Last updated on March 30th, 2024 at 12:42 pm
Title 17—Commodity and Securities Exchanges–Volume 1
CHAPTER I—COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
PART 1—GENERAL REGULATIONS UNDER THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT
Definitions
§ 1.1 [Reserved]
§ 1.2 Liability of principal for act of agent.
The act, omission, or failure of any official, agent, or other person acting for any individual, association, partnership, corporation, or trust, within the scope of his employment or office, shall be deemed the act, omission, or failure of such individual, association, partnership, corporation, or trust as well as of such official, agent, or other person.
§ 1.3 Definitions.
Words used in the singular form in the rules and regulations in this chapter shall be deemed to import the plural and vice versa, as the context may require. The following terms, as used in the Commodity Exchange Act, or in the rules and regulations in this chapter, shall have the meanings hereby assigned to them, unless the context otherwise requires:
Agricultural commodity. This term means:
(1) The following commodities specifically enumerated in the definition of a “commodity” found in section 1a of the Act: Wheat, cotton, rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, flaxseed, grain sorghums, mill feeds, butter, eggs, Solanum tuberosum (Irish potatoes), wool, wool tops, fats and oils (including lard, tallow, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil and all other fats and oils), cottonseed meal, cottonseed, peanuts, soybeans, soybean meal, livestock, livestock products, and frozen concentrated orange juice, but not onions;
(2) All other commodities that are, or once were, or are derived from, living organisms, including plant, animal and aquatic life, which are generally fungible, within their respective classes, and are used primarily for human food, shelter, animal feed or natural fiber;
(3) Tobacco, products of horticulture, and such other commodities used or consumed by animals or humans as the Commission may by rule, regulation or order designate after notice and opportunity for hearing; and
(4) Commodity-based indexes based wholly or principally on underlying agricultural commodities.
Associated person. This term means any natural person who is associated in any of the following capacities with:
(1) A futures commission merchant as a partner, officer, or employee (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves (i) The solicitation or acceptance of customers’ orders (other than in a clerical capacity) or (ii) the supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(2) An introducing broker as a partner, officer, employee, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves (i) The solicitation or acceptance of customers’ orders (other than in a clerical capacity) or (ii) the supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(3) A commodity pool operator as a partner, officer, employee, consultant, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves (i) the solicitation of funds, securities, or property for a participation in a commodity pool or (ii) the supervision of any person or persons so engaged; or
(4) A commodity trading advisor as a partner, officer, employee, consultant, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves: (i) The solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account, or (ii) the supervision of any person or persons so engaged; and
(5) A leverage transaction merchant as a partner, officer, employee, consultant, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:
(i) The solicitation or acceptance of leverage customers’ orders (other than in a clerical capacity) for leverage transactions as defined in § 31.4(x) of this chapter, or
(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged.
(6) A swap dealer or major swap participant as a partner, officer, employee, agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity that involves:
(i) The solicitation or acceptance of swaps (other than in a clerical or ministerial capacity); or
(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged.
Board of Trade. This term means an organized exchange or other trading facility.
Business day. This term means any day other than a Sunday or holiday. In all notices required by the Act or by the rules and regulations in this chapter to be given in terms of business days the rule for computing time shall be to exclude the day on which notice is given and include the day on which shall take place the act of which notice is given.
Category of swaps; major swap category. For purposes of section 1a(33) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(33), and the definition of major swap participant in this section, the terms major swap category, category of swaps and any similar terms mean any of the categories of swaps listed below. For the avoidance of doubt, the term swap as it is used in this definition has the meaning set forth in section 1a(47) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(47), and the rules thereunder.
(1) Rate swaps. Any swap which is primarily based on one or more reference rates, including but not limited to any swap of payments determined by fixed and floating interest rates, currency exchange rates, inflation rates or other monetary rates, any foreign exchange swap, as defined in section 1a(25) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(25), and any foreign exchange option other than an option to deliver currency.
(2) Credit swaps. Any swap that is primarily based on instruments of indebtedness, including but not limited to any swap primarily based on one or more broad-based indices related to debt instruments or loans, and any swap that is an index credit default swap or total return swap on one or more indices of debt instruments.
(3) Equity swaps. Any swap that is primarily based on equity securities, including but not limited to any swap based on one or more broad-based indices of equity securities and any total return swap on one or more equity indices.
(4) Other commodity swaps. Any swap that is not included in the rate swap, credit swap or equity swap categories.
Cleared Swaps Customer. This term has the meaning provided in § 22.1 of this chapter.
Cleared Swaps Customer Account. This term has the meaning provided in § 22.1 of this chapter.
Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral. This term has the meaning provided in § 22.1 of this chapter.
Clearing initial margin. This term means initial margin posted by a clearing member with a derivatives clearing organization.
Clearing member. This term means any person that has clearing privileges such that it can process, clear and settle trades through a derivatives clearing organization on behalf of itself or others. The derivatives clearing organization need not be organized as a membership organization.
Clearing organization or derivatives clearing organization. This term means a clearinghouse, clearing association, clearing corporation, or similar entity, facility, system, or organization that, with respect to an agreement, contract, or transaction—
(1) Enables each party to the agreement, contract, or transaction to substitute, through novation or otherwise, the credit of the derivatives clearing organization for the credit of the parties;
(2) Arranges or provides, on a multilateral basis, for the settlement or netting of obligations resulting from such agreements, contracts, or transactions executed by participants in the derivatives clearing organization; or
(3) Otherwise provides clearing services or arrangements that mutualize or transfer among participants in the derivatives clearing organization the credit risk arising from such agreements, contracts, or transactions executed by the participants.
(4) Exclusions. The terms clearing organization and derivatives clearing organization do not include an entity, facility, system, or organization solely because it arranges or provides for—
(i) Settlement, netting, or novation of obligations resulting from agreements, contracts or transactions, on a bilateral basis and without a central counterparty;
(ii) Settlement or netting of cash payments through an interbank payment system; or
(iii) Settlement, netting, or novation of obligations resulting from a sale of a commodity in a transaction in the spot market for the commodity.
Commission. This term means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Commodity. This term means and includes wheat, cotton, rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, flaxseed, grain sorghums, millfeeds, butter, eggs, Irish potatoes, wool, wool tops, fats and oils (including lard, tallow, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, and all other fats and oils), cottonseed meal, cottonseed, peanuts, soybeans, soybean meal, livestock, livestock products, and frozen concentrated orange juice, and all other goods and articles, except onions (as provided by the first section of Pub. L. 85-839) and motion picture box office receipts (or any index, measure, value or data related to such receipts), and all services, rights and interests (except motion picture box office receipts, or any index, measure, value or data related to such receipts) in which contracts for future delivery are presently or in the future dealt in.
Commodity Exchange Act; the Act. These terms mean the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq.
Commodity interest. This term means:
(1) Any contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery;
(2) Any contract, agreement or transaction subject to a Commission regulation under section 4c or 19 of the Act;
(3) Any contract, agreement or transaction subject to Commission jurisdiction under section 2(c)(2) of the Act; and
(4) Any swap as defined in the Act, by the Commission, or jointly by the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Commodity option transaction; commodity option. These terms each mean any transaction or agreement in interstate commerce which is or is held out to be of the character of, or is commonly known to the trade as, an “option,” “privilege,” “indemnity,” “bid,” “offer,” “call,” “put,” “advance guaranty,” or “decline guaranty,” and which is subject to regulation under the Act and the regulations in this chapter.
Commodity pool operator. This term means any person engaged in a business which is of the nature of a commodity pool, investment trust, syndicate, or similar form of enterprise, and who, in connection therewith, solicits, accepts, or receives from others, funds, securities, or property, either directly or through capital contributions, the sale of stock or other forms of securities, or otherwise, for the purpose of trading in commodity interests, including any commodity for future delivery, security futures product, or swap; any agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; any leverage transaction authorized under section 19 of the Act; or any person who is registered with the Commission as a commodity pool operator, but does not include such persons not within the intent of this definition as the Commission may specify by rule or regulation or by order.
Commodity trading advisor. (1) This term means any person who, for compensation or profit, engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through publications, writings or electronic media, as to the value of or the advisability of trading in any contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery, security futures product, or swap; any agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; any leverage transaction authorized under section 19 of the Act; any person registered with the Commission as a commodity trading advisor; or any person, who, for compensation or profit, and as part of a regular business, issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning any of the foregoing. The term does not include:
(i) Any bank or trust company or any person acting as an employee thereof;
(ii) Any news reporter, news columnist, or news editor of the print or electronic media or any lawyer, accountant, or teacher;
(iii) Any floor broker or futures commission merchant;
(iv) The publisher or producer of any print or electronic data of general and regular dissemination, including its employees;
(v) The named fiduciary, or trustee, of any defined benefit plan which is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or any fiduciary whose sole business is to advise that plan;
(vi) Any contract market; and
(vii) Such other persons not within the intent of this definition as the Commission may specify by rule, regulation or order: Provided, That the furnishing of such services by the foregoing persons is solely incidental to the conduct of their business or profession: Provided further, That the Commission, by rule or regulation, may include within this definition, any person advising as to the value of commodities or issuing reports or analyses concerning commodities, if the Commission determines that such rule or regulation will effectuate the purposes of this provision.
(2) Client. This term, as it relates to a commodity trading advisor, means any person:
(i) To whom a commodity trading advisor provides advice, for compensation or profit, either directly or through publications, writings, or electronic media, as to the value of, or the advisability of trading in, any contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery, security futures product or swap; any agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; any leverage transaction authorized under section 19 of the Act; or
(ii) To whom, for compensation or profit, and as part of a regular business, the commodity trading advisor issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning any of the activities referred to in the definition of commodity trading advisor in this section. The term client includes, without limitation, any subscriber of a commodity trading advisor.
Confirmation. When used in reference to a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, or commodity trading advisor, this term means documentation (electronic or otherwise) that memorializes specified terms of a transaction executed on behalf of a customer. When used in reference to a swap dealer or major swap participant, this term has the meaning set forth in § 23.500 of this chapter.
Contract market; designated contract market. These terms mean a board of trade designated by the Commission as a contract market under the Act and in accordance with the provisions of part 38 of this chapter.
Contract of sale. This term includes sales, purchases, agreements of sale or purchase and agreements to sell or purchase.
Controlled account. An account shall be deemed to be controlled by a person if such person by power of attorney or otherwise actually directs trading for such account.
Customer. This term means any person who uses a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, or commodity pool operator as an agent in connection with trading in any commodity interest; Provided, however, an owner or holder of a proprietary account as defined in this section shall not be deemed to be a customer within the meaning of section 4d of the Act, the regulations that implement sections 4d and 4f of the Act and § 1.35, and such an owner or holder of such a proprietary account shall otherwise be deemed to be a customer within the meaning of the Act and §§ 1.37 and 1.46 and all other sections of these rules, regulations, and orders which do not implement sections 4d and 4f of the Act.
Customer account. This term references both a Cleared Swaps Customer Account and a Futures Account, as defined in this section.
Customer funds. This term means, collectively, Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral and futures customer funds.
Customer initial margin. This term means initial margin posted by a customer with a futures commission merchant, or by a non-clearing member futures commission merchant with a clearing member.
Delivery month. This term means the month of delivery specified in a contract of sale of any commodity for future delivery.
Designated self-regulatory organization. This term means:
(1) Self-regulatory organization of which a futures commission merchant, an introducing broker, a leverage transaction merchant, a retail foreign exchange dealer, a swap dealer, or a major swap participant is a member; or
(2) If a Commission registrant other than a leverage transaction merchant is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization and such registrant is the subject of an approved plan under § 1.52, then a self-regulatory organization delegated the responsibility by such a plan for monitoring and auditing such registrant for compliance with the minimum financial and related reporting requirements of the self-regulatory organizations of which the registrant is a member, and for receiving the financial reports necessitated by such minimum financial and related reporting requirements from such registrant; or
(3) If a leverage transaction merchant is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization and such leverage transaction merchant is the subject of an approved plan under § 31.28 of this chapter, then a self-regulatory organization delegated the responsibility by such a plan for monitoring and auditing such leverage transaction merchant for compliance with the minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements of the self-regulatory organizations of which the leverage transaction merchant is a member, and for receiving the reports necessitated by such minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements from such leverage transaction merchant.
Electronic signature. This term means an electronic sounds, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.
Electronic trading facility. This term means a trading facility that—
(1) Operates by means of an electronic or telecommunications network; and
(2) Maintains an automated audit trail of bids, offers, and the matching of orders or the execution of transactions on the facility.
Eligible contract participant. This term has the meaning set forth in section 1a(18) of the Act, except that:
(1) A major swap participant, as defined in section 1a(33) of the Act and in this section, is an eligible contract participant;
(2) A swap dealer, as defined in section 1a(49) of the Act and in this section, is an eligible contract participant;
(3) A major security-based swap participant, as defined in section 3(a)(67) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and § 240.3a67-1 of this title, is an eligible contract participant;
(4) A security-based swap dealer, as defined in section 3(a)(71) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and § 240.3a71-1 of this title, is an eligible contract participant;
(5)(i) A transaction-level commodity pool with one or more direct participants that is not an eligible contract participant is not itself an eligible contract participant under either section 1a(18)(A)(iv) or section 1a(18)(A)(v) of the Act for purposes of entering into transactions described in sections 2(c)(2)(B)(vi) and 2(c)(2)(C)(vii) of the Act; and
(ii) In determining whether a commodity pool that is a direct participant in a transaction-level commodity pool is an eligible contract participant for purposes of paragraph (5)(i) of this definition, the participants in the commodity pool that is a direct participant in the transaction-level commodity pool shall not be considered unless the transaction-level commodity pool, any commodity pool holding a direct or indirect interest in such transaction-level commodity pool, or any commodity pool in which such transaction-level commodity pool holds a direct or indirect interest, has been structured to evade subtitle A of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act by permitting persons that are not eligible contract participants to participate in agreements, contracts, or transactions described in section 2(c)(2)(B)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) of the Act;
(6) A commodity pool that does not have total assets exceeding $5,000,000 or that is not operated by a person described in subclause (A)(iv)(II) of section 1a(18) of the Act is not an eligible contract participant pursuant to clause (A)(v) of such section;
(7)(i) For purposes of a swap (but not a security-based swap, security-based swap agreement or mixed swap) used to hedge or mitigate commercial risk, an entity may, in determining its net worth for purposes of section 1a(18)(A)(v)(III) of the Act, include the net worth of any owner of such entity, provided that all the owners of such entity are eligible contract participants;
(ii)(A) For purposes of identifying the owners of an entity under paragraph (7)(i) of this definition, any person holding a direct ownership interest in such entity shall be considered to be an owner of such entity; provided, however, that any shell company shall be disregarded, and the owners of such shell company shall be considered to be the owners of any entity owned by such shell company;
(B) For purposes of paragraph (7)(ii)(A) of this definition, the term shell company means any entity that limits its holdings to direct or indirect interests in entities that are relying on this paragraph (7); and
(C) In determining whether an owner of an entity is an eligible contract participant for purposes of paragraph (7)(i) of this definition, an individual may be considered to be a proprietorship eligible contract participant only if the individual—
(1) Has an active role in operating a business other than an entity;
(2) Directly owns all of the assets of the business;
(3) Directly is responsible for all of the liabilities of the business; and
(4) Acquires its interest in the entity seeking to qualify as an eligible contract participant under paragraph (7)(i) of this definition in connection with the operation of the individual’s proprietorship or to manage the risk associated with an asset or liability owned or incurred or reasonably likely to be owned or incurred by the individual in the operation of the individual’s proprietorship; and
(iii) For purposes of paragraph (7)(i) of this definition, a swap is used to hedge or mitigate commercial risk if the swap complies with the conditions in the definition in this section of hedging or mitigating commercial risk; and
(8) Notwithstanding section 1a(18)(A)(iv) of the Act and paragraph (5) of this definition, a commodity pool that enters into an agreement, contract, or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(B)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(C)(i)(I) of the Act is an eligible contract participant with respect to such agreement, contract, or transaction, regardless of whether each participant in such commodity pool is an eligible contract participant, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(i) The commodity pool is not formed for the purpose of evading regulation under section 2(c)(2)(B) or section 2(c)(2)(C) of the Act or related Commission rules, regulations or orders;
(ii) The commodity pool has total assets exceeding $10,000,000; and
(iii) The commodity pool is formed and operated by a registered commodity pool operator or by a commodity pool operator who is exempt from registration as such pursuant to § 4.13(a)(3) of this chapter.
Financial entity; highly leveraged. (1) For purposes of section 1a(33) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(33), and the definition of a major swap participant in this section, the term financial entity means:
(i) A security-based swap dealer;
(ii) A major security-based swap participant;
(iii) A commodity pool as defined in section 1a(10) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(10);
(iv) A private fund as defined in section 202(a) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, 15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a);
(v) An employee benefit plan as defined in paragraphs (3) and (32) of section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. 1002; and
(vi) A person predominantly engaged in activities that are in the business of banking or financial in nature, as defined in section 4(k) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, 12 U.S.C. 1843(k).
(2) For purposes of section 1a(33) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(33), and the definition of a major swap participant in this section, the term highly leveraged means the existence of a ratio of an entity’s total liabilities to equity in excess of 12 to 1 as measured at the close of business on the last business day of the applicable fiscal quarter. For this purpose, liabilities and equity should each be determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; provided, however, that a person that is an employee benefit plan, as defined in paragraphs (3) and (32) of section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. 1002, may exclude obligations to pay benefits to plan participants from the calculation of liabilities and substitute the total value of plan assets for equity.
Floor broker. This term means any person:
(1) Who, in or surrounding any pit, ring, post or other place provided by a contract market for the meeting of persons similarly engaged, shall purchase or sell for any other person—
(i) Any commodity for future delivery, security futures product, or swap; or
(ii) Any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; or
(2) Who is registered with the Commission as a floor broker.
Floor trader. This term means any person:
(1) Who, in or surrounding any pit, ring, post or other place provided by a contract market for the meeting of persons similarly engaged, purchases, or sells solely for such person’s own account—
(i) Any commodity for future delivery, security futures product, or swap; or
(ii) Any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; or
(2) Who is registered with the Commission as a floor trader.
Foreign board of trade. This term means any board of trade, exchange or market located outside the United States, its territories or possessions, whether incorporated or unincorporated.
Foreign broker. This term means any person located outside the United States, its territories or possessions who is engaged in soliciting or in accepting orders only from persons located outside the United States, its territories or possessions for the purchase or sale of any commodity interest transaction on or subject to the rules of any designated contract market or swap execution facility and that, in or in connection with such solicitation or acceptance of orders, accepts any money, securities or property (or extends credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trades or contracts that result or may result therefrom.
Foreign futures or foreign options secured amount. This term means all money, securities and property received by a futures commission merchant from, for, or on behalf of 30.7 customers as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter:
(1) To margin, guarantee, or secure foreign futures contracts and all money accruing to such 30.7 customers as the result of such contracts;
(2) In connection with foreign options transactions representing premiums payable or premiums received, or to guarantee or secure performance on such transactions; and
(3) All money accruing to such 30.7 customers as the result of trading in foreign futures contracts or foreign options.
Future delivery. This term does not include any sale of a cash commodity for deferred shipment or delivery.
Futures account. This term means an account that is maintained in accordance with the segregation requirements of sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Act and the rules thereunder.
Futures commission merchant. This term means:
(1) Any individual, association, partnership, corporation, or trust—
(i) Who is engaged in soliciting or in accepting orders for the purchase or sale of any commodity for future delivery; a security futures product; a swap; any agreement, contract, or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; a commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; a leverage transaction authorized under section 19 of the Act; or acting as a counterparty in any agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; and
(ii) Who, in connection with any of these activities accepts any money, securities, or property (or extends credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trades or contracts that result or may result therefrom; and
(2) Any person that is registered as a futures commission merchant.
Futures contracts on certain foreign sovereign debt. The term security-based swap as used in section 3(a)(68) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(68)), as incorporated in section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act, does not include an agreement, contract, or transaction that is based on or references a qualifying foreign futures contract (as defined in rule 3a12-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.3a12-8)) on the debt securities of any one or more of the foreign governments enumerated in rule 3a12-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.3a12-8), provided that such agreement, contract, or transaction satisfies the following conditions:
(1) The futures contract that the agreement, contract, or transaction references or upon which the agreement, contract, or transaction is based is a qualifying foreign futures contract that satisfies the conditions of rule 3a12-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.3a12-8) applicable to qualifying foreign futures contracts;
(2) The agreement, contract, or transaction is traded on or through a board of trade (as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act);
(3) The debt securities upon which the qualifying foreign futures contract is based or referenced and any security used to determine the cash settlement amount pursuant to paragraph (4) of this definition were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77 et seq.) or the subject of any American depositary receipt registered under the Securities Act of 1933;
(4) The agreement, contract, or transaction may only be cash settled; and
(5) The agreement, contract or transaction is not entered into by the issuer of the debt securities upon which the qualifying foreign futures contract is based or referenced (including any security used to determine the cash payment due on settlement of such agreement, contract or transaction), an affiliate (as defined in the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77 et seq.) and the rules and regulations thereunder) of the issuer, or an underwriter of such issuer’s debt securities.
Futures customer. This term means any person who uses a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, or commodity pool operator as an agent in connection with trading in any contract for the purchase of sale of a commodity for future delivery or any option on such contract; Provided, however, an owner or holder of a proprietary account as defined in this section shall not be deemed to be a futures customer within the meaning of sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Act, the regulations in this chapter that implement sections 4d and 4f of the Act and § 1.35, and such an owner or holder of such a proprietary account shall otherwise be deemed to be a futures customer within the meaning of the Act and §§ 1.37 and 1.46 and all other sections of these rules, regulations, and orders which do not implement sections 4d and 4f of the Act.
Futures customer funds. This term means all money, securities, and property received by a futures commission merchant or by a derivatives clearing organization from, for, or on behalf of, futures customers:
(1) To margin, guarantee, or secure contracts for future delivery on or subject to the rules of a contract market or derivatives clearing organization, as the case may be, and all money accruing to such futures customers as the result of such contracts; and
(2) In connection with a commodity option transaction on or subject to the rules of a contract market, or derivatives clearing organization, as the case may be:
(i) To be used as a premium for the purchase of a commodity option transaction for a futures customer;
(ii) As a premium payable to a futures customer;
(iii) To guarantee or secure performance of a commodity option by a futures customer; or
(iv) Representing accruals (including, for purchasers of a commodity option for which the full premium has been paid, the market value of such commodity option) to a futures customer.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2) of this definition, the term “futures customer funds” shall exclude money, securities or property held to margin, guarantee or secure security futures products held in a securities account, and all money accruing as the result of such security futures products.
Guarantee agreement. This term means an agreement of guarantee in the form set forth in part B or C of Form 1-FR, executed by a registered futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer, as appropriate, and by an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker on behalf of an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker in satisfaction of the alternative adjusted net capital requirement set forth in § 1.17(a)(1)(iii).
Hedging or mitigating commercial risk. For purposes of section 1a(33) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(33) and the definition of a major swap participant in this section, a swap position is held for the purpose of hedging or mitigating commercial risk when:
(1) Such position:
(i) Is economically appropriate to the reduction of risks in the conduct and management of a commercial enterprise (or of a majority-owned affiliate of the enterprise), where the risks arise from:
(A) The potential change in the value of assets that a person owns, produces, manufactures, processes, or merchandises or reasonably anticipates owning, producing, manufacturing, processing, or merchandising in the ordinary course of business of the enterprise;
(B) The potential change in the value of liabilities that a person has incurred or reasonably anticipates incurring in the ordinary course of business of the enterprise; or
(C) The potential change in the value of services that a person provides, purchases, or reasonably anticipates providing or purchasing in the ordinary course of business of the enterprise;
(D) The potential change in the value of assets, services, inputs, products, or commodities that a person owns, produces, manufactures, processes, merchandises, leases, or sells, or reasonably anticipates owning, producing, manufacturing, processing, merchandising, leasing, or selling in the ordinary course of business of the enterprise;
(E) Any potential change in value related to any of the foregoing arising from interest, currency, or foreign exchange rate movements associated with such assets, liabilities, services, inputs, products, or commodities; or
(F) Any fluctuation in interest, currency, or foreign exchange rate exposures arising from a person’s current or anticipated assets or liabilities; or
(ii) Qualifies as bona fide hedging for purposes of an exemption from position limits under the Act; or
(iii) Qualifies for hedging treatment under:
(A) Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging (formerly known as Statement No. 133); or
(B) Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement 53, Accounting and Financial Reporting for Derivative Instruments; and
(2) Such position is:
(i) Not held for a purpose that is in the nature of speculation, investing or trading; and
(ii) Not held to hedge or mitigate the risk of another swap or security-based swap position, unless that other position itself is held for the purpose of hedging or mitigating commercial risk as defined by this definition or § 240.3a67-4 of this title.
Initial margin. This term means money, securities, or property posted by a party to a futures, option, or swap as performance bond to cover potential future exposures arising from changes in the market value of the position.
Institutional customer. This term has the same meaning as “eligible contract participant” as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act.
Introducing broker. This term means:
(1) Any person who, for compensation or profit, whether direct or indirect:
(i) Is engaged in soliciting or in accepting orders (other than in a clerical capacity) for the purchase or sale of any commodity for future delivery, security futures product, or swap; any agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; any commodity option transaction authorized under section 4c; or any leverage transaction authorized under section 19; or who is registered with the Commission as an introducing broker; and
(ii) Does not accept any money, securities, or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trades or contracts that result or may result therefrom.
(2) The term introducing broker shall not include:
(i) Any futures commission merchant, floor broker, associated person, or associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant acting in its capacity as such, regardless of whether that futures commission merchant, floor broker, or associated person is registered or exempt from registration in such capacity;
(ii) Any commodity trading advisor, which, acting in its capacity as a commodity trading advisor, is not compensated on a per-trade basis or which solely manages discretionary accounts pursuant to a power of attorney, regardless of whether that commodity trading advisor is registered or exempt from registration in such capacity; and
(iii) Any commodity pool operator which, acting in its capacity as a commodity pool operator, solely operates commodity pools, regardless of whether that commodity pool operator is registered or exempt from registration in such capacity.
Leverage contract. Shall have the same meaning as that set forth in § 31.4(w) of this chapter.
Leverage customer funds. This term means all money, securities and property received, directly or indirectly by a leverage transaction merchant from, for, or on behalf of leverage customers to margin, guarantee or secure leverage contracts and all money, securities and property accruing to such customers as the result of such contracts, or the customers’ leverage equity. In the case of a long leverage transaction, profit or loss accruing to a leverage customer is the difference between the leverage transaction merchant’s current bid price for the leverage contract and the ask price of the leverage contract when entered into. In the case of a short leverage transaction, profit or loss accruing to a leverage customer is the difference between the bid price of the leverage contract when entered into and the leverage transaction merchant’s current ask price for the leverage contract.
Leverage transaction merchant. This term means and includes any individual, association, partnership, corporation, trust or other person that is engaged in the business of offering to enter into, entering into or confirming the execution of leverage contracts, or soliciting or accepting orders for leverage contracts, and who accepts leverage customer funds (or extends credit in lieu thereof) in connection therewith.
Major swap participant—(1) In general. The term major swap participant means any person:
(i) That is not a swap dealer; and
(ii)(A) That maintains a substantial position in swaps for any of the major swap categories, excluding both positions held for hedging or mitigating commercial risk, and positions maintained by any employee benefit plan (or any contract held by such a plan) as defined in paragraphs (3) and (32) of section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. 1002, for the primary purpose of hedging or mitigating any risk directly associated with the operation of the plan;
(B) Whose outstanding swaps create substantial counterparty exposure that could have serious adverse effects on the financial stability of the United States banking system or financial markets; or
(C) That is a financial entity that:
(1) Is highly leveraged relative to the amount of capital such entity holds and that is not subject to capital requirements established by an appropriate Federal banking agency (as defined in section 1a(2) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(2)); and
(2) Maintains a substantial position in outstanding swaps in any major swap category.
(2) Scope of designation. A person that is a major swap participant shall be deemed to be a major swap participant with respect to each swap it enters into, regardless of the category of the swap or the person’s activities in connection with the swap. However, if a person makes an application to limit its designation as a major swap participant to specified categories of swaps, the Commission shall determine whether the person’s designation as a major swap participant shall be so limited. If the Commission grants such limited designation, such limited designation major swap participant shall be deemed to be a major swap participant with respect to each swap it enters into in the swap category or categories for which it is so designated, regardless of the person’s activities in connection with such category or categories of swaps. A person may make such application to limit its designation at the same time as, or after, the person’s initial registration as a major swap participant.
(3) Timing requirements. A person that is not registered as a major swap participant, but that meets the criteria in this rule to be a major swap participant as a result of its swap activities in a fiscal quarter, will not be deemed to be a major swap participant until the earlier of the date on which it submits a complete application for registration as a major swap participant pursuant to section 4s(a)(2) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6s(a)(2), or two months after the end of that quarter.
(4) Reevaluation period. Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of this definition, if a person that is not registered as a major swap participant meets the criteria in this rule to be a major swap participant in a fiscal quarter, but does not exceed any applicable threshold by more than twenty percent in that quarter:
(i) That person will not be deemed a major swap participant pursuant to the timing requirements specified in paragraph (3) of this definition; but
(ii) That person will be deemed a major swap participant pursuant to the timing requirements specified in paragraph (3) of this definition at the end of the next fiscal quarter if the person exceeds any of the applicable daily average thresholds in that next fiscal quarter.
(5) Termination of status. A person that is deemed to be a major swap participant shall continue to be deemed a major swap participant until such time that its swap activities do not exceed any of the daily average thresholds set forth within this rule for four consecutive fiscal quarters after the date on which the person becomes registered as a major swap participant.
(6) Calculation of status. A person shall not be deemed to be a “major swap participant,” regardless of whether the criteria in paragraph (1) of this definition otherwise would cause the person to be a major swap participant, provided the person meets the conditions set forth in paragraphs (6)(i), (ii) or (iii) of this definition.
(i) Caps on uncollateralized exposure and notional positions—(A) Maximum potential uncollateralized exposure. The express terms of the person’s agreements or arrangements relating to swaps with its counterparties at no time would permit the person to maintain a total uncollateralized exposure of more than $100 million to all such counterparties, including any exposure that may result from thresholds or minimum transfer amounts established by credit support annexes or similar arrangements; and
(B) Maximum notional amount of swap positions. The person does not maintain swap positions in a notional amount of more than $2 billion in any major category of swaps, or more than $4 billion in the aggregate across all major categories; or
(ii) Caps on uncollateralized exposure plus monthly calculation—(A) Maximum potential uncollateralized exposure. The express terms of the person’s agreements or arrangements relating to swaps with its counterparties at no time would permit the person to maintain a total uncollateralized exposure of more than $200 million to all such counterparties (with regard to swaps and any other instruments by which the person may have exposure to those counterparties), including any exposure that may result from thresholds or minimum transfer amounts established by credit support annexes or similar arrangements; and
(B) Calculation of positions. (1) At the end of each month, the person performs the calculations prescribed by the definition in this section of substantial position with regard to whether the aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus aggregate potential outward exposure as of that day constitute a “substantial position” in a major category of swaps, or pose “substantial counterparty exposure that could have serious adverse effects on the financial stability of the United States banking system or financial markets”; these calculations shall disregard provisions of those rules that provide for the analyses to be determined based on a daily average over a calendar quarter; and
(2) Each such analysis produces thresholds of no more than:
(i) $1 billion in aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus aggregate potential outward exposure in any major category of swaps; if the person is subject to the definition in this section of substantial position, by virtue of being a highly leveraged financial entity that is not subject to capital requirements established by an appropriate Federal banking agency, this analysis shall account for all of the person’s swap positions in that major category (without excluding hedging positions), otherwise this analysis shall exclude the same hedging and related positions that are excluded from consideration pursuant to paragraph (1)(i) of the definition in this section of substantial position; or
(ii) $2 billion in aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus aggregate potential outward exposure (without any positions excluded from the analysis) with regard to all of the person’s swap positions.
(iii) Calculations based on certain information. (A)(1) At the end of each month, the person’s aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure with respect to its swap positions in each major swap category is less than $1.5 billion with respect to the rate swap category and less than $500 million with respect to each of the other major swap categories; and
(2) At the end of each month, the sum of the amount calculated under paragraph (6)(iii)(A)(1) of this definition with respect to each major swap category and the total notional principal amount of the person’s swap positions in each such major swap category, adjusted by the multipliers set forth in paragraph (3)(ii)(1) of the definition in this section of substantial position on a position-by-position basis reflecting the type of swap, is less than $3 billion with respect to the rate swap category and less than $1 billion with respect to each of the other major swap categories; or
(B)(1) At the end of each month, the person’s aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure with respect to its swap positions across all major swap categories is less than $500 million; and
(2) The sum of the amount calculated under paragraph (6)(iii)(B)(1) of this definition and the product of the total effective notional principal amount of the person’s swap positions in all major swap categories multiplied by 0.15 is less than $1 billion.
(C) For purposes of the calculations set forth in this paragraph (6)(iii) of the major swap participant definition:
(1) The person’s aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure for positions held with swap dealers shall be equal to such exposure reported on the most recent reports of such exposure received from such swap dealers; and
(2) The person’s aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure for positions that are not reflected in any report of exposure from a swap dealer (including all swap positions it holds with persons other than swap dealers) shall be calculated in accordance with paragraph (2) of the definition in this section of substantial position.
(iv) For purposes of the calculations set forth in paragraph (6) of this definition, the person shall use the effective notional amount of a position rather than the stated notional amount of the position if the stated notional amount is leveraged or enhanced by the structure of the position.
(v) No presumption shall arise that a person is required to perform the calculations needed to determine if it is a major swap participant, solely by reason that the person does not meet the conditions specified in paragraph (6)(i), (ii) or (iii) of this definition.
(7) Exclusions. A person who is registered as a derivatives clearing organization with the Commission pursuant to section 5b of the Act and regulations thereunder, shall not be deemed to be a major swap participant, regardless of whether the criteria in this definition otherwise would cause the person to be a major swap participant.
Margin call. This term means a request from a futures commission merchant to a customer to post customer initial margin; or a request by a derivatives clearing organization to a clearing member to post clearing initial margin or variation margin.
Meaning of “issuers of securities in a narrow-based security index” as used in the definition of “security-based swap” as applied to index credit default swaps. (1) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of the definition in this section of narrow-based security index as used in the definition of security-based swap, and solely for purposes of determining whether a credit default swap is a security-based swap under the definition of “security-based swap” in section 3(a)(68)(A)(ii)(III) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(68)(A)(ii)(III)), as incorporated in section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the term issuers of securities in a narrow-based security index means issuers of securities included in an index (including an index referencing loan borrowers or loans of such borrowers) in which:
(i)(A) There are nine or fewer non-affiliated issuers of securities that are reference entities included in the index, provided that an issuer of securities shall not be deemed a reference entity included in the index for purposes of this definition unless:
(1) A credit event with respect to such reference entity would result in a payment by the credit protection seller to the credit protection buyer under the credit default swap based on the related notional amount allocated to such reference entity; or
(2) The fact of such credit event or the calculation in accordance with paragraph (1)(i)(A)(1) of this definition of the amount owed with respect to such credit event is taken into account in determining whether to make any future payments under the credit default swap with respect to any future credit events;
(B) The effective notional amount allocated to any reference entity included in the index comprises more than 30 percent of the index’s weighting;
(C) The effective notional amount allocated to any five non-affiliated reference entities included in the index comprises more than 60 percent of the index’s weighting; or
(D) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this definition, for each reference entity included in the index, none of the criteria in paragraphs (1)(i)(D)(1) through (8) of this definition is satisfied:
(1) The reference entity included in the index is required to file reports pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d));
(2) The reference entity included in the index is eligible to rely on the exemption provided in rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12g3-2(b));
(3) The reference entity included in the index has a worldwide market value of its outstanding common equity held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more;
(4) The reference entity included in the index (other than a reference entity included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) has outstanding notes, bonds, debentures, loans, or evidences of indebtedness (other than revolving credit facilities) having a total remaining principal amount of at least $1 billion;
(5) The reference entity included in the index is the issuer of an exempted security as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)) (other than any municipal security as defined in section 3(a)(29) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(29)));
(6) The reference entity included in the index is a government of a foreign country or a political subdivision of a foreign country;
(7) If the reference entity included in the index is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)), such asset-backed security was issued in a transaction registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a et seq.) and has publicly available distribution reports; and
(8) For a credit default swap entered into solely between eligible contract participants as defined in section 1a(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act:
(i) The reference entity included in the index (other than a reference entity included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) makes available to the public or otherwise makes available to such eligible contract participant information about the reference entity included in the index pursuant to rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.144A(d)(4));
(ii) Financial information about the reference entity included in the index (other than a reference entity included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) is otherwise publicly available; or
(iii) In the case of a reference entity included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)), information of the type and level included in publicly available distribution reports for similar asset-backed securities is publicly available about both the reference entity included in the index and such asset-backed security; and
(ii)(A) The index is not composed solely of reference entities that are issuers of exempted securities as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)), as in effect on the date of enactment of the Futures Trading Act of 1982 (other than any municipal security as defined in section 3(a)(29) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(29))), as in effect on the date of enactment of the Futures Trading Act of 1982; and
(B) Without taking into account any portion of the index composed of reference entities that are issuers of exempted securities as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)), as in effect on the date of enactment of the Futures Trading Act of 1982 (other than any municipal security as defined in section 3(a)(29) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(29))), the remaining portion of the index would be within the term issuer of securities in a narrow-based security index under (1)(i) of this definition.
(2) Paragraph (1)(i)(D) of this definition will not apply with respect to a reference entity included in the index if:
(i) The effective notional amounts allocated to such reference entity comprise less than five percent of the index’s weighting; and
(ii) The effective notional amounts allocated to reference entities included in the index that satisfy paragraph (1)(i)(D) of this definition comprise at least 80 percent of the index’s weighting.
(3) For purposes of this definition:
(i) A reference entity included in the index is affiliated with another reference entity included in the index (for purposes of paragraph (3)(iv) of this definition) or another entity (for purposes of paragraph (3)(v) of this definition) if it controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, that other reference entity included in the index or other entity, as applicable; provided that each reference entity included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) will not be considered affiliated with any other reference entity included in the index or any other entity that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security.
(ii) Control for purposes of this section means ownership of more than 50 percent of the equity of a reference entity included in the index (for purposes of paragraph (3)(iv) of this definition) or another entity (for purposes of paragraph (3)(v) of this definition), or the ability to direct the voting of more than 50 percent of the voting equity of a reference entity included in the index (for purposes of paragraph (3)(iv) of this definition) or another entity (for purposes of paragraph (3)(v) of this definition).
(iii) In identifying a reference entity included in the index for purposes of this section, the term reference entity includes:
(A) An issuer of securities;
(B) An issuer of securities that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)); and
(C) An issuer of securities that is a borrower with respect to any loan identified in an index of borrowers or loans.
(iv) For purposes of calculating the thresholds in paragraphs (1)(i)(A) through (1)(i)(C) of this definition, the term reference entity included in the index includes a single reference entity included in the index or a group of affiliated reference entities included in the index as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(i) of this definition (with each reference entity included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) being considered a separate reference entity included in the index).
(v) For purposes of determining whether one of the criterion in either paragraphs (1)(i)(D)(1) through (1)(i)(D)(4) of this definition or paragraphs (1)(iv)(D)(8)(i) and (1)(iv)(D)(8)(ii) of this definition is met, the term reference entity included in the index includes a single reference entity included in the index or a group of affiliated entities as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(i) of this definition (with each issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) being considered a separate entity).
Meaning of “narrow-based security index” used in the definition of “security-based swap” as applied to index credit default swaps. (1) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of the definition in this section of narrow-based security index as used in the definition of “security-based swap,” and solely for purposes of determining whether a credit default swap is a security-based swap under the definition of “security-based swap” in section 3(a)(68)(A)(ii)(I) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(68)(A)(ii)(I)), as incorporated in section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the term narrow-based security index means an index in which:
(i)(A) The index is composed of nine or fewer securities or securities that are issued by nine or fewer non-affiliated issuers, provided that a security shall not be deemed a component of the index for purposes of this section unless:
(1) A credit event with respect to the issuer of such security or a credit event with respect to such security would result in a payment by the credit protection seller to the credit protection buyer under the credit default swap based on the related notional amount allocated to such security; or
(2) The fact of such credit event or the calculation in accordance with paragraph (1)(i)(A)(1) of this definition of the amount owed with respect to such credit event is taken into account in determining whether to make any future payments under the credit default swap with respect to any future credit events;
(B) The effective notional amount allocated to the securities of any issuer included in the index comprises more than 30 percent of the index’s weighting;
(C) The effective notional amount allocated to the securities of any five non-affiliated issuers included in the index comprises more than 60 percent of the index’s weighting; or
(D) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this definition, for each security included in the index, none of the criteria in paragraphs (1)(i)(D)(1) through (8) is satisfied if:
(1) The issuer of the security included in the index is required to file reports pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d));
(2) The issuer of the security included in the index is eligible to rely on the exemption provided in rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12g3-2(b));
(3) The issuer of the security included in the index has a worldwide market value of its outstanding common equity held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more;
(4) The issuer of the security included in the index (other than an issuer of the security that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77))) has outstanding notes, bonds, debentures, loans or evidences of indebtedness (other than revolving credit facilities) having a total remaining principal amount of at least $1 billion;
(5) The security included in the index is an exempted security as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)) (other than any municipal security as defined in section 3(a)(29) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(29)));
(6) The issuer of the security included in the index is a government of a foreign country or a political subdivision of a foreign country;
(7) If the security included in the index is an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)), the security was issued in a transaction registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a et seq.) and has publicly available distribution reports; and
(8) For a credit default swap entered into solely between eligible contract participants as defined in section 1a(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act:
(i) The issuer of the security included in the index (other than an issuer of the security that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77))) makes available to the public or otherwise makes available to such eligible contract participant information about such issuer pursuant to rule 144A(d)(4) of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.144A(d)(4));
(ii) Financial information about the issuer of the security included in the index (other than an issuer of the security that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77))) is otherwise publicly available; or
(iii) In the case of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)), information of the type and level included in public distribution reports for similar asset-backed securities is publicly available about both the issuing entity and such asset-backed security; and
(ii)(A) The index is not composed solely of exempted securities as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)), as in effect on the date of enactment of the Futures Trading Act of 1982 (other than any municipal security as defined in section 3(a)(29) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(29))), as in effect on the date of enactment of the Futures Trading Act of 1982; and
(B) Without taking into account any portion of the index composed of exempted securities as defined in section 3(a)(12) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(12)), as in effect on the date of enactment of the Futures Trading Act of 1982 (other than any municipal security as defined in section 3(a)(29) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(29))), the remaining portion of the index would be within the term narrow-based security index under paragraph (1)(i) of this definition.
(2) Paragraph (1)(i)(D) of this definition will not apply with respect to securities of an issuer included in the index if:
(i) The effective notional amounts allocated to all securities of such issuer included in the index comprise less than five percent of the index’s weighting; and
(ii) The securities that satisfy paragraph (1)(i)(D) of this definition comprise at least 80 percent of the index’s weighting.
(3) For purposes of this definition:
(i) An issuer of securities included in the index is affiliated with another issuer of securities included in the index (for purposes of paragraph (3)(iv) of this definition) or another entity (for purposes of paragraph (3)(v) of this definition) if it controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, that other issuer or other entity, as applicable; provided that each issuer of securities included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) will not be considered affiliated with any other issuer of securities included in the index or any other entity that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security.
(ii) Control for purposes of this section means ownership of more than 50 percent of the equity of an issuer of securities included in the index (for purposes of paragraph (3)(iv) of this definition) or another entity (for purposes of paragraph (3)(v) of this definition), or the ability to direct the voting of more than 50 percent of the voting equity an issuer of securities included in the index (for purposes of paragraph (3)(iv) of this definition) or another entity (for purposes of paragraph (3)(v) of this definition).
(iii) In identifying an issuer of securities included in the index for purposes of this section, the term issuer includes:
(A) An issuer of securities; and
(B) An issuer of securities that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)).
(iv) For purposes of calculating the thresholds in paragraphs (1)(i)(A) through (1)(i)(C) of the definition of the meaning of issuers of securities in a narrow-based security index as used in the definition of security-based swap as applied to index credit default swaps, the term issuer of the security included in the index or a group of affiliated issuers of securities included in the index as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(i) of this definition (with each issuer of securities included in the index that is an issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) being considered a separate issuer of securities included in the index).
(v) For purposes of determining whether one of the criterion in either paragraphs (1)(i)(D)(1) through (1)(i)(D)(4) of this definition or paragraphs (1)(iv)(D)(8)(i) and (1)(iv)(D)(8)(ii) of this definition is met, the term issuer of the security included in the index includes a single issuer of securities included in the index or a group of affiliated entities as determined in accordance with paragraph (3)(i) of this definition (with each issuing entity of an asset-backed security as defined in section 3(a)(77) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(77)) being considered a separate entity).
