ISLA publishes ALD Best Practice Paper on the Approval of Principals

04 November 2013

ISLA has published a best practice paper designed to help create consistency in the way the market uses the Agency Lending Disclosure system in Europe for the proposing and approval of principal lenders.

The aim of the paper is to increase efficiency in the process of notifying and approving principals. The ISLA Agency Lending Disclosure Best Practice Paper aims to set certain recommended practice for Agent Lenders and Borrowers in the European securities lending market and describes high level responsibilities for both parties.

The basic principles for best practice that ISLA supports can be summarised as follows:-

Prior to new loans being transacted:-

• Lender communicates its intention to add a new Principal to the lending agreement using Agency Lending Disclosure Europe (ALDE).
• Borrower approves the new Principal and communicates this to the Lender using ALDE.

In order for the Borrower to approve Principals, certain information will be required to enable the Borrower to satisfy its criteria for counterparty approval. Both Lender and Borrower have incentives for enabling this requirement to be met as loans should not be transacted until Principal is approved.  More detailed recommended practice for both parties is listed.

Loans should only be transacted with Principals that are, and remain “approved” by the borrower in ALDE.

Press release

Full paper

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