What is defined as a loan made through an intermediary, typically a bank, from a parent company to its subsidiary?

The concept being referred to in the question is best captured by the term "fronting loan." A fronting loan is a financial arrangement where a parent company extends a loan to its subsidiary through an intermediary, usually a bank. This type of arrangement is often used in international business to facilitate financing while also managing compliance with various regulations that may affect direct loans between entities in different jurisdictions.

Fronting loans can serve to provide liquidity to the subsidiary while mitigating certain risks for the parent company. They can be preferred in scenarios where the subsidiary may not have easy access to capital markets or where the parent company wishes to optimize its tax liabilities or balance sheet.

In contrast, the other terms provided in the options do not accurately describe this specific financial arrangement. For instance, a parent loan generally implies a direct loan from a parent company to a subsidiary without intermediary involvement, which contrasts with the definition given in the question. Similarly, an intermediary loan could imply various forms of financing without the specific parent-subsidiary context, while a transfer loan might suggest a movement of existing loans rather than the act of loan origination through an intermediary. Thus, "fronting loan" is the appropriate and accurate term for this particular financial transaction.