Member. This term means:
(1) An individual, association, partnership, corporation, or trust—
(i) Owning or holding membership in, or admitted to membership representation on, a registered entity; or
(ii) Having trading privileges on a registered entity.
(2) A participant in an alternative trading system that is designated as a contract market pursuant to section 5f of the Act is deemed a member of the contract market for purposes of transactions in security futures products through the contract market.
Narrow-based security index as used in the definition of “security-based swap”—(1) In general. Except as otherwise provided in the definitions in this section for meaning of issuers of securities in a narrow-based security index as used in the definition of security-based swap as applied to index credit default swaps and meaning of narrow-based security index as used in the definition of security-based swap as applied to index credit default swaps, for purposes of section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the term narrow-based security index has the meaning set forth in section 1a(35) of the Commodity Exchange Act, and the rules, regulations and orders of the Commission thereunder.
(2) Tolerance period for swaps traded on designated contract markets, swap execution facilities, and foreign boards of trade. Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this definition, solely for purposes of swaps traded on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market, swap execution facility, or foreign board of trade, a security index underlying such swaps shall not be considered a narrow-based security index if:
(i)(A) A swap on the index is traded on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market, swap execution facility, or foreign board of trade for at least 30 days as a swap on an index that was not a narrow-based security index; or
(B) Such index was not a narrow-based security index during every trading day of the six full calendar months preceding a date no earlier than 30 days prior to the commencement of trading of a swap on such index on a market described in paragraph (2)(i)(A) of this definition; and
(ii) The index has been a narrow-based security index for no more than 45 business days over three consecutive calendar months.
(3) Tolerance period for security-based swaps traded on national securities exchanges or security-based swap execution facilities. Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this definition, solely for purposes of security-based swaps traded on a national securities exchange or security-based swap execution facility, a security index underlying such security-based swaps shall be considered a narrow-based security index if:
(i)(A) A security-based swap on the index is traded on a national securities exchange or security-based swap execution facility for at least 30 days as a security-based swap on a narrow-based security index; or
(B) Such index was a narrow-based security index during every trading day of the six full calendar months preceding a date no earlier than 30 days prior to the commencement of trading of a security-based swap on such index on a market described in paragraph (3)(i)(A) of this definition; and
(ii) The index has been a security index that is not a narrow-based security index for no more than 45 business days over three consecutive calendar months.
(4) Grace period. (i) Solely with respect to a swap that is traded on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market, swap execution facility, or foreign board of trade, an index that becomes a narrow-based security index under paragraph (2) of this definition solely because it was a narrow-based security index for more than 45 business days over three consecutive calendar months shall not be a narrow-based security index for the following three calendar months.
(ii) Solely with respect to a security-based swap that is traded on a national securities exchange or security-based swap execution facility, an index that becomes a security index that is not a narrow-based security index under paragraph (3) of this definition solely because it was not a narrow-based security index for more than 45 business days over three consecutive calendar months shall be a narrow-based security index for the following three calendar months.
Net deficit. (1) For futures and commodity option positions, this term means the debit balance which would be obtained by combining the margin balance of any person with the net profit or loss, if any, accruing on the open futures or commodity option positions of such person.
(2) For swap positions other than commodity option positions, this term means the debit balance which would be obtained by combining the margin balance of any person with the net profit or loss, if any, accruing on the open swap positions of such person.
Net equity. (1) For futures and commodity option positions, this term means the credit balance which would be obtained by combining the margin balance of any person with the net profit or loss, if any, accruing on the open futures or commodity option positions of such person.
(2) For swap positions other than commodity option positions, this term means the credit balance which would be obtained by combining the margin balance of any person with the net profit or loss, if any, accruing on the open swap positions of such person.
Open contracts. This term means:
(1) Positions in contracts of purchase or sale of any commodity made by or for any person on or subject to the rules of a board of trade for future delivery during a specified month or delivery period that have neither been fulfilled by delivery nor been offset by other contracts of purchase or sale in the same commodity and delivery month;
(2) Positions in commodity option transactions that have not expired, been exercised, or offset; and
(3) Positions in Cleared Swaps, as § 22.1 of this chapter defines that term, that have not been fulfilled by delivery; not been offset; not expired; and not been terminated.
Order. This term means an instruction or authorization provided by a customer to a futures commission merchant, introducing broker or commodity trading advisor regarding trading in a commodity interest on behalf of the customer.
Organized exchange. This term means a trading facility that—
(1) Permits trading—
(i) By or on behalf of a person that is not an eligible contract participant; or
(ii) By persons other than on a principal-to-principal basis; or
(2) Has adopted (directly or through another nongovernmental entity) rules that—
(i) Govern the conduct of participants, other than rules that govern the submission of orders or execution of transactions on the trading facility; and
(ii) Include disciplinary sanctions other than the exclusion of participants from trading.
Person. This term includes individuals, associations, partnerships, corporations, and trusts.
Premium. This term means the amount agreed upon between the purchaser and seller, or their agents, for the purchase or sale of a commodity option.
Proprietary account. This term means a commodity futures, commodity option, or swap trading account carried on the books and records of an individual, a partnership, corporation or other type of association:
(1) For one of the following persons, or
(2) Of which ten percent or more is owned by one of the following persons, or an aggregate of ten percent or more of which is owned by more than one of the following persons:
(i) Such individual himself, or such partnership, corporation or association itself;
(ii) In the case of a partnership, a general partner in such partnership;
(iii) In the case of a limited partnership, a limited or special partner in such partnership whose duties include:
(A) The management of the partnership business or any part thereof,
(B) The handling of the trades of customers or customer funds of such partnership,
(C) The keeping of records pertaining to the trades of customers or customer funds of such partnership, or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such partnership;
(iv) In the case of a corporation or association, an officer, director or owner of ten percent or more of the capital stock, of such organization;
(v) An employee of such individual, partnership, corporation or association whose duties include:
(A) The management of the business of such individual, partnership, corporation or association or any part thereof,
(B) The handling of the trades of customers or customer funds of such individual, partnership, corporation or association,
(C) The keeping of records pertaining to the trades of customers or customer funds of such individual, partnership, corporation or association, or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such individual, partnership, corporation or association;
(vi) A spouse or minor dependent living in the same household of any of the foregoing persons;
(vii) A business affiliate that directly or indirectly controls such individual, partnership, corporation or association; or
(viii) A business affiliate that, directly or indirectly is controlled by or is under common control with, such individual, partnership, corporation or association. Provided, however, That an account owned by any shareholder or member of a cooperative association of producers, within the meaning of section 6a of the Act, which association is registered as a futures commission merchant and carries such account on its records, shall be deemed to be an account of a customer and not a proprietary account of such association, unless the shareholder or member is an officer, director or manager of the association.
Prudential regulator. This term has the meaning given to the term in section 1a(39) of the Commodity Exchange Act and includes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Administration, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as applicable to the swap dealer or major swap participant. The term also includes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, with respect to any financial company as defined in section 201 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or any insured depository institution under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and with respect to each affiliate of any such company or institution.
Registered entity. This term means:
(1) A board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act;
(2) A derivatives clearing organization registered under section 5b of the Act;
(3) A board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5f of the Act;
(4) A swap execution facility registered under section 5h of the Act;
(5) A swap data repository registered under section 21 of the Act; and
(6) With respect to a contract that the Commission determines is a significant price discovery contract, any electronic trading facility on which the contract is executed or traded.
Registrant. This term means: a commodity pool operator; commodity trading advisor; futures commission merchant; introducing broker; leverage transaction merchant; floor broker; floor trader; major swap participant; retail foreign exchange dealer; or swap dealer that is subject to these regulations; or an associated person of any of the foregoing other than an associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant.
Retail forex customer. This term means a person, other than an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, acting on its own behalf and trading in any account, agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(B) or 2(c)(2)(C) of the Act.
Secretary of Agriculture. This term means the Secretary of Agriculture or any person to whom authority has heretofore lawfully been delegated or to whom authority may hereafter lawfully be delegated to act in his stead.
Securities account. This term means an account that is maintained in accordance with the requirements of section 15(c)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 15c3-3 thereunder.
Self-regulatory organization. This term means a contract market (as defined in § 1.3(h)), a swap execution facility (as defined in § 1.3(rrrr)), or a registered futures association under section 17 of the Act.
Spread margin. This term means reduced initial margin that takes into account correlations between certain related positions held in a single account.
Strike price. This term means the price, per unit, at which a person may purchase or sell the commodity, swap, or contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery that is the subject of a commodity option: Provided, That for purposes of § 1.17, the term strike price means the total price at which a person may purchase or sell the commodity, swap, or contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery that is the subject of a commodity option (i.e., price per unit times the number of units).
Substantial counterparty exposure—(1) In general. For purposes of section 1a(33) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(33), and the definition in this section of major swap participant, the term substantial counterparty exposure that could have serious adverse effects on the financial stability of the United States banking system or financial markets means a swap position that satisfies either of the following thresholds:
(i) $5 billion in daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure; or
(ii) $8 billion in:
(A) Daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus
(B) Daily average aggregate potential outward exposure.
(2) Calculation methodology. For these purposes, the terms daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure and daily average aggregate potential outward exposure shall be calculated the same way as is prescribed in the definition in this section of substantial position, except that these amounts shall be calculated by reference to all of the person’s swap positions, rather than by reference to a specific major swap category.
Substantial position—(1) In general. For purposes of section 1a(33) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(33), and the definition in this section of major swap participant, the term “substantial position” means swap positions that equal or exceed any of the following thresholds in the specified major category of swaps:
(i) For rate swaps:
(A) $3 billion in daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure; or
(B) $6 billion in:
(1) Daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus
(2) Daily average aggregate potential outward exposure.
(ii) For credit swaps:
(A) $1 billion in daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure; or
(B) $2 billion in:
(1) Daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus
(2) Daily average aggregate potential outward exposure.
(iii) For equity swaps:
(A) $1 billion in daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure; or
(B) $2 billion in:
(1) Daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus
(2) Daily average aggregate potential outward exposure.
(iv) For other commodity swaps:
(A) $1 billion in daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure; or
(B) $2 billion in:
(1) Daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure plus
(2) Daily average aggregate potential outward exposure.
(2) Aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure—(i) In general. Aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure in general means the sum of the current exposure, obtained by marking-to-market using industry standard practices, of each of the person’s swap positions with negative value in a major swap category, less the value of the collateral the person has posted in connection with those positions.
(ii) Calculation of aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure. In calculating this amount the person shall, with respect to each of its swap counterparties in a given major swap category, determine the dollar value of the aggregate current exposure arising from each of its swap positions with negative value (subject to the netting provisions described below) in that major category by marking-to-market using industry standard practices; and deduct from that dollar amount the aggregate value of the collateral the person has posted with respect to the swap positions. The aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure shall be the sum of those uncollateralized amounts across all of the person’s swap counterparties in the applicable major category.
(iii) Relevance of netting agreements. (A) If the person has one or more master netting agreement in effect with a particular counterparty, the person may measure the current exposure arising from its swaps in any major category on a net basis, applying the terms of those agreements. Calculation of net current exposure may take into account offsetting positions entered into with that particular counterparty involving swaps (in any swap category) as well as security-based swaps and securities financing transactions (consisting of securities lending and borrowing, securities margin lending and repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements), and other financial instruments that are subject to netting offsets for purposes of applicable bankruptcy law, to the extent these are consistent with the offsets permitted by the master netting agreements.
(B) Such adjustments may not take into account any offset associated with positions that the person has with separate counterparties.
(iv) Allocation of uncollateralized outward exposure. If a person calculates current exposure with a particular counterparty on a net basis, as provided by paragraph (2)(iii) of this definition, the portion of that current exposure that should be attributed to each “major” category of swaps for purposes of the substantial position analysis should be calculated according to the formula:
(3) Aggregate potential outward exposure—(i) In general. Aggregate potential outward exposure in any major swap category means the sum of:
(A) The aggregate potential outward exposure for each of the person’s swap positions in a major swap category that are not subject to daily mark-to-market margining and are not cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization, as calculated in accordance with paragraph (3)(ii) of this definition; and
(B) The aggregate potential outward exposure for each of the person’s swap positions in such major swap category that are either subject to daily mark-to-market margining or are cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization, as calculated in accordance with paragraph (3)(iii) of this definition.
(ii) Calculation of potential outward exposure for swaps that are not subject to daily mark-to-market margining and are not cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization—(A) In general. (1) For positions in swaps that are not subject to daily mark-to-market margining and are not cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or a derivatives clearing organization, potential outward exposure equals the total notional principal amount of those positions, multiplied by the following factors on a position-by-position basis reflecting the type of swap. For any swap that does not appropriately fall within any of the specified categories, the “other commodities” conversion factors set forth in the following Table 1 are to be used. If a swap is structured such that on specified dates any outstanding exposure is settled and the terms are reset so that the market value of the swap is zero, the remaining maturity equals the time until the next reset date.
(2) Use of effective notional amounts. If the stated notional amount on a position is leveraged or enhanced by the structure of the position, the calculation in paragraph (3)(ii)(A)(1) of this definition shall be based on the effective notional amount of the position rather than on the stated notional amount.
(3) Exclusion of certain positions. The calculation in paragraph (3)(ii)(A)(1) of this definition shall exclude:
(i) Positions that constitute the purchase of an option, if the purchaser has no additional payment obligations under the position;
(ii) Other positions for which the person has prepaid or otherwise satisfied all of its payment obligations; and
(iii) Positions for which, pursuant to law or a regulatory requirement, the person has assigned an amount of cash or U.S. Treasury securities that is sufficient at all times to pay the person’s maximum possible liability under the position, and the person may not use that cash or those Treasury securities for other purposes.
(4) Adjustment for certain positions. Notwithstanding paragraph (3)(ii)(A)(1) of this definition, the potential outward exposure associated with a position by which a person buys credit protection using a credit default swap or index credit default swap, or associated with a position by which a person purchases an option for which the person retains additional payment obligations under the position, is capped at the net present value of the unpaid premiums.
(B) Adjustment for netting agreements. Notwithstanding paragraph (3)(ii)(A) of this definition, for positions subject to master netting agreements the potential outward exposure associated with the person’s swaps with each counterparty equals a weighted average of the potential outward exposure for the person’s swaps with that counterparty as calculated under paragraph (3)(ii)(A) of this definition, and that amount reduced by the ratio of net current exposure to gross current exposure, consistent with the following equation as calculated on a counterparty-by-counterparty basis:
(iii) Calculation of potential outward exposure for swaps that are either subject to daily mark-to-market margining or are cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization. For positions in swaps that are subject to daily mark-to-market margining or that are cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization:
(A) Potential outward exposure equals the potential exposure that would be attributed to such positions using the procedures in paragraph (3)(ii) of this definition multiplied by:
(1) 0.1, in the case of positions cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization; or
(2) 0.2, in the case of positions that are subject to daily mark-to-market margining but that are not cleared by a registered or exempt clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization.
(B) Solely for purposes of calculating potential outward exposure:
(1) A swap shall be considered to be subject to daily mark-to-market margining if, and for so long as, the counterparties follow the daily practice of exchanging collateral to reflect changes in the current exposure arising from the swap (after taking into account any other financial positions addressed by a netting agreement between the counterparties).
(2) If the person is permitted by agreement to maintain a threshold for which it is not required to post collateral, the position still will be considered to be subject to daily mark-to-market margining for purposes of calculating potential outward exposure, but the total amount of that threshold (regardless of the actual exposure at any time), less any initial margin posted up to the amount of that threshold, shall be added to the person’s aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure for purposes of paragraph (1)(i)(B), (ii)(B), (iii)(B) or (iv)(B) of this definition, as applicable.
(3) If the minimum transfer amount under the agreement is in excess of $1 million, the position still will be considered to be subject to daily mark-to-market margining for purposes of calculating potential outward exposure, but the entirety of the minimum transfer amount shall be added to the person’s aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure for purposes of paragraph (1)(i)(B), (ii)(B), (iii)(B) or (iv)(B) of this definition, as applicable.
(4) A person may, at its discretion, calculate the potential outward exposure of positions in swaps that are subject to daily mark-to-market margining in accordance with paragraph (3)(ii) of this definition in lieu of calculating the potential outward exposure of such swap positions in accordance with paragraph (3)(iii) of this definition.
(4) Calculation of daily average. Measures of daily average aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure and daily average aggregate potential outward exposure shall equal the arithmetic mean of the applicable measure of exposure at the close of each business day, beginning the first business day of each calendar quarter and continuing through the last business day of that quarter.
(5) Inter-affiliate activities. In calculating its aggregate uncollateralized outward exposure and its aggregate potential outward exposure, the person shall not consider its swap positions with counterparties that are majority-owned affiliates. For these purposes the counterparties to a swap are majority-owned affiliates if one counterparty directly or indirectly owns a majority interest in the other, or if a third party directly or indirectly owns a majority interest in both counterparties to the swap, where “majority interest” is the right to vote or direct the vote of a majority of a class of voting securities of an entity, the power to sell or direct the sale of a majority of a class of voting securities of an entity, or the right to receive upon dissolution or the contribution of a majority of the capital of a partnership.
Swap. (1) In general. The term swap has the meaning set forth in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(2) Inclusion of particular products. (i) The term swap includes, without limiting the meaning set forth in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the following agreements, contracts, and transactions:
(A) A cross-currency swap;
(B) A currency option, foreign currency option, foreign exchange option and foreign exchange rate option;
(C) A foreign exchange forward;
(D) A foreign exchange swap;
(E) A forward rate agreement; and
(F) A non-deliverable forward involving foreign exchange.
(ii) The term swap does not include an agreement, contract, or transaction described in paragraph (2)(i) of this definition that is otherwise excluded by section 1a(47)(B) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(3) Foreign exchange forwards and foreign exchange swaps. Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this definition:
(i) A foreign exchange forward or a foreign exchange swap shall not be considered a swap if the Secretary of the Treasury makes a determination described in section 1a(47)(E)(i) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(ii) Notwithstanding paragraph (3)(i) of this definition:
(A) The reporting requirements set forth in section 4r of the Commodity Exchange Act and regulations promulgated thereunder shall apply to a foreign exchange forward or foreign exchange swap; and
(B) The business conduct standards set forth in section 4s(h) of the Commodity Exchange Act and regulations promulgated thereunder shall apply to a swap dealer or major swap participant that is a party to a foreign exchange forward or foreign exchange swap.
(iii) For purposes of section 1a(47)(E) of the Commodity Exchange Act and this definition, the term foreign exchange forward has the meaning set forth in section 1a(24) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(iv) For purposes of section 1a(47)(E) of the Commodity Exchange Act and this definition, the term foreign exchange swap has the meaning set forth in section 1a(25) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(v) For purposes of sections 1a(24) and 1a(25) of the Commodity Exchange Act and this definition, the following transactions are not foreign exchange forwards or foreign exchange swaps:
(A) A currency swap or a cross-currency swap;
(B) A currency option, foreign currency option, foreign exchange option, or foreign exchange rate option; and
(C) A non-deliverable forward involving foreign exchange.
(4) Insurance. (i) This paragraph is a non-exclusive safe harbor. The terms swap as used in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act and security-based swap as used in section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act do not include an agreement, contract, or transaction that:
(A) By its terms or by law, as a condition of performance on the agreement, contract, or transaction:
(1) Requires the beneficiary of the agreement, contract, or transaction to have an insurable interest that is the subject of the agreement, contract, or transaction and thereby carry the risk of loss with respect to that interest continuously throughout the duration of the agreement, contract, or transaction;
(2) Requires that loss to occur and to be proved, and that any payment or indemnification therefor be limited to the value of the insurable interest;
(3) Is not traded, separately from the insured interest, on an organized market or over-the-counter; and
(4) With respect to financial guaranty insurance only, in the event of payment default or insolvency of the obligor, any acceleration of payments under the policy is at the sole discretion of the insurer; and
(B) Is provided:
(1)(i) By a person that is subject to supervision by the insurance commissioner (or similar official or agency) of any State or by the United States or an agency or instrumentality thereof; and
(ii) Such agreement, contract, or transaction is regulated as insurance under applicable State law or the laws of the United States;
(2)(i) Directly or indirectly by the United States, any State or any of their respective agencies or instrumentalities; or
(ii) Pursuant to a statutorily authorized program thereof; or
(3) In the case of reinsurance only, by a person to another person that satisfies the conditions set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(B) of this definition, provided that:
(i) Such person is not prohibited by applicable State law or the laws of the United States from offering such agreement, contract, or transaction to such person that satisfies the conditions set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(B) of this definition;
(ii) The agreement, contract, or transaction to be reinsured satisfies the conditions set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(A) or paragraph (4)(i)(C) of this definition; and
(iii) Except as otherwise permitted under applicable State law, the total amount reimbursable by all reinsurers for such agreement, contract, or transaction may not exceed the claims or losses paid by the person writing the risk being ceded or transferred by such person; or
(4) In the case of non-admitted insurance, by a person who:
(i) Is located outside of the United States and listed on the Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers as maintained by the International Insurers Department of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; or
(ii) Meets the eligibility criteria for non-admitted insurers under applicable State law; or
(C) Is provided in accordance with the conditions set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(B) of this definition and is one of the following types of products:
(1) Surety bond;
(2) Fidelity bond;
(3) Life insurance;
(4) Health insurance;
(5) Long term care insurance;
(6) Title insurance;
(7) Property and casualty insurance;
(8) Annuity;
(9) Disability insurance;
(10) Insurance against default on individual residential mortgages; and
(11) Reinsurance of any of the foregoing products identified in paragraphs (4)(i)(C)(1) through (10) of this definition; or
(ii) The terms swap as used in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act and security-based swap as used in section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act do not include an agreement, contract, or transaction that was entered into on or before the effective date of paragraph (4) of this definition, and that, at such time that it was entered into, was provided in accordance with the conditions set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(B) of this definition.
(5) State. For purposes of paragraph (4) of this definition, the term State means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or any other possession of the United States.
(6) Anti-Evasion. (i) An agreement, contract, or transaction that is willfully structured to evade any provision of Subtitle A of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010, including any amendments made to the Commodity Exchange Act thereby (Subtitle A), shall be deemed a swap for purposes of Subtitle A and the rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
(ii) An interest rate swap or currency swap, including but not limited to a transaction identified in paragraph (3)(v) of this definition, that is willfully structured as a foreign exchange forward or foreign exchange swap to evade any provision of Subtitle A shall be deemed a swap for purposes of Subtitle A and the rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
(iii) An agreement, contract, or transaction of a bank that is not under the regulatory jurisdiction of an appropriate Federal banking agency (as defined in section 1a(2) of the Commodity Exchange Act), where the agreement, contract, or transaction is willfully structured as an identified banking product (as defined in section 402 of the Legal Certainty for Bank Products Act of 2000) to evade the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, shall be deemed a swap for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
(iv) The form, label, and written documentation of an agreement, contract, or transaction shall not be dispositive in determining whether the agreement, contract, or transaction has been willfully structured to evade as provided in paragraphs (6)(i) through (6)(iii) of this definition.
(v) An agreement, contract, or transaction that has been willfully structured to evade as provided in paragraphs (6)(i) through (6)(iii) of this definition shall be considered in determining whether a person that so willfully structured to evade is a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(vi) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no agreement, contract, or transaction structured as a security (including a security-based swap) under the securities laws (as defined in section 3(a)(47) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(47))) shall be deemed a swap pursuant to this paragraph (6) or shall be considered for purposes of paragraph (6)(v) of this definition.
Swap data repository. This term means any person that collects and maintains information or records with respect to transactions or positions in, or the terms and conditions of, swaps entered into by third parties for the purpose of providing a centralized recordkeeping facility for swaps.
Swap dealer. (1) In general. The term swap dealer means any person who:
(i) Holds itself out as a dealer in swaps;
(ii) Makes a market in swaps;
(iii) Regularly enters into swaps with counterparties as an ordinary course of business for its own account; or
(iv) Engages in any activity causing it to be commonly known in the trade as a dealer or market maker in swaps.
(2) Exception. The term swap dealer does not include a person that enters into swaps for such person’s own account, either individually or in a fiduciary capacity, but not as a part of regular business.
(3) Scope of designation. A person who is a swap dealer shall be deemed to be a swap dealer with respect to each swap it enters into, regardless of the category of the swap or the person’s activities in connection with the swap. However, if a person makes an application to limit its designation as a swap dealer to specified categories of swaps or specified activities of the person in connection with swaps, the Commission shall determine whether the person’s designation as a swap dealer shall be so limited. If the Commission grants such limited designation, such limited designation swap dealer shall be deemed to be a swap dealer with respect to each swap it enters into in the swap category or categories for which it is so designated, regardless of the person’s activities in connection with such category or categories of swaps. A person may make such application to limit the categories of swaps or activities of the person that are subject to its swap dealer designation at the same time as, or after, the person’s initial registration as a swap dealer.
(4) De minimis exception—(i)(A) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (4)(vi) of this definition, a person that is not currently registered as a swap dealer shall be deemed not to be a swap dealer as a result of its swap dealing activity involving counterparties, so long as the swaps connected with those dealing activities into which the person—or any other entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the person—enters over the course of the immediately preceding 12 months have an aggregate gross notional amount of no more than $8 billion, and an aggregate gross notional amount of no more than $25 million with regard to swaps in which the counterparty is a “special entity” (as that term is defined in section 4s(h)(2)(C) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6s(h)(2)(C), and § 23.401(c) of this chapter), except as provided in paragraph (4)(i)(B) of this definition. For purposes of this definition, if the stated notional amount of a swap is leveraged or enhanced by the structure of the swap, the calculation shall be based on the effective notional amount of the swap rather than on the stated notional amount.
(B) Utility special entities. (1) Solely for purposes of determining whether a person’s swap dealing activity has exceeded the $25 million aggregate gross notional amount threshold set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(A) of this definition for swaps in which the counterparty is a special entity, a person may exclude utility operations-related swaps in which the counterparty is a utility special entity.
(2) For purposes of this paragraph (4)(i)(B), a utility special entity is a special entity, as that term is defined in section 4s(h)(2)(C) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6s(h)(2)(C), and 23.401(c) of this chapter, that:
(i) Owns or operates electric or natural gas facilities, electric or natural gas operations or anticipated electric or natural gas facilities or operations;
(ii) Supplies natural gas or electric energy to other utility special entities;
(iii) Has public service obligations or anticipated public service obligations under Federal, State or local law or regulation to deliver electric energy or natural gas service to utility customers; or
(iv) Is a Federal power marketing agency as defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 796(19).
(3) For purposes of this paragraph (4)(i)(B), a utility operations-related swap is a swap that meets the following conditions:
(i) A party to the swap is a utility special entity;
(ii) A utility special entity is using the swap to hedge or mitigate commercial risk as defined in § 50.50(c) of this chapter;
(iii) The swap is related to an exempt commodity, as that term is defined in section 1a(20) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(20), or to an agricultural commodity insofar as such agricultural commodity is used for fuel for generation of electricity or is otherwise used in the normal operations of the utility special entity; and
(iv) The swap is an electric energy or natural gas swap, or the swap is associated with: The generation, production, purchase or sale of natural gas or electric energy, the supply of natural gas or electric energy to a utility special entity, or the delivery of natural gas or electric energy service to customers of a utility special entity; fuel supply for the facilities or operations of a utility special entity; compliance with an electric system reliability obligation; or compliance with an energy, energy efficiency, conservation, or renewable energy or environmental statute, regulation, or government order applicable to a utility special entity.
(4) A person seeking to rely on the exclusion in paragraph (4)(i)(B)(1) of this definition may rely on the written representations of the utility special entity that it is a utility special entity and that the swap is a utility operations-related swap, as such terms are defined in paragraphs (4)(i)(B)(2) and (3) of this definition, respectively, unless it has information that would cause a reasonable person to question the accuracy of the representation. The person must keep such representation in accordance with § 1.31.
(C) Insured depository institution swaps in connection with originating loans to customers. Solely for purposes of determining whether an insured depository institution has exceeded the $8 billion aggregate gross notional amount threshold set forth in paragraph (4)(i)(A) of this definition, an insured depository institution may exclude swaps entered into by the insured depository institution with a customer in connection with originating a loan to that customer, subject to the requirements of paragraphs (4)(i)(C)(1) through (6) of this definition.
(1) Timing of execution of swap. The insured depository institution enters into the swap with the customer no earlier than 90 days before execution of the applicable loan agreement, or no earlier than 90 days before transfer of principal to the customer by the insured depository institution pursuant to the loan, unless an executed commitment or forward agreement for the applicable loan exists, in which event the 90 day restriction does not apply;
(2) Relationship of swap to loan. (i) The rate, asset, liability or other term underlying such swap is, or is related to, a financial term of such loan, which includes, without limitation, the loan’s duration, rate of interest, the currency or currencies in which it is made and its principal amount; or
(ii) Such swap is permissible under the insured depository institution’s loan underwriting criteria and is commercially appropriate in order to hedge risks incidental to the borrower’s business (other than for risks associated with an excluded commodity) that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay the loan;
(3) Duration of swap. The duration of the swap does not extend beyond termination of the loan;
(4) Level of funding of loan. (i) The insured depository institution is committed to be, under the terms of the agreements related to the loan, the source of at least five percent of the maximum principal amount under the loan; or
(ii) If the insured depository institution is committed to be, under the terms of the agreements related to the loan, the source of less than five percent of the maximum principal amount under the loan, then the aggregate notional amount of all swaps entered by the insured depository institution with the customer in connection with the financial terms of the loan cannot exceed the principal amount of the insured depository institution’s loan;
(5) The swap is considered to have been entered into in connection with originating a loan with a customer if the insured depository institution:
(i) Directly transfers the loan amount to the customer;
(ii) Is a part of a syndicate of lenders that is the source of the loan amount that is transferred to the customer;
(iii) Purchases or receives a participation in the loan; or
(iv) Under the terms of the agreements related to the loan, is, or is intended to be, the source of funds for the loan; and
(6) The loan to which the swap relates shall not include:
(i) Any transaction that is a sham, whether or not intended to qualify for the exception from the de minimis threshold in this definition; or
(ii) Any synthetic loan.
(ii) [Reserved]
(iii) Registration period for persons that can no longer take advantage of the exception. A person that has not registered as a swap dealer by virtue of satisfying the requirements of this paragraph (4) of the definition of swap dealer, but that no longer can take advantage of that de minimis exception, will be deemed not to be a swap dealer until the earlier of the date on which it submits a complete application for registration pursuant to section 4s(b) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6s(b), or two months after the end of the month in which that person becomes no longer able to take advantage of the exception.
(iv) Applicability to registered swap dealers. A person who currently is registered as a swap dealer may apply to withdraw that registration, while continuing to engage in swap dealing activity in reliance on this section, so long as that person has been registered as a swap dealer for at least 12 months and satisfies the conditions of paragraph (4)(i) of this definition.
(v) Future adjustments to scope of the de minimis exception. The Commission may by rule or regulation change the requirements of the de minimis exception described in paragraphs (4)(i) through (iv) of this definition.
(vi) Voluntary registration. Notwithstanding paragraph (4)(i) of this definition, a person that chooses to register with the Commission as a swap dealer shall be deemed to be a swap dealer.
(5) Insured depository institution swaps in connection with originating loans to customers. Swaps entered into by an insured depository institution with a customer in connection with originating a loan with that customer shall not be considered in determining whether the insured depository institution is a swap dealer.
(i) An insured depository institution shall be considered to have entered into a swap with a customer in connection with originating a loan, as defined in paragraphs (5)(ii) and (iii) of this definition, with that customer only if:
(A) The insured depository institution enters into the swap with the customer no earlier than 90 days before and no later than 180 days after the date of execution of the applicable loan agreement, or no earlier than 90 days before and no later than 180 days after any transfer of principal to the customer by the insured depository institution pursuant to the loan;
(B)(1) The rate, asset, liability or other notional item underlying such swap is, or is directly related to, a financial term of such loan, which includes, without limitation, the loan’s duration, rate of interest, the currency or currencies in which it is made and its principal amount;
(2) Such swap is required, as a condition of the loan under the insured depository institution’s loan underwriting criteria, to be in place in order to hedge price risks incidental to the borrower’s business and arising from potential changes in the price of a commodity (other than an excluded commodity);
(C) The duration of the swap does not extend beyond termination of the loan;
(D) The insured depository institution is:
(1) The sole source of funds to the customer under the loan;
(2) Committed to be, under the terms of the agreements related to the loan, the source of at least 10 percent of the maximum principal amount under the loan; or
(3) Committed to be, under the terms of the agreements related to the loan, the source of a principal amount that is greater than or equal to the aggregate notional amount of all swaps entered into by the insured depository institution with the customer in connection with the financial terms of the loan;
(E) The aggregate notional amount of all swaps entered into by the customer in connection with the financial terms of the loan is, at any time, not more than the aggregate principal amount outstanding under the loan at that time; and
(F) If the swap is not accepted for clearing by a derivatives clearing organization, the insured depository institution reports the swap as required by section 4r of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6r (except as otherwise provided in section 4r(a)(3)(A), 7 U.S.C. 6r(a)(3)(A), or section 4r(a)(3)(B), 7 U.S.C. 6r(a)(3)(B) of the Act).
(ii) An insured depository institution shall be considered to have originated a loan with a customer if the insured depository institution:
(A) Directly transfers the loan amount to the customer;
(B) Is a part of a syndicate of lenders that is the source of the loan amount that is transferred to the customer;
(C) Purchases or receives a participation in the loan; or
(D) Otherwise is the source of funds that are transferred to the customer pursuant to the loan or any refinancing of the loan.
(iii) The term loan shall not include:
(A) Any transaction that is a sham, whether or not intended to qualify for the exclusion from the definition of the term swap dealer in this rule; or
(B) Any synthetic loan, including, without limitation, a loan credit default swap or loan total return swap.
(6) Swaps that are not considered in determining whether a person is a swap dealer—(i) Inter-affiliate activities. In determining whether a person is a swap dealer, that person’s swaps with majority-owned affiliates shall not be considered. For these purposes the counterparties to a swap are majority-owned affiliates if one counterparty directly or indirectly owns a majority interest in the other, or if a third party directly or indirectly owns a majority interest in both counterparties to the swap, where majority interest is the right to vote or direct the vote of a majority of a class of voting securities of an entity, the power to sell or direct the sale of a majority of a class of voting securities of an entity, or the right to receive upon dissolution or the contribution of a majority of the capital of a partnership.
(ii) Activities of a cooperative. (A) Any swap that is entered into by a cooperative with a member of such cooperative shall not be considered in determining whether the cooperative is a swap dealer, provided that:
(1) The swap is subject to policies and procedures of the cooperative requiring that the cooperative monitors and manages the risk of such swap;
(2) The cooperative reports the swap as required by section 4r of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6r (except as otherwise provided in section 4r(a)(3)(A) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6r(a)(3)(A) or section 4r(a)(3)(B) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 6r(a)(3)(B)); and
(3) If the cooperative is a cooperative association of producers, the swap is primarily based on a commodity that is not an excluded commodity.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph (6)(ii) of this definition, the term cooperative shall mean:
(1) A cooperative association of producers as defined in section 1a(14) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 1a(14), or
(2) A person chartered under Federal law as a cooperative and predominantly engaged in activities that are financial in nature as defined in section 4(k) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, 12 U.S.C. 1843(k).
(C) For purposes of this paragraph (6)(ii) of this definition, a swap shall be deemed to be entered into by a cooperative association of producers with a member of such cooperative association of producers when the swap is between a cooperative association of producers and a person that is a member of a cooperative association of producers that is itself a member of the first cooperative association of producers.
(iii) Swaps entered into for the purpose of hedging physical positions. In determining whether a person is a swap dealer, a swap that the person enters into shall not be considered, if:
(A) The person enters into the swap for the purpose of offsetting or mitigating the person’s price risks that arise from the potential change in the value of one or several—
(1) Assets that the person owns, produces, manufactures, processes, or merchandises or anticipates owning, producing, manufacturing, processing, or merchandising;
(2) Liabilities that the person owns or anticipates incurring; or
(3) Services that the person provides, purchases, or anticipates providing or purchasing;
(B) The swap represents a substitute for transactions made or to be made or positions taken or to be taken by the person at a later time in a physical marketing channel;
(C) The swap is economically appropriate to the reduction of the person’s risks in the conduct and management of a commercial enterprise;
(D) The swap is entered into in accordance with sound commercial practices; and
(E) The person does not enter into the swap in connection with activity structured to evade designation as a swap dealer.
(iv) Swaps entered into by floor traders. In determining whether a person is a swap dealer, each swap that the person enters into in its capacity as a floor trader as defined by section 1a(23) of the Act or on or subject to the rules of a swap execution facility shall not be considered for the purpose of determining whether the person is a swap dealer if the person:
(A) Is registered with the Commission as a floor trader pursuant to § 3.11 of this chapter;
(B) Enters into swaps with proprietary funds for that trader’s own account solely on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or swap execution facility and submits each such swap for clearing to a derivatives clearing organization;
(C) Is not an affiliated person of a registered swap dealer;
(D) Does not directly, or through an affiliated person, negotiate the terms of swap agreements, other than price and quantity or to participate in a request for quote process subject to the rules of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility;
(E) Does not directly or through an affiliated person offer or provide swap clearing services to third parties;
(F) Does not directly or through an affiliated person enter into swaps that would qualify as hedging physical positions pursuant to paragraph (6)(iii) of this definition or hedging or mitigating commercial risk as defined in § 1.3 (except for any such swap executed opposite a counterparty for which the transaction would qualify as a bona fide hedging transaction);
(G) Does not participate in any market making program offered by a designated contract market or swap execution facility; and
(H) Notwithstanding the fact such person is not registered as a swap dealer, such person complies with §§ 23.201, 23.202, 23.203, and 23.600 of this chapter with respect to each such swap as if it were a swap dealer.
Swap execution facility. This term means a trading system or platform in which multiple participants have the ability to execute or trade swaps by accepting bids and offers made by multiple participants in the facility or system, through any means of interstate commerce, including any trading facility, that—
(1) Facilitates the execution of swaps between persons; and
(2) Is not a designated contract market.
Trading facility. This term has the meaning set forth in section 1a(51) of the Act.
Variation margin. This term means a payment made by a party to a futures, option, or swap to cover the current exposure arising from changes in the market value of the position since the trade was executed or the previous time the position was marked to market.
§ 1.4 Electronic signatures, acknowledgments and verifications.
For purposes of complying with any provision in the Commodity Exchange Act or the rules or regulations in this Chapter I that requires a swap transaction to be acknowledged by a swap dealer or major swap participant or a document to be signed or verified by a customer of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker, a retail forex customer of a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant, a pool participant or a client of a commodity trading advisor, or a counterparty of a swap dealer or major swap participant, an electronic signature executed by the customer, retail forex customer, participant, client, counterparty, swap dealer, or major swap participant will be sufficient, if the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, swap dealer, or major swap participant elects generally to accept electronic signatures, acknowledgments or verifications or another Commission rule permits the use of electronic signatures for the purposes listed above; Provided, however, That the electronic signature must comply with applicable Federal laws and other Commission rules; And, Provided further, That the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, swap dealer, or major swap participant must adopt and use reasonable safeguards regarding the use of electronic signatures, including at a minimum safeguards employed to prevent alteration of the electronic record with which the electronic signature is associated, after such record has been electronically signed.
§ 1.6 Anti-evasion.
(a) It shall be unlawful to conduct activities outside the United States, including entering into agreements, contracts, and transactions and structuring entities, to willfully evade or attempt to evade any provision of the Commodity Exchange Act as enacted by Subtitle A of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 or the rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission promulgated thereunder (Subtitle A).
(b) The form, label, and written documentation of an agreement, contract, or transaction, or an entity, shall not be dispositive in determining whether the agreement, contract, or transaction, or entity, has been entered into or structured to willfully evade as provided in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) An activity conducted outside the United States to evade as provided in paragraph (a) of this section shall be subject to the provisions of Subtitle A.
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no agreement, contract, or transaction structured as a security (including a security-based swap) under the securities laws (as defined in section 3(a)(47) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(47))) shall be deemed a swap pursuant to this section.
§ 1.7 Books and records requirements for security-based swap agreements.
(a) A person registered as a swap data repository under section 21 of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder:
(1) Shall not be required to keep and maintain additional books and records regarding security-based swap agreements other than the books and records regarding swaps required to be kept and maintained pursuant to section 21 of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; and
(2) Shall not be required to collect and maintain additional data regarding security-based swap agreements other than the data regarding swaps required to be collected and maintained by such persons pursuant to section 21 of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(b) A person shall not be required to keep and maintain additional books and records, including daily trading records, regarding security-based swap agreements other than the books and records regarding swaps required to be kept and maintained by such persons pursuant to section 4s of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder if such person is registered as:
(1) A swap dealer under section 4s(a)(1) of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
(2) A major swap participant under section 4s(a)(2) of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
(3) A security-based swap dealer under section 15F(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-10(a)(1)) and the rules and regulations thereunder; or
(4) a major security-based swap participant under section 15F(a)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-10(a)(2)) and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(c) The term security-based swap agreement has the meaning set forth in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
§ 1.8 Requests for interpretation of swaps, security-based swaps, and mixed swaps.
(a) In general. Any person may submit a request to the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to provide a joint interpretation of whether a particular agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof) is:
(1) A swap, as that term is defined in section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
(2) A security-based swap, as that term is defined in section 1a(42) of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; or
(3) A mixed swap, as that term is defined in section 1a(47)(D) of the Commodity Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(b) Request process. In making a request pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the requesting person must provide the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission with the following:
(1) All material information regarding the terms of the agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof);
(2) A statement of the economic characteristics and purpose of the agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof);
(3) The requesting person’s determination as to whether the agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof) should be characterized as a swap, a security-based swap, or both, (i.e., a mixed swap), including the basis for such determination; and
(4) Such other information as may be requested by the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(c) Request withdrawal. A person may withdraw a request made pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section at any time prior to the issuance of a joint interpretation or joint proposed rule by the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission in response to the request; provided, however, that notwithstanding such withdrawal, the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission may provide a joint interpretation of whether the agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof) is a swap, a security-based swap, or both (i.e., a mixed swap).
(d) Request by the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the absence of a request for a joint interpretation under paragraph (a) of this section:
(1) If the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission receives a proposal to list, trade, or clear an agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof) that raises questions as to the appropriate characterization of such agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof) as a swap, a security-based swap, or both (i.e., a mixed swap), the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission, as applicable, promptly shall notify the other of the agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof); and
(2) The Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission, or their Chairmen jointly, may submit a request for a joint interpretation as described in paragraph (a) of this section; such submission shall be made pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, and may be withdrawn pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section.
(e) Timeframe for joint interpretation. (1) If the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission determine to issue a joint interpretation as described in paragraph (a) of this section, such joint interpretation shall be issued within 120 days after receipt of a complete submission requesting a joint interpretation under paragraph (a) or (d) of this section.
(2) The Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission shall consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System prior to issuing any joint interpretation as described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(3) If the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission seek public comment with respect to a joint interpretation regarding an agreement, contract, or transaction (or class thereof), the 120-day period described in paragraph (e)(1) of this section shall be stayed during the pendency of the comment period, but shall recommence with the business day after the public comment period ends.
(4) Nothing in this section shall require the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue any joint interpretation.
(5) If the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission do not issue a joint interpretation within the time period described in paragraph (e)(1) or (e)(3) of this section, each of the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission shall publicly provide the reasons for not issuing such a joint interpretation within the applicable timeframes.
(f) Joint proposed rule. (1) Rather than issue a joint interpretation pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission may issue a joint proposed rule, in consultation with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, to further define one or more of the terms swap, security-based swap, or mixed swap.
(2) A joint proposed rule described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section shall be issued within the timeframe for issuing a joint interpretation set forth in paragraph (e) of this section.
§ 1.9 Regulation of mixed swaps.
