Reading GLEIF Results

GLEIF name search should be treated as entity resolution, not as a simple text-search verdict.

Exact LEI lookup

A 20-character LEI is designed to identify one legal entity record.

When an exact LEI lookup returns a record, preserve:

• LEI;
• legal name;
• entity status;
• jurisdiction;
• registration status;
• last update date.

Even then, check whether the field you need is actually represented in the LEI record.

Name search

Name search can return several plausible legal entities.

Compare candidates using:

• jurisdiction;
• legal address;
• entity status;
• other identifiers available in your investigation;
• official corporate records.

Do not select a candidate only because its name appears first.

Current versus historical meaning

Corporate reference data changes.

Record the lookup time and the record's update fields where available.

A current LEI result should not be used as a timeless description of a company's historical structure.

Negative results

No result can mean:

• the entity has no LEI;
• the search name differs from the legal name;
• the record is not represented under the query used.

Write:

No matching LEI record was returned under the search used.

Do not write:

The company does not exist.

References

• GLEIF API https://api.gleif.org/docs