Issuer reference data is the set of standing facts about a company, government or other body that issues securities. It typically includes the legal name, the legal entity identifier and other codes, country of incorporation and of risk, industry sector, legal form, credit ratings, and the issuer's place in its group, described under issuer corporate hierarchy. It is held separately from, and linked to, instrument reference data, so that one issuer record serves all of that issuer's bonds and shares.
Firms use it to aggregate holdings and exposures by issuer, country and sector, to apply investment restrictions and credit limits, to screen against sanctions lists, and to complete regulatory reports that require the issuer's identifier. Sources include business registers, the global identifier system, rating agencies and data vendors. Names and structures change through mergers, renaming and restructuring, so records need continuous maintenance, usually within a controlled golden source.