(a) In general. The term mixed swap has the meaning set forth in section 1a(47)(D) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(b) Regulation of bilateral uncleared mixed swaps entered into by dually-registered dealers or major participants. A mixed swap that is neither executed on nor subject to the rules of a designated contract market, national securities exchange, swap execution facility, security-based swap execution facility, or foreign board of trade; that will not be submitted to a derivatives clearing organization or registered or exempt clearing agency to be cleared; and where at least one party is registered with the Commission as a swap dealer or major swap participant and also with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a security-based swap dealer or major security-based swap participant, shall be subject to:
(1) The following provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder:
(i) Examinations and information sharing: sections 4s(f) and 8 of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(ii) Enforcement: sections 2(a)(1)(B), 4(b), 4b, 4c, 4s(h)(1)(A), 4s(h)(4)(A), 6(c), 6(d), 6c, 6d, 9, 13(a), 13(b), and 23 of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(iii) Reporting to a swap data repository: section 4r of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(iv) Real-time reporting: section 2(a)(13) of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(v) Capital: section 4s(e) of the Commodity Exchange Act; and
(vi) Position Limits: section 4a of the Commodity Exchange Act; and
(2) The provisions of the Federal securities laws, as defined in section 3(a)(47) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(47)), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(c) Process for determining regulatory treatment for other mixed swaps—(1) In general. Any person who desires or intends to list, trade, or clear a mixed swap (or class thereof) that is not subject to paragraph (b) of this section may request the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a joint order permitting the requesting person (and any other person or persons that subsequently lists, trades, or clears that mixed swap) to comply, as to parallel provisions only, with specified parallel provisions of either the Commodity Exchange Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.), and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, specified parallel provisions), instead of being required to comply with parallel provisions of both the Commodity Exchange Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For purposes of this paragraph (c), parallel provisions means comparable provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that were added or amended by the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 with respect to swaps and security-based swaps, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(2) Request Process. A person submitting a request pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section must provide the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission with the following:
(i) All material information regarding the terms of the specified, or specified class of, mixed swap;
(ii) The economic characteristics and purpose of the specified, or specified class of, mixed swap;
(iii) The specified parallel provisions, and the reasons the person believes such specified parallel provisions would be appropriate for the mixed swap (or class thereof); and
(iv) An analysis of:
(A) The nature and purposes of the parallel provisions that are the subject of the request;
(B) The comparability of such parallel provisions;
(C) The extent of any conflicts or differences between such parallel provisions; and
(D) Such other information as may be requested by the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(3) Request withdrawal. A person may withdraw a request made pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section at any time prior to the issuance of a joint order under paragraph (c)(4) of this section by the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission in response to the request.
(4) Issuance of orders. In response to a request under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as necessary to carry out the purposes of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010, may issue a joint order, after notice and opportunity for comment, permitting the requesting person (and any other person or persons that subsequently lists, trades, or clears that mixed swap) to comply, as to parallel provisions only, with the specified parallel provisions (or another subset of the parallel provisions that are the subject of the request, as the Commissions determine is appropriate), instead of being required to comply with parallel provisions of both the Commodity Exchange Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In determining the contents of such joint order, the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission may consider, among other things:
(i) The nature and purposes of the parallel provisions that are the subject of the request;
(ii) The comparability of such parallel provisions; and
(iii) The extent of any conflicts or differences between such parallel provisions.
(5) Timeframe. (i) If the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission determine to issue a joint order as described in paragraph (c)(4) of this section, such joint order shall be issued within 120 days after receipt of a complete request for a joint order under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, which time period shall be stayed during the pendency of the public comment period provided for in paragraph (c)(4) of this section and shall recommence with the business day after the public comment period ends.
(ii) Nothing in this section shall require the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue any joint order.
(iii) If the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission do not issue a joint order within the time period described in paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section, each of the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission shall publicly provide the reasons for not issuing such a joint order within that timeframe.
Minimum Financial and Related Reporting Requirements
§ 1.10 Financial reports of futures commission merchants and introducing brokers.
(a) Application for registration. (1) Except as otherwise provided, a futures commission merchant or an applicant for registration as a futures commission merchant, in order to satisfy any requirement in this part that it file a Form 1-FR, must file a Form 1-FR-FCM, and any reference in this part to Form 1-FR with respect to a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor shall be deemed to be a reference to Form 1-FR-FCM. Except as otherwise provided, an introducing broker or an applicant for registration as an introducing broker, in order to satisfy any requirement in this part that it file a Form 1-FR, must file a Form 1-FR-IB, and any reference in this part to Form 1-FR with respect to an introducing broker or applicant therefor shall be deemed to be a reference to Form 1-FR-IB.
(2) (i) (A) Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(3) and (h) of this section, each person who files an application for registration as a futures commission merchant and who is not so registered at the time of such filing, must, concurrently with the filing of such application, file either:
(1) A Form 1-FR-FCM certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which such report is filed; or
(2) A Form 1-FR-FCM as of a date not more than 17 business days prior to the date on which such report is filed and a Form 1-FR-FCM certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than one year prior to the date on which such report is filed.
(B) Each such person must include with such financial report a statement describing the source of his current assets and representing that his capital has been contributed for the purpose of operating his business and will continue to be used for such purpose.
(ii) (A) Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(3) and (h) of this section, each person who files an application for registration as an introducing broker and who is not so registered at the time of such filing, must, concurrently with the filing of such application, file either:
(1) A Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which such report is filed;
(2) A Form 1-FR-IB as of a date not more than 17 business days prior to the date on which such report is filed and a Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than one year prior to the date on which such report is filed;
(3) A Form 1-FR-IB as of a date not more than 17 business days prior to the date on which such report is filed, Provided, however, that such applicant shall be subject to a review by the applicant’s designated self-regulatory organization within six months of registration; or
(4) A guarantee agreement.
(B) Each person filing in accordance with paragraphs (a)(2)(ii)(A) (1), (2) or (3) of this section must include with such financial report a statement describing the source of his current assets and representing that his capital has been contributed for the purpose of operating his business and will continue to be used for such purpose.
(3)(i) The provisions of paragraph (a)(2) of this section do not apply to any person succeeding to and continuing the business of another futures commission merchant. Each such person who files an application for registration as a futures commission merchant and who is not so registered in that capacity at the time of such filing must file a Form 1-FR-FCM as of the first month end following the date on which his registration is approved. Such report must be filed with the National Futures Association, the Commission and the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, not more than 17 business days after the date for which the report is made.
(ii) The provisions of paragraph (a)(2) of this section do not apply to any person succeeding to and continuing the business of another introducing broker.
(A) Each such person who succeeds to and continues the business of an introducing broker which was not operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement, or which was operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement and was also a securities broker or dealer at the time of succession, who files an application for registration as an introducing broker, and who is not so registered in that capacity at the time of such filing, must file with the National Futures Association either a guarantee agreement with his application for registration or a Form 1-FR-IB as of the first month end following the date on which his registration is approved. Such Form 1-FR-IB must be filed not more than 17 business days after the date for which the report is made.
(B) Each such person who succeeds to and continues the business of an introducing broker which was operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement and which was not also a securities broker or dealer at the time of succession, who files an application for registration as an introducing broker, and who is not so registered in that capacity at the time of such filing, must file with the National Futures Association either a guarantee agreement or a Form 1-FR-IB with his application for registration. If such person files a Form 1-FR-IB with his application for registration, such person must also file a Form 1-FR-IB, certified by an independent public accountant, as of a date no later than the end of the month registration is granted. The Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant must be filed with the National Futures Association not more than 45 days after the date for which the report is made.
(b) Filing of financial reports. (1)(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3) and (h) of this section, each person registered as a futures commission merchant must file a Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of business each month. Each Form 1-FR-FCM must be filed no later than 17 business days after the date for which the report is made.
(ii) In addition to the monthly financial reports required by paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section, each person registered as a futures commission merchant must file a Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of its fiscal year, which must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16, and must be filed no later than 60 days after the close of the futures commission merchant’s fiscal year: Provided, however, that a registrant which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer must file this report not later than the time permitted for filing an annual audit report under § 240.17a-5(d)(5) of this title.
(2)(i) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3) and (h) of this section, and except for an introducing broker operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement which is not also a securities broker or dealer, each person registered as an introducing broker must file a Form 1-FR-IB semiannually as of the middle and the close of each fiscal year. Each Form 1-FR-IB must be filed no later than 17 business days after the date for which the report is made.
(ii)(A) In addition to the financial reports required by paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, each person registered as an introducing broker must file a Form 1-FR-IB as of the close of its fiscal year which must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 no later than 90 days after the close of each introducing broker’s fiscal year: Provided, however, that a registrant which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer must file this report not later than the time permitted for filing an annual audit report under § 240.17a-5(d)(5) of this title.
(B) If an introducing broker has filed previously a Form 1-FR-IB, certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs (a)(2)(ii) or (j)(8) of this section and § 1.16 of this part, as of a date not more than one year prior to the close of such introducing broker’s fiscal year, it need not have certified by an independent public accountant the Form 1-FR-IB filed as of the introducing broker’s first fiscal year-end following the as of date of its initial certified Form 1-FR-IB. In such a case, the introducing broker’s Form 1-FR-IB filed as of the close of the second fiscal year-end following the as of date of its initial certified Form 1-FR-IB must cover the period of time between those two dates and must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 of this part.
(3) The provisions of paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section may be met by any person registered as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker who is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization and conforms to minimum financial standards and related reporting requirements set by such designated self-regulatory organization in its bylaws, rules, regulations, or resolutions and approved by the Commission pursuant to Section 4f(b) of the Act and § 1.52: Provided, however, That each such registrant shall promptly file with the Commission a true and exact copy of each financial report which it files with such designated self-regulatory organization.
(4) Upon receiving written notice from any representative of the National Futures Association, the Commission or any self-regulatory organization of which it is a member, an applicant or registrant, except an applicant for registration as an introducing broker which has filed concurrently with its application for registration a guarantee agreement and which is not also a securities broker or dealer, must, monthly or at such times as specified, furnish the National Futures Association, the Commission or the self-regulatory organization requesting such information a Form 1-FR or such other financial information as requested by the National Futures Association, the Commission or the self-regulatory organization. Each such Form 1-FR or such other information must be furnished within the time period specified in the written notice, and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section.
(5) Each futures commission merchant must file with the Commission the measure of the future commission merchant’s leverage as of the close of the business each month. For purpose of this section, the term “leverage” shall be defined by a registered futures association of which the futures commission merchant is a member. The futures commission merchant is required to file the leverage information with the Commission within 17 business days of the close of the futures commission merchant’s month end.
(c) Where to file reports. (1) Form 1-FR filed by an introducing broker pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section need be filed only with, and will be considered filed when received by, the National Futures Association. Other reports or information provided for in this section will be considered filed when received by the Regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the registrant’s principal place of business is located (as set forth in § 140.02 of this chapter) and by the designated self-regulatory organization, if any; and reports or other information required to be filed by this section by an applicant for registration will be considered filed when received by the National Futures Association. Any report or information filed with the National Futures Association pursuant to this paragraph shall be deemed for all purposes to be filed with, and to be the official record of, the Commission.
(2)(i) All filings or other notices prepared by a futures commission merchant pursuant to this section must be submitted to the Commission in electronic form using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission, if the futures commission merchant or a designated self-regulatory organization has provided the Commission with the means necessary to read and to process the information contained in such report. A Form 1-FR required to be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 which is filed by a futures commission merchant must be filed electronically.
(ii) Except as provided in paragraph (h) of this section, all filings or other notices or applications prepared by an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker or futures commission merchant pursuant to this section must be filed electronically in accordance with electronic filing procedures established by the National Futures Association. In the case of a Form 1-FR-IB that is required to be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16, a paper copy of any such filing with the original manually signed certification must be maintained by the introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker in accordance with § 1.31.
(3) Any information required of a registrant by a self-regulatory organization pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) of this section need be furnished only to such self-regulatory organization and the Commission, and any information required of an applicant by the National Futures Association pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) of this section need be furnished only to the National Futures Association and the Commission.
(4) Any guarantee agreement entered into between a futures commission merchant and an introducing broker in accordance with the provisions of this section need be filed only with, and will be considered filed when received by, the National Futures Association.
(d) Contents of financial reports. (1) Each Form 1-FR filed pursuant to this § 1.10 which is not required to be certified by an independent public accountant must be completed in accordance with the instructions to the form and contain:
(i) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(ii) Statements of income (loss) and a statement of changes in ownership equity for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(iii) A statement of changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(iv) A statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 1.17 as of the date for which the report is made;
(v) For a futures commission merchant only, the statements of segregation requirements and funds in segregation for customers trading on U.S. commodity exchanges and for customers’ dealer options accounts, the statement of secured amounts and funds held in separate accounts for 30.7 customers (as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter) in accordance with § 30.7 of this chapter, and the statement of cleared swaps customer segregation requirements and funds in cleared swaps customer accounts under section 4d(f) of the Act as of the date for which the report is made; and
(vi) In addition to the information expressly required, such futher material information as may be necessary to make the required statements and schedules not misleading.
(2) Each Form 1-FR filed pursuant to this § 1.10 which is required to be certified by an independent public accountant must be completed in accordance with the instructions to the form and contain:
(i) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(ii) Statements of income (loss), cash flows, changes in ownership equity, and changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors, for the period between the date of the most recent certified statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made: Provided, That for an applicant filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section the period must be the year ending as of the date of the statement of financial condition;
(iii) A statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 1.17 as of the date for which the report is made;
(iv) For a futures commission merchant only, the statements of segregation requirements and funds in segregation for customers trading on U.S. commodity exchanges and for customers’ dealer options accounts, the statement of secured amounts and funds held in separate accounts for 30.7 customers (as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter) in accordance with § 30.7 of the chapter, and the statement of cleared swaps customers segregation requirements and funds in cleared swaps customer accounts under section 4d(f) of the Act as of the date for which the report is made;
(v) Appropriate footnote disclosures;
(vi) A reconciliation, including appropriate explanations, of the statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 1.17 and, for a futures commission merchant only, the statements of segregation requirements and funds in segregation for customers trading on U.S. commodity exchanges and for customers’ dealer option accounts, the statement of secured amounts and funds held in separate accounts for 30.7 customers (as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter) in accordance with § 30.7 of this chapter, and the statement of cleared swaps customer segregation requirements and funds in cleared swaps customer accounts under section 4d(f) of the Act, in the certified Form 1-FR with the applicant’s or registrant’s corresponding uncertified most recent Form 1-FR filing when material differences exist or, if no material differences exist, a statement so indicating; and
(vii) In addition to the information expressly required, such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading.
(3) The statements required by paragraphs (d)(2)(i) and (d)(2)(ii) of this section may be presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the certified reports filed as of the close of the registrant’s fiscal year pursuant to paragraphs (b)(1)(ii) or (b)(2)(ii) of this section or accompanying the application for registration pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section, rather than in the format specifically prescribed by these regulations: Provided, the statement of financial condition is presented in a format as consistent as possible with the Form 1-FR and a reconciliation is provided reconciling such statement of financial condition to the statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 1.17. Such reconciliation must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16.
(4) Attached to each Form 1-FR filed pursuant to this section must be an oath or affirmation that to the best knowledge and belief of the individual making such oath or affirmation the information contained in the Form 1-FR is true and correct. The individual making such oath or affirmation must be:
(i) If the registrant or applicant is a sole proprietorship, the proprietor; if a partnership, any general partner; if a corporation, the chief executive officer or chief financial officer; and, if a limited liability company or limited liability partnership, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the manager, the managing member, or those members vested with the management authority for the limited liability company or limited liability partnership; or
(ii) If the registrant or applicant is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer, the representative authorized under § 240.17a-5 of this title to file for the securities broker or dealer its Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, part II, part IIA, or part II CSE.
(iii) In the case of a Form 1-FR filed via electronic transmission in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, such transmission must be accompanied by the user authentication assigned to the authorized signer under such procedures, and the use of such user authentication will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer for the purpose of making the oath or affirmation referred to in this paragraph.
(e) Election of fiscal year. (1) An applicant wishing to establish a fiscal year other than the calendar year may do so by notifying the National Futures Association of its election of such fiscal year, in writing, concurrently with the filing of the Form 1-FR pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section, but in no event may such fiscal year end more than one year from the date of the Form 1-FR filed pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section. An applicant that does not so notify the National Futures Association will be deemed to have elected the calendar year as its fiscal year.
(2) (i) A registrant must continue to use its elected fiscal year, calendar or otherwise, unless a change in such fiscal year has been approved pursuant to this paragraph (e)(2).
(ii) Futures commission merchant registrants. (A) A futures commission merchant may file with its designated self-regulatory organization an application to change its fiscal year, a copy of which the registrant must file with the Commission. The application shall be approved or denied in writing by the designated self-regulatory organization. The registrant must file immediately with the Commission a copy of any notice it receives from the designated self-regulatory organization to approve or deny the registrant’s application to change its fiscal year. A written notice of approval shall become effective upon the filing by the registrant of a copy with the Commission, and a written notice of denial shall be effective as of the date of the notice.
(B) A futures commission merchant that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may file with its designated self-regulatory organization copies of any notice or application filed with its designated examining authority, pursuant to § 240.17a-5(d)(1)(i) of this title, for a change in fiscal year or “as of” date for its annual audited financial statement. The registrant must also file immediately with the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission copies of any notice it receives from its designated examining authority to approve or deny the registrant’s request for change in fiscal year or “as of” date. Upon the receipt by the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission of copies of any such notice of approval, the change in fiscal year or “as of” date referenced in the notice shall be deemed approved under this paragraph (e)(2).
(C) Any copy that under this paragraph (e)(2) is required to be filed with the Commission shall be filed with the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the registrant’s principal place of business is located, and any copy or application to be filed with the designated self-regulatory organization shall be filed at its principal place of business.
(iii) Introducing broker registrants. (A) An introducing broker may file with the National Futures Association an application to change its fiscal year, which shall be approved or denied in writing.
(B) An introducing broker that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may file with the National Futures Association copies of any notice or application filed with its designated examining authority, pursuant to § 240.17a-5(d)(1)(i) of this title, for a change in fiscal year or “as of” date for its annual audited financial statement. The registrant must also file immediately with the National Futures Association copies of any notice it receives from its designated examining authority to approve or deny the registrant’s request for change in fiscal year or “as of” date. Upon the receipt by the National Futures Association of copies of any such notice of approval, the change in fiscal year or “as of” date referenced in the notice shall be deemed approved under this paragraph (e)(2).
(f) Extension of time for filing uncertified reports. (1) In the event a registrant finds that it cannot file its Form 1-FR, or, in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section, its Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Part II, Part IIA, or Part IIC (FOCUS report), for any period within the time specified in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) or (b)(2)(i) of this section without substantial undue hardship, it may request approval for an extension of time, as follows:
(i) Futures commission merchant registrants. (A) A futures commission merchant may file with its designated self-regulatory organization an application for extension of time, a copy of which the registrant must file with the Commission. The application shall be approved or denied in writing by the designated self-regulatory organization. The registrant must file immediately with the Commission a copy of any notice it receives from the designated self-regulatory organization to approve or deny the registrant’s request for extension of time. A written notice of approval shall become effective upon the filing by the registrant of a copy with the Commission, and a written notice of denial shall be effective as of the date of the notice.
(B) A futures commission merchant that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may file with its designated self-regulatory organization a copy of any application that the registrant has filed with its designated examining authority, pursuant to § 240.17-a5(l)(5) of this title, for an extension of time to file its FOCUS report. The registrant must also file immediately with the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission copies of any notice it receives from its designated examining authority to approve or deny the requested extension of time. Upon receipt by the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission of copies of any such notice of approval, the requested extension of time referenced in the notice shall be deemed approved under this paragraph (f)(1).
(C) Any copy that under this subparagraph (f)(1)(i) is required to be filed with the Commission shall be filed with the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the registrant’s principal place of business is located.
(ii) Introducing broker registrants. (A) An introducing broker may file with the National Futures Association an application for extension of the time, which shall be approved or denied in writing.
(B) An introducing broker that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may file with the National Futures Association copies of any application that the registrant has filed with its designated examining authority, pursuant to § 240.17-a5(l)(5) of this title, for an extension of time to file its FOCUS report. The registrant must also file immediately with the National Futures Association copies of any notice it receives from its designated examining authority to approve or deny the requested extension of time. Upon the receipt by the National Futures Association of a copy of any such notice of approval, the requested extension of time referenced in the notice shall be deemed approved under this paragraph (f)(1)(ii).
(2) In the event an applicant finds that it cannot file its report for any period within the time specified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section without substantial undue hardship, it may file with the National Futures Association an application for an extension of time to a specified date which may not be more than 90 days after the date as of which the financial statements were to have been filed. The application must state the reasons for the requested extension and must contain an agreement to file the report on or before the specified date. The application must be received by the National Futures Association before the time specified in paragraph (b)(4) of this section for filing the report. Notice of such application must be filed with the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the applicant’s principal place of business is located concurrently with the filing of such application with the National Futures Association. Within ten calendar days after receipt of the application for an extension of time, the National Futures Association shall:
(i) Notify the applicant of the grant or denial of the requested extension; or
(ii) Indicate to the applicant that additional time is required to analyze the request, in which case the amount of time needed will be specified.
(g) Public availability of reports. (1) Forms 1-FR filed pursuant to this section, and FOCUS reports filed in lieu of Forms 1-FR pursuant to paragraph (h) of this section, will be treated as exempt from mandatory public disclosure for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act and parts 145 and 147 of this chapter, except for the information described in paragraph (g)(2) of this section.
(2) The following information in Forms 1-FR, and the same or equivalent information in FOCUS reports filed in lieu of Forms 1-FR, will be publicly available:
(i) The amount of the applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital; the amount of its minimum net capital requirement under § 1.17 of this chapter; and the amount of its adjusted net capital in excess of its minimum net capital requirement; and
(ii) The following statements and footnote disclosures thereof: the Statement of Financial Condition in the certified annual financial reports of futures commission merchants and introducing brokers; the Statements (to be filed by a futures commission merchant only) of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for customers trading on U.S. commodity exchanges and for customers’ dealer options accounts, the Statement (to be filed by a futures commission merchant only) of Secured Amounts and Funds held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers (as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter) in accordance with § 30.7 of this chapter, and the Statement (to be filed by futures commission merchants only) of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts under section 4d(f) of the Act.
(3) [Reserved]
(4) All information that is exempt from mandatory public disclosure under paragraph (g)(1) of this section will, however, be available for official use by any official or employee of the United States or any State, by any self-regulatory organization of which the person filing such report is a member, by the National Futures Association in the case of an applicant, and by any other person to whom the Commission believes disclosure of such information is in the public interest. Nothing in this paragraph (g) will limit the authority of any self-regulatory organization to request or receive any information relative to its members’ financial condition.
(5) The independent accountant’s opinion and a guarantee agreement filed pursuant to this section will be deemed public information.
(h) Filing option available to a futures commission merchant or an introducing broker that is also a securities broker or dealer. Any applicant or registrant which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer, a security-based swap dealer, or a major security-based market participant may comply with the requirements of this section by filing (in accordance with paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (j) of this section) a copy, as applicable, of its Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Part II, Part IIA, Part IIC, or Part II CSE (FOCUS Report), in lieu of Form 1-FR; Provided, however, That all information which is required to be furnished on and submitted with Form 1-FR is provided with such FOCUS Report; and Provided, further, That a certified FOCUS Report filed by an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker in lieu of a certified Form 1-FR-IB must be filed according to National Futures Association rules, either in paper form or electronically, in accordance with procedures established by the National Futures Association, and if filed electronically, a paper copy of such filing with the original manually signed certification must be maintained by such introducing broker or applicant in accordance with § 1.31.
(i) Filing option available to an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker which is also a country elevator. Any introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker which is also a country elevator but which is not also a securities broker or dealer may comply with the requirements of this section by filing (in accordance with paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this section) a copy of a financial report prepared by a grain commission firm which has been authorized by the Deputy Vice President of the Commodity Credit Corporation of the United States Department of Agriculture to provide a compilation report of financial statements of warehousemen for purposes of Uniform Grain Storage Agreements, and which complies with the standards for independence set forth in § 1.16(b)(2) with respect to the registrant or applicant: Provided, however, That all information which is required to be furnished on and submitted with Form 1-FR is provided with such financial report, including a statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 1.17: And, provided further, That the balance sheet is presented in a format as consistent as possible with the Form 1-FR and a reconciliation is provided reconciling such balance sheet to the statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 1.17. Attached to each financial report filed pursuant to this paragraph (i) must be an oath or affirmation that to the best knowledge and belief of the individual making such oath or affirmation the information contained therein is true and correct. If the applicant or registrant is a sole proprietorship, then the oath or affirmation must be made by the proprietor; if a partnership, by a general partner; or if a corporation, by the chief executive officer or chief financial officer.
(j) Requirements for guarantee agreement. (1) A guarantee agreement filed pursuant to this section must be signed in a manner sufficient to be a binding guarantee under local law by an appropriate person on behalf of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer and the introducing broker, and each signature must be accompanied by evidence that the signatory is authorized to enter the agreement on behalf of the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker and is such an appropriate person. For purposes of this paragraph (j), an appropriate person shall be the proprietor, if the firm is a sole proprietorship; a general partner, if the firm is a partnership; and either the chief executive officer or the chief financial officer, if the firm is a corporation; and, if the firm is a limited liability company or limited liability partnership, either the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the manager, the managing member, or those members vested with the management authority for the limited liability company or limited liability partnership.
(2) No futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer may enter into a guarantee agreement if:
(i) It knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital is less than the amount set forth in § 1.12(b) of this part or § 5.6(b) of this chapter, as applicable; or
(ii) There is filed against the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer an adjudicatory proceeding brought by or before the Commission pursuant to the provisions of sections 6(c), 6(d), 6c, 6d, 8a or 9 of the Act or § 3.55, 3.56 or 3.60 of this chapter.
(3) A retail foreign exchange dealer may enter into a guarantee agreement only with an introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this chapter. A retail foreign exchange dealer may not enter into a guarantee agreement with an introducing broker as defined in § 1.3 of this part.
(4) A guarantee agreement filed in connection with an application for initial registration as an introducing broker in accordance with the provisions of § 3.10(a) of this chapter shall become effective upon the granting of registration or, if appropriate, a temporary license, to the introducing broker. A guarantee agreement filed other than in connection with an application for initial registration as an introducing broker shall become effective as of the date agreed to by the parties.
(5)(i) If the registration of the introducing broker is suspended, revoked, or withdrawn in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, the guarantee agreement shall expire as of the date of such suspension, revocation or withdrawal.
(ii) If the registration of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer is suspended or revoked, the guarantee agreement shall expire 30 days after such suspension or revocation, or at such earlier time as may be approved by the Commission, the introducing broker, and the introducing broker’s designated self-regulatory organization.
(6) A guarantee agreement may be terminated at any time during the term thereof:
(i) By mutual written consent of the parties, signed by an appropriate person on behalf of each party, with prompt written notice thereof, signed by an appropriate person on behalf of each party, to the Commission and to the designated self-regulatory organizations of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer and the introducing broker;
(ii) For good cause shown, by either party giving written notice of its intention to terminate the agreement, signed by an appropriate person, to the other party to the agreement, to the Commission, and to the designated self-regulatory organizations of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer and the introducing broker; or
(iii) By either party giving written notice of its intention to terminate the agreement, signed by an appropriate person, at least 30 days prior to the proposed termination date, to the other party to the agreement, to the Commission, and to the designated self-regulatory organizations of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer and the introducing broker.
(7) The termination of a guarantee agreement by a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or an introducing broker, or the expiration of such an agreement, shall not relieve any party from any liability or obligation arising from acts or omissions which occurred during the term of the agreement.
(8) An introducing broker may not simultaneously be a party to more than one guarantee agreement: Provided, however, That the provisions of this paragraph (j)(8) shall not be deemed to preclude an introducing broker from entering into a guarantee agreement with another futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer if the introducing broker, futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer which is a party to the existing agreement has provided notice of termination of the existing agreement in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (j)(6) of this section, and the new guarantee agreement does not become effective until the day following the date of termination of the existing agreement: And, provided further, That the provisions of this paragraph (j)(8) shall not be deemed to preclude an introducing broker from entering into a guarantee agreement with another futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer if the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer which is a party to the existing agreement ceases to remain registered and the existing agreement would therefore expire in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (j)(6)(ii) of this section.
(9)(i)(A) An introducing broker that is a party to a guarantee agreement that has been terminated in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (j)(6) of this section, or that is due to expire in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (j)(5)(ii) of this section, must cease doing business as an introducing broker on or before the effective date of such termination or expiration unless, on or before 10 days prior to the effective date of such termination or expiration or such other period of time as the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization may allow for good cause shown, the introducing broker files with its designated self-regulatory organization either a new guarantee agreement effective as of the day following the date of termination of the existing agreement, or, in the case of a guarantee agreement that is due to expire in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (j)(4)(ii) of this section, a new guarantee agreement effective on or before such expiration, or either:
(1) A Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which the report is filed; or
(2) A Form 1-FR-IB as of a date not more than 17 business days prior to the date on which the report is filed and a Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than one year prior to the date on which the report is filed: Provided, however, that an introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this chapter that is party to a guarantee agreement that has been terminated or that has expired must cease doing business as an introducing broker on or before the effective date of such termination or expiration unless, on or before 10 days prior to the effective date of such termination or expiration or such other period of time as the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization may allow for good cause shown, the introducing broker files with its designated self-regulatory organization a new guarantee agreement effective on or before the termination or expiration date of the terminating or expiring guarantee agreement.
(B) Each person filing a Form 1-FR-IB in accordance with this section must include with the financial report a statement describing the source of his current assets and representing that his capital has been contributed for the purpose of operating his business and will continue to be used for such purpose.
(ii)(A) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (j)(9)(i) of this section or of § 1.17(a), an introducing broker that is a party to a guarantee agreement that has been terminated in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (j)(6)(ii) of this section shall not be deemed to be in violation of the minimum adjusted net capital requirement of § 1.17(a)(1)(iii) or (a)(2) for 30 days following such termination. Such an introducing broker must cease doing business as an introducing broker on or after the effective date of such termination, and may not resume doing business as an introducing broker unless and until it files a new agreement or either:
(1) A Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which the report is filed; or
(2) A Form 1-FR-IB as of a date not more than 17 business days prior to the date on which the report is filed and a Form 1-FR-IB certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 as of a date not more than one year prior to the date on which the report is filed: Provided, however, that an introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this chapter that is party to a guarantee agreement that has been terminated must cease doing business as an introducing broker from and after the effective date of such termination, and may not resume doing business as an introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this chapter unless and until it files a new guarantee agreement.
(B) Each person filing a Form 1-FR-IB in accordance with this section must include with the financial report a statement describing the source of his current assets and representing that his capital has been contributed for the purpose of operating his business and will continue to be used for such purpose.
(k) Filing option available to an introducing broker. (1) Any introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker which is not operating or intending to operate pursuant to a guarantee agreement may comply with the requirements of this section by filing (in accordance with paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this section) a Form 1-FR-IB in lieu of a Form 1-FR-FCM.
(2) If an introducing broker or applicant therefor avails itself of the filing option available under paragraph (k)(1) of this section, the report required to be filed in accordance with § 1.16(c)(5) of this part must be filed as of the date of the Form 1-FR-IB being filed, and such an introducing broker or applicant therefor must maintain its financial records and make its monthly formal computation of its adjusted net capital, as required by § 1.18 of this part, in a manner consistent with Form 1-FR-IB.
§ 1.11 Risk Management Program for futures commission merchants.
(a) Applicability. Nothing in this section shall apply to a futures commission merchant that does not accept any money, securities, or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trades or contracts that result from soliciting or accepting orders for the purchase or sale of any commodity interest.
(b) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Business unit means any department, division, group, or personnel of a futures commission merchant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such that:
(i) Engages in soliciting or in accepting orders for the purchase or sale of any commodity interest and that, in or in connection with such solicitation or acceptance of orders, accepts any money, securities, or property (or extends credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trades or contracts that result or may result therefrom; or
(ii) Otherwise handles segregated funds, including managing, investing, and overseeing the custody of segregated funds, or any documentation in connection therewith, other than for risk management purposes; and
(iii) Any personnel exercising direct supervisory authority of the performance of the activities described in paragraph (b)(1)(i) or (ii) of this section.
(2) Customer means a futures customer as defined in § 1.3, Cleared Swaps Customer as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter, and 30.7 customer as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter.
(3) Governing body means the proprietor, if the futures commission merchant is a sole proprietorship; a general partner, if the futures commission merchant is a partnership; the board of directors if the futures commission merchant is a corporation; the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the manager, the managing member, or those members vested with the management authority if the futures commission merchant is a limited liability company or limited liability partnership.
(4) Segregated funds means money, securities, or other property held by a futures commission merchant in separate accounts pursuant to § 1.20 for futures customers, pursuant to § 22.2 of this chapter for Cleared Swaps Customers, and pursuant to § 30.7 of this chapter for 30.7 customers.
(5) Senior management means, any officer or officers specifically granted the authority and responsibility to fulfill the requirements of senior management by the governing body.
(c) Risk Management Program. (1) Each futures commission merchant shall establish, maintain, and enforce a system of risk management policies and procedures designed to monitor and manage the risks associated with the activities of the futures commission merchant as such. For purposes of this section, such policies and procedures shall be referred to collectively as a “Risk Management Program.”
(2) Each futures commission merchant shall maintain written policies and procedures that describe the Risk Management Program of the futures commission merchant.
(3) The Risk Management Program and the written risk management policies and procedures, and any material changes thereto, shall be approved in writing by the governing body of the futures commission merchant.
(4) Each futures commission merchant shall furnish a copy of its written risk management policies and procedures to the Commission and its designated self-regulatory organization upon application for registration and thereafter upon request.
(d) Risk management unit. As part of the Risk Management Program, each futures commission merchant shall establish and maintain a risk management unit with sufficient authority; qualified personnel; and financial, operational, and other resources to carry out the risk management program established pursuant to this section. The risk management unit shall report directly to senior management and shall be independent from the business unit.
(e) Elements of the Risk Management Program. The Risk Management Program of each futures commission merchant shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(1) Identification of risks and risk tolerance limits. (i) The Risk Management Program shall take into account market, credit, liquidity, foreign currency, legal, operational, settlement, segregation, technological, capital, and any other applicable risks together with a description of the risk tolerance limits set by the futures commission merchant and the underlying methodology in the written policies and procedures. The risk tolerance limits shall be reviewed and approved quarterly by senior management and annually by the governing body. Exceptions to risk tolerance limits shall be subject to written policies and procedures.
(ii) The Risk Management Program shall take into account risks posed by affiliates, all lines of business of the futures commission merchant, and all other trading activity engaged in by the futures commission merchant. The Risk Management Program shall be integrated into risk management at the consolidated entity level.
(iii) The Risk Management Program shall include policies and procedures for detecting breaches of risk tolerance limits set by the futures commission merchant, and alerting supervisors within the risk management unit and senior management, as appropriate.
(2) Periodic Risk Exposure Reports. (i) The risk management unit of each futures commission merchant shall provide to senior management and to its governing body quarterly written reports setting forth all applicable risk exposures of the futures commission merchant; any recommended or completed changes to the Risk Management Program; the recommended time frame for implementing recommended changes; and the status of any incomplete implementation of previously recommended changes to the Risk Management Program. For purposes of this section, such reports shall be referred to as “Risk Exposure Reports.” The Risk Exposure Reports also shall be provided to the senior management and the governing body immediately upon detection of any material change in the risk exposure of the futures commission merchant.
(ii) Furnishing to the Commission. Each futures commission merchant shall furnish copies of its Risk Exposure Reports to the Commission within five (5) business days of providing such reports to its senior management.
(3) Specific risk management considerations. The Risk Management Program of each futures commission merchant shall include, but not be limited to, policies and procedures necessary to monitor and manage the following risks:
(i) Segregation risk. The written policies and procedures shall be reasonably designed to ensure that segregated funds are separately accounted for and segregated or secured as belonging to customers as required by the Act and Commission regulations and must, at a minimum, include or address the following:
(A) A process for the evaluation of depositories of segregated funds, including, at a minimum, documented criteria that any depository that will hold segregated funds, including an entity affiliated with the futures commission merchant, must meet, including criteria addressing the depository’s capitalization, creditworthiness, operational reliability, and access to liquidity. The criteria should further consider the extent to which segregated funds are concentrated with any depository or group of depositories. The criteria also should include the availability of deposit insurance and the extent of the regulation and supervision of the depository;
(B) A program to monitor an approved depository on an ongoing basis to assess its continued satisfaction of the futures commission merchant’s established criteria, including a thorough due diligence review of each depository at least annually;
(C) An account opening process for depositories, including documented authorization requirements, procedures that ensure that segregated funds are not deposited with a depository prior to the futures commission merchant receiving the acknowledgment letter required from such depository pursuant to §§ 1.20, and 22.2 and 30.7 of this chapter, and procedures that ensure that such account is properly titled to reflect that it is holding segregated funds pursuant to the Act and Commission regulations;
(D) A process for establishing a targeted amount of residual interest that the futures commission merchant seeks to maintain as its residual interest in the segregated funds accounts and such process must be designed to reasonably ensure that the futures commission merchant maintains the targeted residual amounts and remains in compliance with the segregated funds requirements at all times. The policies and procedures must require that senior management, in establishing the total amount of the targeted residual interest in the segregated funds accounts, perform appropriate due diligence and consider various factors, as applicable, relating to the nature of the futures commission merchant’s business including, but not limited to, the composition of the futures commission merchant’s customer base, the general creditworthiness of the customer base, the general trading activity of the customers, the types of markets and products traded by the customers, the proprietary trading of the futures commission merchant, the general volatility and liquidity of the markets and products traded by customers, the futures commission merchant’s own liquidity and capital needs, and the historical trends in customer segregated fund balances, including undermargined amounts and net deficit balances in customers’ accounts. The analysis and calculation of the targeted amount of the future commission merchant’s residual interest must be described in writing with the specificity necessary to allow the Commission and the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization to duplicate the analysis and calculation and test the assumptions made by the futures commission merchant. The adequacy of the targeted residual interest and the process for establishing the targeted residual interest must be reassessed periodically by Senior Management and revised as necessary;
(E) A process for the withdrawal of cash, securities, or other property from accounts holding segregated funds, where the withdrawal is not for the purpose of payments to or on behalf of the futures commission merchant’s customers. Such policies and procedures must satisfy the requirements of § 1.23, § 22.17 of this chapter, or § 30.7 of this chapter, as applicable;
(F) A process for assessing the appropriateness of specific investments of segregated funds in permitted investments in accordance with § 1.25. Such policies and procedures must take into consideration the market, credit, counterparty, operational, and liquidity risks associated with such investments, and assess whether such investments comply with the requirements in § 1.25 including that the futures commission merchant manage the permitted investments consistent with the objectives of preserving principal and maintaining liquidity;
(G) Procedures requiring the appropriate separation of duties among individuals responsible for compliance with the Act and Commission regulations relating to the protection and financial reporting of segregated funds, including the separation of duties among personnel that are responsible for advising customers on trading activities, approving or overseeing cash receipts and disbursements (including investment operations), and recording and reporting financial transactions. The policies and procedures must require that any movement of funds to affiliated companies and parties are properly approved and documented;
(H) A process for the timely recording of all transactions, including transactions impacting customers’ accounts, in the firm’s books of record;
(I) A program for conducting annual training of all finance, treasury, operations, regulatory, compliance, settlement, and other relevant officers and employees regarding the segregation requirements for segregated funds required by the Act and regulations, the requirements for notices under § 1.12, procedures for reporting suspected breaches of the policies and procedures required by this section to the chief compliance officer, without fear of retaliation, and the consequences of failing to comply with the segregation requirements of the Act and regulations; and
(J) Policies and procedures for assessing the liquidity, marketability and mark-to-market valuation of all securities or other non-cash assets held as segregated funds, including permitted investments under § 1.25, to ensure that all non-cash assets held in the customer segregated accounts, both customer-owned securities and investments in accordance with § 1.25, are readily marketable and highly liquid. Such policies and procedures must require daily measurement of liquidity needs with respect to customers; assessment of procedures to liquidate all non-cash collateral in a timely manner and without significant effect on price; and application of appropriate collateral haircuts that accurately reflect market and credit risk.
(ii) Operational risk. The Risk Management Program shall include automated financial risk management controls reasonably designed to prevent the placing of erroneous orders, including those that exceed pre-set capital, credit, or volume thresholds. The Risk Management Program shall ensure that the use of automated trading programs is subject to policies and procedures governing the use, supervision, maintenance, testing, and inspection of such programs.
(iii) Capital risk. The written policies and procedures shall be reasonably designed to ensure that the futures commission merchant has sufficient capital to be in compliance with the Act and the regulations, and sufficient capital and liquidity to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of the futures commission merchant.
(4) Supervision of the Risk Management Program. The Risk Management Program shall include a supervisory system that is reasonably designed to ensure that the policies and procedures required by this section are diligently followed.
(f) Review and testing. (1) The Risk Management Program of each futures commission merchant shall be reviewed and tested on at least an annual basis, or upon any material change in the business of the futures commission merchant that is reasonably likely to alter the risk profile of the futures commission merchant.
(2) The annual reviews of the Risk Management Program shall include an analysis of adherence to, and the effectiveness of, the risk management policies and procedures, and any recommendations for modifications to the Risk Management Program. The annual testing shall be performed by qualified internal audit staff that are independent of the business unit, or by a qualified third party audit service reporting to staff that are independent of the business unit. The results of the annual review of the Risk Management Program shall be promptly reported to and reviewed by the chief compliance officer, senior management, and governing body of the futures commission merchant.
(3) Each futures commission merchant shall document all internal and external reviews and testing of its Risk Management Program and written risk management policies and procedures including the date of the review or test; the results; any deficiencies identified; the corrective action taken; and the date that corrective action was taken. Such documentation shall be provided to Commission staff, upon request.
(g) Distribution of risk management policies and procedures. The Risk Management Program shall include procedures for the timely distribution of its written risk management policies and procedures to relevant supervisory personnel. Each futures commission merchant shall maintain records of the persons to whom the risk management policies and procedures were distributed and when they were distributed.
(h) Recordkeeping. (1) Each futures commission merchant shall maintain copies of all written approvals required by this section.
(2) All records or reports, including, but not limited to, the written policies and procedures and any changes thereto that a futures commission merchant is required to maintain pursuant to this regulation shall be maintained in accordance with § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission.
§ 1.12 Maintenance of minimum financial requirements by futures commission merchants and introducing brokers.
(a) Each person registered as a futures commission merchant or who files an application for registration as a futures commission merchant, and each person registered as an introducing broker or who files an application for registration as an introducing broker (except for an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker operating pursuant to, or who has filed concurrently with its application for registration, a guarantee agreement and who is not also a securities broker or dealer), who knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital at any time is less than the minimum required by § 1.17 or by the capital rule of any self-regulatory organization to which such person is subject, or the minimum net capital requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission if the applicant or registrant is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, must:
(1) Give notice, as set forth in paragraph (n) of this section that the applicant’s or registrant’s capital is below the applicable minimum requirement. Such notice must be given immediately after the applicant or registrant knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital or net capital, as applicable, is less than minimum required amount; and
(2) Provide together with such notice documentation, in such form as necessary, to adequately reflect the applicant’s or registrant’s capital condition as of any date on which such person’s adjusted net capital is less than the minimum required; Provided, however, that if the applicant or registrant cannot calculate or otherwise immediately determine its financial condition, it must provide the notice required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section and include in such notice a statement that the entity cannot presently calculate its financial condition. The applicant or registrant must provide similar documentation of its financial condition for other days as the Commission may request.
(b) Each person registered as a futures commission merchant, or who files an application for registration as a futures commission merchant, who knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital at any time is less than the greatest of:
(1) 150 percent of the minimum dollar amount required by § 1.17(a)(1)(i)(A);
(2) 110 percent of the amount required by § 1.17(a)(1)(i)(B);
(3) 150 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member, unless such amount has been determined by a margin-based capital computation set forth in the rules of the registered futures association, and such amount meets or exceeds the amount of adjusted net capital required under the margin-based capital computation set forth in § 1.17(a)(1)(i)(B), in which case the required percentage is 110 percent;
(4) For securities brokers or dealers, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 17a-11(b) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.17a-11(b)); or
(5) For security-based swap dealers or major security-based swap participants, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 18a-8(b) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.18a-8(b)), must file notice to that effect, as soon as possible and no later than twenty-four (24) hours of such event.
(c) If an applicant or registrant at any time fails to make or keep current the books and records required by these regulations, such applicant or registrant must, on the same day such event occurs, provide notice of such fact as specified in paragraph (n) of this section, specifying the books and records which have not been made or which are not current, and as soon as possible, but not later than forty-eight (48) hours after giving such notice, file a report as required by paragraph (n) of this section stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the situation.
(d) Whenever any applicant or registrant discovers or is notified by an independent public accountant, pursuant to § 1.16(e)(2), of the existence of any material inadequacy, as specified in § 1.16(d)(2), such applicant or registrant must give notice of such material inadequacy, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, as soon as possible but not later than twenty-four (24) hours of discovering or being notified of the material inadequacy. The applicant or registrant must file, in the manner provided for under paragraph (n) of this section, a report stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the material inadequacy within forty-eight (48) hours of filing its notice of the material inadequacy.
(e) Whenever any self-regulatory organization learns that a member registrant has failed to file a notice or report as required by this section, that self-regulatory organization must immediately report this failure by notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section.
(f)(1) [Reserved]
(2) Whenever a registered futures commission merchant determines that any position it carries for another registered futures commission merchant or for a registered leverage transaction merchant must be liquidated immediately, transferred immediately or that the trading of any account of such futures commission merchant or leverage transaction merchant shall be only for purposes of liquidation, because the other futures commission merchant or the leverage transaction merchant has failed to meet a call for margin or to make other required deposits, the carrying futures commission merchant must immediately give notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, of such a determination.
