service. The broker represents a customer buyer/seller to a customer seller/buyer and does not act as principal for the firm's own trading account. Antithesis of principal. See: Dealer. Agency bank A form of organization commonly used by foreign banks to enter the US market. An agency bank cannot accept deposits or extend loans in its own name; it acts as agent for the parent bank. It is also the financial_institution that issuesADRs to the general market. Agency basis A means of compensating the broker of a program trade solely on the basis of commission established through bids submitted by various brokerage firms. Agency cost view The argument that specifies that the various agency costs create a complex environment in which total agency costs are at a minimum with some, but less than 100%, debtfinancing. Agency costs The incremental costs of having an agent make decisions for a principal. Agency incentive arrangement A means of compensating the broker of a program trade using benchmarkprices for issues to be traded in determining commissions or fees. Agency pass-throughs Mortgage pass-through securities whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by government agencies, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), and Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). Agency problem Conflicts of interest among stockholders, bondholders, and managers. Agency securities Securitiesissued by federally related institutions and U.S. government-sponsored entities. Such agencies were created to reduce borrowingcosts for certain sectors of the economy, such as agriculture. Agency theory The analysis of principal-agent relationships, in which one person, an agent, acts on behalf of another person, a principal. Agent A party appointed to act on behalf of a principal entity or person. In context of project financing, refers to the bank in charge of administering the project financing. Aggregate exercise price The exercise price multiplied by the number of shares in a put or callcontract. The option premium is excluded in the aggregate exercise price. In the case of options traded on debt instruments, the aggregate exercise price is the exercise price of the underlying security multiplied by its face value. Aggregation Process in corporate financial planning whereby the smaller investment proposals of each of the firm's operational units are aggregated and effectively treated as a whole. Aggressive Growth Hedge Fund In the context of hedge funds, a style of management that focuses primarily on equities that are expected to have strong earnings growth. Aggressive growth mutual fund A mutual fund designed for maximum capital appreciation that places its money in companies with high growth rates. Aggressively Used in context of general equities. For a customer it means working to buy or sell one's stock, with an emphasis on execution over price. For a trader it means acting in a way that puts the firm'scapital at higher risk through paying a higher price, selling cheaper, or making a larger short sale or purchase than the trader would under normal circumstances. Aging schedule A table of accounts receivable broken down into age categories (such as 0-30 days, 30-60 days, and 60-90 days),