut State Court for unspecified damages allegedly resulting from Barclays Bank PLC’s conduct relating to the Master Agreement, asserting claims for violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and tortious interference with business and prospective business relations. This case is currently stayed. Civil actions in respect of the US Anti-Terrorism Act There are a number of civil actions, on behalf of more than 4,000 plaintiffs, filed in US federal courts in the US District Court in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and SDNY against Barclays Bank PLC and a number of other banks. The complaints generally allege that Barclays Bank PLC and those banks engaged in a conspiracy to facilitate US dollar-denominated transactions for the Iranian Government and various Iranian banks, which in turn funded acts of terrorism that injured or killed the plaintiffs or the plaintiffs’ family members. The plaintiffs seek to recover damages for pain, suffering and mental anguish under the provisions of the US Anti-Terrorism Act, which allow for the trebling of any proven damages. The court granted the defendants’ motions to dismiss three out of the six actions in the EDNY. The plaintiffs appealed in one action and the dismissal was affirmed in January 2023. The remaining EDNY actions are stayed. Out of the two actions in the SDNY, the court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the first action. That action is stayed, and the second SDNY action is stayed pending any appeal on the dismissal of the first. Shareholder derivative action In November 2020, a purported Barclays shareholder filed a putative derivative action in New York state court against BCI and a number of current and former members of the Board of Directors of Barclays PLC and senior executives or employees of the Group. The shareholder filed the claim on behalf of nominal defendant Barclays PLC, alleging that the individual defendants harmed the company through breaches of their duties, including under the Companies Act 2006. The plaintiff seeks damages on behalf of Barclays PLC for the losses that Barclays PLC allegedly suffered as a result of these alleged breaches. An amended complaint was filed in April 2021, which BCI and certain other defendants moved to dismiss. The motion to dismiss was granted in April 2022. The plaintiff is appealing the decision. Derivative transactions civil action In 2021, Vestia, a Dutch housing association, brought a claim against Barclays Bank PLC in the UK in the High Court in relation to a series of derivative transactions entered into with Barclays Bank PLC between 2008 and 2011, seeking damages of £329m. Barclays Bank PLC is defending the claim and has made a counterclaim. Timeshare loans, skilled person review, and associated matters In August 2020, the FCA granted an application by Clydesdale Financial Services Limited (CFS), which trades as Barclays Partner Finance and houses Barclays’ point-of-sale finance business, for a validation order with respect to certain loans to customers brokered between April 2014 and April 2016 by Azure Services Limited (ASL), a timeshare operator, which did not, at the point of sale, hold the necessary broker licence. As a condition to the validation order, the FCA required CFS to undertake a skilled person review of the assessment of affordability processes for the loans brokered by ASL (ASL Loans) as well as CFS’ policies and procedures for assessing affordability and oversight of brokers more generally, and dictated a remediation methodology in the event that ASL Loans did not pass the affordability test. The skilled person made a number of observations, some of which were adverse, about both current and historic affordability practices as well as current oversight practices. CFS is not required to conduct a full back book review but, following a review of certain cohorts of loans to determine historic affordability and/or broker oversight practices that may have caused customer harm, where harm is identified, CFS’ intention is to remediate. To date, CFS has identified a number of areas for remediation, but the scoping exercise is ongoing and remediation will only begin once the scoping exercise is complete. As at 31 December 2022, CFS booked a provision in respect of the expected remediation for these matters of £10.4m. Separately, and notwithstanding this, CFS decided in March 2022 to extend the proactive remediation of ASL Loans beyond those brokered between April 2014 and April 2016 to include the full portfolio of ASL Loans brokered between 2006 and 2018. In the first quarter of 2022, an additional customer remediation provision was recognised in relation to the remediation of the ASL Loans originated outside the April 2014 to April 2016 period. As at 31 December 2022, the provision recognised in relation to this matter by CFS is £183m. Remediation of the full portfolio of ASL Loans started in October 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2023. In addition, CFS completed a review of all other legacy timeshare retailers during 2022. No concerns were identified in relation to the majority of those retailers, but where concerns were identified, CFS’ intention is to remediate. As at 31 December 2022, the provision recognised in relation to this matter by CFS is £96m. Over-issuance of Securities in the US Barclays Bank PLC maintains a US shelf registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to issue securities to US investors. In May 2017, Barclays Bank PLC lost its status as a “well-known seasoned issuer” (or WKSI) as a result of an SEC settlement order involving BCI. Due to its loss of WKSI status, Barclays Bank PLC was required to register a specified amount of
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