(3) Whenever a registered futures commission merchant determines that an account which it is carrying is undermargined by an amount which exceeds the futures commission merchant’s adjusted net capital determined in accordance with § 1.17, the futures commission merchant must immediately provide notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, of such a determination to the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission. This paragraph (f)(3) shall apply to any account carried by the futures commission merchant, whether a customer, noncustomer, omnibus or proprietary account. For purposes of this paragraph, if any person has an interest of 10 percent or more in ownership or equity in, or guarantees, more than one account, or has guaranteed an account in addition to its own account, all such accounts shall be combined.
(4) A futures commission merchant shall provide immediate notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, whenever any commodity interest account it carries is subject to a margin call, or call for other deposits required by the futures commission merchant, that exceeds the futures commission merchant’s excess adjusted net capital, determined in accordance with § 1.17, and such call has not been answered by the close of business on the day following the issuance of the call. This applies to all accounts carried by the futures commission merchant, whether customer, noncustomer, or omnibus, that are subject to margining, including commodity futures, cleared swaps, and options. In addition to actual margin deposits by an account owner, a futures commission merchant may also take account of favorable market moves in determining whether the margin call is required to be reported under this paragraph.
(5)(i) A futures commission merchant shall provide immediate notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, whenever its excess adjusted net capital is less than six percent of the maintenance margin required by the futures commission merchant on all positions held in accounts of a noncustomer other than a noncustomer who is subject to the minimum financial requirements of:
(A) A futures commission merchant, or
(B) The Securities and Exchange Commission for a securities broker or dealer.
(ii) For purposes of paragraph (f)(5)(i) of this section, maintenance margin shall include all deposits which the futures commission merchant requires the noncustomer to maintain in order to carry its positions at the futures commission merchant.
(g) A futures commission merchant shall provide notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, of a substantial reduction in capital as compared to that last reported in a financial report filed with the Commission pursuant to § 1.10. This notice shall be provided as follows:
(1) If any event or series of events, including any withdrawal, advance, loan or loss cause, on a net basis, a reduction in net capital (or, if the futures commission merchant is qualified to use the filing option available under § 1.10(h), tentative net capital as defined in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission) of 20 percent or more, notice must be provided as provided in paragraph (n) of this section within two business days of the event or series of events causing the reduction stating the reason for the reduction and steps the futures commission merchant will be taking to ensure an appropriate level of net capital is maintained by the futures commission merchant; and
(2) If equity capital of the futures commission merchant or a subsidiary or affiliate of the futures commission merchant consolidated pursuant to § 1.17(f) (or 17 CFR 240.15c3-1e) would be withdrawn by action of a stockholder or a partner or a limited liability company member or by redemption or repurchase of shares of stock by any of the consolidated entities or through the payment of dividends or any similar distribution, or an unsecured advance or loan would be made to a stockholder, partner, sole proprietor, limited liability company member, employee or affiliate, such that the withdrawal, advance or loan would cause, on a net basis, a reduction in excess adjusted net capital (or, if the futures commission merchant is qualified to use the filing option available under § 1.10(h), excess net capital as defined in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission) of 30 percent or more, notice must be provided as provided in paragraph (n) of this section at least two business days prior to the withdrawal, advance or loan that would cause the reduction: Provided, however, That the provisions of paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2) of this section do not apply to any futures or securities transaction in the ordinary course of business between a futures commission merchant and any affiliate where the futures commission merchant makes payment to or on behalf of such affiliate for such transaction and then receives payment from such affiliate for such transaction within two business days from the date of the transaction.
(3) Upon receipt of such notice from a futures commission merchant, or upon a reasonable belief that a substantial reduction in capital has occurred or will occur, the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the Director’s designee may require that the futures commission merchant provide or cause a Material Affiliated Person (as that term is defined in § 1.14(a)(2)) to provide, within three business days from the date of request or such shorter period as the Division Director or designee may specify, such other information as the Division Director or designee determines to be necessary based upon market conditions, reports provided by the futures commission merchant, or other available information.
(h) Whenever a person registered as a futures commission merchant knows or should know that the total amount of its funds on deposit in segregated accounts on behalf of customers trading on designated contract markets, or the amount of funds on deposit in segregated accounts for customers transacting in Cleared Swaps under part 22 of this chapter, or the total amount set aside on behalf of customers trading on non-United States markets under part 30 of this chapter, is less than the total amount of such funds required by the Act and the regulations to be on deposit in segregated or secured amount accounts on behalf of such customers, the registrant must report such deficiency immediately by notice to the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section.
(i) A futures commission merchant must provide immediate notice, as set forth in paragraph (n) of this section, whenever it discovers or is informed that it has invested funds held for futures customers trading on designated contract markets pursuant to § 1.20, Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter, or 30.7 customer funds, as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter, in instruments that are not permitted investments under § 1.25, or has otherwise violated the requirements governing the investment of funds belonging to customers under § 1.25.
(j) A futures commission merchant must provide immediate notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, whenever the futures commission merchant does not hold a sufficient amount of funds in segregated accounts for futures customers under § 1.20, in segregated accounts for Cleared Swaps Customers under part 22 of this chapter, or in secured amount accounts for customers trading on foreign markets under part 30 of this chapter to meet the futures commission merchant’s targeted residual interest in the segregated or secured amount accounts pursuant to its policies and procedures required under § 1.11, or whenever the futures commission merchant’s amount of residual interest is less than the sum of the undermargined amounts in its customer accounts as determined at the point in time that the firm is required to maintain the undermargined amounts under § 1.22, and §§ 22.2 and 30.7 of this chapter.
(k) A futures commission merchant must provide immediate notice, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, whenever the futures commission merchant, or the futures commission merchant’s parent or material affiliate, experiences a material adverse impact to its creditworthiness or ability to fund its obligations, including any change that could adversely impact the firm’s liquidity resources.
(l) A futures commission merchant must provide prompt notice, but in no event later than 24 hours, as provided in paragraph (n) of this section, whenever the futures commission merchant experiences a material change in its operations or risk profile, including a change in the senior management of the futures commission merchant, the establishment or termination of a line of business, or a material adverse change in the futures commission merchant’s clearing arrangements.
(m) A futures commission merchant must provide notice, if the futures commission merchant has been notified by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a securities self-regulatory organization, or a futures self-regulatory organization, that it is the subject of a formal investigation. A futures commission merchant must provide a copy of any examination report issued to the futures commission merchant by the Securities and Exchange Commission or a securities self-regulatory organization. A futures commission merchant must provide the Commission with notice of any correspondence received from the Securities and Exchange Commission or a securities self-regulatory organization that raises issues with the adequacy of the futures commission merchant’s capital position, liquidity to meet its obligations or otherwise operate its business, or internal controls. The notices and examination reports required by this section must be filed in a prompt manner, but in no event later than 24 hours of the reportable event, and must be filed in accordance with paragraph (n) of the section; Provided, however, that a futures commission merchant is not required to file a notice or copy of an examination report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a securities self-regulatory organization, or a futures self-regulatory organization if such entity originally provided the communication or report to the futures commission merchant.
(n) Notice. (1) Every notice and report required to be filed by this section by a futures commission merchant or a self-regulatory organization must be filed with the Commission, with the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and with the Securities and Exchange Commission, if such registrant is a securities broker or dealer. Every notice and report required to be filed by this section by an applicant for registration as a futures commission merchant must be filed with the National Futures Association (on behalf of the Commission), with the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and with the Securities and Exchange Commission, if such applicant is a securities broker or dealer. Every notice or report that is required to be filed by this section by a futures commission merchant or a self-regulatory organization must include a discussion of how the reporting event originated and what steps have been, or are being taken, to address the reporting event.
(2) Every notice and report which an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker is required to file by paragraphs (a), (c), and (d) of this section must be filed with the National Futures Association (on behalf of the Commission), with the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and with every futures commission merchant carrying or intending to carry customer accounts for the introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker. Any notice or report filed with the National Futures Association pursuant to this paragraph shall be deemed for all purposes to be filed with, and to be the official record of, the Commission. Every notice or report that is required to be filed by this section by an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker must include a discussion of how the reporting event originated and what steps have been, or are being taken, to address the reporting event.
(3) Every notice or report that is required to be filed by a futures commission merchant with the Commission or with a designated self-regulatory organization under this section must be in writing and must be filed via electronic transmission using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission; Provided, however, that if the registered futures commission merchant cannot file the notice or report using the electronic transmission approved by the Commission due to a transmission or systems failure, the futures commission merchant must immediately contact the Commission’s regional office with jurisdiction over the futures commission merchant as provided in § 140.02 of this chapter, and by email to [email protected]. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the futures commission merchant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer.
§ 1.13 [Reserved]
§ 1.14 Risk assessment recordkeeping requirements for futures commission merchants.
(a) Requirement to maintain and preserve information. (1) Each futures commission merchant registered with the Commission pursuant to Section 4d of the Act, unless exempt pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section, shall prepare, maintain and preserve the following information:
(i) An organizational chart which includes the futures commission merchant and each of its affiliated persons. Included in the organizational chart shall be a designation of which affiliated persons are “Material Affiliated Persons” as that term is used in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, which Material Affiliated Persons file routine financial or risk exposure reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal banking agency, an insurance commissioner or other similar official or agency of a state, or a foreign regulatory authority, and which Material Affiliated Persons are dealers in financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk and, if a Material Affiliated Person is such a dealer, whether it is also an end-user of such instruments;
(ii) Written policies, procedures, or systems concerning the futures commission merchant’s:
(A) Method(s) for monitoring and controlling financial and operational risks to it resulting from the activities of any of its affiliated persons;
(B) Financing and capital adequacy, including information regarding sources of funding, together with a narrative discussion by management of the liquidity of the material assets of the futures commission merchant, the structure of debt capital, and sources of alternative funding;
(C) Establishing and maintaining internal controls with respect to market risk, credit risk, and other risks created by the futures commission merchant’s proprietary and noncustomer clearing activities, including systems and policies for supervising, monitoring, reporting and reviewing trading activities in securities, futures contracts, commodity options, forward contracts and financial instruments; policies for hedging or managing risks created by trading activities or supervising accounts carried for noncustomer affiliates, including a description of the types of reviews conducted to monitor positions; and policies relating to restrictions or limitations on trading activities: Provided, however, that if the futures commission merchant has no such written policies, procedures or systems, it must so state in writing;
(iii) Fiscal year-end consolidated and consolidating balance sheets for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the futures commission merchant’s organizational structure, which shall include the futures commission merchant and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated balance sheets shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating balance sheets may be those prepared by the futures commission merchant’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process. Any additional information required to be filed under § 1.15(a)(2)(iii) shall also be maintained and preserved; and
(iv) Fiscal year-end consolidated and consolidating income statements and consolidated cash flow statements for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the futures commission merchant’s organizational structure, which shall include the futures commission merchant and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated statements shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating statements may be those prepared by the futures commission merchant’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process. Any additional information required to be filed under § 1.15(a)(2)(iii) shall also be maintained and preserved.
(2) The determination of whether an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant is a Material Affiliated Person shall involve consideration of all aspects of the activities of, and the relationship between, both entities, including without limitation, the following factors:
(i) The legal relationship between the futures commission merchant and the affiliated person;
(ii) The overall financing requirements of the futures commission merchant and the affiliated person, and the degree, if any, to which the futures commission merchant and the affiliated person are financially dependent on each other;
(iii) The degree, if any, to which the futures commission merchant or its customers rely on the affiliated person for operational support or services in connection with the futures commission merchant’s business;
(iv) The level of market, credit or other risk present in the activities of the affiliated person; and
(v) The extent to which the affiliated person has the authority or the ability to cause a withdrawal of capital from the futures commission merchant.
(3) For purposes of this section and § 1.15, the term Material Affiliated Person does not include a natural person.
(4) The information, reports and records required by this section shall be maintained and preserved, and made readily available for inspection, in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31.
(b) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of certain domestic regulators. A futures commission merchant shall be deemed to be in compliance with the recordkeeping requirements of paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(iii) and (a)(1)(iv) of this section with respect to a Material Affiliated Person if:
(1) The futures commission merchant is required, or that Material Affiliated Person is required, to maintain and preserve information, or such information is maintained and preserved by the futures commission merchant on behalf of the Material Affiliated Person, pursuant to § 240.17h-1T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt, and maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of the records and reports maintained and filed on Form 17-H (or such other forms or reports as may be required) by such futures commission merchant or its Material Affiliated Person with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to §§ 240.17h-1T and 240.17h-2T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt;
(2) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person (including a foreign banking organization) that is subject to examination by, or the reporting requirements of, a Federal banking agency, the futures commission merchant or such Material Affiliated Person maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of all reports submitted by such Material Associated Person to the Federal banking agency pursuant to section 5211 of the Revised Statutes, section 9 of the Federal Reserve Act, section 7(a) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, section 10(b) of the Home Owners’ Loan Act, or section 5 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; or
(3) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to the supervision of an insurance commissioner or other similar official or agency of a state, the futures commission merchant or such Material Affiliated Person maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of the annual statements with schedules and exhibits prepared by the Material Affiliated Person on forms prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or by a state insurance commissioner.
(c) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of a Foreign Regulatory Authority. A futures commission merchant shall be deemed to be in compliance with the recordkeeping requirements of paragraphs (a)(1)(iii) and (a)(1)(iv) of this section with respect to a Material Affiliated Person if such futures commission merchant maintains and makes available, or causes such Material Affiliated Person to make available, for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of any financial or risk exposure reports filed by such Material Affiliated Person with a foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, provided that: (1) the futures commission merchant agrees to use its best efforts to obtain from the Material Affiliated Person and to cause the Material Affiliated Person to provide, directly or through its foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, any supplemental information the Commission may request and there is no statute or other bar in the foreign jurisdiction that would preclude the futures commission merchant, the Material Affiliated Person, the foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority from providing such information to the Commission; or (2) the foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority with whom the Material Affiliated Person files such reports has entered into an information-sharing agreement with the Commission which is in effect as of the futures commission merchant’s fiscal year-end and which will allow the Commission to obtain the type of information required herein. The futures commission merchant shall maintain a copy of the original report and a copy translated into the English language. For the purposes of this section, the term “Foreign Futures Authority” shall have the meaning set forth in section 1a(10) of the Act.
(d) Exemptions. (1) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any futures commission merchant which holds funds or property of or for futures customers of less than $6,250,000 and has less than $5,000,000 in adjusted net capital as of the futures commission merchant’s current fiscal year-end; provided, however, that such futures commission merchant is not a clearing member of an exchange.
(2) The Commission may, upon written application by a Reporting Futures Commission Merchant, exempt from the provisions of this section, other than paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section, either unconditionally or on specified terms and conditions, any futures commission merchant affiliated with such Reporting Futures Commission Merchant. The term “Reporting Futures Commission Merchant” shall mean, in the case of a futures commission merchant that is affiliated with another registered futures commission merchant, the futures commission merchant which maintains the greater amount of adjusted net capital as last reported on financial reports filed with the Commission pursuant to § 1.10 unless another futures commission merchant is acting as the Reporting Broker or Dealer under § 240.17h-2T of this title, or the Commission permits another futures commission merchant to act as the Reporting Futures Commission Merchant. In granting exemptions under this section, the Commission shall consider, among other factors, whether the records required by this section concerning the Material Affiliated Persons of the futures commission merchant affiliated with the Reporting Futures Commission Merchant will be available to the Commission pursuant to this section or § 1.15. A request for exemption filed under this paragraph (d)(2) shall explain the basis for the designation of a particular futures commission merchant as the Reporting Futures Commission Merchant and will become effective on the thirtieth day after receipt of such request by the Commission unless the Commission objects to the request by that date.
(3) The Commission may exempt any futures commission merchant from any provision of this section if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provisions from which the exemption is sought. The Commission may grant the exemption subject to such terms and conditions as it may find appropriate.
(e) Location of records. A futures commission merchant required to maintain records concerning Material Affiliated Persons pursuant to this section may maintain those records either at the principal office of the Material Affiliated Person or at a records storage facility, provided that, except as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section, the records are located within the boundaries of the United States and the records are kept and available for inspection in accordance with § 1.31. If such records are maintained at a place other than the futures commission merchant’s principal place of business, the Material Affiliated Person or other entity maintaining the records shall file with the Commission a written undertaking, in a form acceptable to the Commission, signed by a duly authorized person, to the effect that the records will be treated as if the futures commission merchant were maintaining the records pursuant to this section and that the entity maintaining the records will permit examination of such records at any time, or from time to time during business hours, by representatives or designees of the Commission and promptly furnish the Commission representative or its designee true, correct, complete and current hard copy of all or any part of such records. The election to maintain records at the principal place of business of the Material Affiliated Person or at a records storage facility pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph shall not relieve the futures commission merchant required to maintain and preserve such records from any of its responsibilities under this section or § 1.15.
(f) Confidentiality. All information obtained by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of this section from a futures commission merchant concerning a Material Affiliated Person shall be deemed confidential information for the purposes of section 8 of the Act.
(g) Implementation schedule. (1) Each futures commission merchant registered as of December 31, 1994 and subject to the requirements of this section shall maintain and preserve the information required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section commencing April 30, 1995 and the information required by paragraphs (a)(1)(iii) and (a)(1)(iv) of this section commencing May 15, 1995 or, if December 31, 1994 is not the futures commission merchant’s fiscal year-end, 135 calendar days following the first fiscal year-end occurring after December 31, 1994.
(2) Each futures commission merchant whose registration becomes effective after December 31, 1994 and is subject to the requirements of this section shall maintain and preserve the information required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section commencing 60 calendar days after registration become effective and the information required by paragraphs (a)(1)(iii) and (a)(1)(iv) of this section commencing 105 calendar days following the first fiscal year-end occurring after registration becomes effective.
§ 1.15 Risk assessment reporting requirements for futures commission merchants.
(a) Reporting requirements with respect to information required to be maintained by § 1.14. (1) Each futures commission merchant registered with the Commission pursuant to Section 4d of the Act, unless exempt pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, shall file the following with the regional office with which it files periodic financial reports by no later than April 30, 1995, provided that in the case of a futures commission merchant whose registration becomes effective after December 31, 1994, such futures commission merchant shall file the following within 60 calendar days after the effective date of such registration, or by April 30, 1995, whichever comes later:
(i) A copy of the organizational chart maintained by the futures commission merchant pursuant to paragraph (a)(l)(i) of § 1.14. Where there is a material change in information provided, an updated organizational chart shall be filed within sixty calendar days after the end of the fiscal quarter in which the change has occurred; and
(ii) Copies of the financial, operational, and risk management policies, procedures and systems maintained by the futures commission merchant pursuant to paragraph (a)(l)(ii) of § 1.14. If the futures commission merchant has no such written policies, procedures or systems, it must file a statement so indicating. Where there is a material change in information provided, such change shall be reported within sixty calendar days after the end of the fiscal quarter in which the change has occurred.
(2) Each futures commission merchant registered with the Commission pursuant to Section 4d of the Act, unless exempt pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, shall file the following with the regional office with which it files periodic financial reports within 105 calendar days after the end of each fiscal year or, if a filing is made pursuant to a written notice issued under paragraph (a)(2)(iii) of this section, within the time period specified in the written notice:
(i) Fiscal year-end consolidated and consolidating balance sheets for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the futures commission merchant’s organizational structure, which shall include the futures commission merchant and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated balance sheets shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which consolidated balance sheets shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating balance sheets may be those prepared by the futures commission merchant’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process;
(ii) Fiscal year-end annual consolidated and consolidating income statements and consolidated cash flow statements for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the futures commission merchant’s organizational structure, which shall include the futures commission merchant and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated statements shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which consolidated statements shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating statements may be those prepared by the futures commission merchant’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process; and
(iii) Upon receiving written notice from any representative of the Commission and within the time period specified in the written notice, such additional information which the Commission determines is necessary for a complete understanding of a particular affiliate’s financial impact on the futures commission merchant’s organizational structure.
(3) For the purposes of this section, the term Material Affiliated Person shall have the meaning used in § 1.14.
(4) The reports required to be filed pursuant to paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section must be filed via electronic transmission using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer.
(b) [Reserved]
(c) Exemptions. (1) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any futures commission merchant which holds funds or property of or for futures customers of less than $6,250,000 and has less than $5,000,000 in adjusted net capital as of the futures commission merchant’s fiscal year-end; provided, however, that such futures commission merchant is not a clearing member of an exchange.
(2) The Commission may, upon written application by a Reporting Futures Commission Merchant, exempt from the provisions of this section, other than paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section, either unconditionally or on specified terms and conditions, any futures commission merchant affiliated with such Reporting Futures Commission Merchant. The term “Reporting Futures Commission Merchant” shall mean, in the case of a futures commission merchant that is affiliated with another registered futures commission merchant, the futures commission merchant which maintains the greater amount of net capital as last reported on its financial reports filed with the Commission pursuant to § 1.10 unless another futures commission merchant is acting as the Reporting Broker or Dealer under § 240.17h-2T of this title or the Commission permits another futures commission merchant to act as the Reporting Futures Commission Merchant. In granting exemptions under this section, the Commission shall consider, among other factors, whether the records and other information required to be maintained pursuant to § 1.14 concerning the Material Affiliated Persons of the futures commission merchant affiliated with the Reporting Futures Commission Merchant will be available to the Commission pursuant to the provisions of this section. A request for exemption filed under this paragraph (c)(2) shall explain the basis for the designation of a particular futures commission merchant as the Reporting Futures Commission Merchant and will become effective on the thirtieth day after receipt of such request by the Commission unless the Commission objects to the request by that date. The Reporting Futures Commission Merchant must submit the information required by paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section on behalf of its affiliated futures commission merchants.
(3) The Commission may exempt any futures commission merchant from any provision of this section if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provisions from which the exemption is sought. The Commission may grant the exemption subject to such terms and conditions as it may find appropriate.
(d) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of certain domestic regulators. (1) In the case of a futures commission merchant which is required to file, or has a Material Affiliated Person which is required to file, Form 17-H (or such other forms or reports as may be required) with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to § 240.17h-2T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt, such futures commission merchant shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(2) of this section if the futures commission merchant furnishes, in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a copy of the most recent Form 17-H filed by the futures commission merchant or its Material Affiliated Person with the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided however, that if the futures commission merchant has designated any of its affiliated persons as Material Affiliated Persons for purposes of this section and § 1.14 which are not designated as Material Associated Persons for purposes of the Form 17-H filed pursuant to §§ 240.17h-1T and 240.17h-2T of this title, the futures commission must also designate any such affiliated person as a Material Affiliated Person on the organizational chart required as Item 1 of part I of Form 17-H. To comply with paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(2) of this section, such futures commission merchant may, at its option, file Form 17-H in its entirety or file such form without the information required under part II of Form 17-H.
(2) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person (including a foreign banking organization) that is subject to examination by, or the reporting requirements of, a Federal banking agency, the futures commission merchant shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to such Material Affiliated Person if the futures commission merchant or such Material Affiliated Person maintains in accordance with § 1.14 copies of all reports filed by the Material Affiliated Person with the Federal banking agency pursuant to section 5211 of the Revised Statutes, section 9 of the Federal Reserve Act, section 7(a) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, section 10(b) of the Home Owners’ Loan Act, or section 5 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956.
(3) In the case of a futures commission merchant that has a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to the supervision of an insurance commissioner or other similar official or agency of a state, such futures commission merchant shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to the Material Affiliated Person if:
(i) With respect to a Material Affiliated Person organized as a mutual insurance company or a non-public stock company, the futures commission merchant or such Material Affiliated Person maintains in accordance with § 1.14 copies of the annual statements with schedules and exhibits prepared by the Material Affiliated Person on forms prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or by a state insurance commissioner; and
(ii) With respect to a Material Affiliated Person organized as a public stock company, the futures commission merchant or such Material Affiliated Person maintains, in addition to the annual statements with schedules and exhibits required to be maintained pursuant to § 1.14, copies of the filings made by the Material Affiliated Person pursuant to sections 13 or 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(4) No futures commission merchant shall be required to furnish to the Commission any examination report of any Federal banking agency or any supervisory recommendations or analyses contained therein with respect to a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to the regulation of a Federal banking agency. All information received by the Commission pursuant to this section concerning a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to examination by or the reporting requirements of a Federal banking agency shall be deemed confidential for the purposes of section 8 of the Act.
(5) The furnishing of any information or documents by a futures commission merchant pursuant to this section shall not constitute an admission for any purpose that a Material Affiliated Person is otherwise subject to the Act.
(e) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of a Foreign Regulatory Authority. A futures commission merchant shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to a Material Affiliated Person if such futures commission merchant furnishes, or causes such Material Affiliated Person to make available, in accordance with the provisions of this section, copies of any financial or risk exposure reports filed by such Material Affiliated Person with a foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, provided that:
(1) The futures commission merchant agrees to use its best efforts to obtain from the Material Affiliated Person and to cause the Material Affiliated Person to provide, directly or through its foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, any supplemental information the Commission may request and there is no statute or other bar in the foreign jurisdiction that would preclude the futures commission merchant, the Material Affiliated Person, the foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority from providing such information to the Commission; or
(2) The foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority with whom the Material Affiliated Person files such reports has entered into an information sharing agreement with the Commission which is in effect as of the futures commission merchant’s fiscal year-end and which will allow the Commission to obtain the type of information required herein. The futures commission merchant shall file a copy of the original report and a copy translated into the English language. For the purposes of this section, the term “Foreign Futures Authority” shall have the meaning set forth in section 1a(10) of the Act.
(f) Confidentiality. All information obtained by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of this section from a futures commission merchant concerning a Material Associated Person shall be deemed confidential information for the purposes of section 8 of the Act.
(g) Implementation schedule. Each futures commission merchant registered as of December 31, 1994 and subject to the requirements of this section shall file the information required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section no later than April 30, 1995 and the information required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section no later than May 15, 1995. Each futures commission merchant whose registration becomes effective after December 31, 1994 and is subject to the requirements of this section shall file the information required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section within 60 calendar days after registration is granted, or by April 30, 1995, whichever comes later and the information required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section within 105 calendar days after registration is granted or by May 15, 1995, whichever comes later.
§ 1.16 Qualifications and reports of accountants.
(a) Definitions—(1) Accountant’s report. The term “accountant’s report,” when used in regard to financial statements and schedules, means a document in which an independent licensed or certified public accountant indicates the scope of the audit (or examination) which he has made and sets forth his opinion regarding the financial statements and schedules taken as a whole or an assertion to the fact that an overall opinion cannot be expressed. When an overall opinion cannot be expressed, the reasons therefore must be stated.
(2) Audit or examination. The terms “audit” and “examination,” when used in regard to financial statements and schedules, mean an examination of the statements and schedules by an accountant in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards for the purposes of expressing an opinion thereon.
(3) Certified. The term “certified,” when used in regard to financial statements and schedules, means audited and reported upon with an opinion expressed by an independent certified public accountant or independent licensed public accountant.
(4) Customer. The term “customer” means customer, as defined in §§ 1.3, and 30.7 customer, as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter.
(b) Qualifications of accountants. (1) The Commission will recognize any person as a certified public accountant who is duly registered and in good standing as such under the laws of the place of his residence or principal office; Provided, however, that a certified public accountant engaged to conduct an examination of a futures commission merchant must be registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and must have undergone an examination by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and may not be subject to a permanent or temporary bar to engage in the examination of public issuers or brokers or dealers registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a result of a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board disciplinary hearing.
(2) The Commission will not recognize any certified public accountant or licensed public accountant as independent who is not in fact independent. For example, an accountant will not be considered independent with respect to any applicant or registrant or any parent, subsidiary, or other affiliate of such applicant or registrant (i) in which, during the period of his professional engagement to examine the financial statements and schedules being reported on or at the date of his report, he or his firm or a member thereof had, or was committed to acquire, any direct financial interest or any material indirect financial interest, or (ii) with which, during the period of his professional engagement to examine the financial statements and schedules being reported on, at the date of his report or during the period covered by the financial statements, he or his firm or a member thereof was connected as a promoter, underwriter, voting trustee, director, officer, or employee, except that a firm will be deemed independent with respect to an applicant or registrant and its affiliates if a former employee or officer of such applicant or registrant or any such affiliate is employed by the firm and such individual has completely disassociated himself from the applicant or registrant and its affiliates and does not participate in auditing financial statements and schedules of the applicant or registrant or its affiliates covering any period of his employment by the applicant or registrant or its affiliates. An accountant will not be considered independent if he or his firm or a member thereof performs manual or automated bookkeeping services or assumes responsibility for maintenance of the accounting records, including accounting classification decisions, of such applicant or registrant or any of its affiliates. For the purposes of this § 1.16(b), the term “member” means all partners in the firm and all professional employees participating in the audit or located in the office of the firm participating in a significant portion of the audit.
(3) In determining whether an accountant may in fact not be independent with respect to a particular applicant or registrant, the Commission will give appropriate consideration to all relevant circumstances, including evidence bearing on all relationships between the accountant and that applicant or registrant or any affiliate thereof, and will not confine itself to the relationship existing in connection with the filing of reports with the Commission.
(4) The governing body of each futures commission merchant must ensure that the certified public accountant engaged is duly qualified to perform an audit of the futures commission merchant. Such an evaluation of the qualifications of the certified public accountant should include, among other issues, the certified public accountant’s experience in auditing futures commission merchants, the depth of the certified public accountant’s staff, the certified public accountant’s knowledge of the Act and Regulations, the size and geographic location of the futures commission merchant, and the independence of the certified public accountant. The governing body should also review and consider the inspection reports issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as part of the assessment of the qualifications of the public accountant to perform an audit of the futures commission merchant.
(c) Accountant’s reports—(1) Technical requirements. The accountant’s report must:
(i) Be dated;
(ii) Indicate the city and State where issued; and
(iii) Identify without detailed enumeration the financial statements covered by the report.
(2) Representations as to the audit. The accountant’s report must state whether the audit was made in accordance with the auditing standards adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and must designate any auditing procedures deemed necessary by the accountant under the circumstances of the particular case which have been omitted and the reasons for their omission. However, nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to imply authority for the omission of any procedure which independent accountants would ordinarily employ in the course of an audit made for the purposes of expressing the opinion required by paragraph (c)(3) of this section.
(3) Opinion to be expressed. The accountant’s report must state clearly: (i) The opinion of the accountant with respect to the financial statements and schedules covered by the report and the accounting principles and practices reflected therein and (ii) the opinion of the accountant as to the consistency of the application of the accounting principles, or as to any changes in such principles which have material effect on the financial statements and schedules.
(4) Exceptions. Any matters to which the accountant takes exception must be clearly identified, such exceptions specifically and clearly stated, and to the extent practicable, the effect of each exception on related financial statements and schedules given.
(5) Accountant’s report on material inadequacies. A registrant must file concurrently with the annual audit report a supplemental report by the accountant describing any material inadequacies found to exist or found to have existed since the date of the previous audit. An applicant must file concurrently with the audit report a supplemental report by the accountant describing any material inadequacies found to exist as of the date of the Form 1-FR being filed: Provided, however, That if such applicant is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer, and it files (in accordance with § 1.10(h)) a copy of its Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Part II, Part IIA, or Part II CSE, in lieu of Form 1-FR, the accountant’s supplemental report must be made as of the date of such report. The supplemental report must indicate any corrective action taken or proposed by the applicant or registrant in regard thereto. If the audit did not disclose any material inadequacies, the supplemental report must so state.
(d) Audit objectives. (1) The audit must be made in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and must include a review and appropriate tests of the accounting system, the internal accounting control, and the procedures for safeguarding customer and firm assets in accordance with the provisions of the Act and the regulations thereunder, since the prior examination date. The audit must include all procedures necessary under the circumstances to enable the independent licensed or certified public accountant to express an opinion on the financial statements and schedules. The scope of the audit and review of the accounting system, the internal controls, and procedures for safeguarding customer and firm assets must be sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that any material inadequacies existing at the date of the examination in (i) the accounting system, (ii) the internal accounting controls, and (iii) the procedures for safeguarding customer and firm assets (including, in the case of a futures commission merchant, the segregation requirements of section 4d(a)(2) of the Act and these regulations and the secured amount requirements of the Act and these regulations) will be discovered. Additionally, as specified objectives the audit must include reviews of the practices and procedures followed by the registrant in making (A) periodic computations of the minimum financial requirements pursuant to § 1.17 and (B) in the case of a futures commission merchant, daily computations of the segregation requirements of section 4d(a)(2) of the Act and these regulations and the secured amount requirements of the Act and these regulations.
(2) A material inadequacy in the accounting system, the internal accounting controls, the procedures for safeguarding customer and firm assets, and the practices and procedures referred to in paragraph (d)(1) of this section which is to be reported in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this section includes any conditions which contributed substantially to or, if appropriate corrective action is not taken, could reasonably be expected to:
(i) Inhibit an applicant or registrant from promptly completing transactions or promptly discharging his responsibilities to customers or other creditors;
(ii) Result in material financial loss;
(iii) Result in material misstatement of the applicant’s or registrant’s financial statements and schedules; or
(iv) Result in violations of the Commission’s segregation or secured amount (in the case of a futures commission merchant), recordkeeping or financial reporting requirements to the extent that could reasonably be expected to result in the conditions described in paragraph (d)(2) (i), (ii), or (iii) of this section.
(e) Extent and timing of audit procedures. (1) The extent and timing of audit procedures are matters for the independent public accountant to determine on the basis of his review and evaluation of existing internal controls and other audit procedures performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and the audit objectives set forth in paragraph (d) of this section. In determining the extent of testing, consideration must be given to the materiality of an area and to the possible effect on the financial statements and schedules of a material misstatement in a related account.
(2) If during the course of an audit or interim work, the independent public accountant determines that any material inadequacies exist in the accounting system, in the internal accounting control, in the procedures for safeguarding customer or firm assets, or as otherwise defined in paragraph (d) of this section, he must call such inadequacies to the attention of the applicant or registrant, which has the responsibility to give notice to the National Futures Association and, if an applicant, or the Commission and the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, if a registrant, in accordance with paragraphs (d) and (g) of § 1.12: Provided, however, That if the applicant or registrant is an introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker, it also has the responsibility to give notice to the National Futures Association, the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and every futures commission merchant carrying or intending to carry customer accounts for the introducing broker or applicant for registration as an introducing broker. The applicant or registrant must also furnish the accountant with a copy of said notice within three (3) business days. If the accountant fails to receive such notice from the applicant or registrant within three (3) business days, or if he disagrees with the statements contained in the notice of the applicant or registrant, the accountant must inform the National Futures Association, in the case of an applicant, or the Commission and the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, in the case of a registrant, by reporting the material inadequacy and, in the case of an applicant or registrant which is an introducing broker or applicant for registration as in introducing broker, the accountant must also inform the National Futures Association, the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and every futures commission merchant carrying or intending to carry customer accounts for the introducing an introducing broker, within three (3) business days thereafter. Such report from the accountant must, if the applicant or registrant failed to file a notice, describe the material inadequacies found to exist. If the applicant or registrant filed a notice, the accountant must file a report detailing the aspects, if any, of the applicant’s or registrant’s notice with which the accountant does not agree.
(f)(1) Extension of time for filing audited reports. In the event a registered futures commission merchant or a registered introducing broker finds that it cannot file, without substantial undue hardship, its certified financial statements and schedules for any year within the time specified in § 1.10 (b)(1)(ii) or § 1.10 (b)(2)(ii) of this part, as applicable, such registrants may request approval for an extension of time, as follows:
(i) Futures commission merchant registrants. (A) A futures commission merchant may file with its designated self-regulatory organization an application for an extension of time, a copy of which the registrant must file with the Commission. The application shall be approved or denied in writing by the designated self-regulatory organization. The registrant must file immediately with the Commission a copy of any notice it receives from the designated self-regulatory organization to approve or deny the registrant’s request for extension of time. A written notice of approval shall become effective upon the filing by the registrant of a copy with the Commission, and a written notice of denial shall be effective as of the date of the notice.
(B) A futures commission merchant that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may file with its designated self-regulatory organization a copy of any application that the registrant has filed with its designated examining authority, pursuant to § 240.17a-5(m) of this title, for an extension of time to file annual reports. The registrant must also promptly file with the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission copies of any notice it receives from its designated examining authority to approve or deny the requested extension of time. Upon receipt by the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission of copies of any such notice of approval, the requested extension of time referenced in the notice shall be deemed approved under this paragraph (f)(1)(i).
(C) Any copy that under this paragraph is required to be filed with the Commission must be filed via electronic transmission using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer.
(ii) Introducing broker registrants. (A) An introducing broker may file with the National Futures Association an application for extension of time, which shall be approved or denied in writing.
(B) An introducing broker that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may file with the National Futures Association copies of any application that the registrant has filed with its designated examining authority, pursuant to § 240.17a-5(m) of this title, for an extension of time to file annual reports. The registrant must also file promptly with the National Futures Association copies of any notice it receives from its designated examining authority to approve or deny the requested extension of time. Upon the receipt by the National Futures Association of a copy of any such notice of approval, the requested extension of time referenced in the notice shall be deemed approved under this paragraph (f)(1)(ii).
(2) Exemption requests. On the written request of any designated self-regulatory organization or registrant, or on its own motion, the Commission may grant an extension of time or an exemption from any of the certified financial reporting requirements of this chapter either unconditionally or on specified terms and conditions.
(g) Replacement of accountant. (1) In the event (i) the independent public accountant who was previously engaged as the principal accountant to audit an applicant’s or registrant’s financial statements resigns (or indicates he declines to stand for re-election after the completion of the current audit) or is dismissed as the applicant’s or registrant’s principal accountant, (ii) another independent accountant is engaged as principal accountant, or (iii) an independent accountant on whom the principal accountant expresses reliance in his report regarding a subsidiary resigns (or formally indicates he declines to stand for re-election after completion of the current audit) or is dismissed or another independent public accountant is engaged to audit that subsidiary, an applicant shall file written notice of such occurrence with the National Futures Association, and a registrant shall file written notice of such occurrence with the Commission at its principal office in Washington, DC, and with the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, not more than 15 business days after such occurrence.
(2) Such notice must state (i) the date of such resignation (or declination to stand for re-election, dismissal or engagement) and (ii) whether, in connection with the audit of the two most recent fiscal years and any subsequent interim period preceding such resignation, dismissal or engagement, there were any disagreements with the former accountant on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statements disclosure, auditing scope or procedures, or compliance with the applicable rules of the Commission, which, if not resolved to the satisfaction of the former accountant, would have caused him to make reference in connection with his report to the subject matter of the disagreements (if so, describe such disagreements). The disagreements required to be reported in this paragraph (g)(2) include both those resolved to the former accountant’s satisfaction and those not resolved to the former accountant’s satisfaction. Disagreements contemplated by this paragraph (g)(2) are those which occur at the decision-making level, i.e., between personnel of the applicant or registrant responsible for presentation of its financial statements and schedules and personnel of the accounting firm responsible for rendering its report. The notice must also state whether the accountant’s report on the financial statements and schedules for any of the past two years contained an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion or was qualified as to uncertainties, audit scope, or accounting principles (if so, describe the nature of each such adverse opinion, disclaimer of opinion, or qualification). An applicant must also request the former accountant to furnish the applicant with a letter addressed to the National Futures Association, and a registrant must also request the former accountant to furnish the registrant with a letter addressed to the Commission, stating whether he agrees with the statements contained in the notice of the applicant or registrant and, if not, stating the respects in which he does not agree. Each copy of the notice and accountant’s letter must be manually signed by the sole proprietor or a general partner or a duly authorized corporate officer of the applicant or registrant, as appropriate, and by the accountant.
(3) If (i) within the 24 months prior to the date of the most recent audited financial statement, a notice has been filed pursuant to paragraph (g)(1) of this section reporting a change of accountants, (ii) included in such filing there is a reported disagreement on any matters of accounting principles or practices, financial statements disclosure, auditing scope, or noncompliance with the applicable rules of the Commission, (iii) during the fiscal year in which the change in accountants took place or during the subsequent fiscal year, there have been any transactions or events similar to those which involved a reported disagreement, and (iv) such transactions or events are material and were accounted for or disclosed in a manner different from that which the former accountant apparently would have concluded was required, the existence and nature of the disagreements and also the effect on the financial statements must be stated in a written notice to the National Futures Association, in the case of an applicant, or to the Commission at its principal office in Washington, DC, and the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, in the case of a registrant, if the method which the former accountant apparently would have concluded was required had been followed. These disclosures need not be made if the method asserted by the former accountant ceases to be generally accepted because of authoritative standards or interpretations subsequently issued. The notice required by this paragraph (g)(3) must be filed by the applicant or registrant concurrently with the financial statements and schedules to which it pertains.
(h) Exemption for introducing broker or applicant therefor. The provisions of this section do not apply to an introducing broker which is operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement, nor do such provisions apply to an applicant for registration as an introducing broker who files concurrently with such application a guarantee agreement, provided such introducing broker or applicant therefor is not also a securities broker or dealer.
§ 1.17 Minimum financial requirements for futures commission merchants and introducing brokers.
(a)(1)(i) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section, each person registered as a futures commission merchant must maintain adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of the greatest of:
(A) $1,000,000, Provided, however, that if the futures commission merchant also is a swap dealer, the minimum amount shall be $20,000,000;
(B) The futures commission merchant’s risk-based capital requirement, computed as the sum of:
(1) Eight percent of the total risk margin requirement (as defined in § 1.17(b)(8) of this section) for positions carried by the futures commission merchant in customer accounts and noncustomer accounts; and
(2) For a futures commission merchant that is also a registered swap dealer, two percent of the total uncleared swap margin, as that term is defined in paragraph (b)(11) of this section.
(C) The amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(D) For securities brokers and dealers, the amount of net capital required by Rule 15c3-1(a) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(a)).
(ii) A futures commission merchant that is registered as a swap dealer and has received approval to use internal models to compute market risk and credit risk charges for uncleared swaps must maintain net capital equal to or in excess of $100 million and adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of $20 million.
(iii) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, each person registered as an introducing broker must maintain adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of the greatest of:
(A) $45,000;
(B) The amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(C) For securities brokers and dealers, the amount of net capital required by Rule 15c3-1(a) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(a)).
(2)(i) The requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall not be applicable if the registrant is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization and conforms to minimum financial standards and related reporting requirements set by such designated self-regulatory organization in its bylaws, rules, regulations or resolutions approved by the Commission pursuant to section 4f(b) of the Act and § 1.52.
(ii) The minimum requirements of paragraph (a)(1)(iii) of this section shall not be applicable to an introducing broker which elects to meet the alternative adjusted net capital requirement for introducing brokers by operation pursuant to a guarantee agreement which meets the requirements set forth in § 1.10(j). Such an introducing broker shall be deemed to meet the adjusted net capital requirement under this section so long as such agreement is binding and in full force and effect, and, if the introducing broker is also a securities broker or dealer, it maintains the amount of net capital required by Rule 15c3-1(a) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(a)).
(3) No person applying for registration as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker shall be so registered unless such person affirmatively demonstrates to the satisfaction of the National Futures Association that it complies with the financial requirements of this section. Each registrant must be in compliance with this section at all times and must be able to demonstrate such compliance to the satisfaction of the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization.
(4) A futures commission merchant who is not in compliance with this section, or is unable to demonstrate such compliance as required by paragraph (a)(3) of this section, or who cannot certify to the Commission immediately upon request and demonstrate with verifiable evidence that it has sufficient access to liquidity to continue operating as a going concern, must transfer all customer accounts and immediately cease doing business as a futures commission merchant until such time as the firm is able to demonstrate such compliance; Provided, however, The registrant may trade for liquidation purposes only unless otherwise directed by the Commission and/or the designated self-regulatory organization; And, Provided further, That if such registrant immediately demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization the ability to achieve compliance, the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization may in its discretion allow such registrant up to a maximum of 10 business days in which to achieve compliance without having to transfer accounts and cease doing business as required above. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as preventing the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization from taking action against a registrant for non-compliance with any of the provisions of this section.
(5) An introducing broker who is not in compliance with this section, or is unable to demonstrate such compliance as required by paragraph (a)(3) of this section, must immediately cease doing business as an introducing broker until such time as the registrant is able to demonstrate such compliance: Provided, however, That if such registrant immediately demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization the ability to achieve compliance, the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization may in its discretion allow such registrant up to a maximum of 10 business days in which to achieve compliance without having to cease doing business as required above. If the introducing broker is required to cease doing business in accordance with this paragraph (a)(5), the introducing broker must immediately notify each of its customers and the futures commission merchants carrying the account of each customer that it has ceased doing business. Nothing in this paragraph (a)(5) shall be construed as preventing the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization from taking action against a registrant for non-compliance with any of the provisions of this section.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) Where the applicant or registrant has an asset or liability which is defined in Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c3-1 (§ 240.15c3-1 of this title) the inclusion or exclusion of all or part of such asset or liability for the computation of adjusted net capital shall be in accordance with § 240.15c3-1 of this title, unless specifically stated otherwise in this section.
