Frequently Asked Questions
1. Country Designations
What standards does LexisNexisRisk use when designating countries?
LexisNexisRisk uses ISO 3166 codes when assigning countries, thereby providing us with a consistent international standard.
2. Credit Ratings
What ratings do you use?
For more information about the specific ratings of each agency, please refer to the following link: https://www.bankersalmanac.com/addcon/infobank/definition-of-credit-ratings.aspx
Moody’s: Long Term Bank Deposits Rating / Short Term Deposit Rating
Standard & Poors: ICR Local Currency Long Term / Short Term Rating ICR
Fitch: International Long Term / Short Term Issuer Default Ratings
JCR: Long Term (Foreign Currency) Senior Debt / Short Term Debt Rating
Capital Intelligence: Foreign Currency Long Term / Short Term Ratings
What are the credit ratings based on?
The methodology is different for each Credit Rating agency. This is explained in detail on Bankers Almanac: https://beta.bankersalmanac.com/resources/credit-rating-definitions/cid
Equally, at institution level, the names of the agencies are clickable and provide an explanation of the factors taken into account for the Long Term and Short Term ratings.
Why are there no ratings for an institution I am viewing on Bankers Almanac?
Credit ratings are provided directly from Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch by regular files which are updated directly into our database.
If there are no credit ratings visible on the website, we would advise that the bank is not rated in accordance with the ratings that we use.
3. Data Privacy (GDPR/SAR)
Please confirm LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ GDPR Compliance Policy for personal information.
Please be informed that you can view LexisNexis Risk Solution’s GDPR policies at the following location: https://risk.lexisnexis.com/group/privacy-policy
4. Data Update Methodology
How often is data updated on Bankers Almanac?
SSIs: Banks are contacted every 90 days by our SSI Data Team regarding their Standard Settlement Instructions to either confirm the information is correct or inform us of changes to be made. Banks can inform us of ad hoc updates to their SSIs at any time.
Personnel: Personnel updates are either supplied directly to us by the Bank or updated from the Bank’s website or
Annual Report. The Data Team aims to update Personnel a minimum of once per year. Personnel is date stamped,
so the date of the latest update is clearly visible on Bankers Almanac.
GIINs and LEIs: We receive source files of GIINs and LEIs from the issuing bodies each month. These files ensure the accuracy and completeness of the GIINs and LEIs published on Bankers Almanac.
Corporate Actions: Corporate Actions are updated once the day of the name change/ merger has elapsed (this is in case for any reason the name change/ merger etc. does not go ahead). The Data Team has a variety of methods for finding out about forthcoming corporate actions, these include direct communication with the institutions involved, information supplied by the central bank, or press releases.
What checks are made before a bank is added to the database?
We only list banks and financial institutions which are licensed for deposit-taking by an internationally recognised financial services regulator. We have a dedicated team that monitors regulator’s lists on an ongoing basis to ensure that any new banks or corporate actions are identified, and confirmed with the regulator and that the information we publish is updated accordingly.
What is the difference between a branch and a subsidiary?
A branch (either foreign or domestic) is part of the same legal entity and operates under the same bank license as the head office. It is a division of the organization operating locally. By contrast a subsidiary is a separate legal entity which is either partially or wholly owned by the institution. For all institutions with a profile on Bankers Almanac, there is a section in their profile entitled ‘Subsidiaries’.
5. Ranking
What is the difference between a branch and a subsidiary?
A branch (either foreign or domestic) is part of the same legal entity and operates under the same bank license as the head office. It is a division of the organization operating locally. By contrast a subsidiary is a separate legal entity which is either partially or wholly owned by the institution. For all institutions with a profile on Bankers Almanac, there is a section in their profile entitled ‘Subsidiaries’.