Set-off - ISDA Provision

2002 ISDA Master Agreement

A Jolly Contrarian owner’s manual™

Overview — Summary — Premium — See also — Wikitext

Crosscheck:
→’87 equivalent
→’92 equivalent
→’02 equivalent

6(f) in a Nutshell™

The JC’s Nutshell™ summary of this term has moved uptown to the subscription-only ninja tier. For the cost of ½ a weekly 🍺 you can get it here. Sign up at Substack. You can even ask questions! Ask about it here.

Original text

6(f) Set-Off. Any Early Termination Amount payable to one party (the “Payee”) by the other party (the “Payer”), in circumstances where there is a Defaulting Party or where there is one Affected Party in the case where either a Credit Event Upon Merger has occurred or any other Termination Event in respect of which all outstanding Transactions are Affected Transactions has occurred, will, at the option of the Non-defaulting Party or the Non-affected Party, as the case may be (“X”) (and without prior notice to the Defaulting Party or the Affected Party, as the case may be), be reduced by its set-off against any other amounts (“Other Amounts”) payable by the Payee to the Payer (whether or not arising under this Agreement, matured or contingent and irrespective of the currency, place of payment or place of booking of the obligation). To the extent that any Other Amounts are so set off, those Other Amounts will be discharged promptly and in all respects. X will give notice to the other party of any set-off effected under this Section 6(f). For this purpose, either the Early Termination Amount or the Other Amounts (or the relevant portion of such amounts) may be converted by X into the currency in which the other is denominated at the rate of exchange at which such party would be able, in good faith and using commercially reasonable procedures, to purchase the relevant amount of such currency. If an obligation is unascertained, X may in good faith estimate that obligation and set off in respect of the estimate, subject to the relevant party accounting to the other when the obligation is ascertained. Nothing in this Section 6(f) will be effective to create a charge or other security interest. This Section 6(f) will be without prejudice and in addition to any right of set-off, offset, combination of accounts, lien, right of retention or withholding or similar right or requirement to which any party is at any time otherwise entitled or subject (whether by operation of law, contract or otherwise).

See ISDA Comparison for a comparison between the 1992 ISDA and the 2002 ISDA.

The Varieties of ISDA Experience
Subject	2002 (wikitext)	1992 (wikitext)	1987 (wikitext)
Preamble	Pre	Pre	Pre
Interpretation	1	1	1
Obligns/Payment	2	2	2
Representations	3	3	3
Agreements	4	4	4
EODs & Term Events	5 Events of Default: FTPD • Breach • CSD • Misrep • DUST • Cross Default • Bankruptcy • MWA Termination Events: Illegality • FM • Tax Event • TEUM • CEUM • ATE	5 Events of Default: FTPD • Breach • CSD • Misrep • DUST • Cross Default • Bankruptcy • MWA Termination Events: Illegality • Tax Event • TEUM • CEUM • ATE	5 Events of Default: FTPD • Breach • CSD • Misrep • DUSS • Cross Default • Bankruptcy • MWA Termination Events: Illegality • Tax Event • TEUM • CEUM
Early Termination	6 Early Termination: ET right on EOD • ET right on TE • Effect of Designation • Calculations; Payment Date • Payments on ET • Set-off	6 Early Termination: ET right on EOD • ET right on TE • Effect of Designation • Calculations • Payments on ET • Set-off	6 Early Termination: ET right on EOD • ET right on TE • Effect of Designation • Calculations • Payments on ET
Transfer	7	7	7
Contractual Currency	8	8	8
Miscellaneous	9	9	9
Offices; Multibranch Parties	10	10	10
Expenses	11	11	11
Notices	12	12	12
Governing Law	13	13	13
Definitions	14	14	14
Schedule	Schedule	Schedule	Schedule
Termination Provisions	Part 1	Part 1	Part 1
Tax Representations	Part 2	Part 2	Part 2
Documents for Delivery	Part 3	Part 3	Part 3
Miscellaneous	Part 4	Part 4	Part 4
Other Provisions	Part 5	Part 5	Part 5

Resources and Navigation

Index: Click ᐅ to expand: ISDA

Comparisons

Neither the 1987 ISDA not the 1992 ISDA has a specific set-off provision, although the 1992 manages to define Set-off anyway.

ISDA published a suggested set-off provision in the 1992 User’s Guide, but no-one liked it, and before long several home-made versions were percolating around the market. These often permitted set-off between the Innocent Party’s Affiliates and the non-performing party.

ISDA’s crack drafting squad™ got the hint and implemented a fully-fledged set-off provision based on this language into the 2002 ISDA — but not without a little boo-boo. As to which, read on —

Basics

One does not exercise a set-off right willy nilly. Unless one is, mutually, settlement netting (where on a given day I owe you a sum, you owe me a sum, and we agree to settle by one of us paying the other the difference) set-off is a drastic remedy which will be seen as enemy action. You would not do it, without agreement, to any client you expected to keep. So, generally, use set-off as a remedy it only arises following an event of default.

A bit of a bish in the 2002 ISDA

Set-off in the 2002 ISDA borrows from the text used to build it into the 1992 ISDA but still contains a rather elementary fluff-up: it imagines a world like our own, but where the Early Termination Amount is payable one way, while all Other Amounts are only payable the other. Life, as any fule kno, is not always quite that convenient.

For example:

Payer owes Payee an Early Termination Amount of 10 Payee owes Payer Other Amounts of 50 Net: Payee owes Payer 40.

But what if there are Other Amounts payable the same way as the Early Termination Amount?

Payer owes Payee an Early Termination Amount of 10 Payer owes Payee Other Amounts of 40 Payee owes Payer Other Amounts of 50 Net: Payee owes Payer 40. Whoops: Payee is still owed 40 by Payer so is an unsecured creditor '

Not ideal. But fixable if you’re prepared to add some dramatically anal language:

6(f) Set-Off. Any Early Termination Amount (or any other amounts, whether or not arising under this Agreement, matured, contingent and irrespective of the currency, place of payment of booking of the obligation)” payable to one party (the “Payee”) by the other party (the “Payer”), ...

Premium content

Here the free bit runs out. Subscribers click 👉 here. New readers sign up 👉 here and, for ½ a weekly 🍺 go full ninja about all these juicy topics👇

JC’s “nutshell” summary of the clause
Background reading and long-form essays
Red letter day for Swap Squad
Cross-affiliate set-off
Scope of set-off
Bespoke wording to capture affiliate set-off: A critique of the standard cross-affiliate set-off wording and JC’s suggestion for you to use at your own risk

References