(2) Customer. This term means a futures customer as defined in § 1.3, a cleared over the counter customer as defined in paragraph (b)(10) of this section, and a 30.7 customer as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter.
(3) Proprietary account means an account in which commodity futures, options or cleared over the counter derivative positions are carried on the books of the applicant or registrant for the applicant or registrant itself, or for general partners in the applicant or registrant.
(4) Noncustomer account means an account in which commodity futures, options or cleared over the counter derivative positions are carried on the books of the applicant or registrant which is either:
(i) An account that is not included in the definition of customer (as defined in § 1.17(b)(2)) or proprietary account (as defined in § 1.17(b)(3)), or
(ii) An account for a foreign-domiciled person trading futures or options on a foreign board of trade, and such account is a proprietary account as defined in § 1.3 of this title, but is not a proprietary account as defined in § 1.17(b)(3).
(5) Clearing organization means clearing organization (as defined in § 1.3) and includes a clearing organization of any board of trade.
(6) Business day means any day other than a Sunday, Saturday, or holiday.
(7) Customer account. This term means an account in which commodity futures, options or cleared over the counter derivative positions are carried on the books of the applicant or registrant which is an account that is included in the definition of customer as defined in § 1.17(b)(2).
(8) Risk margin for an account means the level of maintenance margin or performance bond required for the customer or noncustomer positions by the applicable exchanges or clearing organizations, and, where margin or performance bond is required only for accounts at the clearing organization, for purposes of the FCM’s risk-based capital calculations applying the same margin or performance bond requirements to customer and noncustomer positions in accounts carried by the FCM, subject to the following.
(i) Risk margin does not include the equity component of short or long option positions maintained in an account;
(ii) The maintenance margin or performance bond requirement associated with a long option position may be excluded from risk margin to the extent that the value of such long option position does not reduce the total risk maintenance or performance bond requirement of the account that holds the long option position;
(iii) The risk margin for an account carried by a futures commission merchant which is not a member of the exchange or the clearing organization that requires collection of such margin should be calculated as if the futures commission merchant were such a member; and
(iv) If a futures commission merchant does not possess sufficient information to determine what portion of an account’s total margin requirement represents risk margin, all of the margin required by the exchange or the clearing organization that requires collection of such margin for that account, shall be treated as risk margin.
(9) Cleared over the counter derivative positions means a swap cleared by a derivatives clearing organization or a clearing organization exempted by the Commission from registering as a derivatives clearing organization, and further includes positions cleared by any organization permitted to clear such positions under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction.
(10) Cleared over the counter customer means any person for whom the futures commission merchant carries on its books one or more accounts for the cleared over the counter derivative positions of such person, and such account or accounts are not proprietary accounts as defined in § 1.3 of this part.
(11) Uncleared swap margin: This term means the amount of initial margin, computed in accordance with § 23.154 of this chapter, that a dually-registered futures commission merchant and swap dealer would be required to collect from each counterparty for each outstanding swap position of the dually-registered futures commission merchant and swap dealer. A dually-registered futures commission merchant and swap dealer must include all swap positions in the calculation of the uncleared swap margin amount, including swaps that are exempt or excluded from the scope of the Commission’s margin regulations for uncleared swaps pursuant to § 23.150 of this chapter, exempt foreign exchange swaps or foreign exchange forwards, or netting set of swaps or foreign exchange swaps, for each counterparty, as if the counterparty was an unaffiliated swap dealer. Furthermore, in computing the uncleared swap margin amount, a dually-registered futures commission merchant and swap dealer may not exclude the initial margin threshold amount or the minimum transfer amount as such terms are defined in § 23.151 of this chapter.
(c) Definitions: For the purposes of this section:
(1) Net capital means the amount by which current assets exceed liabilities. In determining “net capital”:
(i) Unrealized profits shall be added and unrealized losses shall be deducted in the accounts of the applicant or registrant, including unrealized profits and losses on fixed price commitments, uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, and forward contracts;
(ii) All long and all short positions in commodity options which are traded on a contract market and listed security options shall be marked to their market value and all long and all short securities and commodities positions shall be marked to their market value;
(iii) The value attributed to any commodity option which is not traded on a contract market shall be the difference between the option’s strike price and the market value for the commodity or futures contract which is the subject of the option. In the case of a call commodity option which is not traded on a contract market, if the market value for the commodity or futures contract which is the subject of the option is less than the strike price of the option, it shall be given no value. In the case of a put commodity option which is not traded on a contract market, if the market value for the commodity or futures contract which is the subject of the option is more than the strike price of the option, it shall be given no value; and
(iv) The value attributed to any unlisted security option shall be the difference between the option’s exercise value or striking value and the market value of the underlying security. In the case of an unlisted call, if the market value of the underlying security is less than the exercise value or striking value of such call, it shall be given no value; and, in the case of an unlisted put, if the market value of the underlying security is more than the exercise value or striking value of the unlisted put, it shall be given no value.
(2) The term current assets means cash and other assets or resources commonly identified as those which are reasonably expected to be realized in cash or sold during the next 12 months. “Current assets” shall:
(i) Exclude any unsecured commodity futures, options, cleared swaps, or other Commission regulated account containing a ledger balance and open trades, the combination of which liquidates to a deficit or containing a debit ledger balance only: Provided, however, deficits or debit ledger balances in unsecured customers’, noncustomers’, and proprietary accounts, which are the subject of calls for margin or other required deposits may be included in current assets until the close of business on the business day following the date on which such deficit or debit ledger balance originated providing that the account had timely satisfied, through the deposit of new funds, the previous day’s debit or deficits, if any, in its entirety.
(ii) Exclude all unsecured receivables, advances and loans except for:
(A) Receivables resulting from the marketing of inventories commonly associated with the business activities of the applicant or registrant and advances on fixed price purchases commitments: Provided, Such receivables or advances are outstanding no longer than 3 calendar months from the date that they are accrued;
(B)(1) Interest receivable, floor brokerage receivable, commissions receivable from other brokers or dealers (other than syndicate profits), mutual fund concessions receivable and management fees receivable from registered investment companies and commodity pools that are not outstanding more than thirty (30) days from the date they are due;
(2) Dividends receivable that are not outstanding more than thirty (30) days from the payable date; and
(3) Commissions or fees receivable, including from other brokers or dealers, resulting from swap transactions that are not outstanding more than sixty (60) days from the month end accrual date provided they are billed promptly after the close of the month of their inception;
(C) Receivables from clearing organizations and securities clearing organizations;
(D) Receivables from registered futures commission merchants or brokers, resulting from commodity futures, options, cleared swaps, foreign futures or foreign options transactions, except those specifically excluded under paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section;
(E) Insurance claims which arise from a reportable segment of the applicant’s or registrant’s overall business activities, as defined in generally accepted accounting principles, other than in the commodity futures, commodity option, security and security option segments of the applicant’s or registrant’s business activities which are not outstanding more than 3 calendar months after the date they are recorded as a receivable;
(F) All other insurance claims not subject to paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(E) of this section, which are not older than seven (7) business days from the date the loss giving rise to the claim is discovered; insurance claims which are not older than twenty (20) business days from the date the loss giving rise to the claim is discovered and which are covered by an option of outside counsel that the claim is valid and is covered by insurance policies presently in effect; insurance claims which are older than twenty (20) business days from the date the loss giving rise to the claim is discovered and which are covered by an opinion of outside counsel that the claim is valid and is covered by insurance policies presently in effect and which have been acknowledged in writing by the insurance carrier as due and payable: Provided, Such claims are not outstanding longer than twenty (20) business days from the date they are so acknowledged by the carrier;
(G) Receivables from third-party custodians that maintain the futures commission merchant’s initial margin deposits associated with uncleared swap and security-based swap transactions pursuant to the margin rules of the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, a prudential regulator, as defined in section 1a(39) of the Act, or a foreign jurisdiction that has received a Comparability Determination under § 23.160 of this chapter.
(iii) Exclude all prepaid expenses and deferred charges;
(iv) Exclude all inventories except for:
(A) Readily marketable spot commodities; or spot commodities which “adequately collateralize” indebtedness under paragraph (c)(7) of this section;
(B) Securities which are considered “readily marketable” (as defined in § 240.15c3-1(c)(11) of this title) or which “adequately collateralize” indebtedness under paragraph (c)(7) of this section;
(C) Work in process and finished goods which result from the processing of commodities at market value;
(D) Raw materials at market value which will be combined with spot commodities to produce a finished proc- essed commodity; and
(E) Inventories held for resale commonly associated with the business activities of the applicant or registrant;
(v) Include fixed assets and assets which otherwise would be considered noncurrent to the extent of any long-term debt adequately collateralized by assets acquired for use in the ordinary course of the trade or business of an applicant or registrant and any other long-term debt adequately collateralized by assets of the applicant or registrant if the sole recourse of the creditor for nonpayment of such liability is to such asset: Provided, Such liabilities are not excluded from liabilities in the computation of net capital under paragraph (c)(4)(vi) of this section;
(vi) Exclude all assets doubtful of collection or realization less any reserves established therefor;
(vii) Include, in the case of future income tax benefits arising as a result of unrealized losses, the amount of such benefits not exceeding the amount of income tax liabilities accrued on the books and records of the applicant or registrant, but only to the extent such benefits could have been applied to reduce accrued tax liabilities on the date of the capital computation, had the related unrealized losses been realized on that date;
(viii) Include guarantee deposits with clearing organizations and stock in clearing organizations to the extent of its margin value;
(ix) In the case of an introducing broker or an applicant for registration as an introducing broker, include 50 percent of the value of a guarantee or security deposit with a futures commission merchant which carries or intends to carry accounts for the customers of the introducing broker; and
(x) Exclude exchange memberships.
(3) A loan or advance or any other form of receivable shall not be considered “secured” for the purposes of paragraph (c)(2) of this section unless the following conditions exist:
(i) The receivable is secured by readily marketable collateral which is otherwise unencumbered and which can be readily converted into cash: Provided, however, That the receivable will be considered secured only to the extent of the market value of such collateral after application of the percentage deductions specified in paragraph (c)(5) of this section; and
(ii)(A) The readily marketable collateral is in the possession or control of the applicant or registrant; or
(B) The applicant or registrant has a legally enforceable, written security agreement, signed by the debtor, and has a perfected security interest in the readily marketable collateral within the meaning of the laws of the State in which the readily marketable collateral is located.
(4) The term liabilities means the total money liabilities of an applicant or registrant arising in connection with any transaction whatsoever, including economic obligations of an applicant or registrant that are recognized and measured in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. “Liabilities” also include certain deferred credits that are not obligations but that are recognized and measured in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. For the purposes of computing “net capital”, the term “liabilities”:
(i) Excludes liabilities of an applicant or registrant which are subordi- nated to the claims of all general creditors of the applicant or registrant pursuant to a satisfactory subordination agreement, as defined in paragraph (h) of this section;
(ii) Excludes, in the case of a futures commission merchant, the amount of money, securities and property due to commodity futures or option customers which is held in segregated accounts in compliance with the requirements of the Act and these regulations: Provided, however, That such exclusion may be taken only if such money, securities and property held in segregated accounts have been excluded from current assets in computing net capital;
(iii) Includes, in the case of an applicant or registrant who is a sole proprietor, the excess of liabilities which have not been incurred in the course of business as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker over assets not used in the business;
(iv) Excludes the lesser of any deferred income tax liability related to the items in paragraphs (c)(4)(i) (A), (B), and (C) below, or the sum of paragraphs (c)(4)(i) (A), (B), and (C) below:
(A) The aggregate amount resulting from applying to the amount of the deductions computed in accordance with paragraph (c)(5) of this section the appropriate Federal and State tax rate(s) applicable to any unrealized gain on the asset on which the deduction was computed;
(B) Any deferred tax liability related to income accrued which is directly related to an asset otherwise deducted pursuant to this section;
(C) Any deferred tax liability related to unrealized appreciation in value of any asset(s) which has been otherwise excluded from current assets in accordance with the provisions of this section;
(v) Excludes any current tax liability related to income accrued which is directly related to an asset otherwise deducted pursuant to this section; and
(vi) Excludes liabilities which would be classified as long term in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles to the extent of the net book value of plant, property and equipment which is used in the ordinary course of any trade or business of the applicant or registrant which is a reportable segment of the applicant’s or registrant’s overall business activities, as defined in generally accepted accounting principles, other than in the commodity futures, commodity option, security and security option segments of the applicant’s or registrant’s business activities: Provided, That such plant, property and equipment is not included in current assets pursuant to paragraph (c)(2)(v) of this section.
(5) The term adjusted net capital means net capital less:
(i) The amount by which any advances paid by the applicant or registrant on cash commodity contracts and used in computing net capital exceeds 95 percent of the market value of the commodities covered by such contracts;
(ii) In the case of all inventory, fixed price commitments and forward contracts, the applicable percentage of the net position specified below:
(A) Inventory which is currently registered as deliverable on a contract market and covered by an open futures contract or by a commodity option on a physical commodity—No charge.
(B) Inventory which is covered by an open futures contract or commodity option.—5 percent of the market value.
(C) Inventory which is not covered.—20 percent of the market value.
(D) Inventory and forward contracts in those foreign currencies that are purchased or sold for future delivery on or subject to the rules of a contract market, and which are covered by an open futures contract.—No charge
(E) Inventory and forward contracts in euros, British pounds, Canadian dollars, Japanese yen, or Swiss francs, and which are not covered by an open futures contract or commodity option.—6 percent of the market value.
(F) Fixed price commitments (open purchases and sales) and forward contracts which are covered by an open futures contract or commodity option.—10 percent of the market value.
(G) Fixed price commitments (open purchases and sales) and forward contracts which are not covered by an open futures contract or commodity option.—20 percent of the market value.
(iii) Swaps:
(A) Uncleared swaps that are credit-default swaps referencing broad-based securities indices.(1) Short positions (selling protection). In the case of an uncleared short credit default swap that references a broad-based securities index, deducting the percentage of the notional amount based upon the current basis point spread of the credit default swap and the maturity of the credit default swap in accordance with the following table:
Table to § 1.17(c)(5)(iii)(A)(
| Length of time to maturity
of CDS contract | Basis point spread
(%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 or less | 101-300 | 301-400 | 401-500 | 501-699 | 700 or more | |
| Less than 12 months | 0.67 | 1.33 | 3.33 | 5.00 | 6.67 | 10.00 |
| 12 months but less than 24 months | 1.00 | 2.33 | 5.00 | 6.67 | 8.33 | 11.67 |
| 24 months but less than 36 months | 1.33 | 3.33 | 6.67 | 8.33 | 10.00 | 13.33 |
| 36 months but less than 48 months | 2.00 | 4.00 | 8.33 | 10.00 | 11.67 | 15.00 |
| 48 months but less than 60 months | 2.67 | 4.67 | 10.00 | 11.67 | 13.33 | 16.67 |
| 60 months but less than 72 months | 3.67 | 5.67 | 11.67 | 13.33 | 15.00 | 18.33 |
| 72 months but less than 84 months | 4.67 | 6.67 | 13.33 | 15.00 | 16.67 | 20.00 |
| 84 months but less than 120 months | 5.67 | 10.00 | 15.00 | 16.67 | 18.33 | 26.67 |
| 120 months and longer | 6.67 | 13.33 | 16.67 | 18.33 | 20.00 | 33.33 |
(2) Long positions (purchasing protection). In the case of an uncleared swap that is a long credit default swap referencing a broad-based security index, deducting 50 percent of the deduction that would be required by paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(A)(1) of this section if the swap was a short credit default swap, each such deduction not to exceed the current market value of the long position.
(3) Long and short positions. (i) Long and short uncleared credit default swaps referencing the same broad-based security index. In the case of uncleared swaps that are long and short credit default swaps referencing the same broad-based security index, have the same credit events which would trigger payment by the seller of protection, have the same basket of obligations which would determine the amount of payment by the seller of protection upon the occurrence of a credit event, that are in the same or adjacent spread category and have a maturity date within three months of the other maturity category, deducting the percentage of the notional amounts specified in the higher maturity category under paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(A)(1) or (c)(5)(iii)(A)(2) of this section on the excess of the long or short position.
(ii) Long basket of obligors and uncleared long credit default swap referencing a broad-based securities index. In the case of an uncleared swap that is a long credit default swap referencing a broad-based security index and the futures commission merchant is long a basket of debt securities comprising all of the components of the security index, deducting 50 percent of the amount specified in § 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of this title for the component of securities, provided the futures commission merchant can deliver the component securities to satisfy the obligation of the futures commission merchant on the credit default swap.
(iii) Short basket of obligors and uncleared short credit default swap referencing a broad-based securities index. In the case of an uncleared swap that is a short credit default swap referencing a broad-based security index and the futures commission merchant is short a basket of debt securities comprising all of the components of the security index, deducting the amount specified in § 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of this title for the component securities.
(B) Interest rate swaps. In the case of an uncleared interest rate swap, deducting the percentage deduction specified in § 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(A) of this title based on the maturity of the interest rate swap, provided that the percentage deduction must be no less than one eighth of 1 percent of the amount of a long position that is netted against a short position in the case of an uncleared interest rate swap with a maturity of three months or more;
(C) All other uncleared swaps. (1) In the case of any uncleared swap that is not a credit default swap or interest rate swap, deducting the amount calculated by multiplying the notional value of the uncleared swap by:
(i) The percentage specified in § 240.15c3-1 of this title applicable to the reference asset if § 240.15c3-1 of this title specifies a percentage deduction for the type of asset and this section does not specify a percentage deduction;
(ii) Six percent in the case of a currency swap that references euros, British pounds, Canadian dollars, Japanese yen, or Swiss francs, and twenty percent in the case of currency swaps that reference any other foreign currencies; or
(iii) In the case of over-the-counter swap transactions involving commodities, 20 percent of the market value of the amount of the underlying commodities.
(D) Netting of Swap Market Risk Charges. The deductions under paragraphs (c)(5)(iii)(B) and (C) of this section may be reduced by an amount equal to any reduction recognized for a comparable long or short position in the reference asset or interest rate under this section or in § 240.15c3-1 of this title.
(iv) Security-based Swaps: In the case of security-based swaps as defined in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)), the percentage as specified in § 240.15c3-1 of this title.
(v) In the case of securities and obligations used by the applicant or registrant in computing net capital, and in the case of a futures commission merchant that invests funds deposited by futures customers as defined in § 1.3, Cleared Swaps Customers as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter, and 30.7 customers as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter in securities as permitted investments under § 1.25, the deductions specified in Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) or Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vii) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) and 17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vii)) (“securities haircuts”). Futures commission merchants that establish and enforce written policies and procedures to assess the credit risk of commercial paper, convertible debt instruments, or nonconvertible debt instruments in accordance with Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)) may apply the lower haircut percentages specified in Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) for such commercial paper, convertible debt instruments and nonconvertible debt instruments. Futures commission merchants must maintain their written policies and procedures in accordance with § 1.31;
(vi) In the case of securities options and/or other options for which a haircut has been specified for the option or for the underlying instrument in § 240.15c3-1 appendix A of this title, the treatment specified in, or under, § 240.15c3-1 appendix A, after effecting certain adjustments to net capital for listed and unlisted options as set forth in such appendix;
(vii) In the case of an applicant or registrant who has open contractual commitments, as hereinafter defined, the deductions specified in § 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(viii) of this title;
(viii) In the case of a futures commission merchant, for undermargined customer accounts, the amount of funds required in each such account to meet maintenance margin requirements of the applicable board of trade or if there are no such maintenance margin requirements, clearing organization margin requirements applicable to such positions, after application of calls for margin or other required deposits which are outstanding no more than one business day. If there are no such maintenance margin requirements or clearing organization margin requirements, then the amount of funds required to provide margin equal to the amount necessary, after application of calls for margin or other required deposits outstanding no more than one business day, to restore original margin when the original margin has been depleted by 50 percent or more: Provided, to the extent a deficit is excluded from current assets in accordance with paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section such amount shall not also be deducted under this paragraph. In the event that an owner of a customer account has deposited an asset other than cash to margin, guarantee or secure his account, the value attributable to such asset for purposes of this subparagraph shall be the lesser of:
(A) The value attributable to the asset pursuant to the margin rules of the applicable board of trade, or
(B) The market value of the asset after application of the percentage deductions specified in paragraph (c)(5) of this section;
(ix) In the case of a futures commission merchant, for undermargined noncustomer and omnibus accounts the amount of funds required in each such account to meet maintenance margin requirements of the applicable board of trade or if there are no such maintenance margin requirements, clearing organization margin requirements applicable to such positions, after application of calls for margin or other required deposits which are outstanding no more than one business day. If there are no such maintenance margin requirements or clearing organization margin requirements, then the amount of funds required to provide margin equal to the amount necessary after application of calls for margin or other required deposits outstanding no more than one business day to restore original margin when the original margin has been depleted by 50 percent or more: Provided, to the extent a deficit is excluded from current assets in accordance with paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section such amount shall not also be deducted under this paragraph. In the event that an owner of a noncustomer or omnibus account has deposited an asset other than cash to margin, guarantee or secure his account the value attributable to such asset for purposes of this paragraph shall be the lesser of the value attributable to such asset pursuant to the margin rules of the applicable board of trade, or the market value of such asset after application of the percentage deductions specified in paragraph (c)(5) of this section;
(x) In the case of open futures contracts, cleared swaps, and granted (sold) commodity options held in proprietary accounts carried by the applicant or registrant which are not covered by a position held by the applicant or registrant or which are not the result of a “changer trade” made in accordance with the rules of a contract market:
(A) For an applicant or registrant which is a clearing member of a clearing organization for the positions cleared by such member, the applicable margin requirement of the applicable clearing organization;
(B) For an applicant or registrant which is a member of a self-regulatory organization, 150 percent of the applicable maintenance margin requirement of the applicable board of trade, or clearing organization, whichever is greater;
(C) For all other applicants or registrants, 200 percent of the applicable maintenance margin requirements of the applicable board of trade or clearing organization, whichever is greater; or
(D) For open contracts or granted (sold) commodity options for which there are no applicable maintenance margin requirements, 200 percent of the applicable initial margin requirement: Provided, the equity in any such proprietary account shall reduce the deduction required by this paragraph (c)(5)(x) if such equity is not otherwise includable in adjusted net capital;
(xi) In the case of an applicant or registrant which is a purchaser of a commodity option not traded on a contract market which has value and such value is used to increase adjusted net capital, ten percent of the market value of the commodity or futures contract which is the subject of such option but in no event more than the value attributed to such option;
(xii) In the case of an applicant or registrant which is a purchaser of a commodity option which is traded on a contract market the same safety factor as if the applicant or registrant were the grantor of such option in accordance with paragraph (c)(5)(x) of this section, but in no event shall the safety factor be greater than the market value attributed to such option;
(xiii) Five percent of all unsecured receivables includable under paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(D) of this section used by the applicant or registrant in computing “net capital” and which are not due from:
(A) A registered futures commission merchant;
(B) A broker or dealer that is registered as such with the Securities and Exchange Commission; or
(C) A foreign broker that has been granted comparability relief pursuant to § 30.10 of this chapter, Provided, however, that the amount of the unsecured receivable not subject to the five percent capital charge is no greater than 150 percent of the current amount required to maintain futures and options positions in accounts with the foreign broker, or 100 percent of such greater amount required to maintain futures and option positions in the accounts at any time during the previous six-month period, and Provided, that, in the case of the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, as § 1.3 defines such term, such account is treated in accordance with the special requirements of the applicable Commission order issued under § 30.10 of this chapter.
(xiv) For securities brokers and dealers, all other deductions specified in § 240.15c3-1 of this title;
(xv) In the case of a futures commission merchant that is also a registered swap dealer, the amount of funds required from each swap counterparty and security-based swap counterparty to meet initial margin requirements of the Commission or Securities and Exchange Commission, as applicable, after application of calls for margin or other required deposits which are outstanding within the required time frame to collect margin or other required deposits;
(xvi) In the case of a futures commission merchant that is also a registered swap dealer, the amount of initial margin calculated pursuant to § 23.154 of this chapter for the account of a swap counterparty that is subject to a margin exception or exemption under § 23.150 of this chapter, less any margin posted on such account, and the amount of initial margin calculated pursuant to § 240.18a-3(c)(1)(i)(B) of this title for the account of a security-based swap counterparty that is subject to a margin exception or exemption under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, less any margin posted on such account.
(6)(i) Election of alternative capital deductions that have received approval of Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to § 240.15c3-1(a)(7) of this title. Any futures commission merchant that is also registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer, and who also satisfies the other requirements of this paragraph (c)(6), may elect to compute its adjusted net capital using the alternative capital deductions that, under § 240.15c3-1(a)(7) of this title, the Securities and Exchange Commission has approved by written order in lieu of the deductions that would otherwise be required under this section.
(ii) Notifications of election or of changes to election. (A) No election to use the alternative market risk and credit risk deductions referenced in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section shall be effective unless and until the futures commission merchant has filed with the Commission, addressed to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, a notice that is to include a copy of the approval order of the Securities and Exchange Commission referenced in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section, and to include also a statement that identifies the amount of tentative net capital below which the futures commission merchant is required to provide notice to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and which also provides the following information: a list of the categories of positions that the futures commission merchant holds in its proprietary accounts, and, for each such category, a description of the methods that the futures commission merchant will use to calculate its deductions for market risk and credit risk, and also, if calculated separately, deductions for specific risk; a description of the value at risk (VaR) models to be used for its market risk and credit risk deductions, and an overview of the integration of the models into the internal risk management control system of the futures commission merchant; a description of how the futures commission merchant will calculate current exposure and maximum potential exposure for its deductions for credit risk; a description of how the futures commission merchant will determine internal credit ratings of counterparties and internal credit risk weights of counterparties, if applicable; and a description of the estimated effect of the alternative market risk and credit risk deductions on the amounts reported by the futures commission merchant as net capital and adjusted net capital.
(B) A futures commission merchant must also, upon the request of the Commission at any time, supplement the statement described in paragraph (c)(6)(ii)(A) of this section, by providing any other explanatory information regarding the computation of its alternative market risk and credit risk deductions as the Commission may require at its discretion.
(C) A futures commission merchant must also file the following supplemental notices with the Director of the Division and Clearing and Intermediary Oversight:
(1) A notice advising that the Securities and Exchange Commission has imposed additional or revised conditions for the approval evidenced by the order referenced in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section, and which describes the new or revised conditions in full, and
(2) A notice which attaches a copy of any approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission of amendments that a futures commission merchant has requested for its application, filed under 17 CFR 240.15c3-1e, to use alternative market risk and credit risk deductions approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(D) A futures commission merchant may voluntarily change its election to use the alternative market risk and credit risk deductions referenced in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section, by filing with the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight a written notice specifying a future date as of which it will no longer use the alternative market risk and credit risk deductions, and will instead compute such deductions in accordance with the requirements otherwise applicable under paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section for unsecured receivables from over-the-counter derivatives transactions; by paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section for proprietary positions in forward contracts; by paragraph (c)(5)(v) of this section for proprietary positions in securities; and by paragraph (c)(5)(x) of this section for proprietary positions in futures contracts.
(iii) Conditions under which election terminated. A futures commission merchant may no longer elect to use the alternative market risk and credit risk deductions referenced in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section, and shall instead compute the deductions otherwise required under paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section for unsecured receivables from over-the-counter derivatives transactions; by paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section for proprietary positions in forward contracts; by paragraph (c)(5)(v) of this section for proprietary positions in securities; and by paragraph (c)(5)(x) of this section for proprietary positions in futures contracts, upon the occurrence of any of the following:
(A) The Securities and Exchange Commission revokes its approval of the market risk and credit risk deductions for such futures commission merchant;
(B) A futures commission merchant fails to come into compliance with its filing requirements under this paragraph (c)(6), after having received from the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight written notification that the firm is not in compliance with its filing requirements, and must cease using alternative capital deductions permitted under this paragraph (c)(6) if it has not come into compliance by a date specified in the notice; or
(C) The Commission by written order finds that permitting the futures commission merchant to continue to use such alternative market risk and credit risk deductions is no longer necessary or appropriate for the protection of customers of the futures commission merchant or of the integrity of the futures or options markets.
(iv) Additional filing requirements. Any futures commission merchant that elects to use the alternative market risk and credit risk deductions referenced in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section must file with the Commission, in addition to the filings required by paragraph (c)(6)(ii) of this section, copies of any and all of the following documents, at such time as the originals are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission:
(A) Information that the futures commission merchant files on a monthly basis with its designated examining authority or the Securities and Exchange Commission, whether by way of schedules to its FOCUS reports or by other filings, in satisfaction of § 240.17a-5(a)(5) of this title;
(B) The quarterly reports required by 17 CFR 240.17a-5(a)(5)(ii);
(C) The supplemental annual filings as required by 17 CFR 240.17a-5(k);
(D) Any notification to the Securities and Exchange Commission or the futures commission merchant’s designated examining authority of planned withdrawals of excess net capital; and
(E) Any notification that the futures commission merchant is required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission when its tentative net capital is below an amount specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(v) Election of alternative market risk and credit risk capital deductions for a futures commission merchant that is registered as a swap dealer and has received approval of the Commission or a registered futures association for which the futures commission merchant is a member. For purposes of this paragraph (c)(6)(v) only, all references to futures commission merchant means a futures commission merchant that is also registered as a swap dealer.
(A) A futures commission merchant may apply in writing to the Commission or a registered futures association of which it is a member for approval to compute deductions for market risk and credit risk using internal models in lieu of the standardized deductions otherwise required under this section; Provided however, that the Commission must issue a determination that the registered futures association’s model requirements and review process are comparable to the Commission’s requirements and review process in order for the registered futures association’s model approval to be accepted as an alternative means of compliance with this section. The futures commission merchant must file the application in accordance with instructions approved by the Commission and specified on the website of the registered futures association.
(B) A futures commission merchant’s application must include the information set forth in Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 23 and the market risk and credit risk charges must be computed in accordance with § 23.102 of this chapter.
(C) The Commission or registered futures association upon obtaining the Commission’s determination that its requirements and model approval process are comparable to the Commission’s requirements and process, may approve or deny the application, in whole or in part, or approve or deny an amendment to the application, in whole or in part, subject to any conditions or limitations the Commission or registered futures association may require, if the Commission or registered futures association finds the approval to be appropriate in the public interest, after determining, among other things, whether the applicant has met the requirements of § 23.102 of this chapter.
(7) Liabilities are “adequately collateralized” when, pursuant to a legally enforceable written instrument, such liabilities are secured by identified assets that are otherwise unencumbered and the market value of which exceeds the amount of such liabilities.
(8) The term contractual commitments shall include underwriting, when issued, when distributed, and delayed delivery contracts; and the writing or endorsement of security puts and calls and combinations thereof; but shall not include uncleared regular way purchases and sales of securities. A series of contracts of purchase or sale of the same security, conditioned, if at all, only upon issuance, may be treated as an individual commitment.
(d) Each applicant or registrant shall have equity capital (inclusive of satisfactory subordination agreements which qualify under this paragraph (d) as equity capital) of not less than 30 percent of the debt-equity total, provided, an applicant or registrant may be exempted from the provisions of this paragraph (d) for a period not to exceed 90 days or for such longer period which the Commission may, upon application of the applicant or registrant, grant in the public interest or for the protection of investors. For the purposes of this paragraph (d):
(1) Equity capital means a satisfactory subordination agreement entered into by a partner or stockholder or limited liability company member which has an initial term of at least 3 years and has a remaining term of not less than 12 months if:
(i) It does not have any of the provisions for accelerated maturity provided for by paragraphs (h)(2)(ix)(A), (x)(A), or (x)(B) of this section, or the provisions allowing for special prepayment provided for by paragraph (h)(2)(vii)(B) of this section, and is maintained as capital subject to the provisions restricting the withdrawal thereof required by paragraph (e) of this section; or
(ii) The partnership agreement provides that capital contributed pursuant to a satisfactory subordination agreement as defined in paragraph (h) of this section shall in all respects be partnership capital subject to the provisions restricting the withdrawal thereof required by paragraph (e) of this section, and
(A) In the case of a corporation, the sum of its par or stated value of capital stock, paid in capital in excess of par, retained earnings, unrealized profit and loss, and other capital accounts.
(B) In the case of a partnership, the sum of its capital accounts of partners (inclusive of such partners’ commodities, options and securities accounts subject to the provisions of paragraph (e) of this section), and unrealized profit and loss.
(C) In the case of a sole proprietorship, the sum of its capital accounts of the sole proprietorship and unrealized profit and loss.
(D) In the case of a limited liability company, the sum of its capital accounts of limited liability company members, and unrealized profit and loss.
(2) Debt-equity total means equity capital as defined in paragraph (d)(1) of this section plus the outstanding principal amount of satisfactory subordination agreements.
(e) No equity capital of the applicant or registrant or a subsidiary’s or affiliate’s equity capital consolidated pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section, whether in the form of capital contributions by partners (including amounts in the commodities, options and securities trading accounts of partners which are treated as equity capital but excluding amounts in such trading accounts which are not equity capital and excluding balances in limited partners’ capital accounts in excess of their stated capital contributions), par or stated value of capital stock, paid-in capital in excess of par or stated value, retained earnings or other capital accounts, may be withdrawn by action of a stockholder or partner or limited liability company member or by redemption or repurchase of shares of stock by any of the consolidated entities or through the payment of dividends or any similar distribution, nor may any unsecured advance or loan be made to a stockholder, partner, sole proprietor, limited liability company member, or employee if, after giving effect thereto and to any other such withdrawals, advances, or loans and any payments of payment obligations (as defined in paragraph (h) of this section) under satisfactory subordination agreements and any payments of liabilities excluded pursuant to paragraph (c)(4)(vi) of this section which are scheduled to occur within six months following such withdrawal, advance or loan:
(1) Either adjusted net capital of any of the consolidated entities would be less than the greatest of:
(i) 120 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(ii) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 120 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(iii) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(iv) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1(e) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(e)); or
(2) In the case of any applicant or registrant included within such consolidation, if equity capital of the applicant or registrant (inclusive of satisfactory subordination agreements which qualify as equity under paragraph (d) of this section) would be less than 30 percent of the required debt-equity total as defined in paragraph (d) of this section.
(f)(1) Every applicant or registrant, in computing its net capital pursuant to this section must, subject to the provisions of paragraphs (f)(2) and (f)(4) of this section, consolidate in a single computation, assets and liabilities of any subsidiary or affiliate for which it guarantees, endorses, or assumes directly or indirectly the obligations or liabilities. The assets and liabilities of a subsidiary or affiliate whose liabilities and obligations have not been guaranteed, endorsed, or assumed directly or indirectly by the applicant or registrant may also be so consolidated if an opinion of counsel is obtained as provided for in paragraph (f)(2) of this section.
(2)(i) If the consolidation, provided for in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, of any such subsidiary or affiliate results in the increase of the applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital or decreases the minimum adjusted net capital requirement, and an opinion of counsel called for in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section has not been obtained, such benefits shall not be recognized in the applicant’s or registrant’s computation required by this section.
(ii) Except as provided for in paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section, consolidation shall be permitted with respect to any subsidiaries or affiliates which are majority owned and controlled by the applicant or registrant, and for which the applicant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the National Futures Association, or for which the registrant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Commission and the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, by an opinion of counsel, that the net asset values or the portion thereof related to the parent’s ownership interest in the subsidiary or affiliate, may be caused by the applicant or registrant or an appointed trustee to be distributed to the applicant or registrant within 30 calendar days. Such opinion must also set forth the actions necessary to cause such a distribution to be made, identify the parties having the authority to take such actions, identify and describe the rights of other parties or classes of parties, including but not limited to customers, general creditors, subordinated lenders, minority shareholders, employees, litigants, and governmental or regulatory authorities, who may delay or prevent such a distribution and such other assurances as the National Futures Association, the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization by rule or interpretation may require. Such opinion must be current and periodically renewed in connection with the applicant’s or registrant’s annual audit pursuant to § 1.10 or upon any material change in circumstances.
(3) In preparing a consolidated computation of adjusted net capital pursuant to this section, the following minimum and non-exclusive requirements shall be observed;
(i) Consolidated adjusted net capital shall be reduced by the estimated amount of any tax reasonably anticipated to be incurred upon distribution of the assets of the subsidiary or affiliate.
(ii) Liabilities of a consolidated subsidiary or affiliate which are subordinated to the claims of present and future creditors pursuant to a satisfactory subordination agreement shall be deducted from consolidated adjusted net capital unless such subordination extends also to the claims of present or future creditors of the parent applicant or registrant and all consolidated subsidiaries.
(iii) Subordinated liabilities of a consolidated subsidiary or affiliate which are consolidated in accordance with paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of this section may not be prepaid, repaid, or accelerated if any of the entities included in such consolidation would otherwise be unable to comply with the provisions of paragraph (h) of this section.
(iv) Each applicant or registrant included within the consolidation shall at all times be in compliance with the adjusted net capital requirement to which it is subject.
(4) No applicant or registrant shall guarantee, endorse, or assume directly or indirectly any obligation or liability of a subsidiary or affiliate unless the obligation or liability is reflected in the computation of adjusted net capital pursuant to this section except as provided in paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section.
(g)(1) The Commission may by order restrict, for a period of up to twenty business days, any withdrawal by a futures commission merchant of equity capital, or any unsecured advance or loan to a stockholder, partner, limited liability company member, sole proprietor, employee or affiliate if the Commission, based on the facts and information available, concludes that any such withdrawal, advance or loan may be detrimental to the financial integrity of the futures commission merchant, or may unduly jeopardize its ability to meet customer obligations or other liabilities that may cause a significant impact on the markets.
(2) The futures commission merchant may file with the Secretary of the Commission a written petition to request rescission of the order issued under paragraph (g)(1) of this section. The petition filed by the futures commission merchant must specify the facts and circumstances supporting its request for rescission. The Commission shall respond in writing to deny the futures commission merchant’s petition for rescission, or, if the Commission determines that the order issued under paragraph (g)(1) of this section should not remain in effect, the order shall be rescinded.
(h) The term satisfactory subordination agreement (“subordination agreement”) means an agreement which contains the minimum and nonexclusive requirements set forth below.
(1) Certain definitions for purposes of this section:
(i) A subordination agreement may be either a subordinated loan agreement or a secured demand note agreement.
(ii) The term subordinated loan agreement means the agreement or agreements evidencing or governing a subordinated borrowing of cash.
(iii) The term “collateral value” of any securities pledged to secure a secured demand note means the market value of such securities after giving effect to the percentage deductions specified in Rule 240.15c3-1d(a)(2)(iii) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(a)(2)(iii)).
(iv) The term payment obligation means the obligation of an applicant or registrant in respect to any subordination agreement:
(A) To repay cash loaned to the applicant or registrant pursuant to a subordinated loan agreement; or
(B) To return a secured demand note contributed to the applicant or registrant or to reduce the unpaid principal amount thereof and to return cash or securities pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note; and (C) “payment” shall mean the performance by an applicant or registrant of a payment obligation.
(v)(A) The term secured demand note agreement means an agreement (including the related secured demand note) evidencing or governing the contribution of a secured demand note to an applicant or registrant and the pledge of securities and/or cash with the applicant or registrant as collateral to secure payment of such secured demand note. The secured demand note agreement may provide that neither the lender, his heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns shall be personally liable on such note and that in the event of default the applicant or registrant shall look for payment of such note solely to the collateral then pledged to secure the same.
(B) The secured demand note shall be a promissory note executed by the lender and shall be payable on the demand of the applicant or registrant to which it is contributed: Provided, however, That the making of such demand may be conditioned upon the occurrence of any of certain events which are acceptable to the designated self-regultory organization and the Commission.
(C) If such note is not paid upon presentment and demand as provided for therein, the applicant or registrant shall have the right to liquidate all or any part of the securities then pledged as collateral to secure payment of the same and to apply the net proceeds of such liquidation, together with any cash then included in the collateral, in payment of such note. Subject to the prior rights of the applicant or registrant as pledgee, the lender, as defined in paragraph (h)(i)(v)(F) of this section may retain ownership of the collateral and have the benefit of any increases and bear the risks fo any decreases in the value of the collateral and may retain the right to vote securities contained within the collateral and any right to income therefrom or distributions thereon, except the applicant or registrant shall have the right to receive and hold as pledgee all dividends payable in securities and all partial and complete liquidating dividends.
(D) Subject to the prior rights of the applicant or registrant as pledgee, the lender may have the right to direct the sale of any securities included in the collateral, to direct the purchase of securities with any cash included therein, to withdraw excess collateral or to substitute cash or other securities as collateral: Provided, That the net proceeds of any such sale and the cash so substituted and the securities so purchased or substituted are held by the applicant or registrant as pledgee, and are included within the collateral to secure payment of the secured demand note: And provided further, That no such transaction shall be permitted, if, after giving effect therto, the sum of the amount of any cash, plus the collateral value of the securities, then pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note would be less than the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note.
(E) Upon payment by the lender, as distinguished from a reduction by the lender which is provided for in paragraph (h)(2)(vi)(C) of this section or reduction by the applicant or registrant as provided for in paragraph (h)(2)(vii) of this section, of all or any part of the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note, the applicant or registrant shall issue to the lender a subordinated loan agreement in the amount of such payment (or in the case of an applicant or registrant that is a partnership, credit a capital account of the lender), or issue preferred or common stock of the applicant or registrant in the amount of such payment, or any combination of the foregoing, as provided for in the secured demand note agreement.
(F) The term lender means the person who lends cash to an applicant or registrant pursuant to a subordinated loan agreement and the person who contributes a secured demand note to an applicant or registrant pursuant to a secured demand note agreement.
(2) Minimum requirements for subordination agreements:
(i) Subject to paragraph (h)(1) of this section, a subordination agreement shall mean a written agreement between the applicant or registrant and the lender, which:
(A) Has a minimum term of 1 year, except for temporary subordination agreements provided for in paragraph (h)(3)(v) of this section, and
(B) Is a valid and binding obligation enforceable in accordance with its terms (subject as to enforcement to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other similar laws) against the applicant or registrant and the lender and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns.
(ii) Specific amount. All subordination agreements shall be for a specific dollar amount which shall not be reduced for the duration of the agreement except by installments as specifically provided for therein and except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (h)(2) of this section.
(iii) Effective subordination. The subordination agreement shall effectively subordinate any right of the lender to receive any payment with respect thereto, together with accrued interest or compensation, to the prior payment or provision for payment in full of all claims of all present and future creditors of the applicant or registrant arising out of any matter occurring prior to the date on which the related payment obligation matures, except for claims which are the subject of subordination agreements which rank on the same priority as or junior to the claim of the lender under such subordination agreements.
(iv) Proceeds of subordinated loan agreements. The subordinated loan agreement shall provide that the cash proceeds thereof shall be used and dealt with by the applicant or registrant as part of its capital and shall be subject to the risks of the business.
(v) Certain rights of the borrower. The subordination agreement shall provide that the applicant or registrant shall have the right to:
(A) Deposit any cash proceeds of a subordinated loan agreement and any cash pledged as collateral to secure a secured demand note in an account or accounts in its own name in any bank or trust company;
(B) Pledge, repledge, hypothecate and rehypothecate, any or all of the securities pledged as collateral to secure a secured demand note, without notice, separately or in common with other securities or property for the purpose of securing any indebtedness of the applicant or registrant; and
(C) Lend to itself or others any or all of the securities and cash pledged as collateral to secure a secured demand note.
(vi) Collateral for secured demand notes. Only cash and securities which are fully paid for and which may be publicly offered or sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, and the offer, sale, and transfer of which are not otherwise restricted, may be pledged as collateral to secure a secured demand note. The secured demand note agreement shall provide that if at any time the sum of the amount of any cash, plus the collateral value of any securities, then pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note is less than the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note, the applicant or registrant must immediately transmit written notice to that effect to the lender. The secured demand note agreement shall also provide that if the borrower is an applicant, such notice must also be transmitted immediately to the National Futures Association, and if the borrower is a registrant, such notice must also be transmitted immediately to the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and the Commission. The secured demand note agreement shall also require that following such transmittal:
(A) The lender, prior to noon of the business day next succeeding the transmittal of such notice, may pledge as collateral additional cash or securities sufficient, after giving effect to such pledge, to bring the sum of the amount of any cash plus the collateral value of any securities, then pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note, up to an amount not less than the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note; and
(B) Unless additional cash or securities are pledged by the lender as provided in paragraph (h)(2)(vi)(A) above, the applicant or registrant at noon on the business day next succeeding the transmittal of notice to the lender must commence sale, for the account of the lender, of such of the securities then pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note and apply so much of the net proceeds thereof, together with such of the cash then pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note as may be necessary to eliminate the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note: Provided, however, That the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note need not be reduced below the sum of the amount of any remaining cash, plus the collateral value of the remaining securities, then pledged as collateral to secure the secured demand note. The applicant or registrant may not purchase for its own account any securities subject to such a sale; and
(C) The secured demand note agreement may also provide that, in lieu of the procedures specified in the provisions required by paragraph (h)(2)(vi)(B) of this section, the lender, with the prior written consent of the applicant and the National Futures Association, or with the prior written consent of the registrant and the designated self-regulatory organization or, if the registrant is not a member of a designated self-regulatory organization, the Commission, may reduce the unpaid principal amount of the secured demand note: Provided, That after giving effect to such reduction the adjusted net capital of the applicant or registrant would not be less than the greatest of:
(1) 120 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(2) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 120 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(3) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(4) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1d(b)(6)(iii) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(b)(6)(iii)): Provided, further, That no single secured demand note shall be permitted to be reduced by more than 15 percent of its original principal amount and after such reduction no excess collateral may be withdrawn.
