Securities lending transactions are entered into by the Master Portfolio under Master Securities Lending Agreements (each, an “MSLA”), which provide the right, in the event
of default (including bankruptcy or insolvency), for the non-defaulting party to liquidate the collateral and calculate a net exposure to the defaulting party or request additional
collateral. In the event that a borrower defaults, the Master Portfolio, as lender, would offset the market value of the collateral received against the market value of the securities
loaned. When the value of the collateral is greater than that of the market value of the securities loaned, the lender is left with a net amount payable to the defaulting party.
However, bankruptcy or insolvency laws of a particular jurisdiction may impose restrictions on or prohibitions against such a right of offset in the event of an MSLA
counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency. Under the MSLA, absent an event of default, the borrower can resell or re-pledge the loaned securities, and the Master Portfolio can
reinvest cash collateral received in connection with loaned securities. Upon an event of default, the parties’ obligations to return the securities or collateral to the other party are
extinguished, and the parties can resell or re-pledge the loaned securities or the collateral received in connection with the loaned securities in order to satisfy the defaulting
party’s net payment obligation for all transactions under the MSLA. The defaulting party remains liable for any deficiency.
As of period end, the following table is a summary of the Master Portfolio’s securities on loan by counterparty which are subject to offset under an MSLA:
Counterparty
Securities
Loaned at Value
Cash Collateral
Received
(a)
Non-Cash Collateral
Received, at Fair Value
(a)
Net
Amount
Barclays Bank PLC
...................................................................................
$ 8,572,379 $ (8,572,379) $ — $ —
Barclays Capital, Inc.
.................................................................................
3,576,591 (3,576,591) — —
BNP Paribas SA
......................................................................................
18,075,603 (18,075,603) — —
BofA Securities, Inc.
..................................................................................
2,597,783 (2,597,783) — —
Citadel Clearing LLC
.................................................................................
1,714,616 (1,714,616) — —
Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.
.........................................................................
1,233,967 (1,233,967) — —
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
...........................................................................
7,687,216 (7,687,216) — —
HSBC Bank PLC
.....................................................................................
16,336,576 (16,336,576) — —
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
...........................................................................
16,638,203 (16,638,203) — —
Jefferies LLC
.........................................................................................
971,168 (971,168) — —
Natixis SA
...........................................................................................
343,125 (343,125) — —
RBC Capital Markets LLC
.............................................................................
58,428,446 (58,428,446) — —
Scotia Capital (USA), Inc.
.............................................................................
8,172,718 (8,172,718) — —
Scotia Capital, Inc.
...................................................................................
43,554,257 (43,554,257) — —
SG Americas Securities LLC
..........................................................................
4,970,600 (4,970,600) — —
Toronto-Dominion Bank
...............................................................................
12,646,219 (12,646,219) — —
Virtu Americas LLC
...................................................................................
1,028,356 (1,028,356) — —
Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
...............................................................................
370,446 (370,446) — —
Wells Fargo Securities LLC
...........................................................................
173,726 (173,726) — —
$ 207,091,995 $ (207,091,995) $ — $ —
(a)
Collateral received, if any, in excess of the market value of securities on loan is not presented in this table. The total cash collateral received by the Master Portfolio is disclosed in the
Master Portfolio’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
The risks of securities lending include the risk that the borrower may not provide additional collateral when required or may not return the securities when due. To mitigate these
risks, the Master Portfolio benefits from a borrower default indemnity provided by BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). BlackRock’s indemnity allows for full replacement of the
securities loaned to the extent the collateral received does not cover the value on the securities loaned in the event of borrower default. The Master Portfolio could incur a loss
if the value of an investment purchased with cash collateral falls below the market value of loaned securities or if the value of an investment purchased with cash collateral falls
below the value of the original cash collateral received. Such losses are borne entirely by the Master Portfolio.
5. DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The Master Portfolio engages in various portfolio investment strategies using derivative contracts both to increase the returns of the Master Portfolio and/or to manage its
exposure to certain risks such as credit risk, equity risk, interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk, commodity price risk or other risks (e.g., inflation risk). Derivative
financial instruments categorized by risk exposure are included in the Schedule of Investments. These contracts may be transacted on an exchange or over-the-counter
(“OTC”).
Futures Contracts: Futures contracts are purchased or sold to gain exposure to, or manage exposure to, changes in interest rates (interest rate risk) and changes in the value
of equity securities (equity risk) or foreign currencies (foreign currency exchange rate risk).
Futures contracts are exchange-traded agreements between the Master Portfolio and a counterparty to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specified
price and on a specified date. Depending on the terms of a contract, it is settled either through physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by
payment of a cash amount on the settlement date. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Master Portfolio is required to deposit initial margin with the broker in the form of
cash or securities in an amount that varies depending on a contract’s size and risk profile. The initial margin deposit must then be maintained at an established level over the
life of the contract. Amounts pledged, which are considered restricted, are included in cash pledged for futures contracts in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
Securities deposited as initial margin are designated in the Schedule of Investments and cash deposited, if any, are shown as cash pledged for futures contracts in the
Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Pursuant to the contract, the Master Portfolio agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation
in market value of the contract (“variation margin”). Variation margin is recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) and, if any, shown as variation margin receivable (or
payable) on futures contracts in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. When the contract is closed, a realized gain or loss is recorded in the Statement of Operations equal
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
16 2023 B LACKR OCK A NNUAL R EPORT TO S HAREHOLDERS