Note 16 - Liquidity risk

Liquidity risk is the risk that the group will be unable to refinance its debt or to finance asset increases. Liquidity risk management starts out from the group's overall liquidity strategy which is reviewed and adopted by the board of directors at least once each year. The liquidity strategy reflects the group's moderate risk profile.

The group reduces its liquidity risk through guidelines and limits designed to achieve a diversified balance sheet, both on the asset and liability side. Preparedness plans have been drawn up both for the group and the SpareBank 1 Alliance to handle the liquidity situation in periods of turbulent capital markets. The bank’s liquidity situation is stress tested on a monthly basis using various maturities and crisis scenarios: bank-specific, for the financial market in general or a combination of internal and external factors. The group's objective is to survive twelve months of ordinary operations without access to fresh external funding while housing prices fall 30 per cent. In the same period minimum requirements to LCR shall be fulfilled.

The average residual maturity on debt created by issue of securities at the end of the fourth quarter 2019 was 3.4 years. The overall LCR at the same point was 148 per cent and the average overall LCR in the fourth quarter was 172 per cent. The LCR in Norwegian kroner and the euro at quarter-end was 131 and 540 per cent respectively.