Finding Historical Firm Names in CRSP and Osiris

Summary

The note addresses how to track company name changes over time, including for firms outside North America. It suggests using CRSP records in WRDS to retrieve name and identifier histories for a security when its PERMNO is known. For non-US coverage, it points to Osiris as a possible complementary source.

The answer highlights an important complication: mergers and spin-offs can change a firm’s PERMNO, so following a single identifier may miss relevant corporate history. CRSP is described as North America-centric, which limits its coverage for an international sample. The discussion offers database pointers rather than a complete procedure, and it does not compare data quality, coverage, or costs across sources.

Key ideas

• CRSP can provide historical name and identifier records for a security linked to its PERMNO.
• Mergers and spin-offs may change the PERMNO and complicate continuity tracking.
• Osiris in WRDS may help extend historical name research beyond North America.
• CRSP’s regional focus limits its usefulness for a globally distributed firm sample.

Tags

# Tracking Historical Firm Names


# Tracking Historical Firm Names












I am working on a project that requires me to track firms' name changes.

- The firms I am dealing with are international (a decent number of US firms, but also a sizeable number of European, Asian, and Latin American firms).

- I only need firm name histories between roughly 2000-22.

I have access to WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services). I have poked around Compustat North America/Global. I could be wrong, but it seems like they only give the most recent firm names.

Thanks in advance!

## Answer by Dimitri Vulis (score 4)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/74557

Your WRDS includes CRSP: https://wrds-www.wharton.upenn.edu/pages/grid-items/crsp-coverage/

In CRSP, given a security's permno, you just retrieve the history of name changes, cusip changes, etc..

However, in addition to name changes, you may need to deal with mergers and spin-offs that change the permno.

Also CRSP is north american centric. A database called Osiris, also in WRDS, may help with some non-US name changes.

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