(vii) Permissive prepayments and special prepayments. (A) An applicant or registrant at its option, but not at the option of the lender, may, if the subordination agreement so provides, make a payment of all or any portion of the payment obligation thereunder prior to the scheduled maturity date of such payment obligation (hereinafter referred to as a “prepayment”), but in no event may any prepayment be made before the expiration of one year from the date such subordination agreement became effective: Provided, however, That the foregoing restriction shall not apply to temporary subordination agreements which comply with the provisions of paragraph (h)(3)(v) of this section nor shall it apply to “special prepayments” made in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (h)(2)(vii)(B) of this section. No prepayment shall be made if, after giving effect thereto (and to all payments of payment obligations under any other subordination agreements then outstanding, the maturity or accelerated maturities of which are scheduled to fall due within six months after the date such prepayment is to occur pursuant to this provision, or on or prior to the date on which the payment obligation in respect to such prepayment is scheduled to mature disregarding this provision, whichever date is earlier) without reference to any projected profit or loss of the applicant or registrant, the adjusted net capital of the applicant or registrant is less than the greatest of:
(1) 120 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(2) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 120 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(3) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(4) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1d(b)(7) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(b)(7)).
(B) An applicant or registrant at its option, but not at the option of the lender, may, if the subordination agreement so provides, make a payment at any time of all or any portion of the payment obligation thereunder prior to the scheduled maturity date of such payment obligation (hereinafter referred to as a “special prepayment”). No special prepayment shall be made if, after giving effect thereto (and to all payments of payment obligations under any other subordination agreements then outstanding, the maturity or accelerated maturities of which are scheduled to fall due within six months after the date such special prepayment is to occur pursuant to this provision, or on or prior to the date on which the payment obligation in respect to such special prepayment is scheduled to mature disregarding this provision, whichever date is earlier) without reference to any projected profit or loss of the applicant or registrant, the adjusted net capital of the applicant or registrant is less than the greatest of:
(1) 200 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(2) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 125 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(3) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(4) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1d(c)(5)(ii) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(c)(5)(ii)): Provided, however, That no special prepayment shall be made if pre-tax losses during the latest three-month period were greater than 15 percent of current excess adjusted net capital.
(C)(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (h)(2)(vii)(A) and (h)(2)(vii)(B) of this section, in the case of an applicant, no prepayment or special prepayment shall occur without the prior written approval of the National Futures Association; in the case of a registrant, no prepayment or special prepayment shall occur without the prior written approval of the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, or of the Commission if the registrant is not a member of a self-regulatory organization.
(2) A registrant may make a prepayment or special prepayment without the prior written approval of the designated self-regulatory organization: Provided, That the registrant: Is a securities broker or dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission; files a request to make a prepayment or special prepayment with its applicable securities designated examining authority, as defined in Rule 15c3-1(c)(12) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(12)), in the form and manner prescribed by the designated examining authority; files a copy of the prepayment request or special prepayment request with the designated self-regulatory organization at the time it files such request with the designated examining authority in the form and manner prescribed by the designated self-regulatory organization; and files a copy of the designated examining authority’s approval of the prepayment or special prepayment with the designated self-regulatory organization immediately upon receipt of such approval. The approval of the prepayment or special prepayment by the designated examining authority will be deemed approval by the designated self-regulatory organization, unless the designated self-regulatory organization notifies the registrant that the designated examining authority’s approval shall not constitute designated self-regulatory organization approval.
(3) The designated self-regulatory organization shall immediately provide the Commission with a copy of any notice of approval issued where the requested prepayment or special prepayment will result in the reduction of the registrant’s net capital by 20 percent or more or the registrant’s excess adjusted net capital by 30 percent or more.
(viii) Suspended repayment. (A) The payment obligation of the applicant or registrant in respect of any subordination agreement shall be suspended and shall not mature if, after giving effect to payment of such payment obligation (and to all payments of payment obligations of the applicant or registrant under any other subordination agreement(s) then outstanding which are scheduled to mature on or before such payment obligation), the adjusted net capital of the applicant or registrant would be less than the greatest of:
(1) 120 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(2) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 120 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(3) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(4) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1d(b)(8)(i) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(b)(8)(i)): Provided, That the subordination agreement may provide that if the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant thereunder does not mature and is suspended as a result of the requirement of this paragraph (h)(2)(viii) for a period of not less than six months, the applicant or registrant shall then commence the rapid and orderly liquidation of its business, but the right of the lender to receive payment, together with accrued interest or compensation, shall remain subordinate as required by the provisions of this section.
(B) [Reserved]
(ix) Accelerated maturity. Obligation to repay to remain subordinate:
(A) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (h)(2)(viii) of this section, a subordination agreement may provide that the lender may, upon prior written notice to the applicant and the National Futures Association, or upon prior written notice to the registrant and the designated self-regulatory organization or, if the registrant is not a member of a designated self-regulatory organization, the Commission, given not earlier than six months after the effective date of such subordination agreement, accelerate the date on which the payment obligation of the borrower, together with accrued interest or compensation, is scheduled to mature to a date not earlier than six months after giving of such notice, but the right of the lender to receive payment, together with accrued interest or compensation, shall remain subordinate as required by the provisions of this paragraph (h)(2) of this section.
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (h)(2)(viii) of this section, the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant with respect to a subordination agreement, together with accrued interest and compensation, shall mature in the event of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation pursuant to the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 or otherwise, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, reorganization whether or not pursuant to the bankruptcy laws, or any other marshalling of the assets and liabilities of the applicant or registrant, but the right of the lender to receive payment, together with accrued interest or compensation, shall remain subordinate as required by the provisions of paragraph (h)(2) of this section.
(x) Accelerated maturity of subordination agreements on event of default and event of acceleration. Obligation to repay to remain subordinate:
(A) A subordination agreement may provide that the lender may, upon prior written notice to the applicant and the National Futures Association, or upon prior written notice to the registrant and the designated self-regulatory organization or, if the registrant is not a member of a designated self-regulatory organization, the Commission, of the occurrence of any event of acceleration (as hereinafter defined) given no sooner than six months after the effective date of such subordination agreement, accelerate the date on which the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant, together with accrued interest or compensation, is scheduled to mature, to the last business day of a calendar month which is not less than six months after notice of acceleration is received by the applicant and by the National Futures Association, or by the registrant and the designated self-regulatory organization or, if the registrant is not a member of a designated self-regulatory organization, the Commission. Any subordination agreement containing such events of acceleration may also provide that, if upon such accelerated maturity date the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant is suspended as required by paragraph (h)(2)(viii) of this section and liquidation of the applicant or registrant has not commenced on or prior to such accelerated maturity date, notwithstanding paragraph (h)(2)(viii) of this section, the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant with respect to such subordination agreement shall mature on the day immediately following such accelerated maturity date and in any such event the payment obligations of the applicant or registrant with respect to all other subordination agreements then outstanding shall also mature at the same time but the rights of the respective lenders to receive payment, together with accrued interest or compensation, shall remain subordinate as required by the provisions of paragraph (h)(2) of this section. Events of acceleration which may be included in a subordination agreement complying with this paragraph (h)(2)(x) of this section shall be limited to:
(1) Failure to pay interest or any installment of principal on a subordination agreement as scheduled;
(2) Failure to pay when due other money obligations of a specified material amount;
(3) Discovery that any material, specified representation or warranty of the applicant or registrant which is included in the subordination agreement and on which the subordination agreement was based or continued was inaccurate in a material respect at the time made;
(4) Any specified and clearly measurable event which is included in the subordination agreement and which the lender and the applicant or registrant agree, (a) is a significant indication that the financial position of the applicant or registrant has changed materially and adversely from agreed upon specified norms; or (b) could materially and adversely affect the ability of the applicant or registrant to conduct its business as conducted on the date the subordination agreement was made; or (c) is a significant change in the senior management of the applicant or registrant or in the general business conducted by the applicant or registrant from that which obtained on the date the subordination agreement became effective;
(5) Any continued failure to perform agreed covenants included in the subordination agreement relating to the conduct of the business of the applicant or registrant or relating to the maintenance and reporting of its financial position; and
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (h)(2)(viii) of this section, a subordination agreement may provide that, if liquidation of the business of the applicant or registrant has not already commenced, the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant shall mature, together with accrued interest or compensation, upon the occurrence of an event of default (as hereinafter defined). Such agreement may also provide that, if liquidation of the business of the applicant or registrant has not already commenced, the rapid and orderly liquidation of the business of the applicant or registrant shall then commence upon the happening of an event of default. Any subordination agreement which so provides for maturity of the payment obligation upon the occurrence of an event of default shall also provide that the date on which such event of default occurs shall, if liquidation of the applicant or registrant has not already commenced, be the date on which the payment obligation of the applicant or registrant with respect to all other subordination agreements then outstanding shall mature but the rights of the respective lenders to receive payment, together with accrued interest or compensation, shall remain subordinate as required by the provisions of paragraph (h)(2) of this section. Events of default which may be included in a subordination agreement shall be limited to:
(1) The making of an application by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation for a decree adjudicating that customers of the applicant or registrant are in need of protection under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 and the failure of the applicant or registrant to obtain the dismissal of such application within 30 days;
(2) Failure to meet the minimum capital requirements of the designated self-regulatory organization, or of the Commission, throughout a period of 15 consecutive business days, commencing on the day the borrower first determines and notifies the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, of which he is a member and the Commission, in the case of a registrant, or the National Futures Association, in the case of an applicant, or commencing on the day any self-regulatory organization, the Commission or the National Futures Association first determines and notifies the applicant or registrant of such fact;
(3) The Commission shall revoke the registration of the applicant or registrant;
(4) The self-regulatory organization shall suspend (and not reinstate within 10 days) or revoke the applicant or registrant’s status as a member thereof;
(5) Any receivership, insolvency, liquidation pursuant to the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 or otherwise, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, reorganization whether or not pursuant to bankruptcy laws, or any other marshalling of the assets and liabilities of the applicant or registrant. A subordination agreement which contains any of the provisions permitted by this subparagraph (2)(x) shall not contain the provision otherwise permitted by paragraph (h)(2)(ix)(A) of this section.
(3) Miscellaneous provisions—(i) Prohibited cancellation. The subordination agreement shall not be subject to cancellation by either party; no payment shall be made with respect thereto and the agreement shall not be terminated, rescinded or modified by mutual consent or otherwise if the effect thereof would be inconsistent with the requirements of paragraph (h) of this section.
(ii) Notice of maturity or accelerated maturity. Every applicant or registrant shall immediately notify the National Futures Association, and the registrant shall immediately notify the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, and the Commission if, after giving effect to all payments of payment obligations under subordination agreements then outstanding which are then due or mature within the following six months without reference to any projected profit or loss of the applicant or registrant, its adjusted net capital would be less than:
(A) 120 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(B) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 120 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(C) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member; or
(D) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1d(c)(2) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(c)(2)).
(iii) Certain legends. If all the provisions of a satisfactory subordination agreement do not appear in a single instrument, then the debenture or other evidence of indebtedness shall bear on its face an appropriate legend stating that it is issued subject to the provisions of a satisfactory subordination agreement which shall be adequately referred to and incorporated by reference.
(iv) Legal title to securities. All securities pledged as collateral to secure a secured demand note must be in bearer form, or registered in the name of the applicant or registrant or the name of its nominee or custodian.
(v) Temporary subordinations. To enable an applicant or registrant to participate as an underwriter of securities or undertake other extraordinary activities and remain in compliance with the adjusted net capital requirements of this section, an applicant or registrant shall be permitted, on no more than three occasions in any 12-month period, to enter into a subordination agreement on a temporary basis which has a stated term of no more than 45 days from the date the subordination agreement became effective: Provided, That this temporary relief shall not apply to any applicant or registrant if the adjusted net capital of the applicant or registrant is less than the greatest of:
(A) 120 percent of the appropriate minimum dollar amount required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) or (a)(1)(iii)(A) of this section;
(B) For a futures commission merchant or applicant therefor, 120 percent of the amount required by paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section;
(C) 120 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which it is a member;
(D) For an applicant or registrant which is also a securities broker or dealer, the amount of net capital specified in Rule 15c3-1d(c)(5)(i) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1d(c)(5)(i)); or
(E) The amount of equity capital as defined in paragraph (d) of this section is less than the limits specified in paragraph (d) of this section. Such temporary subordination agreement shall be subject to all the other provisions of this section.
(vi) Filing. An applicant shall file a signed copy of any proposed subordination agreement (including nonconforming subordination agreements) with the National Futures Association at least ten days prior to the proposed effective date of the agreement or at such other time as the National Futures Association for good cause shall accept such filing. A registrant that is not a member of any designated self-regulatory organization shall file two signed copies of any proposed subordination agreement (including nonconforming subordination agreements) with the regional office of the Commission nearest the principal place of business of the registrant at least ten days prior to the proposed effective date of the agreement or at such other time as the Commission for good cause shall accept such filing. A registrant that is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization shall file signed copies of any proposed subordination agreement (including nonconforming subordination agreements) with the designated self-regulatory organization in such quantities and at such time as the designated self-regulatory organization may require prior to the effective date. The applicant or registrant shall also file with said parties a statement setting forth the name and address of the lender, the business relationship of the lender to the applicant or registrant and whether the applicant or registrant carried funds or securities for the lender at or about the time the proposed agreement was so filed. A proposed agreement filed by an applicant with the National Futures Association shall be reviewed by the National Futures Association, and no such agreement shall be a satisfactory subordination agreement for the purposes of this section unless and until the National Futures Association has found the agreement acceptable and such agreement has become effective in the form found acceptable. A proposed agreement filed by a registrant shall be reviewed by the designated self-regulatory organization with whom such an agreement is required to be filed prior to its becoming effective or, if the registrant is not a member of any designated self-regulatory organization, by the regional office of the Commission where the agreement is required to be filed prior to its becoming effective. No proposed agreement shall be a satisfactory subordination agreement for the purposes of this section unless and until the designated self-regulatory organization or, if a registrant is not a member of any designated self-regulatory organization, the Commission, has found the agreement acceptable and such agreement has become effective in the form found acceptable: Provided, however, That a proposed agreement shall be a satisfactory subordination agreement for purpose of this section if the registrant: is a securities broker or dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission; files signed copies of the proposed subordination agreement with the applicable securities designated examining authority, as defined in Rule 15c3-1(c)(12) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(12)), in the form and manner prescribed by the designated examining authority; files signed copies of the proposed subordination agreement with the designated self-regulatory organization at the time it files such copies with the designated examining authority in the form and manner prescribed by the designated self-regulatory organization; and files a copy of the designated examining authority’s approval of the proposed subordination agreement with the designated self-regulatory organization immediately upon receipt of such approval. The designated examining authority’s determination that the proposed subordination agreement satisfies the requirements for a satisfactory subordination agreement will be deemed a like finding by the designated self-regulatory organization, unless the designated self-regulatory organization notifies the registrant that the designated examining authority’s determination shall not constitute a like finding by the designated self-regulatory organization.
(vii) Subordination agreements that incorporate adjusted net capital requirements in effect prior to September 30, 2004. Any subordination agreement that incorporates the adjusted net capital requirements in paragraphs (h)(2)(vi)(C)(2), (h)(2)(vii)(A)(2) and (B)(2), (h)(2)(viii)(A)(2), (h)(3)(ii)(B), and (h)(3)(v)(B) of this section, as in effect prior to September 30, 2004, and which has been deemed to be satisfactorily subordinated pursuant to this section prior to September 30, 2004, shall continue to be deemed a satisfactory subordination agreement until the maturity of such agreement. In the event, however, that such agreement is amended or renewed for any reason, then such agreement shall not be deemed a satisfactory subordination agreement unless the amended or renewed agreement meets the requirements of this section.
(4) A designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission may allow debt with a maturity date of 1 year or more to be treated as meeting the provisions of this paragraph (h): Provided, (i) Such exemption shall only be given when the registrant’s adjusted net capital is less than the minimum required by this section or by the capital rule of the designated self-regulatory organization to which such registrant is subject;
(ii) That such debt did not exist prior to its use under this paragraph (h)(4);
(iii) Such exemption shall be for a period of 30 days or such lesser period as the designated self-regulatory organization and the Commission may determine;
(iv) Such exemption shall not be allowed more than once in any 12 month period; and
(v) At all times during such exemption the registrant shall make a good faith effort to comply with the provisions of this section or the capital rule of the designated self-regulatory organization to which such registrant is subject exclusive of any benefits derived from this paragraph (h)(4).
(i) [Reserved]
(j) For the purposes of this section cover is defined as follows:
(1) General definition. Cover shall mean transactions or positions in a contract for future delivery on a board of trade or a commodity option where such transactions or positions normally represent a substitute for transactions to be made or positions to be taken at a later time in a physical marketing channel, and where they are economically appropriate to the reduction of risks in the conduct and management of a commercial enterprise, and where they arise from:
(i) The potential change in the value of assets which a person owns, produces, manufactures, processes, or merchandises or anticipates owning, producing, manufacturing, processing, or merchandising.
(ii) The potential change in the value of liabilities which a person owes or anticipates incurring, or
(iii) The potential change in the value of services which a person provides, purchases or anticipates providing or purchasing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no transactions or positions shall be classified as cover for the purposes of this section unless their purpose is to offset price risks incidental to commercial cash or spot operations and such positions are established and liquidated in accordance with sound commercial practices and unless the provisions of paragraphs (j) (2) and (3) of this section have been satisfied.
(2) Enumerated cover transactions. The definition of covered transactions and positions in paragraph (j)(1) of this section includes, but is not limited to, the following specific transactions and positions:
(i) Ownership or fixed-price purchase of any commodity which does not exceed in quantity (A) the sales of the same commodity for future delivery on a board of trade or (B) the purchase of a put commodity option of the same commodity for which the market value for the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of the option is less than the strike price of the option or (C) the ownership of a commodity option position established by the sale (grant) of a call commodity option of the same commodity for which the market value for the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of the option is more than the strike price of the option: Provided, That for purposes of paragraph (c)(5)(x) of this section the market value for the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of such option need not be more than the strike price of that option;
(ii) Fixed-price sale of any commodity which does not exceed in quantity (A) the purchase of the same commodity for future delivery on a board of trade or (B) the purchase of a call commodity option of the same commodity for which the market value for the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of such option is more than the strike price of the option or (C) ownership of a commodity option position established by the sale (grant) of a put commodity option of the same commodity for which the market value for the actual commodity or futures comtract which is the subject of the option is less than the strike price of the option: Provided, That for purposes of paragraph (c)(5)(x) of this section the market value for the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of such option need not be less than the strike price of that option; and
(iii) Ownership or fixed-price contracts of a commodity described in paragraphs (j)(2)(i) and (j)(2)(ii) of this section may also be covered other than by the same quantity of the same cash commodity, provided that the fluctuations in value of the position for future delivery or commodity option are substantially related to the fluctuations in value of the actual cash position.
(3) Nonenumerated cases. Upon specific request, the Commission may recognize transactions and positions other than those enumerated in paragraph (j)(2) of this section as cover in amounts and under the terms and conditions as it may specify. Any applicant or registrant who wishes to avail itself of the provisions of this paragraph (j)(3) must apply to the Commission in writing at its principal office in Washington, DC giving full details of the transaction including detailed information which will demonstrate that the transaction is economically appropriate to the reduction of risk exposure attendant to the conduct and management of a commercial enterprise.
§ 1.18 Records for and relating to financial reporting and monthly computation by futures commission merchants and introducing brokers.
(a) No person shall be registered as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker under the Act unless, commencing on the date his application for such registration is filed, he prepares and keeps current ledgers or other similar records which show or summarize, with appropriate references to supporting documents, each transaction affecting his asset, liability, income, expense and capital accounts, and in which (except as otherwise permitted in writing by the Commission) all his asset, liability and capital accounts are classified into either the account classification subdivisions specified on Form 1-FR-FCM or Form 1-FR-IB, respectively, or, if such person is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer and he files (in accordance with § 1.10(h)) a copy of his Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Part II, Part IIA, or Part II CSE (FOCUS report) in lieu of Form 1-FR-FCM or Form 1-FR-IB, the account classification subdivisions specified on such FOCUS report, or categories that are in accord with generally accepted accounting principles. Each person so registered shall prepare and keep current such records.
(b)(1) Each applicant or registrant must make and keep as a record in accordance with § 1.31 formal computations of its adjusted net capital and of its minimum financial requirements pursuant to § 1.17 or the requirements of the designated self-regulatory organization to which it is subject as of the close of business each month. Such computations must be completed and made available for inspection by any representative of the National Futures Association, in the case of an applicant, or of the Commission or designated self-regulatory organization, if any, in the case of a registrant, within 17 business days after the date for which the computations are made, commencing the first month end after the date the application for registration is filed.
(2) An applicant or registrant that has filed a monthly Form 1-FR or Statement of Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Part II, Part IIA, or Part II CSE (FOCUS report) in accordance with the requirements of § 1.10(b) will be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section for such month.
(c) The provisions of this section do not apply to an introducing broker which is operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement, nor do such provisions apply to an applicant for registration as an introducing broker who files concurrently with such application a guarantee agreement, provided such introducing broker or applicant therefor is not also a securities broker or dealer.
Prohibited Trading in Commodity Options
§ 1.19 Prohibited trading in certain “puts” and “calls”.
No futures commission merchant or introducing broker may make, underwrite, issue, or otherwise assume any financial responsibility for the fulfillment of, any commodity option except:
(a) Commodity options traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market in accordance with the requirements of part 33 of this chapter;
(b) Commodity options traded on or subject to the rules of a foreign board of trade in accordance with the requirements of part 30 of this chapter; or
(c) For futures commission merchants, any option permitted under § 32.4 of this chapter, provided however, that a capital treatment for such options is referenced in § 1.17(c)(5)(vi).
Customers’ Money, Securities, and Property
§ 1.20 Futures customer funds to be segregated and separately accounted for.
(a) General. A futures commission merchant must separately account for all futures customer funds and segregate such funds as belonging to its futures customers. A futures commission merchant shall deposit futures customer funds under an account name that clearly identifies them as futures customer funds and shows that such funds are segregated as required by sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Act and by this part. A futures commission merchant must at all times maintain in the separate account or accounts money, securities and property in an amount at least sufficient in the aggregate to cover its total obligations to all futures customers as computed under paragraph (i) of this section. The futures commission merchant must perform appropriate due diligence as required by § 1.11 on any and all locations of futures customer funds, as specified in paragraph (b) of this section, to ensure that the location in which the futures commission merchant has deposited such funds is a financially sound entity.
(b) Location of futures customer funds. A futures commission merchant may deposit futures customer funds, subject to the risk management policies and procedures of the futures commission merchant required by § 1.11, with the following depositories:
(1) A bank or trust company;
(2) A derivatives clearing organization; or
(3) Another futures commission merchant.
(c) Limitation on the holding of futures customer funds outside of the United States. A futures commission merchant may hold futures customer funds with a depository outside of the United States only in accordance with § 1.49.
(d) Written acknowledgment from depositories.
(1) A futures commission merchant must obtain a written acknowledgment from each bank, trust company, derivatives clearing organization, or futures commission merchant prior to or contemporaneously with the opening of an account by the futures commission merchant with such depositories; provided, however, that a written acknowledgment need not be obtained from a derivatives clearing organization that has adopted and submitted to the Commission rules that provide for the segregation of futures customer funds in accordance with all relevant provisions of the Act and the rules in this chapter, and orders promulgated thereunder, and in such cases, the requirements set forth in paragraphs (d)(3) through (6) of this section shall not apply to the futures commission merchant.
(2) The written acknowledgment must be in the form as set out in appendix A to this part.
(3)(i) A futures commission merchant shall deposit futures customer funds only with a depository that agrees to provide the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, with direct, read-only electronic access to transaction and account balance information for futures customer accounts.
(ii) The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to provide direct, read-only electronic access to futures customer account transaction and account balance information to the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(4) A futures commission merchant shall deposit futures customer funds only with a depository that agrees to provide the Commission and the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization with a copy of the executed written acknowledgment no later than three business days after the opening of the account or the execution of a new written acknowledgment for an existing account, as applicable. The Commission must receive the written acknowledgment from the depository via electronic means, in a format and manner determined by the Commission. The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to provide the written acknowledgment to the Commission and to the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(5) A futures commission merchant shall deposit futures customer funds only with a depository that agrees that accounts containing customer funds may be examined at any reasonable time by the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization. The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to permit any such examination to take place without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(6) A futures commission merchant shall deposit futures customer funds only with a depository that agrees to reply promptly and directly to any request from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to an account. The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to reply promptly and directly as required by this paragraph without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(7) Where a written acknowledgment is required, the futures commission merchant shall promptly file a copy of the written acknowledgment with the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission no later than three business days after the opening of the account or the execution of a new written acknowledgment for an existing account, as applicable.
(8) Where a written acknowledgment is required, a futures commission merchant shall obtain a new written acknowledgment within 120 days of any changes in the following:
(i) The name or business address of the futures commission merchant;
(ii) The name or business address of the bank, trust company, derivatives clearing organization or futures commission merchant receiving futures customer funds; or
(iii) The account number(s) under which futures customer funds are held.
(9) A futures commission merchant shall maintain each written acknowledgment readily accessible in its files in accordance with § 1.31, for as long as the account remains open, and thereafter for the period provided in § 1.31.
(e) Commingling. (1) A futures commission merchant may for convenience commingle the futures customer funds that it receives from, or on behalf of, multiple futures customers in a single account or multiple accounts with one or more of the depositories listed in paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) A futures commission merchant shall not commingle futures customer funds with the money, securities or property of such futures commission merchant, or with any proprietary account of such futures commission merchant, or use such funds to secure or guarantee the obligation of, or extend credit to, such futures commission merchant or any proprietary account of such futures commission merchant; provided, however, a futures commission merchant may deposit proprietary funds in segregated accounts as permitted under § 1.23.
(3) A futures commission merchant may not commingle futures customer funds with funds deposited by 30.7 customers as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter and set aside in separate accounts as required by part 30 of this chapter, or with funds deposited by Cleared Swaps Customers as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter and held in segregated accounts pursuant to section 4d(f) of the Act; provided, however, that a futures commission merchant may commingle futures customer funds with funds deposited by 30.7 customers or Cleared Swaps Customers if expressly permitted by a Commission regulation or order, or by a derivatives clearing organization rule approved in accordance with § 39.15(b)(2) of this chapter.
(f) Limitation on use of futures customer funds. (1) A futures commission merchant shall treat and deal with the funds of a futures customer as belonging to such futures customer. A futures commission merchant shall not use the funds of a futures customer to secure or guarantee the commodity interests, or to secure or extend the credit, of any person other than the futures customer for whom the funds are held.
(2) A futures commission merchant shall obligate futures customer funds to a derivatives clearing organization, a futures commission merchant, or any depository solely to purchase, margin, guarantee, secure, transfer, adjust or settle trades, contracts or commodity option transactions of futures customers; provided, however, that a futures commission merchant is permitted to use the funds belonging to a futures customer that are necessary in the normal course of business to pay lawfully accruing fees or expenses on behalf of the futures customer’s positions including commissions, brokerage, interest, taxes, storage and other fees and charges.
(3) No person, including any derivatives clearing organization or any depository, that has received futures customer funds for deposit in a segregated account, as provided in this section, may hold, dispose of, or use any such funds as belonging to any person other than the futures customers of the futures commission merchant which deposited such funds.
(g) Derivatives clearing organizations—(1) General. All futures customer funds received by a derivatives clearing organization from a member to purchase, margin, guarantee, secure or settle the trades, contracts or commodity options of the clearing member’s futures customers and all money accruing to such futures customers as the result of trades, contracts or commodity options so carried shall be separately accounted for and segregated as belonging to such futures customers, and a derivatives clearing organization shall not hold, use or dispose of such futures customer funds except as belonging to such futures customers. A derivatives clearing organization shall deposit futures customer funds under an account name that clearly identifies them as futures customer funds and shows that such funds are segregated as required by sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Act and by this part.
(2) Location of futures customer funds. A derivatives clearing organization may deposit futures customer funds with a bank or trust company, which may include a Federal Reserve Bank with respect to deposits of a derivatives clearing organization that is designated by the Financial Stability Oversight Council to be systemically important.
(3) Limitation on the holding of futures customer funds outside of the United States. A derivatives clearing organization may hold futures customer funds with a depository outside of the United States only in accordance with § 1.49.
(4) Written acknowledgment from depositories. (i) A derivatives clearing organization must obtain a written acknowledgment from each depository prior to or contemporaneously with the opening of a futures customer funds account; provided, however, that a derivatives clearing organization is not required to obtain a written acknowledgment from a Federal Reserve Bank with which it has opened a futures customer funds account.
(ii) The written acknowledgment must be in the form as set out in appendix B to this part.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization shall deposit futures customer funds only with a depository that agrees to provide the Commission with a copy of the executed written acknowledgment no later than three business days after the opening of the account or the execution of a new written acknowledgment for an existing account, as applicable. The Commission must receive the written acknowledgment from the depository via electronic means, in a format and manner determined by the Commission. The written acknowledgment must contain the derivatives clearing organization’s authorization to the depository to provide the written acknowledgment to the Commission without further notice to or consent from the derivatives clearing organization.
(iv) A derivatives clearing organization shall deposit futures customer funds only with a depository that agrees to reply promptly and directly to any request from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to an account. The written acknowledgment must contain the derivatives clearing organization’s authorization to the depository to reply promptly and directly as required by this paragraph without further notice to or consent from the derivatives clearing organization.
(v) A derivatives clearing organization shall promptly file a copy of the written acknowledgment with the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission no later than three business days after the opening of the account or the execution of a new written acknowledgment for an existing account, as applicable.
(vi) A derivatives clearing organization shall obtain a new written acknowledgment within 120 days of any changes in the following:
(A) The name or business address of the derivatives clearing organization;
(B) The name or business address of the depository receiving futures customer funds; or
(C) The account number(s) under which futures customer funds are held.
(vii) A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain each written acknowledgment readily accessible in its files in accordance with § 1.31, for as long as the account remains open, and thereafter for the period provided in § 1.31.
(5) Commingling. (i) A derivatives clearing organization may for convenience commingle the futures customer funds that it receives from, or on behalf of, multiple futures commission merchants in a single account or multiple accounts with one or more of the depositories listed in paragraph (g)(2) of this section.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall not commingle futures customer funds with the money, securities or property of such derivatives clearing organization or with any proprietary account of any of its clearing members, or use such funds to secure or guarantee the obligations of, or extend credit to, such derivatives clearing organization or any proprietary account of any of its clearing members.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization may not commingle funds held for futures customers with funds deposited by clearing members on behalf of their 30.7 customers as defined in § 30.1 of this chapter and set aside in separate accounts as required by part 30 of this chapter, or with funds deposited by clearing members on behalf of their Cleared Swaps Customers as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter and held in segregated accounts pursuant section 4d(f) of the Act; provided, however, that a derivatives clearing organization may commingle futures customer funds with funds deposited by clearing members on behalf of their 30.7 customers or Cleared Swaps Customers if expressly permitted by a Commission regulation or order, or by a derivatives clearing organization rule approved in accordance with § 39.15(b)(2) of this chapter.
(h) Immediate availability of bank and trust company deposits. All futures customer funds deposited by a futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization with a bank or trust company must be immediately available for withdrawal upon the demand of the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(i) Requirements as to amount. (1) For purposes of this paragraph (i), the term “account” shall mean the entries on the books and records of a futures commission merchant pertaining to the futures customer funds of a particular futures customer.
(2) The futures commission merchant must reflect in the account that it maintains for each futures customer the net liquidating equity for each such customer, calculated as follows: The market value of any futures customer funds that it receives from such customer, as adjusted by:
(i) Any uses permitted under paragraph (f) of this section;
(ii) Any accruals on permitted investments of such collateral under § 1.25 that, pursuant to the futures commission merchant’s customer agreement with that customer, are creditable to such customer;
(iii) Any gains and losses with respect to contracts for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery and any options on such contracts;
(iv) Any charges lawfully accruing to the futures customer, including any commission, brokerage fee, interest, tax, or storage fee; and
(v) Any appropriately authorized distribution or transfer of such collateral.
(3) If the market value of futures customer funds in the account of a futures customer is positive after adjustments, then that account has a credit balance. If the market value of futures customer funds in the account of a futures customer is negative after adjustments, then that account has a debit balance.
(4) The futures commission merchant must maintain in segregation an amount equal to the sum of any credit balances that the futures customers of the futures commission merchant have in their accounts. This balance may not be reduced by any debit balances that the futures customers of the futures commission merchants have in their accounts.
We refer to the Segregated Account(s) which [Name of Futures Commission Merchant] (“we” or “our”) have opened or will open with [Name of Bank, Trust Company, Derivatives Clearing Organization or Futures Commission Merchant] (“you” or “your”) entitled:
You acknowledge that we have opened or will open the above-referenced Account(s) for the purpose of depositing, as applicable, money, securities and other property (collectively the “Funds”) of customers who trade commodities, options, swaps, and other products, as required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulations, including Regulation 1.20, as amended; that the Funds held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be separately accounted for and segregated on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and part 1 of the CFTC’s regulations, as amended; and that the Funds must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4d of the Act and CFTC regulations thereunder.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Funds may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Funds in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you. This prohibition does not affect your right to recover funds advanced in the form of cash transfers, lines of credit, repurchase agreements or other similar liquidity arrangements you make in lieu of liquidating non-cash assets held in the Account(s) or in lieu of converting cash held in the Account(s) to cash in a different currency.
In addition, you agree that the Account(s) may be examined at any reasonable time by the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of our designated self-regulatory organization (“DSRO”), [Name of DSRO], and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to permit any such examination to take place without further notice to or consent from us.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
You further acknowledge and agree that, pursuant to authorization granted by us to you previously or herein, you have provided, or will promptly provide following the opening of the Account(s), the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, with technological connectivity, which may include provision of hardware, software, and related technology and protocol support, to facilitate direct, read-only electronic access to transaction and account balance information for the Account(s). This letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf for you to establish this connectivity and access if not previously established, without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information and access requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information or access request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information or access to the appropriate recipient(s). We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information or access request from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event that we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Funds held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Funds maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason, and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or the CFTC regulations that relates to the segregation of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4d of the Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert governing law] without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC) and to [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO. We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copies without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
We refer to the Segregated Account(s) which [Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization] (“we” or “our”) have opened or will open with [Name of Bank or Trust Company] (“you” or “your”) entitled:
You acknowledge that we have opened or will open the above-referenced Account(s) for the purpose of depositing, as applicable, money, securities and other property (collectively the “Funds”) of customers who trade commodities, options, swaps, and other products, as required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulations, including Regulation 1.20, as amended; that the Funds held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be separately accounted for and segregated on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and part 1 of the CFTC’s regulations, as amended; and that the Funds must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4d of the Act and CFTC regulations thereunder.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Funds may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Funds in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you. This prohibition does not affect your right to recover funds advanced in the form of cash transfers, lines of credit, repurchase agreements or other similar liquidity arrangements you make in lieu of liquidating non-cash assets held in the Account(s) or in lieu of converting cash held in the Account(s) to cash in a different currency.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information request from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event that we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Funds held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Funds maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason, and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or the CFTC regulations that relates to the segregation of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4d of the Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert governing law] without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC). We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copy without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
§ 1.21 Care of money and equities accruing to futures customers.
All money received directly or indirectly by, and all money and equities accruing to, a futures commission merchant from any derivatives clearing organization or from any clearing member or from any member of a contract market incident to or resulting from any trade, contract or commodity option made by or through such futures commission merchant on behalf of any futures customer shall be considered as accruing to such futures customer within the meaning of the Act and these regulations. Such money and equities shall be treated and dealt with as belonging to such futures customer in accordance with the provisions of the Act and these regulations. Money and equities accruing in connection with futures customers’ open trades, contracts, or commodity options need not be separately credited to individual accounts but may be treated and dealt with as belonging undivided to all futures customers having open trades, contracts, or commodity option positions which if closed would result in a credit to such futures customers.
§ 1.22 Use of futures customer funds restricted.
(a) No futures commission merchant shall use, or permit the use of, the futures customer funds of one futures customer to purchase, margin, or settle the trades, contracts, or commodity options of, or to secure or extend the credit of, any person other than such futures customer.
(b) Futures customer funds shall not be used to carry trades or positions of the same futures customer other than in contracts for the purchase of sale of any commodity for future delivery or for options thereon traded through the facilities of a designated contract market.
(c)(1) The undermargined amount for a futures customer’s account is the amount, if any, by which:
(i) The total amount of collateral required for that futures customer’s positions in that account, at the time or times referred to in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, exceeds
(ii) The value of the futures customer funds for that account, as calculated in § 1.20(i)(2).
(2) Each futures commission merchant must compute, based on the information available to the futures commission merchant as of the close of each business day,
(i) The undermargined amounts, based on the clearing initial margin that will be required to be maintained by that futures commission merchant for its futures customers, at each derivatives clearing organization of which the futures commission merchant is a member, at the point of the daily settlement (as described in § 39.14 of this chapter) that will complete during the following business day for each such derivatives clearing organization less
(ii) Any debit balances referred to in § 1.20(i)(4) included in such undermargined amounts.
(3)(i) Prior to the Residual Interest Deadline, such futures commission merchant must maintain residual interest in segregated funds that is at least equal to the computation set forth in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. Where a futures commission merchant is subject to multiple Residual Interest Deadlines, prior to each Residual Interest Deadline, such futures commission merchant must maintain residual interest in segregated funds that is at least equal to the portion of the computation set forth in paragraph (c)(2) of this section attributable to the clearing initial margin required by the derivatives clearing organization making such settlement.
(ii) A futures commission merchant may reduce the amount of residual interest required in paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section to account for payments received from or on behalf of undermargined futures customers (less the sum of any disbursements made to or on behalf of such customers) between the close of the previous business day and the Residual Interest Deadline.
(4) For purposes of paragraph (c)(2) of this section, a futures commission merchant should include, as clearing initial margin, customer initial margin that the futures commission merchant will be required to maintain, for that futures commission merchant’s futures customers, at another futures commission merchant.
(5) Residual Interest Deadline defined. (i) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section, the Residual Interest Deadline shall be the time of the settlement referenced in paragraph (c)(2)(i) or, as appropriate, (c)(4), of this section.
(ii) Starting on November 14, 2014 and during the phase-in period described in paragraph (c)(5)(iii) of this section, the Residual Interest Deadline shall be 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date of the settlement referenced in paragraph (c)(2)(i) or, as appropriate, (c)(4), of this section.
(iii)(A) No later than May 16, 2016, the staff of the Commission shall complete and publish for public comment a report addressing, to the extent information is practically available, the practicability (for both futures commission merchants and customers) of moving that deadline from 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date of the settlement referenced in paragraph (c)(2)(i) or, as appropriate, (c)(4), of this section to the time of that settlement (or to some other time of day), including whether and on what schedule it would be feasible to do so, and the costs and benefits of such potential requirements. Staff shall, using the Commission’s Web site, solicit public comment and shall conduct a public roundtable regarding specific issues to be covered by such report.
(B) Nine months after publication of the report required by paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(A) of this section, the Commission may (but shall not be required to) do either of the following:
(1) Terminate the phase-in period through rulemaking, in which case the phase-in period shall end as of a date established by a final rule published in the
(2) Determine that it is necessary or appropriate in the public interest to propose through rulemaking a different Residual Interest Deadline. In that event, the Commission shall establish, if necessary, a phase-in schedule in the final rule published in the
(C) If the phase-in schedule has not been terminated or revised pursuant to paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(B) of this section, then the Residual Interest Deadline shall remain 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date of the settlement referenced in paragraph (c)(2)(i) or, as appropriate, (c)(4) of this section until such time that the Commission takes further action through rulemaking.
§ 1.23 Interest of futures commission merchant in segregated futures customer funds; additions and withdrawals.
(a)(1) The provision in sections 4d(a)(2) and 4d(b) of the Act and the provision in § 1.20 that prohibit the commingling of futures customer funds with the funds of a futures commission merchant, shall not be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant from having a residual financial interest in the futures customer funds segregated as required by the Act and the regulations in this part and set apart for the benefit of futures customers; nor shall such provisions be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant from adding to such segregated futures customer funds such amount or amounts of money, from its own funds or unencumbered securities from its own inventory, of the type set forth in § 1.25 of this part, as it may deem necessary to ensure any and all futures customers’ accounts from becoming undersegregated at any time.
(2) If a futures commission merchant discovers at any time that it is holding insufficient funds in segregated accounts to meet its obligations under §§ 1.20 and 1.22, the futures commission merchant shall immediately deposit sufficient funds into segregation to bring the account into compliance.
(b) A futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds, except withdrawals that are made to or for the benefit of futures customers, from an account or accounts holding futures customer funds unless the futures commission merchant has prepared the daily segregation calculation required by § 1.32 as of the close of business on the previous business day. A futures commission merchant that has completed its daily segregation calculation may make withdrawals, in addition to withdrawals that are made to or for the benefit of futures customers, to the extent of its actual residual financial interest in funds held in segregated futures accounts, adjusted to reflect market activity and other events that may have decreased the amount of the firm’s residual financial interest since the close of business on the previous business day, including the withdrawal of securities held in segregated safekeeping accounts held by a bank, trust company, derivatives clearing organization or other futures commission merchant. Such withdrawal(s), however, shall not result in the funds of one futures customer being used to purchase, margin or carry the trades, contracts or commodity options, or extend the credit of any other futures customer or other person.
(c) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, each futures commission merchant shall establish a targeted residual interest (i.e., excess funds) that is in an amount that, when maintained as its residual interest in the segregated funds accounts, reasonably ensures that the futures commission merchant shall remain in compliance with the segregated funds requirements at all times. Each futures commission merchant shall establish policies and procedures designed to reasonably ensure that the futures commission merchant maintains the targeted residual amounts in segregated funds at all times. The futures commission merchant shall maintain sufficient capital and liquidity, and take such other appropriate steps as are necessary, to reasonably ensure that such amount of targeted residual interest is maintained as the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in the segregated funds accounts at all times. In determining the amount of the targeted residual interest, the futures commission merchant shall analyze all relevant factors affecting the amounts in segregated funds from time to time, including without limitation various factors, as applicable, relating to the nature of the futures commission merchant’s business including, but not limited to, the composition of the futures commission merchant’s customer base, the general creditworthiness of the customer base, the general trading activity of the customers, the types of markets and products traded by the customers, the proprietary trading of the futures commission merchant, the general volatility and liquidity of the markets and products traded by customers, the futures commission merchant’s own liquidity and capital needs, and the historical trends in customer segregated fund balances and debit balances in customers’ and undermargined accounts. The analysis and calculation of the targeted amount of the future commission merchant’s residual interest must be described in writing with the specificity necessary to allow the Commission and the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization to duplicate the analysis and calculation and test the assumptions made by the futures commission merchant. The adequacy of the targeted residual interest and the process for establishing the targeted residual interest must be reassessed periodically by the futures commission merchant and revised as necessary.
