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United Kingdom
Key definition
Par definition

What does Par mean? Par describes the face (principal) amount of a security—the sum an issuer must repay to investors on maturity or on a redemption at par. In debt capital markets and loan trading it is a descriptive market term, commonly defined in the relevant bond, note or loan documentation as the “principal amount” or “face value”. Typical usages include: issued at par (issue price equals par); trades at par (current price equals par); premium (above par); and discount (below par). Redemption at par means repayment of the outstanding principal without premium, make‑whole or discount. In company law, par value in this...

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LMA v LSTA: UK–US secondary debt trading compared—governing law, par/distressed terms, delayed settlement compensation, recourse, participations, proceeds letters and insolvency termination

Practice notes
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UK and US secondary (private) debt trading markets closely resemble each other when deals are executed on the document suites published by the Loan Market Association (lma) in the UK and the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA) in the US. For details on the documentation, terms and mechanics for LMA secondary trades, consult the following Practice Notes:

  • Overview of the principal documentation in a standard secondary debt trade
  • Secondary debt trading — timeline for a typical trade
  • Secondary debt trading — finalising the trade confirmation
  • Key provisions of the LMA standard terms and conditions for secondary debt trading

Over time, the two debt-trading regimes and conventions have markedly converged, so in most key respects they are largely alike. That said, there remain certain material distinctions between the regimes and conventions, as set out below.

Governing law and legal concepts

The LMA suite is governed by English law. Under English law, debt may typically be transferred by: (i) novation or (ii) assignment and assumption. Novation entails the termination of the contract between the existing lender and the borrower, followed by the creation of a new, equivalent contract between the new...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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