Also known as a repo agreement, a repurchase agreement is a strategy for acquiring a loan from a lender that involves the sale and repurchase of an asset or security. Essentially, the lender agrees to make the loan, with the understanding that the debtor will sell the lender the security. At an agreed upon later date, the debtor will regain control of the security, once the loan is repaid in full.
In the actual process, repurchase agreements function a great deal like any cash loan transaction, but adds on the basic approach that is involved with executing a forward contract. Funds are transferred from the lender to the borrower. Simultaneously, the borrower transfers ownership of the security to the lender. The settlement date identified in the dual transaction also functions as the maturity date for the loan.
During the time that the lender has control of the security, he or she earns interest on the transaction. The actual amount of interest is calculated by determining the difference between the forward price and the spot price. Assuming that the debtor repays the loan in full by the maturity date, interest ceases to accrue at that point of payment.
A repurchase agreement can apply to a one-time transaction between the debtor and lender, or set up a series of transactions, all of the employing this strategy. Sometimes referred to as a master repurchase agreement, the lender and debtor agree to an ongoing schedule of loans and repayments, with agreed upon securities used as collateral. This effective creates an ongoing reverse repurchase agreement, in that the same security may change ownership multiple times during the life of the master agreement.
It is possible to structure a repurchase as an overnight transaction, effectively completing the entire cycle within a twenty-four hour period. Other agreements of this type can also be arranged with a specific due date, ranging anywhere from several days to a month or more. It is even possible to structure what is known as an open agreement, meaning the maturity date is not set in stone. Essentially, this means the seller holds the security and earns a return until the buyer has repaid the face amount of the loan.
The type of security used for a single or reverse agreement strategy may vary, depending on the financial regulations set in place by the country of jurisdiction. The contract may be created as a stock repurchase agreement, using shares of stock. With a bank repurchase agreement, it may also be possible to make use of government issued bonds, or coupons as the collateral. Brokers and financial counselors associated with banking and finance companies will know which type of securities currently may be used as collateral, and advise both buyer and seller.