(d) Notwithstanding any other paragraph of this section, a futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds, in a single transaction or a series of transactions, that are not made to or for the benefit of futures customers from futures accounts if such withdrawal(s) would exceed 25 percent of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in such accounts as reported on the daily segregation calculation required by § 1.32 and computed as of the close of business on the previous business day, unless:
(1) The futures commission merchant’s chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official that is listed as a principal of the futures commission merchant on its Form 7-R and is knowledgeable about the futures commission merchant’s financial requirements and financial position pre-approves in writing the withdrawal, or series of withdrawals;
(2) The futures commission merchant files written notice of the withdrawal or series of withdrawals, with the Commission and with its designated self-regulatory organization immediately after the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official as described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section pre-approves the withdrawal or series of withdrawals. The written notice must:
(i) Be signed by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official as described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section that pre-approved the withdrawal, and give notice that the futures commission merchant has withdrawn or intends to withdraw more than 25 percent of its residual interest in segregated accounts holding futures customer funds;
(ii) Include a description of the reasons for the withdrawal or series of withdrawals;
(iii) List the amount of funds provided to each recipient and each recipient’s name;
(iv) Include the current estimate of the amount of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in the futures accounts after the withdrawal;
(v) Contain a representation by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official as described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section that pre-approved the withdrawal, or series of withdrawals, that, after due diligence, to such person’s knowledge and reasonable belief, the futures commission merchant remains in compliance with the segregation requirements after the withdrawal. The chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official as described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section must consider the daily segregation calculation as of the close of business on the previous business day and any other factors that may cause a material change in the futures commission merchant’s residual interest since the close of business the previous business day, including known unsecured futures customer debits or deficits, current day market activity and any other withdrawals made from the futures accounts; and
(vi) Any such written notice filed with the Commission must be filed via electronic transmission using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instruction issued by or approved by the Commission. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer. Any written notice filed must be followed up with direct communication to the Regional office of the Commission that has supervisory authority over the futures commission merchant whereby the Commission acknowledges receipt of the notice; and
(3) After making a withdrawal requiring the approval and notice required in paragraphs (d)(1) and (2) of this section, and before the completion of its next daily segregated funds calculation, no futures commission merchant may make any further withdrawals from accounts holding futures customer funds, except to or for the benefit of futures customers, without, for each withdrawal, obtaining the approval required under paragraph (d)(1) of this section and filing a written notice in the manner specified under paragraph (d)(2) of this section with the Commission and its designated self-regulatory organization signed by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer, or other senior official. The written notice must:
(i) List the amount of funds provided to each recipient and each recipient’s name;
(ii) Disclose the reason for each withdrawal;
(iii) Confirm that the chief executive officer, chief finance officer, or other senior official (and identify of the person if different from the person who signed the notice) pre-approved the withdrawal in writing;
(iv) Disclose the current estimate of the futures commission merchant’s remaining total residual interest in the segregated accounts holding futures customer funds after the withdrawal; and
(v) Include a representation that, after due diligence, to the best of the notice signatory’s knowledge and reasonable belief the futures commission merchant remains in compliance with the segregation requirements after the withdrawal.
(e) If a futures commission merchant withdraws funds from futures accounts that are not made to or for the benefit of futures customers, and the withdrawal causes the futures commission merchant to not hold sufficient funds in the futures accounts to meet its targeted residual interest, as required to be computed under § 1.11, the futures commission merchant should deposit its own funds into the futures accounts to restore the account balance to the targeted residual interest amount by the close of business on the next business day, or, if appropriate, revise the futures commission merchant’s targeted amount of residual interest pursuant to the policies and procedures required by § 1.11. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in customer accounts is less than the amount required by § 1.22 at any particular point in time, the futures commission merchant must immediately restore the residual interest to exceed the sum of such amounts. Any proprietary funds deposited in the futures accounts must be unencumbered and otherwise compliant with § 1.25, as applicable.
§ 1.24 Segregated funds; exclusions therefrom.
Money held in a segregated account by a futures commission merchant shall not include: (a) Money invested in obligations or stocks of any derivatives clearing organization or in memberships in or obligations of any contract market; or
(b) Money held by any derivatives clearing organization which it may use for any purpose other than to purchase, margin, guarantee, secure, transfer, adjust, or settle the contracts, trades, or commodity options of the futures customers of such futures commission merchant.
§ 1.25 Investment of customer funds.
(a) Permitted investments. (1) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this section, a futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization may invest customer money in the following instruments (permitted investments):
(i) Obligations of the United States and obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States (U.S. government securities);
(ii) General obligations of any State or of any political subdivision thereof (municipal securities);
(iii) Obligations of any United States government corporation or enterprise sponsored by the United States government (U.S. agency obligations);
(iv) Certificates of deposit issued by a bank (certificates of deposit) as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or a domestic branch of a foreign bank that carries deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
(v) Commercial paper fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (commercial paper);
(vi) Corporate notes or bonds fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (corporate notes or bonds); and
(vii) Interests in money market mutual funds.
(2)(i) In addition, a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization may buy and sell the permitted investments listed in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (vii) of this section pursuant to agreements for resale or repurchase of the instruments, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (d) of this section.
(ii) A futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization may sell securities deposited by customers as margin pursuant to agreements to repurchase subject to the following:
(A) Securities subject to such repurchase agreements must be “highly liquid” as defined in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(B) Securities subject to such repurchase agreements must not be “specifically identifiable property” as defined in § 190.01 of this chapter.
(C) The terms and conditions of such an agreement to repurchase must be in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (d) of this section.
(D) Upon the default by a counterparty to a repurchase agreement, the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization shall act promptly to ensure that the default does not result in any direct or indirect cost or expense to the customer.
(3) Obligations issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association are permitted while these entities operate under the conservatorship or receivership of the Federal Housing Finance Authority with capital support from the United States.
(b) General terms and conditions. A futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization is required to manage the permitted investments consistent with the objectives of preserving principal and maintaining liquidity and according to the following specific requirements:
(1) Liquidity. Investments must be “highly liquid” such that they have the ability to be converted into cash within one business day without material discount in value.
(2) Restrictions on instrument features. (i) With the exception of money market mutual funds, no permitted investment may contain an embedded derivative of any kind, except as follows:
(A) The issuer of an instrument otherwise permitted by this section may have an option to call, in whole or in part, at par, the principal amount of the instrument before its stated maturity date; or
(B) An instrument that meets the requirements of paragraph (b)(2)(iv) of this section may provide for a cap, floor, or collar on the interest paid; provided, however, that the terms of such instrument obligate the issuer to repay the principal amount of the instrument at not less than par value upon maturity.
(ii) No instrument may contain interest-only payment features.
(iii) No instrument may provide payments linked to a commodity, currency, reference instrument, index, or benchmark except as provided in paragraph (b)(2)(iv) of this section, and it may not otherwise constitute a derivative instrument.
(iv)(A) Adjustable rate securities are permitted, subject to the following requirements:
(1) The interest payments on variable rate securities must correlate closely and on an unleveraged basis to a benchmark of either the Federal Funds target or effective rate, the prime rate, the three-month Treasury Bill rate, the one-month or three-month LIBOR rate, or the interest rate of any fixed rate instrument that is a permitted investment listed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(2) The interest payment, in any period, on floating rate securities must be determined solely by reference, on an unleveraged basis, to a benchmark of either the Federal Funds target or effective rate, the prime rate, the three-month Treasury Bill rate, the one-month or three-month LIBOR rate, or the interest rate of any fixed rate instrument that is a permitted investment listed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(3) Benchmark rates must be expressed in the same currency as the adjustable rate securities that reference them; and
(4) No interest payment on an adjustable rate security, in any period, can be a negative amount.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) The term adjustable rate security means, a floating rate security, a variable rate security, or both.
(2) The term floating rate security means a security, the terms of which provide for the adjustment of its interest rate whenever a specified interest rate changes and that, at any time until the final maturity of the instrument or the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand, can reasonably be expected to have market value that approximates its amortized cost.
(3) The term variable rate security means a security, the terms of which provide for the adjustment of its interest rate on set dates (such as the last day of a month or calendar quarter) and that, upon each adjustment until the final maturity of the instrument or the period remaining until the principal amount can be recovered through demand, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its amortized cost.
(v) Certificates of deposit must be redeemable at the issuing bank within one business day, with any penalty for early withdrawal limited to any accrued interest earned according to its written terms.
(vi) Commercial paper and corporate notes or bonds must meet the following criteria:
(A) The size of the issuance must be greater than $1 billion;
(B) The instrument must be denominated in U.S. dollars; and
(C) The instrument must be fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States for its entire term.
(3) Concentration—(i) Asset-based concentration limits for direct investments. (A) Investments in U.S. government securities shall not be subject to a concentration limit.
(B) Investments in U.S. agency obligations may not exceed 50 percent of the total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(C) Investments in each of commercial paper, corporate notes or bonds and certificates of deposit may not exceed 25 percent of the total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(D) Investments in municipal securities may not exceed 10 percent of the total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(E) Subject to paragraph (b)(3)(i)(G) of this section, investments in money market mutual funds comprising only U.S. government securities shall not be subject to a concentration limit.
(F) Subject to paragraph (b)(3)(i)(G) of this section, investments in money market mutual funds, other than those described in paragraph (b)(3)(i)(E) of this section, may not exceed 50 percent of the total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(G) Investments in money market mutual funds comprising less than $1 billion in assets and/or which have a management company comprising less than $25 billion in assets, may not exceed 10 percent of the total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(ii) Issuer-based concentration limits for direct investments. (A) Securities of any single issuer of U.S. agency obligations held by a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization may not exceed 25 percent of total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(B) Securities of any single issuer of municipal securities, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, or corporate notes or bonds held by a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization may not exceed 5 percent of total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(C) Interests in any single family of money market mutual funds described in paragraph (b)(3)(i)(F) of this section may not exceed 25 percent of total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(D) Interests in any individual money market mutual fund described in paragraph (b)(3)(i)(F) of this section may not exceed 10 percent of total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(E) For purposes of determining compliance with the issuer-based concentration limits set forth in this section, securities issued by entities that are affiliated, as defined in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, shall be aggregated and deemed the securities of a single issuer. An interest in a permitted money market mutual fund is not deemed to be a security issued by its sponsoring entity.
(iii) Concentration limits for agreements to repurchase—(A) Repurchase agreements. For purposes of determining compliance with the asset-based and issuer-based concentration limits set forth in this section, securities sold by a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization subject to agreements to repurchase shall be combined with securities held by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization as direct investments.
(B) Reverse repurchase agreements. For purposes of determining compliance with the asset-based and issuer-based concentration limits set forth in this section, securities purchased by a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization subject to agreements to resell shall be combined with securities held by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization as direct investments.
(iv) Treatment of customer-owned securities. For purposes of determining compliance with the asset-based and issuer-based concentration limits set forth in this section, securities owned by the customers of a futures commission merchant and posted as margin collateral are not included in total assets held in segregation by the futures commission merchant, and securities posted by a futures commission merchant with a derivatives clearing organization are not included in total assets held in segregation by the derivatives clearing organization.
(v) Counterparty concentration limits. Securities purchased by a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization from a single counterparty, or from one or more counterparties under common ownership or control, subject to an agreement to resell the securities to the counterparty or counterparties, shall not exceed 25 percent of total assets held in segregation or under § 30.7 of this chapter by the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(4) Time-to-maturity. (i) Except for investments in money market mutual funds, the dollar-weighted average of the time-to-maturity of the portfolio, as that average is computed pursuant to § 270.2a-7 of this title, may not exceed 24 months.
(ii) For purposes of determining the time-to-maturity of the portfolio, an instrument that is set forth in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (vii) of this section may be treated as having a one-day time-to-maturity if the following terms and conditions are satisfied:
(A) The instrument is deposited solely on an overnight basis with a derivatives clearing organization pursuant to the terms and conditions of a collateral management program that has become effective in accordance with § 39.4 of this chapter;
(B) The instrument is one that the futures commission merchant owns or has an unqualified right to pledge, is not subject to any lien, and is deposited by the futures commission merchant into a segregated account at a derivatives clearing organization;
(C) The derivatives clearing organization prices the instrument each day based on the current mark-to-market value; and
(D) The derivatives clearing organization reduces the assigned value of the instrument each day by a haircut of at least 2 percent.
(5) Investments in instruments issued by affiliates. (i) A futures commission merchant shall not invest customer funds in obligations of an entity affiliated with the futures commission merchant, and a derivatives clearing organization shall not invest customer funds in obligations of an entity affiliated with the derivatives clearing organization. An affiliate includes parent companies, including all entities through the ultimate holding company, subsidiaries to the lowest level, and companies under common ownership of such parent company or affiliates.
(ii) A futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization may invest customer funds in a fund affiliated with that futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization.
(c) Money market mutual funds. The following provisions will apply to the investment of customer funds in money market mutual funds (the fund).
(1) The fund must be an investment company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 with the Securities and Exchange Commission and that holds itself out to investors as a money market fund, in accordance with § 270.2a-7 of this title.
(2) The fund must be sponsored by a federally-regulated financial institution, a bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or a domestic branch of a foreign bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
(3) A futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization shall maintain the confirmation relating to the purchase in its records in accordance with § 1.31 and note the ownership of fund shares (by book-entry or otherwise) in a custody account of the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization in accordance with § 1.26. The futures commission merchant or the derivatives clearing organization shall obtain the acknowledgment letter required by § 1.26 from an entity that has substantial control over the fund shares purchased with customer funds and has the knowledge and authority to facilitate redemption and payment or transfer of the customer funds. Such entity may include the fund sponsor or depository acting as custodian for fund shares.
(4) The net asset value of the fund must be computed by 9 a.m. of the business day following each business day and made available to the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization by that time.
(5)(i) General requirement for redemption of interests. A fund shall be legally obligated to redeem an interest and to make payment in satisfaction thereof by the business day following a redemption request, and the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization shall retain documentation demonstrating compliance with this requirement.
(ii) Exception. A fund may provide for the postponement of redemption and payment due to any of the following circumstances:
(A) For any period during which there is a non-routine closure of the Fedwire or applicable Federal Reserve Banks;
(B) For any period:
(1) During which the New York Stock Exchange is closed other than customary week-end and holiday closings; or
(2) During which trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted;
(C) For any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which:
(1) Disposal by the company of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable; or
(2) It is not reasonably practicable for such company fairly to determine the value of its net assets;
(D) For any period as the Securities and Exchange Commission may by order permit for the protection of security holders of the company;
(E) For any period during which the Securities and Exchange Commission has, by rule or regulation, deemed that:
(1) Trading shall be restricted; or
(2) An emergency exists; or
(F) For any period during which each of the conditions of § 270.22e-3(a)(1) through (3) of this title are met.
(6) The agreement pursuant to which the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization has acquired and is holding its interest in a fund must contain no provision that would prevent the pledging or transferring of shares.
(7) The appendix to this section sets forth language that will satisfy the requirements of paragraph (c)(5) of this section.
(d) Repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements. A futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization may buy and sell the permitted investments listed in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (vii) of this section pursuant to agreements for resale or repurchase of the securities (agreements to repurchase or resell), provided the agreements to repurchase or resell conform to the following requirements:
(1) The securities are specifically identified by coupon rate, par amount, market value, maturity date, and CUSIP or ISIN number.
(2) Permitted counterparties are limited to a bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, a domestic branch of a foreign bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a securities broker or dealer, or a government securities broker or government securities dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or which has filed notice pursuant to section 15C(a) of the Government Securities Act of 1986.
(3) A futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization shall not enter into an agreement to repurchase or resell with a counterparty that is an affiliate of the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization, respectively. An affiliate includes parent companies, including all entities through the ultimate holding company, subsidiaries to the lowest level, and companies under common ownership of such parent company or affiliates.
(4) The transaction is executed in compliance with the concentration limit requirements applicable to the securities transferred to the customer segregated custodial account in connection with the agreements to repurchase referred to in paragraphs (b)(3)(iii)(A) and (B) of this section.
(5) The transaction is made pursuant to a written agreement signed by the parties to the agreement, which is consistent with the conditions set forth in paragraphs (d)(1) through (13) of this section and which states that the parties thereto intend the transaction to be treated as a purchase and sale of securities.
(6) The term of the agreement is no more than one business day, or reversal of the transaction is possible on demand.
(7) Securities transferred to the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization under the agreement are held in a safekeeping account with a bank as referred to in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, a Federal Reserve Bank, a derivatives clearing organization, or the Depository Trust Company in an account that complies with the requirements of § 1.26.
(8) The futures commission merchant or the derivatives clearing organization may not use securities received under the agreement in another similar transaction and may not otherwise hypothecate or pledge such securities, except securities may be pledged on behalf of customers at another futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization. Substitution of securities is allowed, provided, however, that:
(i) The qualifying securities being substituted and original securities are specifically identified by date of substitution, market values substituted, coupon rates, par amounts, maturity dates and CUSIP or ISIN numbers;
(ii) Substitution is made on a “delivery versus delivery” basis; and
(iii) The market value of the substituted securities is at least equal to that of the original securities.
(9) The transfer of securities to the customer segregated custodial account is made on a delivery versus payment basis in immediately available funds. The transfer of funds to the customer segregated cash account is made on a payment versus delivery basis. The transfer is not recognized as accomplished until the funds and/or securities are actually received by the custodian of the futures commission merchant’s or derivatives clearing organization’s customer funds or securities purchased on behalf of customers. The transfer or credit of securities covered by the agreement to the futures commission merchant’s or derivatives clearing organization’s customer segregated custodial account is made simultaneously with the disbursement of funds from the futures commission merchant’s or derivatives clearing organization’s customer segregated cash account at the custodian bank. On the sale or resale of securities, the futures commission merchant’s or derivatives clearing organization’s customer segregated cash account at the custodian bank must receive same-day funds credited to such segregated account simultaneously with the delivery or transfer of securities from the customer segregated custodial account.
(10) A written confirmation to the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization specifying the terms of the agreement and a safekeeping receipt are issued immediately upon entering into the transaction and a confirmation to the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization is issued once the transaction is reversed.
(11) The transactions effecting the agreement are recorded in the record required to be maintained under § 1.27 of investments of customer funds, and the securities subject to such transactions are specifically identified in such record as described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section and further identified in such record as being subject to repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements.
(12) An actual transfer of securities to the customer segregated custodial account by book entry is made consistent with Federal or State commercial law, as applicable. At all times, securities received subject to an agreement are reflected as “customer property.”
(13) The agreement makes clear that, in the event of the bankruptcy of the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization, any securities purchased with customer funds that are subject to an agreement may be immediately transferred. The agreement also makes clear that, in the event of a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization bankruptcy, the counterparty has no right to compel liquidation of securities subject to an agreement or to make a priority claim for the difference between current market value of the securities and the price agreed upon for resale of the securities to the counterparty, if the former exceeds the latter.
(e) Deposit of firm-owned securities into segregation. A futures commission merchant may deposit unencumbered securities of the type specified in this section, which it owns for its own account, into a customer account. A futures commission merchant must include such securities, transfers of securities, and disposition of proceeds from the sale or maturity of such securities in the record of investments required to be maintained by § 1.27. All such securities may be segregated in safekeeping only with a bank, trust company, derivatives clearing organization, or other registered futures commission merchant in accordance with the provisions of § 1.20 part. For purposes of this section and §§ 1.27, 1.28, 1.29, and 1.32, securities of the type specified by this section that are owned by the futures commission merchant and deposited into a customer account shall be considered customer funds until such investments are withdrawn from segregation in accordance with the provisions of § 1.23. Investments permitted by § 1.25 that are owned by the futures commission merchant and deposited into a futures customer account pursuant to § 1.26 shall be considered futures customer funds until such investments are withdrawn from segregation in accordance with § 1.23. Investments permitted by § 1.25 that are owned by the futures commission merchant and deposited into a Cleared Swaps Customer Account, as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter, shall be considered Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter, until such investments are withdrawn from segregation in accordance with § 22.17 of this chapter.
Upon receipt of a proper redemption request submitted in a timely manner and otherwise in accordance with the redemption procedures set forth in this prospectus, the [Name of Fund] will redeem the requested shares and make a payment to you in satisfaction thereof no later than the business day following the redemption request. The [Name of Fund] may postpone and/or suspend redemption and payment beyond one business day only as follows:
a. For any period during which there is a non-routine closure of the Fedwire or applicable Federal Reserve Banks;
b. For any period (1) during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed other than customary week-end and holiday closings or (2) during which trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted;
c. For any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which (1) disposal of securities owned by the [Name of Fund] is not reasonably practicable or (2) it is not reasonably practicable for the [Name of Fund] to fairly determine the net asset value of shares of the [Name of Fund];
d. For any period during which the Securities and Exchange Commission has, by rule or regulation, deemed that (1) trading shall be restricted or (2) an emergency exists;
e. For any period that the Securities and Exchange Commission, may by order permit for your protection; or
f. For any period during which the [Name of Fund,] as part of a necessary liquidation of the fund, has properly postponed and/or suspended redemption of shares and payment in accordance with federal securities laws.
§ 1.26 Deposit of instruments purchased with futures customer funds.
(a) Each futures commission merchant who invests futures customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25, except for investments in money market mutual funds, shall separately account for such instruments as futures customer funds and segregate such instruments as funds belonging to such futures customers in accordance with the requirements of § 1.20. Each derivatives clearing organization which invests money belonging or accruing to futures customers of its clearing members in instruments described in § 1.25, except for investments in money market mutual funds, shall separately account for such instruments as customer funds and segregate such instruments as customer funds belonging to such futures customers in accordance with § 1.20.
(b) Each futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization which invests futures customer funds in money market mutual funds, as permitted by § 1.25, shall separately account for such funds and segregate such funds as belonging to such futures customers. Such funds shall be deposited under an account name that clearly shows that they belong to futures customers and are segregated as required by sections 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Act and by this part. Each futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization, upon opening such an account, shall obtain and maintain readily accessible in its files in accordance with § 1.31, for as long as the account remains open, and thereafter for the period provided in § 1.31, a written acknowledgment and shall file such acknowledgment in accordance with the requirements of § 1.20. In the event such funds are held directly with the money market mutual fund or its affiliate, the written acknowledgment shall be in the form as set out in appendix A or B to this section. In the event such funds are held with a depository, the written acknowledgment shall be in the form as set out in appendix A or B to § 1.20. In either case, the written acknowledgment shall be obtained, provided to the Commission and designated self-regulatory organizations, and retained as required under § 1.20.
We propose to invest funds held by [Name of Futures Commission Merchant] (“we” or “our”) on behalf of our customers in shares of [Name of Money Market Mutual Fund] (“you” or “your”) under account(s) entitled (or shares issued to):
You acknowledge that we are holding these funds, including any shares issued and amounts accruing in connection therewith (collectively, the “Shares”), for the benefit of customers who trade commodities, options, swaps and other products (“Commodity Customers”), as required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 1.26, as amended; that the Shares held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be separately accounted for and segregated on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and part 1 of the CFTC’s regulations, as amended; and that the Shares must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4d of the Act and CFTC regulations thereunder.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Shares may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Shares in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you.
In addition, you agree that the Account(s) may be examined at any reasonable time by the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of our designated self-regulatory organization (“DSRO”), [Name of DSRO], and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to permit any such examination to take place without further notice to or consent from us.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other account information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
You further acknowledge and agree that, pursuant to the authorization granted by us to you previously or herein, you have provided, or will provide following the opening of the Account(s), the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, with technological connectivity, which may include provision of hardware, software, and related technology and protocol support, to facilitate direct, read-only electronic access to transaction and account balance information for the Account(s). This letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf for you to establish this connectivity and access if not previously established, without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information and access requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information or access request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information or access to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information or access request from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Shares held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Shares maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or the CFTC regulations that relates to the segregation of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
We are permitted to invest customers’ funds in money market mutual funds pursuant to CFTC Regulation 1.25. That rule sets forth the following conditions, among others, with respect to any investment in a money market mutual fund:
(1) The net asset value of the fund must be computed by 9:00 a.m. of the business day following each business day and be made available to us by that time;
(2) The fund must be legally obligated to redeem an interest in the fund and make payment in satisfaction thereof by the close of the business day following the day on which we make a redemption request except as otherwise specified in CFTC Regulation 1.25(c)(5)(ii); and,
(3) The agreement under which we invest customers’ funds must not contain any provision that would prevent us from pledging or transferring fund shares.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns, and for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4d of the Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert governing law] without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC) and to [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, in accordance with CFTC Regulation 1.20. We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copies without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
We propose to invest funds held by [Name of Derivatives Clearing Organization] (“we” or “our”) on behalf of customers in shares of [Name of Money Market Mutual Fund] (“you” or “your”) under account(s) entitled (or shares issued to):
You acknowledge that we are holding these funds, including any shares issued and amounts accruing in connection therewith (collectively, the “Shares”), for the benefit of customers who trade commodities, options, swaps and other products, as required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 1.26, as amended; that the Shares held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be separately accounted for and segregated on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and part 1 of the CFTC’s regulations, as amended; and that the Shares must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4d of the Act and CFTC regulations thereunder.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Shares may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Shares in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information request from the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event that we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Shares held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Shares maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason, and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or the CFTC regulations that relates to the segregation of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
We are permitted to invest customers’ funds in money market mutual funds pursuant to CFTC Regulation 1.25. That rule sets forth the following conditions, among others, with respect to any investment in a money market mutual fund:
(1) The net asset value of the fund must be computed by 9:00 a.m. of the business day following each business day and be made available to us by that time;
(2) The fund must be legally obligated to redeem an interest in the fund and make payment in satisfaction thereof by the close of the business day following the day on which we make a redemption request except as otherwise specified in CFTC Regulation 1.25(c)(5)(ii); and,
(3) The agreement under which we invest customers’ funds must not contain any provision that would prevent us from pledging or transferring fund shares.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4d of the Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert governing law] without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC) in accordance with CFTC Regulation 1.20. We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copy without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
§ 1.27 Record of investments.
(a) Each futures commission merchant which invests customer funds, and each derivatives clearing organization which invests customer funds of its clearing members’ customers, shall keep a record showing the following:
(1) The date on which such investments were made;
(2) The name of the person through whom such investments were made;
(3) The amount of money or current market value of securities so invested;
(4) A description of the instruments in which such investments were made, including the CUSIP or ISIN numbers;
(5) The identity of the depositories or other places where such instruments are segregated;
(6) The date on which such investments were liquidated or otherwise disposed of and the amount of money or current market value of securities received on such disposition, if any; and
(7) The name of the person to or through whom such investments were disposed of; and
(8) Daily valuation for each instrument and readily available documentation supporting the daily valuation for each instrument. Such supporting documentation must be sufficient to enable auditors to verify the valuations and the accuracy of any information from external sources used in those valuations.
(b) Each derivatives clearing organization which receives documents from its clearing members representing investment of customer funds shall keep a record showing separately for each clearing member the following:
(1) The date on which such documents were received from the clearing member;
(2) A description of such documents, including the CUSIP or ISIN numbers; and
(3) The date on which such documents were returned to the clearing member or the details of disposition by other means.
(c) Such records shall be retained in accordance with § 1.31. No such investments shall be made except in instruments described in § 1.25.
§ 1.28 Appraisal of instruments purchased with customer funds.
Futures commission merchants who invest customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25 of this part shall include such instruments in segregated account records and reports at values which at no time exceed current market value, determined as of the close of the market on the date for which such computation is made.
§ 1.29 Gains and losses resulting from investment of customer funds.
(a) The investment of customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25 shall not prevent the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization so investing such funds from receiving and retaining as its own any incremental income or interest income resulting therefrom.
(b) The futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization, as applicable, shall bear sole responsibility for any losses resulting from the investment of customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25. No investment losses shall be borne or otherwise allocated to the customers of the futures commission merchant and, if customer funds are invested by a derivatives clearing organization in its discretion, to the futures commission merchant.
§ 1.30 Loans by futures commission merchants; treatment of proceeds.
Nothing in the regulations in this chapter shall prevent a futures commission merchant from lending its own funds to customers on securities and property pledged by such customers, or from repledging or selling such securities and property pursuant to specific written agreement with such customers. The proceeds of such loans used to purchase, margin, guarantee, or secure the trades, contracts, or commodity options of customers shall be treated and dealt with by a futures commission merchant as belonging to such customers, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Act and these regulations. A futures commission merchant may not loan funds on an unsecured basis to finance customers’ trading, nor may a futures commission merchant loan funds to customers secured by the customer accounts of such customers.
Recordkeeping
§ 1.31 Regulatory records; retention and production.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
Electronic regulatory records means all regulatory records other than regulatory records exclusively created and maintained by a records entity on paper.
Records entity means any person required by the Act or Commission regulations in this chapter to keep regulatory records.
Regulatory records means all books and records required to be kept by the Act or Commission regulations in this chapter, including any record of any correction or other amendment to such books and records, provided that, with respect to such books and records stored electronically, regulatory records shall also include:
(i) Any data necessary to access, search, or display any such books and records; and
(ii) All data produced and stored electronically describing how and when such books and records were created, formatted, or modified.
(b) Duration of retention. Unless specified elsewhere in the Act or Commission regulations in this chapter:
(1) A records entity shall keep regulatory records of any swap or related cash or forward transaction (as defined in § 23.200(i) of this chapter), other than regulatory records required by § 23.202(a)(1) and (b)(1)-(3) of this chapter, from the date the regulatory record was created until the termination, maturity, expiration, transfer, assignment, or novation date of the transaction and for a period of not less than five years after such date.
(2) A records entity that is required to retain oral communications, shall keep regulatory records of oral communications for a period of not less than one year from the date of such communication.
(3) A records entity shall keep each regulatory record other than the records described in paragraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section for a period of not less than five years from the date on which the record was created.
(4) A records entity shall keep regulatory records exclusively created and maintained on paper readily accessible for no less than two years. A records entity shall keep electronic regulatory records readily accessible for the duration of the required record keeping period.
(c) Form and manner of retention. Unless specified elsewhere in the Act or Commission regulations in this chapter, all regulatory records must be created and retained by a records entity in accordance with the following requirements:
(1) Generally. Each records entity shall retain regulatory records in a form and manner that ensures the authenticity and reliability of such regulatory records in accordance with the Act and Commission regulations in this chapter.
(2) Electronic regulatory records. Each records entity maintaining electronic regulatory records shall establish appropriate systems and controls that ensure the authenticity and reliability of electronic regulatory records, including, without limitation:
(i) Systems that maintain the security, signature, and data as necessary to ensure the authenticity of the information contained in electronic regulatory records and to monitor compliance with the Act and Commission regulations in this chapter;
(ii) Systems that ensure the records entity is able to produce electronic regulatory records in accordance with this section, and ensure the availability of such regulatory records in the event of an emergency or other disruption of the records entity’s electronic record retention systems; and
(iii) The creation and maintenance of an up-to-date inventory that identifies and describes each system that maintains information necessary for accessing or producing electronic regulatory records.
(d) Inspection and production of regulatory records. Unless specified elsewhere in the Act or Commission regulations in this chapter, a records entity, at its own expense, must produce or make accessible for inspection all regulatory records in accordance with the following requirements:
(1) Inspection. All regulatory records shall be open to inspection by any representative of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice.
(2) Production of paper regulatory records. A records entity must produce regulatory records exclusively created and maintained on paper promptly upon request of a Commission representative.
(3) Production of electronic regulatory records. (i) A request from a Commission representative for electronic regulatory records will specify a reasonable form and medium in which a records entity must produce such regulatory records.
(ii) A records entity must produce such regulatory records in the form and medium requested promptly, upon request, unless otherwise directed by the Commission representative.
(4) Production of original regulatory records. A records entity may provide an original regulatory record for reproduction, which a Commission representative may temporarily remove from such entity’s premises for this purpose. Upon request of the records entity, the Commission representative shall issue a receipt for any original regulatory record received. At the request of a Commission representative, a records entity shall, upon the return thereof, issue a receipt for the original regulatory record returned by such representative.
§ 1.32 Reporting of segregated account computation and details regarding the holding of futures customer funds.
(a) Each futures commission merchant must compute as of the close of each business day, on a currency-by-currency basis:
(1) The total amount of futures customer funds on deposit in segregated accounts on behalf of futures customers;
(2) The amount of such futures customer funds required by the Act and these regulations to be on deposit in segregated accounts on behalf of such futures customers; and
(3) The amount of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in such futures customer funds.
(b) In computing the amount of futures customer funds required to be in segregated accounts, a futures commission merchant may offset any net deficit in a particular futures customer’s account against the current market value of readily marketable securities, less applicable deductions (i.e., “securities haircuts”) as set forth in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 241.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)), held for the same futures customer’s account. Futures commission merchants that establish and enforce written policies and procedures to assess the credit risk of commercial paper, convertible debt instruments, or nonconvertible debt instruments in accordance with Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)) may apply the lower haircut percentages specified in Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) for such commercial paper, convertible debt instruments and nonconvertible debt instruments. The futures commission merchant must maintain a security interest in the securities, including a written authorization to liquidate the securities at the futures commission merchant’s discretion, and must segregate the securities in a safekeeping account with a bank, trust company, derivatives clearing organization, or another futures commission merchant. For purposes of this section, a security will be considered readily marketable if it is traded on a “ready market” as defined in Rule 15c3-1(c)(11)(i) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(11)(i)).
(c) Each futures commission merchant is required to document its segregation computation required by paragraph (a) of this section by preparing a Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Commodity Exchanges contained in the Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of each business day. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect the requirement that a futures commission merchant at all times maintain sufficient money, securities and property to cover its total obligations to all futures customers, in accordance with § 1.20.
(d) Each futures commission merchant is required to submit to the Commission and to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization the daily Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Commodity Exchanges required by paragraph (c) of this section by noon the following business day.
(e) Each futures commission merchant shall file the Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Commodity Exchanges required by paragraph (c) of this section in an electronic format using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established or approved by the Commission.
(f) Each futures commission merchant is required to submit to the Commission and to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization a report listing the names of all banks, trust companies, futures commission merchants, derivatives clearing organizations, or any other depository or custodian holding futures customer funds as of the fifteenth day of the month, or the first business day thereafter, and the last business day of each month. This report must include:
(1) The name and location of each entity holding futures customer funds;
(2) The total amount of futures customer funds held by each entity listed in paragraph (f)(1) of this section; and
(3) The total amount of cash and investments that each entity listed in paragraph (f)(1) of this section holds for the futures commission merchant. The futures commission merchant must report the following investments:
(i) Obligations of the United States and obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States (U.S. government securities);
(ii) General obligations of any State or of any political subdivision of a State (municipal securities);
(iii) General obligation issued by any enterprise sponsored by the United States (government sponsored enterprise securities);
(iv) Certificates of deposit issued by a bank;
(v) Commercial paper fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
(vi) Corporate notes or bonds fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and
(vii) Interests in money market mutual funds.
(g) Each futures commission merchant must report the total amount of futures customer-owned securities held by the futures commission merchant as margin collateral and must list the names and locations of the depositories holding such margin collateral.
(h) Each futures commission merchant must report the total amount of futures customer funds that have been used to purchase securities under agreements to resell the securities (reverse repurchase transactions).
(i) Each futures commission merchant must report which, if any, of the depositories holding futures customer funds under paragraph (f)(1) of this section are affiliated with the futures commission merchant.
(j) Each futures commission merchant shall file the detailed list of depositories required by paragraph (f) of this section by 11:59 p.m. the next business day in an electronic format using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established or approved by the Commission.
(k) Each futures commission merchant shall retain its daily segregation computation and the Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Commodity Exchanges required by paragraph (c) of this section, and its detailed list of depositories required by paragraph (f) of this section, together with all supporting documentation, in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31.
§ 1.33 Monthly and confirmation statements.
(a) Monthly statements. Each futures commission merchant must promptly furnish in writing to each customer, and to each foreign futures or foreign options customer, as defined by § 30.1 of this chapter, as of the close of the last business day of each month or as of any regular monthly date selected, except for accounts in which there are neither open contracts at the end of the statement period nor any changes to the account balance since the prior statement period, but in any event not less frequently than once every three months, a statement which clearly shows:
(1) For each commodity futures customer and foreign futures or foreign options customer position—
(i) The open contracts with prices at which acquired;
(ii) The net unrealized profits or losses in all open contracts marked to the market; and
(iii) Any futures customer funds or foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, as defined by § 1.3, carried with the futures commission merchant.
(2) For each commodity option position and foreign option position—
(i) All commodity options and foreign options purchased, sold, exercised, or expired during the monthly reporting period, identified by underlying futures contract or underlying commodity, strike price, transaction date, and expiration date;
(ii) The open commodity option and foreign option positions carried for such customer or foreign futures or foreign options customer as of the end of the monthly reporting period, identified by underlying futures contract or underlying commodity, strike price, transaction date, and expiration date;
(iii) All open commodity option and foreign option positions marked to the market and the amount each position is in the money, if any; and
(iv) Any related customer funds carried in such customer’s account(s) or any related foreign futures or foreign options secured amount carried in the account(s) of a foreign futures or foreign options customer.
(3) For each Cleared Swaps Customer position—
(i) The Cleared Swaps, as § 22.1 of this chapter defines that term, carried by the futures commission merchant for the Cleared Swaps Customer;
(ii) The net unrealized profits or losses in all Cleared Swaps marked to the market;
(iii) Any Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral carried with the futures commission merchant; and
(4) A detailed accounting of all financial charges and credits to customers and foreign futures or foreign options customers, during the monthly reporting period, including all customer funds and any foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, received from or disbursed to customers or foreign futures or foreign options customers, as well as realized profits and losses.
(b) Confirmation statement. Each futures commission merchant must, not later than the next business day after any commodity interest or commodity option transaction, including any foreign futures or foreign options transactions, furnish to each customer or foreign futures or foreign options customer:
(1) A written confirmation of each commodity futures transaction caused to be executed by it for the customer.
(2) A written confirmation of each Cleared Swap carried by the futures commission merchant, containing at least the following information:
(i) The unique swap identifier, as required by § 45.4(a) of this chapter, for each Cleared Swap and the date each Cleared Swap was executed;
(ii) The product name of each Cleared Swap;
(iii) The price at which the Cleared Swap was executed;
(iv) The date of maturity for each Cleared Swap; and
(v) The derivatives clearing organization through which it is cleared.
(3) A written confirmation of each commodity option transaction, containing at least the following information:
(i) The customer’s account identification number;
(ii) A separate listing of the actual amount of the premium, as well as each mark-up thereon, if applicable, and all other commissions, costs, fees and other charges incurred in connection with the commodity option transaction;
(iii) The strike price;
(iv) The underlying futures contract or underlying commodity;
(v) The final exercise date of the commodity option purchased or sold; and
(vi) The date the commodity option transaction was executed.
(4) Upon the expiration or exercise of any commodity option, a written confirmation statement thereof, which statement shall include the date of such occurrence, a description of the option involved, and, in the case of exercise, the details of the futures or physical position which resulted therefrom including, if applicable, the final trading date of the contract for future delivery underlying the option.
(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(4) of this section, a commodity interest transaction that is caused to be executed for a commodity pool need be confirmed only to the operator of the commodity pool.
(c) Exemptions. The requirements of paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (b)(1) of this section shall not apply to the following:
(1) Any account carried for a person who is a member of any contract market;
(2) Any omnibus account carried for another futures commission merchant; and
(3) Any account containing only bona fide hedge positions, except that confirmations must be furnished to accounts containing only bona fide hedge positions.
(d) Controlled accounts. With respect to any account controlled by any person other than the customer for whom such account is carried, each futures commission merchant shall:
(1) Promptly furnish in writing to such other person the information required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section;
(2) [Reserved]
(3) Promptly furnish in writing to such other person a copy of the statement required by § 1.46: Provided, however, That the provisions of this paragraph (d) shall not apply to an account controlled by the spouse, parent or child of the customer for whom such account is carried.
(e) Recordkeeping. Each futures commission merchant shall retain, in accordance with § 1.31, a copy of each monthly statement and confirmation required by this section.
(f) Introduced accounts. Each statement provided pursuant to the provisions of this section must, if applicable, show that the account for which the futures commission merchant is providing the statement was introduced by an introducing broker and the names of the futures commission merchant and introducing broker.
(g) Electronic transmission of statements. (1) The statements required by this section, and by § 1.46, may be furnished to any customer by means of electronic media if the customer so consents, Provided, however, that a futures commission merchant must, prior to the transmission of any statement by means of electronic media, disclose the electronic medium or source through which statements will be delivered, the duration, whether indefinite or not, of the period during which consent will be effective, any charges for such service, the information that will be delivered by such means, and that consent to electronic delivery may be revoked at any time.
(2) In the case of a customer who does not qualify as an “institutional customer” as defined in § 1.3, a futures commission merchant must obtain the customer’s signed consent acknowledging disclosure of the information set forth in paragraph (g)(1) of this section prior to the transmission of any statement by means of electronic media.
(3) Any statement required to be furnished to a person other than a customer in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section may be furnished by electronic media.
(4) A futures commission merchant who furnishes statements to any customer by means of electronic media must retain a daily confirmation statement for such customer as of the end of the trading session, reflecting all transactions made during that session for the customer, in accordance with § 1.31.
§ 1.34 Monthly record, “point balance”.
(a) With respect to commodity futures transactions, each futures commission merchant shall prepare, and retain in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31, a statement commonly known as a “point balance,” which accrues or brings to the official closing price, or settlement price fixed by the clearing organization, all open contracts of customers as of the last business day of each month or of any regular monthly date selected: Provided, however, That a futures commission merchant who carries part or all of customers’ open contracts with other futures commission merchants on an “instruct basis” will be deemed to have met the requirements of this section as to open contracts so carried if a monthly statement is prepared which shows that the prices and amounts of such contracts long and short in the customers’ accounts are in balance with those in the carrying futures commission merchants’ accounts, and such statements are retained in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31.
(b) With respect to commodity option transactions, each futures commission merchant shall prepare, and retain in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31, a listing in which all open commodity option positions carried for customers are marked to the market. Such listing shall be prepared as of the last business day of each month, or as of any regular monthly date selected, and shall be by put or by call, by underlying contract for future delivery (by delivery month) or underlying commodity (by option expiration date), and by strike price.
(a) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, and members of designated contract markets or swap execution facilities—(1) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, and certain introducing brokers. Each futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, and introducing broker that has generated over the preceding three years more than $5 million in aggregate gross revenues from its activities as an introducing broker, shall:
(i) Keep full, complete, and systematic records (including all pertinent data and memoranda) of all transactions relating to its business of dealing in commodity interests and related cash or forward transactions, which shall include all orders (filled, unfilled, or canceled), trading cards, signature cards, street books, journals, ledgers, canceled checks, copies of confirmations, copies of statements of purchase and sale, and all other records, which have been prepared in the course of its business of dealing in commodity interests and related cash or forward transactions (for purposes of this section, all records described in this paragraph (a)(1)(i) are referred to as “commodity interest and related records”);
(ii) If such person is a member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility, retain and produce for inspection all documents on which trade information is originally recorded, whether or not such documents must be prepared pursuant to the rules or regulations of either the Commission, the designated contract market or the swap execution facility (for purposes of this section, all records described in this paragraph (a)(1)(ii) are referred to as “original source documents,” and, together with commodity interest and related records, “transaction records”); and
(iii) Keep all oral and written communications provided or received concerning quotes, solicitations, bids, offers, instructions, trading, and prices that lead to the execution of a transaction in a commodity interest and any related cash or forward transactions (but not oral communications that lead solely to the execution of a related cash or forward transaction), whether transmitted by telephone, voicemail, facsimile, instant messaging, chat rooms, electronic mail, mobile device, or other digital or electronic media (for purposes of this section, all communications described in this paragraph (a)(1)(iii) are referred to as “oral pre-trade communications” if transmitted orally or as “written pre-trade communications” if transmitted in writing, and all such communications are referred to collectively as “pre-trade communications”).
(2) Registered members of designated contract markets or swap execution facilities. Each introducing broker that is not subject to paragraph (a)(1) of this section and is a member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility, and each member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility that is registered or required to be registered with the Commission as a floor trader, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, swap dealer, or major swap participant, shall keep:
(i) All transaction records; and
(ii) All written pre-trade communications.
(3) Other introducing brokers. Each introducing broker that is not subject to paragraph (a)(1) or (2) of this section shall keep:
(i) All commodity interest and related records; and
(ii) All written pre-trade communications.
(4) Floor broker members of designated contract markets or swap execution facilities. Each member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility that is registered or required to be registered with the Commission as a floor broker shall keep:
(i) All transaction records;
(ii) All written pre-trade communications; and
(iii) All oral pre-trade communications that lead to the purchase or sale of any commodity for future delivery, security futures product, swap, or commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Commodity Exchange Act for the account of any person other than such floor broker.
(5) Form and manner. All records required to be kept pursuant to paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), and (a)(4) of this section, other than pre-trade communications, shall be kept in a form and manner that allows for the identification of a particular transaction.
(6) Unregistered members of designated contract markets or swap execution facilities. Each member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility that is not registered or required to be registered with the Commission in any capacity, shall keep all transaction records; provided that such records need not include transmissions by short message service (SMS) or multimedia messaging service (MMS).
(7) Definition of related cash or forward transaction. For purposes of this section, “related cash or forward transaction” means a purchase or sale for immediate or deferred physical shipment or delivery of an asset related to a commodity interest transaction where the commodity interest transaction and the related cash or forward transaction are used to hedge, mitigate the risk of, or offset one another.
(8) Other requirements. Each futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, and member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility shall retain the records required to be kept by this section in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31, and produce them for inspection and furnish true and correct information and reports as to the contents or the meaning thereof, when and as requested by an authorized representative of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice.
(9) Alternative Compliance Schedule. (i) The Commission may in its discretion establish an alternative compliance schedule for the requirement to record oral communications under paragraph (a)(1) or (4) of this section that is found to be technologically or economically impracticable for an affected entity that seeks, in good faith, to comply with the requirement to record oral communications under paragraph (a)(1) or (4) of this section within a reasonable time period beyond the date on which compliance by such affected entity is otherwise required.
