An agent appointed by a company to maintain records of security owners. A transfer agent's principal functions are to issue and cancel certificates to reflect changes in ownership of the securities of an entity and to act as an intermediary for the company. A registrar's function is to maintain the register of the issuer for each issue of securities. The registrar records the name, address and tax identification or social security number of each individual and entity that owns the securities of a company. It is rare that the transfer agent and registrar are not the same entity. While this is not a requirement, generally companies want to retain only one entity to provide both services because it is more time-effective and cost-effective.

For more information on the role of the registrar and transfer agent, see Practice Notes, Securities Transfers and Proxy Voting and Changing Transfer Agents: Company Action Items.