Transfers - CSA Provision

CSA Anatomy™ In a Nutshell™ Section 3(a): Template:Nutshell 1995 CSA 3(a) view template 1995 ISDA CSA full text of Section 3(a): 3(a) Transfers. All transfers under this Annex of any Eligible Credit Support, Equivalent Credit Support, Interest Amount or Equivalent Distributions shall be made in accordance with the instructions of the Transferee or Transferor, as applicable, and shall be made: 3(a)(i) in the case of cash, by transfer into one or more bank accounts specified by the recipient; 3(a)(ii) in the case of certificated securities which cannot or which the parties have agreed will not be delivered by book-entry, by delivery in appropriate physical form to the recipient or its account accompanied by any duly executed instruments of transfer, transfer tax stamps and any other documents necessary to constitute a legally valid transfer of the transferring party's legal and beneficial title to the recipient; and 3(a)(iii) in the case of securities which the parties have agreed will be delivered by book-entry, by the giving of written instructions (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions given by telex, facsimile transmission or electronic messaging system) to the relevant depository institution or other entity specified by the recipient, together with a written copy of the instructions to the recipient, sufficient, if complied with, to result in a legally effective transfer of the transferring party's legal and beneficial title to the recipient. Subject to Paragraph 4 and unless otherwise specified, if a demand for the transfer of Eligible Credit Support or Equivalent Credit Support is received by the Notification Time, then the relevant transfer will be made not later than the close of business on the Settlement Day relating to the date such demand is received; if a demand is received after the Notification Time, then the relevant transfer will be made not later than the close of business on the Settlement Day relating to the day after the date such demand is received. view template Related Agreements Click here for the text of Section 3(a) in the 1995 English Law CSA Click here for the text of Section 3(a) in the 2016 English Law VM CSA Click [[{{{3}}} - NY VM CSA Provision|here]] for the text of the equivalent, Section [[{{{3}}} - NY VM CSA Provision|{{{3}}}]] in the 2016 NY Law VM CSA Comparisons 1995 English Law CSA and 2016 English law VM CSA: click for comparison {{nycsadiff {{{3}}}}} Resources Full wikitext | Nutshell wikitext Navigation 1 (Interpretation) | 2 (Credit Support Obligations) | 3 (Transfers, Calculations and Exchanges) | 4 (Dispute Resolution) | 5 (Title Transfer etc) | 6 (Default) | 7 (Representation) | 8 (Expenses) | 9 (Miscellaneous) | 10 (Definitions) | 11 (Elections and Variables) Index: Click ᐅ to expand: 1995 CSA Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Requests? Insults? We’d love to 📧 hear from you. Sign up for our newsletter. Premium version of this page

1995 English Law CSA and 2016 English law VM CSA: click for comparison You won’t believe this, but ISDA’s crack drafting squad™ mostly managed to resist the urge to abbreviate the tedious drafting of their predecessors in the ’95.

Timing of transfers under a CSA

This is how the timing works for CSA transfers. Remember the Valuation Agent is simply the person making the demand. Terminology check: to make this easy we refer to both Delivery Amounts and Return Amounts as “Transfer Amounts”. The date on which someone actually demands a Transfer Amount we call a “Demand Date”.

Valuation of Exposure and Credit Support Balance: Firstly, you must value what you are going to call, which will be the Transfer Amount under para 2(a) or 2(b). This is roughly Credit Support Balance - Exposure (or vice versa).

Per para 2(a) the Transferor will transfer Eligible Credit Support having a Value equal to the Transfer Amount as of the date of transfer. Under the Calculations provision all calculations happen at the relevant Valuation Time. Fluctuations in value after that time won’t invalidate the Transfer Amount, but they may mean a party can immediately call for more Credit Support (that is, have another Demand Date). The Valuation Time in turn keys off the Valuation Date.

Demand Date: On any date that is (or promptly follows) a Valuation Date in which the Exposure has moved in its favour, one party may demand a Delivery Amount or a Return Amount.

Transfer Date: Under para 3(a) (Transfers) if the Demand Date is a Local Business Day and demand is received before the Notification Time, the transfer must be made not later than close of business on the related Regular Settlement Day. If received after the Notification Time (or at any time on a non-Local Business Day), the transfer must be made by close of business on the Regular Settlement Day relating to the day after the Demand Date.

Settlement Day: Here is where things differ materially between the 1995 English Law CSA and the 2016 English law VM CSA.
1995 English Law CSA: The Settlement Day for any day (whether or not it is a Local Business Day) is:

• Cash: for cash, the next Local Business Day and,
• Securities: for securities, the Local Business Day after the date on which a trade in the relevant security, if effected on the day in question, would have been settled in accordance with customary practice.

2016 English law VM CSA: In the new world we have the new concept of the Regular Settlement Day, and this is the same Local Business Day as the Demand Date. The run-off text at the end of Paragraph 3(a) gives you a little more flex: if the demand came after the Notification Time, then you must make the transfer by close on the Regular Settlement Day for the next day.

Questions

Demand Date not a Local Business Day: What if the Demand Date is not a Local Business Day? E.g., what if it is received after the Notification Time on a Friday, meaning the Settlement Day takes place on the date on which a trade, effected on a Saturday, would have been settled in accordance with customary practice?

• Securities: For securities this is ok: a trade effected on a non-business day would be deemed to be effected on the next following Local Business Day anyway, so it would pick this up.
• Cash: For cash, not so clear.

What happens if the transferred credit support changes in value on the Settlement Day?

What happens to Exposures if the Settlement Day is a long time after the Demand Date? Is the demand, if answered with irrevocable instructions to deliver, treated as having been met, or does the Exposure stay outstanding until the collateral actually comes in? The answer (counterintuitive, given that the Transferee remains subject to the credit exposure during this time) is YES, thanks to the definitions of Delivery Amount and Return Amount, both of which include the words:

“...the Value as of that Valuation Date of the Transferor’s Credit Support Balance (adjusted to include any prior Delivery Amount and to exclude any prior Return Amount, the transfer of which, in either case, has not yet been completed and for which the relevant Settlement Day falls on or after such Valuation Date).”

What if I have to pay out a Transaction termination amount which the counterparty is already holding all or some of by way of variation margin? Since it will owe me that back, we can just off set those and call it quits, right? Wrong. See our separate article on that issue.