Consolidated Annual Report 2015

BARBADOS PUBLIC WORKERS’ CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT UNION LIMITED CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL REPORT 2015 28 BARBADOS PUBLIC WORKERS' CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT UNION LIMITED Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements For the year ended March 31, 2015 (Expressed in Barbados dollars) 15 2. Accounting Policies...(continued) 2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies...(continued) e) Financial instruments The Group initially recognises loans and advances, deposits and loans payable on the date that they are originated. All other financial assets and liabilities are initially recognised on the trade date, i.e., the date that the entities within the Group become a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. The classification of financial instruments at initial recognition depends on the purpose and managementʼs intention for which the financial instruments were acquired and their characteristics. All financial instruments are measured initially at cost being their fair value plus transaction costs that are directly attributable to its acquisition or issue. Financial assets The Group derecognises a financial asset when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or it transfers the rights to receive the contractual cash flows in a transaction in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset are transferred. Any interest in such transferred financial assets that is created or retained by the Group is recognised as a separate asset or liability. The Group classifies its financial assets in the following categories: held to maturity, available-for- sale and loans and receivables. Held to maturity financial investments Held to maturity financial investments are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments and fixed maturities, which the Group has the intention and ability to hold to maturity. After initial measurement, held to maturity financial investments are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method (EIR), less any impairment losses. Amortised cost is calculated by taking into account any discount or premium on acquisition and fees that are an integral part of the effective interest rate. The Group has reported government securities which have all been classified under the held to maturity classification. Impairment losses are reported as a deduction from the carrying value of the investment (through an allowance account) or investment balance. The amount recorded for impairment is the cumulative loss measured as the difference between the amortised cost and the current fair value, less any impairment loss on that investment previously recognised in the statement of income. If the Group were to sell or reclassify more than an insignificant amount of held to maturity investments before maturity (other than in certain specific circumstances), the entire category would be tainted and would have to be reclassified as available-for-sale. Furthermore, the Group would be prohibited from classifying any financial asset as held to maturity for the current and during the following two financial years.