Lombard credit Definition
Lombard credit is the granting of credit by banks against pledged items, mostly in the form of securities or life insurance policies. The pledged items must be readily sellable. Lending is via central banks, in particular the securities 'eligible for collateral' which are registered on lists; as a general rule, the Lombard rate (interest rate) is more or less one per cent above discount rate. The pledging of securities means that the credit institutions have the opportunity of acquiring money in the short term from central banks.