European Central Bank tightens collateral rules for tapping its cash

The Eurosystem is excluding investment funds as eligible issuers and guarantors for the collateralisation of Eurosystem credit operations, ECB said

The European Central Bank is tightening regulations to prevent banks from pledging some riskier forms of collateral when they borrow from euro zone central banks, it said on Thursday.

"The Eurosystem is excluding investment funds as eligible issuers and guarantors for the collateralisation of Eurosystem credit operations, taking into account their specific risks related to potential asset portfolio changes," the ECB said.

"The Eurosystem is excluding commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBSs) from collateral eligibility, owing to their relatively complex nature," it added.