About Ex Interest Processing

Ex-interest trading occurs when a bond is traded in its ex-period, which is typically a set number of days prior to its' actual coupon payment date. Interest that is traded is typically bought or sold inclusive of any interest that has been accrued on the instrument in the coupon period in which the trade will settle. The buyer will typically receive the full coupon payment and pays the seller for the amount of interest that they would have received based on the length of time they held the security in the coupon period. In the case of ex-interest trading, the opposite occurs. The buyer will not receive the coupon payment, and the amount of interest that would accrue between the settlement date of the trade and the coupon date is discounted from the net amount of the purchase.

Trading Ex Interest is not an election, it is a condition of the market in which you are trading.

About Trading Ex Interest

When a bond trades mid coupon period, the bond can trade flat, CUM, or EX. In Eagle Accounting, the bond can trade:

• Flat. The bond trades without interest. If you indicate that a security trades flat, by setting the security's Trading Flat (tag 3949) option to Yes, the system does not calculate accrued interest purchased or sold at the time of the acquisition or disposition. In the event of a disposition mid-coupon, the system creates a coupon at the end of the coupon period based on the interest earned during the period. 
• CUM. The trade is cumulative. If the bond trades mid coupon period, it trades with full period-to-date interest. The buyer receives the full coupon if held on final entitlement date. This is Eagle Accounting's default methodology.
• EX. The trade is ex interest. If the bond trades mid coupon period, the buyer is not entitled to any interest from the current coupon. The system deducts the amount of interest the buyer would ordinarily earn for the remaining days in the period from the net settlement of the trade, such that it trades with negative interest. In Eagle Accounting, you must set up ex interest processing to trade on an EX basis.

To enable Eagle Accounting to automatically process a trade ex interest based on the ex-date, you must either create an ex interest schedule for each eligible security or you can update eligible securities with criteria that the system can use to identify the security's ex-date. 

About Ex Interest Processing for Coupons

When you use ex interest processing for coupons, Eagle Accounting allows coupons to post on ex-date rather than on coupon day. As part of normal accrual processing in Eagle Accounting, coupons typically post on coupon day. However, with ex interest processing for coupons, the system can separate the coupon payment from the bond and post on ex-date. You can use this functionality with certain securities that require the coupon payment to be separated from the bond and post on ex-date.

If an entity is configured for ex interest processing for coupons and you process accruals on the ex-date of a bond, the system creates a coupon entitlement for each settled lot. That is, any lot that is entitled to the coupon has a traded cash record created for the full coupon that is paid to the current holder of the bond. 

Set Up Securities That Trade Ex Interest

For each fixed income security that trades ex interest, you can define the Ex-Interest Days value. Setting up the Ex-Interest Days value at the security level is optional. When the system processes a trade for a security with a defined ex period, the system uses this security-level value only if it cannot identify an ex interest schedule for the security. 

You can use Reference Data Center to enter this value. Otherwise, if you use Issue Viewer, this option is available in the Coupon Periods section in Issue Viewer's Long Term Debt panel, Short Term Debt panel, and Mortgage Backed Security panel. A description of this option follows. 

Add an Ex Interest Schedule for a Security

When you use ex interest processing, you can set up ex interest schedules for securities for each period where the bond trades ex coupon. Or, you may receive ex interest schedules from third parties. 

If an entity is eligible for ex interest processing, the system uses the ex interest schedule for transactions associated with entities eligible to use ex interest processing to process accruals on the ex-date of a bond. If you do not set up an ex interest schedule for the security, ex interest processing for eligible entities uses the security-level Ex-Interest Days field to identify the ex- date when no ex interest schedule is available.

To add an ex interest schedule:

1. Follow the Reference Data Center instructions provided in Manage Schedules. Otherwise, if you use Issue Viewer, see Add a Schedule for a Security in Issue Viewer.
2. Identify the security associated with the schedule.
3. For each entry in the schedule, in the Schedule Type field, select Ex Interest Schedule. 
4. In the Effective Date field, specify the effective date of the transaction.
5. In the Ex Interest Date field, specify the date that each coupon period begins to trade ex interest to use for the corresponding effective date in the ex interest schedule.

Set Up Entities Eligible for Ex Interest Processing for Coupons

For each entity that is eligible for ex interest processing for coupons, set the entity's Ex-Interest Coupon Recognition Date field to Ex Date. This field is available in the Create/Edit Entity panel, the Create Master Fund panel, and the Edit Master Fund/Sector panel. A description of this option follows. 

Process Trades

During trade entry for fixed income securities, you can set the Accrued Interest Type (tag 3715) field of STAR Calculated, CUM, or EX. STAR Calculated is the default value, which allows Eagle Accounting to determine whether the trade is CUM or EX. 

Trade processing can determine whether a bond trades ex coupon. It can use a security's ex interest schedule to identify the ex-date so the system can properly set the trade-level EX/CUM indicator based on the settlement of the trade. If you do not provide an ex interest schedule, the system uses the security's ex interest days to identify the ex-date.

After trade processing, the system stores the Accrued Interest Type value of CUM or EX to indicate whether you receive the next coupon. After that coupon passes, the system updates the current Ex/Cum indicator. 

On the trade entry panel, the system also displays the Ex-Interest Coupon Recognition Date (16311) value for the entity related to the trade to indicate whether the entity associated with the trade can use ex interest processing for coupons. Otherwise, no value appears.

Fields related to ex interest processing are available in the Open Debt Bond panel, Open Inflation Linked Bond panel, Close Debt Bond panel, and Close Inflation Linked Bond panel. 

A description of the trade-level fields related to ex interest processing follows.

Process Earnings 

When you process accruals on the ex-date of a bond, the system creates a coupon entitlement for each settled lot. That is, any lot that is entitled to the coupon has a traded cash record created for the full coupon that is paid to the current holder of the bond.

The system records the full receivable on the ledger on ex-date to a new contra asset offset for the unearned interest. This contra offset account is called unearned interest. Because the first day of the ex-date period is accrued on ex-date, the following day’s (ex-date + 1 day) ex-date amount is the amount of remaining unearned income on ex-date. Each subsequent day, the ex-unearned interest account decreases by each day's income accrual until the original coupon entitlement date is reached, at which point the unearned interest account is zero, because all the income for coupon was received.

Process Corporate Actions for Ex Interest Bonds

When you process a corporate action such as an Exchange for a security that trades ex interest, the system does not determine whether a non market event is in an ex interest period, as it does for market trades. Non-market events such as corporate actions do not set the Accrued Interest Type (tag 3715), but default to cumulative interest.

Process Interportfolio Transfers for Ex Interest Bonds

When you process an interportfolio transfer (IPT) for a security that trades ex interest, the system does not determine whether a non market event is in an ex interest period, as it does for market trades. Non-market events such as interportfolio transfers do not set the Accrued Interest Type (tag 3715), but default to cumulative interest.