No Agency - 1992 ISDA Provision

1992 ISDA Master Agreement A Jolly Contrarian owner’s manual™ Resources and navigation Resources Wikitext | Nutshell wikitext | 2002 ISDA wikitext | 2002 vs 1992 Showdown | 2006 ISDA Definitions | 2008 ISDA Navigation Preamble | 1 • (a) (b) (c) | 2 • (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) | 3 • (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) | 4 • (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) | 5 • 5(a) Events of Default: 5(a)(i) Failure to Pay or Deliver 5(a)(ii) Breach of Agreement 5(a)(iii) Credit Support Default 5(a)(iv) Misrepresentation 5(a)(v) Default Under Specified Transaction 5(a)(vi) Cross Default 5(a)(vii) Bankruptcy 5(a)(viii) Merger Without Assumption 5(b) Termination Events: 5(b)(i) Illegality 5(b)(ii) Tax Event 5(b)(iii) Tax Event Upon Merger 5(b)(iv) Credit Event Upon Merger 5(b)(v) Additional Termination Event (c) | 6 • (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) | 7 | 8 • (a) (b) (c) (d) | 9 • (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) | 10 | 11 | 12 • (a) (b) | 13 • (a) (b) (c) (d) | 14 | Index: Click ᐅ to expand: 2002 ISDA 1992 ISDA Section 3(a)(vi) in a Nutshell™ Use at your own risk, campers! 3(a)(vi) No Agency. It is a principal and not an agent under this Agreement. view template Full text of Section 3(a)(vi) Manual amendment required — this provision is not in the 1992 ISDA 3(a)(vi) No Agency. It is entering into this Agreement, including each Transaction, as principal and not as agent of any person or entity. view template Related agreements and comparisons Related Agreements Click here for the text of Section 3(a)(vi) in the 2002 ISDA Comparisons There isn’t an equivalent to Section 3(g) in the 1992 ISDA but parties used to routinely crowbar one in as an additional representation under a new Section 3(a)(vi). In a spooky piece of anticipation (and since latter-day 2002 refuseniks just copy paste the 2002 clause into their 1992 ISDA), they’re the same, as this comparison will demonstrate. Tell me more Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Content and comparisons

If you are looking for a Section 3(a)(vi) in a 2002 ISDA, call off the police dogs: there is no such location. It is where one might have put a No Agency rep in a 1992 ISDA — but you modern types don’t need one of those. It’s already printed in a 2002 ISDA, at Section 3(g).

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Summary

If you like a bit of agency chat, you might like our articles about principals and agents, undisclosed agents, undisclosed principals and all that good stuff.

Investment managers as agents

In practice, many ISDA Master Agreements are entered by agents — investment managers and asset managers (so-called “real money” managers) — on behalf of underlying principals — investment funds, and institutional clients who have appointed them as discretionary investment advisers.

These managers often enter transactions in aggregate and only allocate them to their underlying principals later in the day. This means that the broker will have a nervous few hours before it knows whom it is expected to sue if the principal doesn’t pony up on time. General principles of agency — in particular liability for an undisclosed principal —mean agents are not quite so footloose and fancy-free as many of them seem to believe.

Look, it is not the end of the world if your counterpart refuses to renounce all agency, as long as you set up the accounts correctly with the underlying principals, and the firm has a robust approach to trade allocation. Ultimately — and notwithstanding the nervous few hours pending allocation — the person against whom you are, long term, booking the trade is the principal.

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See also

• Section 3(g) (No Agency) - 2002 ISDA only.
• Section 3(a) (Basic Representations)

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