BS 7896:1997

This standard BS 7896:1997 Securities. Specification for the format and structure of names and addresses used in securities transactions for the business of registrars is classified in these ICS categories:

• 03.060 Finances. Banking. Monetary systems. Insurance

This British Standard specifies a format and structure for the names and addresses of investors under the classification of investors in the interchange of electronic messages related to securities transactions. It is intended to satisfy the requirements of registrars, although it may well be more widely applicable.

This standard method of formatting names and addresses is intended for use in the electronic interchange of information between parties but is not designed for use in postal addressing.

Examples of investor records forming complete entries suitable for use in a register of holders are given in Annex A (informative). For clarity, the examples provided have assumed fixed length records for all fields; but they do not define the common identifier that is required for linked records (e.g. investor records for joint names).

This British Standard does not cover structuring of data into messages, method of transmission, choice of coded character set, or provision for data security; but guidance on standards for some of those aspects, preferred for use in the UK for financial transactions, is given in Annex B (informative).