Transfers, Calculations and Exchanges - CSA Provision

ISDA 1995 English Law Credit Support Annex

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3 in a Nutshell

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Original text:

Paragraph 3. Transfers, Calculations and Exchanges

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.
3(b) Calculations. All calculations of Value and Exposure for purposes of Paragraphs 2 and 4(a) will be made by the relevant Valuation Agent as of the relevant Valuation Time. The Valuation Agent will notify each party (or the other party, if the Valuation Agent is a party) of its calculations not later than the Notification Time on the Local Business Day following the applicable Valuation Date (or, in the case of Paragraph 4(a), following the date of calculation).
3(c) Exchanges.

3(c)(i) Unless otherwise specified in Paragraph 11, the Transferor may on any Local Business Day by notice inform the Transferee that it wishes to transfer to the Transferee Eligible Credit Support specified in that notice (the “New Credit Support”) in exchange for certain Eligible Credit Support (the “Original Credit Support”) specified in that notice comprised in the Transferor’s Credit Support Balance.
3(c)(ii) If the Transferee notifies the Transferor that it has consented to the proposed exchange, (A) the Transferor will be obliged to transfer the New Credit Support to the Transferee on the firstSettlement Day following the date on which it receives notice (which may be oral telephonic notice) from the Transferee of its consent and (B) the Transferee will be obliged to transfer to the Transferor Equivalent Credit Support in respect of the Original Credit Support not later than the Settlement Day following the date on which the Transferee receives the New Credit Support, unless otherwise specified in Paragraph 11(d) (the “Exchange Date”); provided that the Transferee will only be obliged to transfer Equivalent Credit Support with a Value as of the date of transfer as close as practicable to, but in any event not more than, the Value of the New Credit Support as of that date.
The varieties of ISDA CSA
Subject 1994 NY 1995 Eng 2016 VM NY 2016 VM Eng 2018 IM Eng
Preamble Pre Pre Pre Pre Pre
Interpretation 1 1 1 1 1
Security Interest 2 - 2 - 2
Credit Support Obligations 3 2 3 2 3
Transfers, Calculations and Exchanges - 3 - 3 -
Conditions Precedent, Transfer Timing, Calculations and Substitutions 4 - 4 - 4
Dispute Resolution 5 4 5 4 5
Holding and Using Posted Collateral 6 - 6 - 6
Transfer of Title, No Security Interest - 5 - 5 -
Events of Default 7 6 7 6 7
Rights and Remedies 8 - 8 - 7
Representations 9 7 9 7 9
Expenses 10 8 10 8 10
Miscellaneous 11 9 11 9 11
Definitions 12 10 12 10 12
Elections and Variables 13 11 13 11 13

Resources and Navigation

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Overview

Aside from the tedious “(VM)” suffix action on the defined terms, the 2016 VM CSA provision is largely the same as for the 1995 CSA.

The ’squad binned a long for the avoidance of doubt disquisition about telexes and faxes in 3(a)(iii) and instead have indulged in some unnecessary details in 3(b) about what values and inputs the Valuation Agent may use in coming up with a valuation. In a nutshell, it has to be reasonable.

There are differences created by the definitions of Settlement Day in the ’95, and Regular Settlement Day in the ’16.

Summary

We have set out the transfer timings — no small minefield — in the premium section, since it was really painful to do. Freeloaders: just be aware of the slippage due to the Notification Time, the mindwarp that is the definition of Settlement Day and Regular Settlement Day, and the fact that the relevant Local Business Day is in the place of receipt, not Transmission, and so on.

The reality is that collateral operations teams have got most of this taped, automated, and if anything were to foul up they would have long since ironed it out. And the move to call-cash daily margining has probably decomplicated things, too.

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References