(ii) A request for an alternative compliance schedule under paragraph (a)(9)(i) of this section shall be acted upon within 30 days from the time such a request is received, or it shall be deemed approved.
(iii) The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to exercise the discretion. Notwithstanding such delegation, in any case in which a Commission employee delegated authority under this paragraph believes it appropriate, he or she may submit to the Commission for its consideration the question of whether an alternative compliance schedule should be established. The delegation of authority in this paragraph shall not prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority set forth in paragraph (a)(9)(i) of this section.
(iv) Relief granted under paragraph (a)(9)(i) of this section shall not cause an affected entity to be out of compliance or deemed in violation of any recordkeeping requirements.
(b) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, and members of designated contract markets and swap execution facilities: Recording of customers’ orders. (1) Each futures commission merchant, each retail foreign exchange dealer, each introducing broker, and each member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility receiving a customer’s order that cannot immediately be entered into a trade matching engine shall immediately upon receipt thereof prepare a written record of the order including the account identification, except as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, and order number, and shall record thereon, by timestamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order is received, and in addition, for commodity option orders, the time, to the nearest minute, the order is transmitted for execution.
(2)(i) Each member of a designated contract market who on the floor of such designated contract market receives a customer’s order which is not in the form of a written record including the account identification, order number, and the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order was transmitted or received on the floor of such designated contract market, shall immediately upon receipt thereof prepare a written record of the order in non-erasable ink, including the account identification, except as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, and order number and shall record thereon, by timestamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order is received.
(ii) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section:
(A) Each member of a designated contract market who on the floor of such designated contract market receives an order from another member present on the floor which is not in the form of a written record shall, immediately upon receipt of such order, prepare a written record of the order or obtain from the member who placed the order a written record of the order, in non-erasable ink including the account identification and order number and shall record thereon, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, the order is received; or
(B) When a member of a designated contract market present on the floor places an order, which is not in the form of a written record, for his own account or an account over which he has control, with another member of such designated contract market for execution:
(1) The member placing such order immediately upon placement of the order shall record the order and time of placement to the nearest minute on a sequentially-numbered trading card maintained in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section;
(2) The member receiving and executing such order immediately upon execution of the order shall record the time of execution to the nearest minute on a trading card or other record maintained pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section; and
(3) The member receiving and executing the order shall return such trading card or other record to the member placing the order. The member placing the order then must submit together both of the trading cards or other records documenting such trade to designated contract market personnel or the clearing member.
(3)(i) The requirements of paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section will not apply if a designated contract market maintains in effect rules which provide for an exemption where:
(A) A member of a designated contract market places with another member of such designated contract market an order that is part of a spread transaction;
(B) The member placing the order personally executes one or more legs of the spread; and
(C) The member receiving and executing such order immediately upon execution of the order records the time of execution to the nearest minute on his trading card or other record maintained in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section.
(ii) Each contract market shall, as part of its trade practice surveillance program, conduct surveillance for compliance with the recordkeeping and other requirements under paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section, and for trading abuses related to the execution of orders for members present on the floor of the contract market.
(4) Each member of a designated contract market reporting the execution from the floor of the designated contract market of a customer’s order or the order of another member of the designated contract market received in accordance with paragraphs (b)(2)(i) or (b)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, shall record on a written record of the order, including the account identification, except as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of this section, and order number, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time to the nearest minute such report of execution is made. Each member of a designated contract market shall submit the written records of customer orders or orders from other designated contract market members to designated contract market personnel or to the clearing member responsible for the collection of orders prepared pursuant to this paragraph. The execution price and other information reported on the order tickets must be written in non-erasable ink.
(5) Post-execution allocation of bunched orders. Specific customer account identifiers for accounts included in bunched orders executed on designated contract markets or swap execution facilities need not be recorded at time of order placement or upon report of execution if the requirements of paragraphs (b)(5)(i) through (v) of this section are met. Specific customer account identifiers for accounts included in bunched orders involving swaps need not be included in confirmations or acknowledgments provided by swap dealers or major swap participants pursuant to § 23.501(a) of this chapter if the requirements of paragraphs (b)(5)(i) through (v) of this section are met.
(i) Eligible account managers for orders executed on designated contract markets or swap execution facilities. The person placing and directing the allocation of an order eligible for post-execution allocation must have been granted written investment discretion with regard to participating customer accounts. The following persons shall qualify as eligible account managers for trades executed on designated contract markets or swap execution facilities:
(A) A commodity trading advisor registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act or excluded or exempt from registration under the Act or the Commission’s rules, except for entities exempt under § 4.14(a)(3) of this chapter;
(B) An investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or with a state pursuant to applicable state law or excluded or exempt from registration under such Act or applicable state law or rule;
(C) A bank, insurance company, trust company, or savings and loan association subject to federal or state regulation;
(D) A foreign adviser that exercises discretionary trading authority solely over the accounts of non-U.S. persons, as defined in § 4.7(a)(1)(iv) of this chapter;
(E) A futures commission merchant registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act; or
(F) An introducing broker registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act.
(ii) Eligible account managers for orders executed bilaterally. The person placing and directing the allocation of an order eligible for post-execution allocation must have been granted written investment discretion with regard to participating customer accounts. The following persons shall qualify as eligible account managers for trades executed bilaterally:
(A) A commodity trading advisor registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act or excluded or exempt from registration under the Act or the Commission’s rules, except for entities exempt under § 4.14(a)(3) of this chapter;
(B) A futures commission merchant registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act; or
(C) An introducing broker registered with the Commission pursuant to the Act.
(iii) Information. Eligible account managers shall make the following information available to customers upon request:
(A) The general nature of the allocation methodology the account manager will use;
(B) Whether accounts in which the account manager may have any interest may be included with customer accounts in bunched orders eligible for post-execution allocation; and
(C) Summary or composite data sufficient for that customer to compare its results with those of other comparable customers and, if applicable and consistent with §§ 155.3(a)(1) and 155.4(a)(1) of this chapter, any account in which the account manager has an interest.
(iv) Allocation. Orders eligible for post-execution allocation must be allocated by an eligible account manager in accordance with the following:
(A) Allocations must be made as soon as practicable after the entire transaction is executed, but in any event no later than the following times: For cleared trades, account managers must provide allocation information to futures commission merchants no later than a time sufficiently before the end of the day the order is executed to ensure that clearing records identify the ultimate customer for each trade. For uncleared trades, account managers must provide allocation information to the counterparty no later than the end of the calendar day that the swap was executed.
(B) Allocations must be fair and equitable. No account or group of accounts may receive consistently favorable or unfavorable treatment.
(C) The allocation methodology must be sufficiently objective and specific to permit independent verification of the fairness of the allocations using that methodology by appropriate regulatory and self-regulatory authorities and by outside auditors.
(v) Records. (A) Eligible account managers shall keep and must make available upon request of any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or other appropriate regulatory agency, the information specified in paragraph (b)(5)(iii) of this section.
(B) Eligible account managers shall keep and must make available upon request of any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or other appropriate regulatory agency, records sufficient to demonstrate that all allocations meet the standards of paragraph (b)(5)(iv) of this section and to permit the reconstruction of the handling of the order from the time of placement by the account manager to the allocation to individual accounts.
(C) Futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, or commodity trading advisors that execute orders or that carry accounts eligible for post-execution allocation, and members of designated contract markets or swap execution facilities that execute such orders, must maintain records that, as applicable, identify each order subject to post-execution allocation and the accounts to which contracts executed for such order are allocated.
(D) In addition to any other remedies that may be available under the Act or otherwise, if the Commission has reason to believe that an account manager has failed to provide information requested pursuant to paragraph (b)(5)(v)(A) or (b)(5)(v)(B) of this section, the Commission may inform in writing any designated contract market, swap execution facility, swap dealer, or major swap participant, and that designated contract market, swap execution facility, swap dealer, or major swap participant shall prohibit the account manager from submitting orders for execution except for liquidation of open positions and no futures commission merchant shall accept orders for execution on any designated contract market, swap execution facility, or bilaterally from the account manager except for liquidation of open positions.
(E) Any account manager that believes he or she is or may be adversely affected or aggrieved by action taken by the Commission under paragraph (b)(5)(v)(D) of this section shall have the opportunity for a prompt hearing in accordance with the provisions of § 21.03(g) of this chapter.
(c)(1) Futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, and members of designated contract markets and swap execution facilities. Upon request of the designated contract market or swap execution facility, the Commission, or the United States Department of Justice, each futures commission merchant, introducing broker, and member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility shall request from its customers and, upon receipt thereof, provide to the requesting body documentation of cash transactions underlying exchanges of futures or swaps for cash commodities or exchanges of futures or swaps in connection with cash commodity transactions.
(2) Customers. Each customer of a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, or member of a designated contract market or swap execution facility shall create, retain, and produce upon request of the designated contract market or swap execution facility, the Commission, or the United States Department of Justice documentation of cash transactions underlying exchanges of futures or swaps for cash commodities or exchanges of futures or swaps in connection with cash commodity transactions.
(3) Contract markets. Every contract market shall adopt rules which require its members to provide documentation of cash transactions underlying exchanges of futures for cash commodities or exchanges of futures in connection with cash commodity transactions upon request of the contract market.
(4) Documentation. For the purposes of this paragraph (c), documentation means those documents customarily generated in accordance with cash market practices which demonstrate the existence and nature of the underlying cash transactions, including, but not limited to, contracts, confirmation statements, telex printouts, invoices, and warehouse receipts or other documents of title.
(d) Futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, and members of derivatives clearing organizations clearing trades executed on designated contract markets and swap execution facilities. Each futures commission merchant, each retail foreign exchange dealer, and each member of a derivatives clearing organization clearing trades executed on a designated contract market or swap execution facility and, for purposes of paragraph (d)(3) of this section, each introducing broker, shall, as a minimum requirement, prepare regularly and promptly, and keep systematically and in permanent form, the following:
(1) A financial ledger record which will show separately for each customer all charges against and credits to such customer’s account, including but not limited to customer funds deposited, withdrawn, or transferred, and charges or credits resulting from losses or gains on closed transactions;
(2) A record of transactions which will show separately for each account (including proprietary accounts):
(i) All commodity futures transactions executed for such account, including the date, price, quantity, market, commodity and future;
(ii) All retail forex transactions executed for such account, including the date, price, quantity, and currency;
(iii) All commodity option transactions executed for such account, including the date, whether the transaction involved a put or call, expiration date, quantity, underlying contract for future delivery or underlying commodity, strike price, and details of the purchase price of the option, including premium, mark-up, commission and fees; and
(iv) All swap transactions executed for such account, including the date, price, quantity, market, commodity, swap, and, if cleared, the derivatives clearing organization; and
(3) A record or journal which will separately show for each business day complete details of:
(i) All commodity futures transactions executed on that day, including the date, price, quantity, market, commodity, future and the person for whom such transaction was made;
(ii) All retail forex transactions executed on that day for such account, including the date, price, quantity, currency and the person who whom such transaction was made;
(iii) All commodity option transactions executed on that day, including the date, whether the transaction involved a put or call, the expiration date, quantity, underlying contract for future delivery or underlying commodity, strike price, details of the purchase price of the option, including premium, mark-up, commission and fees, and the person for whom the transaction was made;
(iv) All swap transactions executed on that day, including the date, price, quantity, market, commodity, swap, the person for whom such transaction was made, and, if cleared, the derivatives clearing organization; and
(v) In the case of an introducing broker, the record or journal required by this paragraph (d)(3) shall also include the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer carrying the account for which each commodity futures, retail forex, commodity option, and swap transaction was executed on that day. Provided, however, that where reproductions on microfilm, microfiche or optical disk are substituted for hard copy in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31(b), the requirements of paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2) of this section will be considered met if the person required to keep such records is ready at all times to provide, and immediately provides in the same city as that in which such person’s commodity futures, retail forex, commodity option, or swap books and records are maintained, at the expense of such person, reproduced copies which show the records as specified in paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2) of this section, on request of any representatives of the Commission or the U.S. Department of Justice.
(e) Members of derivatives clearing organizations clearing trades executed on designated contract markets and swap execution facilities. In the daily record or journal required to be kept under paragraph (d)(3) of this section, each member of a derivatives clearing organization clearing trades executed on a designated contract market or swap execution facility shall also show the floor broker or floor trader executing each transaction, the opposite floor broker or floor trader, and the opposite clearing member with whom it was made.
(f) Members of designated contract markets. (1) Each member of a designated contract market who, in the place provided by the designated contract market for the meeting of persons similarly engaged, executes purchases or sales of any commodity for future delivery, commodity option, or swap on or subject to the rules of such designated contract market, shall prepare regularly and promptly a trading card or other record showing such purchases and sales. Such trading card or record shall show the member’s name, the name of the clearing member, transaction date, time, quantity, and, as applicable, underlying commodity, contract for future delivery, or swap, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether the transaction involved a put or a call, and strike price. Such trading card or other record shall also clearly identify the opposite floor broker or floor trader with whom the transaction was executed, and the opposite clearing member (if such opposite clearing member is made known to the member).
(2) Each member of a designated contract market recording purchases and sales on trading cards must record such purchases and sales in exact chronological order of execution on sequential lines of the trading card without skipping lines between trades; Provided, however, That if lines remain after the last execution recorded on a trading card, the remaining lines must be marked through.
(3) Each member of a designated contract market must identify on his or her trading cards the purchases and sales executed during the opening and closing periods designated by the designated contract market.
(4) Trading cards prepared by a member of a designated contract market must contain:
(i) Pre-printed member identification or other unique identifying information which would permit the trading cards of one member to be distinguished from those of all other members;
(ii) Pre-printed sequence numbers to permit the intra-day sequencing of the cards; and
(iii) Unique and pre-printed identifying information which would distinguish each of the trading cards prepared by the member from other such trading cards for no less than a one-week period.
(5) Trading cards prepared by a member of a designated contract market and submitted pursuant to paragraph (f)(7)(i) of this section must be time-stamped promptly to the nearest minute upon collection by either the designated contract market or the relevant clearing member.
(6) Each member of a designated contract market shall be accountable for all trading cards prepared in exact numerical sequence, whether or not such trading cards are relied on as original source documents.
(7) Trading records prepared by a member of a designated contract market must:
(i) Be submitted to designated contract market personnel or the clearing member within 15 minutes of designated intervals not to exceed 30 minutes, commencing with the beginning of each trading session. The time period for submission of trading records after the close of trading in each market shall not exceed 15 minutes from the close. Such documents should nevertheless be submitted as often as is practicable to the designated contract market or relevant clearing member; and
(ii) Be completed in non-erasable ink. A member may correct any errors by crossing out erroneous information without obliterating or otherwise making illegible any of the originally recorded information. With regard to trading cards only, a member may correct erroneous information by rewriting the trading card; Provided, however, that the member must submit a ply of the trading card, or in the absence of plies the original trading card, that is subsequently rewritten in accordance with the collection schedule for trading cards and provided further, that the member is accountable for any trading card that subsequently is rewritten pursuant to paragraph (f)(6) of this section.
(8) Each member of a designated contract market must use a new trading card at the beginning of each designated 30-minute interval (or such lesser interval as may be determined appropriate) or as may be required pursuant hereto.
(g) Members of derivatives clearing organizations clearing trades executed on designated contract markets and swap execution facilities. (1) Each member of a derivatives clearing organization clearing trades executed on a designated contract market or swap execution facility shall maintain a single record which shall show for each futures, option, or swap trade: the transaction date, time, quantity, and, as applicable, underlying commodity, contract for future delivery, or swap, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether the transaction involved a put or a call, strike price, floor broker or floor trader buying, clearing member buying, floor broker or floor trader selling, clearing member selling, and symbols indicating the buying and selling customer types. The customer type indicator shall show, with respect to each person executing the trade, whether such person:
(i) Was trading for his or her own account, or an account for which he or she has discretion;
(ii) Was trading for his or her clearing member’s house account;
(iii) Was trading for another member present on the exchange floor, or an account controlled by such other member; or
(iv) Was trading for any other type of customer.
(2) The record required by this paragraph (g) shall also show, by appropriate and uniform symbols, any transaction which is made non-competitively in accordance with the provisions of subpart J of part 38 of this chapter, and trades cleared on dates other than the date of execution. Except as otherwise approved by the Commission for good cause shown, the record required by this paragraph (g) shall be maintained in a format and coding structure approved by the Commission—
(i) In hard copy or on microfilm as specified in § 1.31, and
(ii) For 60 days in computer-readable form on compatible magnetic tapes or discs.
§ 1.36 Record of securities and property received from customers.
(a) Each futures commission merchant and each retail foreign exchange dealer shall maintain, as provided in § 1.31, a record of all securities and property received from customers or retail forex customers in lieu of money to margin, purchase, guarantee, or secure the commodity interests of such customers or retail forex customers. Such record shall show separately for each customer or retail forex customer: A description of the securities or property received; the name and address of such customer or retail forex customer; the dates when the securities or property were received; the identity of the depositories or other places where such securities or property are segregated or held; the dates of deposits and withdrawals from such depositories; and the dates of return of such securities or property to such customer or retail forex customer, or other disposition thereof, together with the facts and circumstances of such other disposition. In the event any futures commission merchant deposits with a derivatives clearing organization, directly or with a bank or trust company acting as custodian for such derivatives clearing organization, securities and/or property which belong to a particular customer, such futures commission merchant shall obtain written acknowledgment from such derivatives clearing organization that it was informed that such securities or property belong to customers of the futures commission merchant making the deposit. Such acknowledgment shall be retained as provided in § 1.31.
(b) Each derivatives clearing organization which receives from members securities or property belonging to particular customers of such members in lieu of money to margin, purchase, guarantee, or secure the commodity interests of such customers, or receives notice that any such securities or property have been received by a bank or trust company acting as custodian for such derivatives clearing organization, shall maintain, as provided in § 1.31, a record which will show separately for each member, the dates when such securities or property were received, the identity of the depositories or other places where such securities or property are segregated, the dates such securities or property were returned to the member, or otherwise disposed of, together with the facts and circumstances of such other disposition including the authorization therefor.
§ 1.37 Customer’s name, address, and occupation recorded; record of guarantor or controller of account.
(a) Each futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, and member of a contract market shall keep a record in permanent form which shall show for each commodity interest account carried or introduced by it the true name and address of the person for whom such account is carried or introduced and the principal occupation or business of such person as well as the name of any other person guaranteeing such account or exercising any trading control with respect to such account. For each such commodity option account, the records kept by such futures commission merchant, introducing broker, and member of a contract market must also show the name of the person who has solicited and is responsible for each customer’s account or assign account numbers in such a manner to identify that person.
(b) As of the close of the market each day, each futures commission merchant which carries an account for another futures commission merchant, foreign broker (as defined in § 15.00 of this chapter), member of a contract market, or other person, on an omnibus basis shall maintain a daily record for each such omnibus account of the total open long contracts and the total open short contracts in each future and in each swap and, for commodity option transactions, the total open put options purchased, the total open put options granted, the total open call options purchased, and the total open call options granted for each commodity option expiration date.
(c) Each designated contract market and swap execution facility shall keep a record in permanent form, which shall show the true name, address, and principal occupation or business of any foreign trader executing transactions on the facility or exchange. In addition, upon request, a designated contract market or swap execution facility shall provide to the Commission information regarding the name of any person guaranteeing such transactions or exercising any control over the trading of such foreign trader.
(d) Paragraph (c) of this section shall not apply to a designated contract market or swap execution facility on which transactions in futures, swaps or options (other than swaps) contracts of foreign traders are executed through, or the resulting transactions are maintained in, accounts carried by a registered futures commission merchant or introduced by a registered introducing broker subject to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section.
§ 1.38 Execution of transactions.
(a) Competitive execution required; exceptions. All purchases and sales of any commodity for future delivery, and of any commodity option, on or subject to the rules of a contract market shall be executed openly and competitively by open outcry or posting of bids and offers or by other equally open and competitive methods, in the trading pit or ring or similar place provided by the contract market, during the regular hours prescribed by the contract market for trading in such commodity or commodity option: Provided, however, That this requirement shall not apply to transactions which are executed non-competitively in accordance with written rules of the contract market which have been submitted to and approved by the Commission, specifically providing for the non-competitive execution of such transactions.
(b) Noncompetitive trades; exchange of futures, etc.; requirements. Every person handling, executing, clearing, or carrying trades, transactions or positions which are not competitively executed, including transfer trades or office trades, or trades involving the exchange of futures for cash commodities or the exchange of futures in connection with cash commodity transactions, shall identify and mark by appropriate symbol or designation all such transactions or contracts and all orders, records, and memoranda pertaining thereto.
§ 1.39 Simultaneous buying and selling orders of different principals; execution of, for and between principals.
(a) Conditions and requirements. A member of a contract market or a swap execution facility who shall have at the same time both buying and selling orders of different principals for the same swap, commodity for future delivery in the same delivery month or the same option (both puts or both calls, with the same underlying contract for future delivery or the same underlying commodity, expiration date and strike price) may execute such orders for and directly between such principals at the market price, if in conformity with written rules of such contract market or swap execution facility which have been approved by or self-certified to the Commission, and:
(1)(i) When trading is conducted in a trading pit or ring, such orders are first offered openly and competitively by open outcry in such trading pit or ring (A) by both bidding and offering at the same price, and neither such bid nor offer is accepted, or (B) by bidding and offering to a point where such offer is higher than such bid by not more than the minimum permissible price fluctuation applicable to such futures contract or commodity option on such contract market, and neither such bid nor offer is accepted; or
(ii) When in non-pit trading in swaps or contracts of sale for future delivery, bids and offers are posted on a board, such member:
(A) Pursuant to such buying order posts a bid on the board and, incident to the execution of such selling order, accepts such bid and all other bids posted at equal to or higher than the bid posted by him; or
(B) Pursuant to such selling order posts an offer on the board and, incident to the execution of such buying order, accepts such offer and all other offers posted at prices equal to or lower than the offer posted by him;
(2) Such member executes such orders in the presence of an official representative of such contract market or swap execution facility designated to observe such transactions and, by appropriate descriptive words or symbol, clearly identifies all such transactions on his trading card or other record, made at the time of execution, and notes thereon the exact time of execution and promptly presents or makes available said record to such official representative for verification and initialing, as appropriate;
(3) Such swap execution facility or contract market keeps a record in permanent form of each such transaction showing all transaction details required to be captured by the Act, Commission rule or regulation; and
(4) Neither the futures commission merchant, other registrant receiving nor the member executing such orders has any interest therein, directly or indirectly, except as a fiduciary.
(b) Large order execution procedures. (1) A member of a contract market or a swap execution facility may execute simultaneous buying and selling orders of different principals directly between the principals in compliance with Commission regulations and large order execution procedures established by written rules of the contract market or swap execution facility that have been approved by or self-certified to the Commission: Provided, That, to the extent such large order execution procedures do not meet the conditions and requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, the contract market or swap execution facility has petitioned the Commission for, and the Commission has granted, an exemption from the conditions and requirements of paragraph (a) of this section. Any such petition must be accompanied by proposed contract market or swap execution facility rules to implement the large order execution procedures. The petition shall include:
(i) An explanation of why the proposed large order execution rules do not comply with paragraph (a) of this section; and
(ii) A description of a special surveillance program that would be followed by the contract market or swap execution facility in monitoring the large order execution procedures.
(2) The Commission may, in its discretion and upon such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, grant such petition for exemption if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purpose of the provision from which explanation is sought. The petition shall be considered concurrently with the proposed large order execution rules.
(c) Not deemed filling orders by offset. The execution of orders in compliance with the conditions herein set forth will not be deemed to constitute the filling of orders by offset within the meaning of section 4b(a) of the Act.
Miscellaneous
§ 1.40 Crop, market information letters, reports; copies required.
Each futures commission merchant, each retail foreign exchange dealer, each introducing broker, and each member of a contract market or a swap execution facility shall, upon request, furnish or cause to be furnished to the Commission a true copy of any letter, circular, telecommunication, or report published or given general circulation by such futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, member or eligible contract participant which concerns crop or market information or conditions that affect or tend to affect the price of any commodity, including any exchange rate, and the true source of or authority for the information contained therein.
§ 1.41 Designation of hedging accounts.
(a) A futures commission merchant must provide an opportunity to each customer, when it first opens a futures account, foreign futures account or cleared swaps account with such futures commission merchant, to designate such account as a hedging account. The futures commission merchant must indicate prominently in the accounting records in which it maintains open trade balances whether, for each customer account, the account is designated as a hedging account.
(b) A futures commission merchant may permit the customer to open an account as a hedging account only if it obtains the customer’s written representation that the customer’s trading of futures or options on futures, foreign futures or options on foreign futures, or cleared swaps (as applicable) in the account constitutes hedging as such term may be defined under any relevant Commission regulation or rule of any clearing organization, designated contract market, swap execution facility or foreign board of trade.
(c) The requirements set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section do not apply to a futures commission merchant with respect to any commodity contract account that the futures commission merchant opened prior to May 13, 2021. The futures commission merchant may continue to designate as a hedging account any account with respect to which the futures commission merchant received written hedging instructions from the customer in accordance with former § 190.06(d) of this chapter.
(d) A futures commission merchant may designate an existing futures account, foreign futures account or cleared swaps account of a particular customer as a hedging account, provided that it has obtained the representation set out in paragraph (b) of this section from such customer.
§ 1.42 Delivery accounts.
In connection with the making or taking of delivery of a commodity under a commodity contract whose terms require settlement via physical delivery, if a futures commission merchant facilitates or effects the transfer of the physical delivery property and payment therefor on behalf of the customer, and does so outside the futures account, foreign futures account or cleared swaps account in which the commodity contract was held, the futures commission merchant must do so in a delivery account, provided, however, that when the commodity subject to delivery is a security, a futures commission merchant may, consistent with any applicable regulatory requirements, do so in a securities account.
§ 1.43 Letters of credit as collateral.
A futures commission merchant shall not accept a letter of credit as collateral unless such letter of credit may be exercised, through its stated date of expiry, under the following conditions, regardless of whether the customer posting that letter of credit is in default in any obligation:
(a) In the event that an order for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code or a protective decree pursuant to section 5(b)(1) of SIPA is entered with respect to the futures commission merchant, or if the FDIC is appointed as receiver for the futures commission merchant pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 5382(a), the trustee for that futures commission merchant (or, as applicable, FDIC) may draw upon such letter of credit, in full or in part, in accordance with § 190.04(d)(3) of this chapter.
(b) If the letter of credit is passed through to a clearing organization, then in the event that an order for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code is entered with respect to the clearing organization, or if the FDIC is appointed as receiver for the clearing organization pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 5382(a), the trustee for that clearing organization (or, as applicable, FDIC) may draw upon such letter of credit, in full or in part, in accordance with § 190.04(d)(3) of this chapter.
(c) A futures commission merchant shall not accept a letter of credit from a customer as collateral if it has any agreement with the customer that is inconsistent with this section.
§§ 1.44-1.45 [Reserved]
§ 1.46 Application and closing out of offsetting long and short positions.
(a) Application of purchases and sales. (1) Except with respect to purchases or sales which are for omnibus accounts, or where the customer or account controller has instructed otherwise, any futures commission merchant who, on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market:
(i) Purchases any commodity for future delivery for the account of any customer when the account of such customer at the time of such purchase has a short position in the same future of the same commodity on the same market;
(ii) Sells any commodity for future delivery for the account of any customer when the account of such customer at the time of such sale has a long position in the same future of the same commodity on the same market;
(iii) Purchases a put or call option for the account of any customer when the account of such customer at the time of such purchase has a short put or call option position with the same underlying futures contract or same underlying commodity, strike price, expiration date and contract market as that purchased; or
(iv) Sells a put or call option for the account of any customer when the account of such customer at the time of such sale has a long put or call option position with the same underlying futures contract or same underlying commodity, strike price, expiration date and contract market as that sold—shall on the same day apply such purchase or sale against such previously held short or long futures or option position, as the case may be, and shall, for futures transactions, promptly furnish such customer a statement showing the financial result of the transactions involved and, if applicable, that the account was introduced to the futures commission merchant by an introducing broker and the names of the futures commission merchant and introducing broker.
(2) Any futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer who:
(i) Engages in a retail forex transaction involving the purchase of any currency for the account of any retail forex customer when the account of such retail forex customer at the time of such purchase has an open retail forex transaction for the sale of the same currency;
(ii) Engages in a retail forex transaction involving the sale of any currency for the account of any retail forex customer when the account of such retail forex customer at the time of such sale has an open retail forex transaction for the purchase of the same currency;
(iii) Purchases a put or call option involving foreign currency for the account of any customer when the account of such customer at the time of such purchase has a short put or call option position with the same underlying currency, strike price, and expiration date as that purchased; or
(iv) Sells a put or call option involving foreign currency for the account of any customer when the account of such customer at the time of such sale has a long put or call option position with the same underlying currency, strike price, and expiration date as that sold—shall immediately apply such purchase or sale against such previously held opposite transaction, and shall promptly furnish such retail forex customer a statement showing the financial result of the transactions involved and, if applicable, that the account was introduced to the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer by an introducing broker and the names of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer, and the introducing broker.
(b) Close-out against oldest open position. In all instances wherein the short or long futures, retail forex transaction or option position in such customer’s or retail forex customer’s account immediately prior to such offsetting purchase or sale is greater than the quantity purchased or sold, the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer shall apply such offsetting purchase or sale to the oldest portion of the previously held short or long position: Provided, That upon specific instructions from the customer the offsetting transaction shall be applied as specified by the customer without regard to the date of acquisition of the previously held position; and Provided, further, that a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer, if permitted by the rules of a registered futures association, may offset, at the customer’s request, retail forex transactions of the same size, even if the customer holds other transactions of a different size, but in each case must offset the transaction against the oldest transaction of the same size. Such instructions may also be accepted from any person who, by power of attorney or otherwise, actually directs trading in the customer’s or retail forex customer’s account unless the person directing the trading is the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer (including any partner thereof), or is an officer, employee, or agent of the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer. With respect to every such offsetting transaction that, in accordance with such specific instructions, is not applied to the oldest portion of the previously held position, the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer shall clearly show on the statement issued to the customer or retail forex customer in connection with the transaction, that because of the specific instructions given by or on behalf of the customer or retail forex customer the transaction was not applied in the usual manner, i.e., against the oldest portion of the previously held position. However, no such showing need be made if the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer has received such specific instructions in writing from the customer or retail forex customer for whom such account is carried.
(c) In-and-out trades; day trades. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall not be deemed to require the application of purchases or sales closed out during the same day (commonly known as “in-and-out trades” or “day trades”) against short or long positions carried forward from a prior date.
(d) Exceptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
(1) Purchases or sales of commodity options constituting “bona fide hedging transactions” pursuant to rules of the contract market which have been adopted in accordance with the requirements of § 1.61(b) and approved by the Commission pursuant to; section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act Provided, That no contract market or futures commission merchant shall permit such option positions to be offset other than by open and competitive execution in the trading pit or ring provided by the contract market, during the regular hours prescribed by the contract market for trading in such commodity option.
(2) Purchases or sales constituting “bona fide hedging transactions” as defined in § 1.3; nor
(3) Sales during a delivery period for the purpose of making delivery during such delivery period if such sales are accompanied by instructions to make delivery thereon, together with warehouse receipts or other documents necessary to effectuate such delivery.
(4)-(7) [Reserved]
(8) Purchases or sales held in error accounts, including but not limited to floor broker error accounts, and purchases or sales identified as errors at the time they are assigned to an account that contains other purchases or sales not identified as errors and held in that account (“error trades”), provided that:
(i) Each error trade does not offset another error trade held in the same account;
(ii) Each error trade is offset by open and competitive means on or subject to the rules of a contract market by not later than the close of business on the business day following the day the error trade is discovered and assigned to an error account or identified as an error trade, unless at the close of business on the business day following the discovery of the error trade, the relevant market has reached a daily price fluctuation limit and the trader is unable to offset the error trade, in which case the error trade must be offset as soon as practicable thereafter; and
(iii) No error trade is closed out by transferring such an open position to another account also controlled by that same trader.
(e) The statements required by paragraph (a) of this section may be furnished to the customer or the person described in § 1.33(d) by means of electronic transmission, in accordance with § 1.33(g).
§§ 1.47-1.48 [Reserved]
§ 1.49 Denomination of customer funds and location of depositories.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Money center country. This term means Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
(2) Money center currency. This term means the currency of any money center country and the Euro.
(b) Permissible denominations of obligations. (1) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this section, a futures commission merchant’s obligations to a customer shall be denominated:
(i) In the United States dollar;
(ii) In a currency in which funds were deposited by the customer or were converted at the request of the customer, to the extent of such deposits and conversions; or
(iii) In a currency in which funds have accrued to the customer as a result of trading conducted on a designated contract market, to the extent of such accruals.
(2)(i) A futures commission merchant shall prepare and maintain a written record of each transaction converting customer funds from one currency to another.
(ii) A written record prepared under paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section must include the date the transaction was executed, the currencies converted, the amount converted, and the resulting amount.
(iii) The information required under paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section must be provided to the customer upon the customer’s request.
(c) Permissible locations of depositories. (1) Unless a customer provides instructions to the contrary, a futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization may hold customer funds:
(i) In the United States;
(ii) In a money center country; or
(iii) In the country of origin of the currency.
(2) A futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization may hold customer funds outside the United States, in a jurisdiction that is not a money center country, or the country of origin of the currency only to the extent authorized by the customer, provided, that the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization must make and maintain a written record of such authorization. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall a futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization hold customer funds in a restricted country subject to sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury.
(d) Qualifications for depositories. (1) To hold customer funds required to be segregated pursuant to the Act and §§ 1.20 through 1.30, 1.32 and 1.36, a depository must provide the depositing futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization with the appropriate written acknowledgment as required under §§ 1.20 and 1.26.
(2) A depository, if located in the United States, must be:
(i) A bank or trust company;
(ii) A futures commission merchant registered as such with the Commission; or
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization.
(3) A depository, if located outside the United States, must be:
(i) A bank or trust company that has in excess of $1 billion of regulatory capital;
(ii) A futures commission merchant that is registered as such with the Commission; or
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization.
(e) Segregation requirements. (1) Each futures commission merchant and each derivatives clearing organization must, as of the close of each business day, hold in segregated accounts on behalf of commodity or option customers:
(i) Sufficient United States dollars, held in the United States, to meet all United States dollar obligations; and
(ii) Sufficient funds in each other currency to meet obligations in such currency.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this section, assets denominated in one currency may be held to meet obligations denominated in another currency as follows:
(i) United States dollars may be held in the United States or in money center countries to meet obligations denominated in any other currency; and
(ii) Funds in money center currencies may be held in the United States or in money center countries to meet obligations denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar.
(3) Each futures commission merchant and each derivatives clearing organization shall make and maintain records sufficient to demonstrate compliance with this paragraph (e).
§§ 1.50-1.51 [Reserved]
§ 1.52 Self-regulatory organization adoption and surveillance of minimum financial requirements.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms are defined as follows:
(1) Examinations expert is defined as a Nationally recognized accounting and auditing firm with substantial expertise in audits of futures commission merchants, risk assessment and internal control reviews, and is an accounting and auditing firm that is acceptable to the Commission; and
(2) Self-regulatory organization means a contract market (as defined in § 1.3) or a registered futures association under section 17 of the Act. The term “self-regulatory organization” for purpose of this section does not include a swap execution facility (as defined in § 1.3).
(b)(1) Each self-regulatory organization must adopt rules prescribing minimum financial and related reporting requirements for members who are registered futures commission merchants or registered retail foreign exchange dealers. Each self-regulatory organization other than a contract market must adopt rules prescribing minimum financial and related reporting requirements for members who are registered introducing brokers. The self-regulatory organization’s minimum financial and related reporting requirements must be the same as, or more stringent than, the requirements contained in §§ 1.10 and 1.17, for futures commission merchants and introducing brokers, and §§ 5.7 and 5.12 of this chapter for retail foreign exchange dealers; provided, however, that a self-regulatory organization may permit its member registrants that are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as securities brokers or dealers to file (in accordance with § 1.10(h)) a copy of their Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“FOCUS Report”), Part II, Part IIA, or Part II CSE, as applicable, in lieu of Form 1-FR; provided, further, that such self-regulatory organization must require such member registrants to provide all information in Form 1-FR that is not included in the FOCUS Report Part II, Part IIA, or Part CSE provided by such member registrant. The definition of adjusted net capital must be the same as that prescribed in § 1.17(c) for futures commission merchants and introducing brokers, and § 5.7(b)(2) of this chapter for futures commission merchants offering or engaging in retail forex transactions and for retail foreign exchange dealers.
(2) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, each self-regulatory organization that has a futures commission merchant member registrant must adopt rules prescribing risk management requirements for futures commission merchant member registrants that shall be the same as, or more stringent than, the requirements contained in § 1.11.
(c)(1) Each self-regulatory organization must establish and operate a supervisory program that includes written policies and procedures concerning the application of such supervisory program in the examination of its member registrants for the purpose of assessing whether each member registrant is in compliance with the applicable self-regulatory organization and Commission regulations governing minimum net capital and related financial requirements, the obligation to segregate customer funds, risk management requirements, financial reporting requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and sales practice and other compliance requirements. The supervisory program also must address the following elements:
(i) Adequate levels and independence of examination staff. A self-regulatory organization must maintain staff of an adequate size, training, and experience to effectively implement a supervisory program. Staff of the self-regulatory organization, including officers, directors, and supervising committee members, must maintain independent judgment and its actions must not impair its independence nor appear to impair its independence in matters related to the supervisory program. The self-regulatory organization must provide annual ethics training to all staff with responsibilities for the supervisory program.
(ii) Ongoing surveillance. A self-regulatory organization’s ongoing surveillance of member registrants must include the review and analysis of financial reports and regulatory notices filed by member registrants with the designated self-regulatory organization.
(iii) High-risk firms. A self-regulatory organization’s supervisory program must include procedures for identifying member registrants that are determined to pose a high degree of potential financial risk, including the potential risk of loss of customer funds. High-risk member registrants must include firms experiencing financial or operational difficulties, failing to meet segregation or net capital requirements, failing to maintain current books and records, or experiencing material inadequacies in internal controls. Enhanced monitoring for high risk firms should include, as appropriate, daily review of net capital, segregation, and secured calculations, to assess compliance with self-regulatory organization and Commission requirements.
(iv) On-site examinations. (A) A self-regulatory organization must conduct routine periodic on-site examinations of member registrants. Member futures commission merchants and retail foreign exchange dealers must be subject to on-site examinations no less frequently than once every eighteen months. A self-regulatory organization shall establish a risk-based method of establishing the scope of each on-site examination; provided, however, that the scope of each on-site examination of a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer must include an assessment of whether the registrant is in compliance with applicable Commission and self-regulatory organization minimum capital, customer fund protection, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.
(B) A self-regulatory organization other than a contract market must establish the frequency of on-site examinations of member introducing brokers that do not operate pursuant to guarantee agreements with futures commission merchants or retail foreign exchange dealers using a risk-based approach, which takes into consideration the time elapsed since the self-regulatory organization’s previous examination of the introducing broker.
(C) A self-regulatory organization must conduct on-site examinations of member registrants in accordance with uniform examination programs and procedures that have been submitted to the Commission.
(v) Adequate documentation. A self-regulatory organization must adequately document all aspects of the operation of the supervisory program, including the conduct of risk-based scope setting and the risk-based surveillance of high-risk member registrants, and the imposition of remedial and punitive action(s) for material violations.
(2) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the supervisory program of a self-regulatory organization that has a registered futures commission merchant member must satisfy the following requirements:
(i) The supervisory program must set forth in writing the examination standards that the self-regulatory organization must apply in its examination of its registered futures commission merchant member. The supervisory program must be based on controls testing and substantive testing, and must address all areas of risk to which the futures commission merchant can reasonably be foreseen to be subject. The supervisory program must be based on an understanding of the internal control environment to determine the nature, timing and extent of the controls and substantive testing to be performed. The determination as to which elements of the supervisory program are to be performed on any examination must be based on the risk profile of each registered futures commission merchant member.
(ii) The supervisory program must, at a minimum, have examination standards addressing the following:
(A) The ethics of an examiner;
(B) The independence of an examiner;
(C) The supervision, review, and quality control of an examiner’s work product;
(D) The evidence and documentation to be reviewed and retained in connection with an examination;
(E) The sampling size and techniques used in an examination;
(F) The examination risk assessment process;
(G) The examination planning process;
(H) Materiality assessment;
(I) Quality control procedures to ensure that the examinations maintain the level of quality expected;
(J) Communications between an examiner and the regulatory oversight committee, or the functional equivalent of the regulatory oversight committee, of the self-regulatory organization of which the futures commission merchant is a member;
(K) Communications between an examiner and a futures commission merchant’s audit committee of the board of directors or other similar governing body;
(L) Analytical review procedures;
(M) Record retention; and
(N) Required items for inclusion in the examination report, such as repeat violations, material items, and high risk issues. The examination report is intended solely for the information and use of the self-regulatory organizations and the Commission, and is not intended to be and should not be used by any other person or entity.
(iii)(A) Prior to the initial implementation of the supervisory program, a self-regulatory organization must engage an examinations expert to evaluate the examination standards for consistency with auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as such auditing standards are applicable in the context of the self-regulatory organization’s examination of its futures commission merchant members. At least once every five years after the initial implementation of the supervisory program, a self-regulatory organization must engage an examinations expert to evaluate the examination standards for consistency with any new or amended auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board since the previous review performed by the examinations expert. At the conclusion of each evaluation, a self-regulatory organization must obtain a written report from the examinations expert in accordance with paragraph (c)(2)(iii)(C) of this section.
(B) Notwithstanding paragraph (c)(2)(iii)(A) of this section, a self-regulatory organization must review any new or amended auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and must revise its examination standards promptly to reflect any changes in such auditing standards that are applicable in the context of the self-regulatory organization’s examination of its futures commission merchant members. A self-regulatory organization must engage an examinations expert to evaluate any material revisions that the self-regulatory organization makes to the examination standards to conform such standards with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s auditing standards, or if directed to engage an examinations expert by the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight. At the conclusion of each review, a self-regulatory organization must obtain a written report from the examinations expert in accordance with paragraph (c)(2)(iii)(C) of this section.
(C) At the conclusion of the examinations expert’s engagement pursuant to paragraph (c)(2)(iii)(A) or (B) of this section, the self-regulatory organization must obtain from the examinations expert a written report on findings and recommendations issued under the consulting services standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The self-regulatory organization must provide the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight with a copy of the examinations expert’s written report, and the self-regulatory organization’s written responses to any of the examinations expert’s findings and recommendations, within thirty days of the receipt thereof. Upon resolution of any questions or comments raised by the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, and upon written notice from the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight that it has no further comments or questions on the examinations standards as amended (by reason of the examinations expert’s proposals, consideration of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight’s questions or comments, or otherwise), the self-regulatory organization shall commence applying such examinations standards for examining its registered futures commission merchant members for all examinations conducted with an “as of” date later than the date of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary’s written notification.
(iv) The supervisory program must require the self-regulatory organization to report to its risk and/or audit committee of the board of directors, or a functional equivalent committee, with timely reports of the activities and findings of the supervisory program to assist the risk and/or audit committee of the board of directors, or a functional equivalent committee, to fulfill its responsibility of overseeing the examination function.
(v) The examinations expert’s written report, the self-regulatory organization’s response, if any, as well as any information concerning the supervisory program is confidential.
(d)(1) Any two or more self-regulatory organizations may file with the Commission a plan for delegating to a designated self-regulatory organization, for any registered futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker that is a member of more than one such self-regulatory organization, the function of:
(i) Monitoring and examining for compliance with the minimum financial and related reporting requirements and risk management requirements, including policies and procedures relating to the receipt, holding, investing and disbursement of customer funds, adopted by such self-regulatory organizations and the Commission in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section; and
(ii) Receiving the financial reports and notices necessitated by such minimum financial and related reporting requirements; provided, however, that the self-regulatory organization that delegates the functions set forth in this paragraph (d)(1) shall remain responsible for its member registrants’ compliance with the regulatory obligations, and if such self-regulatory organization becomes aware that a delegated function is not being performed as required under this section, the self-regulatory organization shall promptly take any necessary steps to address any noncompliance.
(2) If a plan established pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of this section applies to any registered futures commission merchant, then such plan must include the following elements:
(i) The Joint Audit Committee. The self-regulatory organizations that choose to participate in the plan shall form a Joint Audit Committee, consisting of all self-regulatory organizations in the plan as members. The members of the Joint Audit Committee shall establish, operate and maintain a Joint Audit Program in accordance with the requirements of this section to ensure an effective and a high quality program for examining futures commission merchants, to designate the designated self-regulatory organizations that will be responsible for the examinations of futures commission merchants pursuant to the Joint Audit Program, and to satisfy such additional obligations set forth in this section in order to facilitate the examinations of futures commission merchants by their respective designated self-regulatory organizations.
(ii) The Joint Audit Program. The Joint Audit Program must, at minimum, satisfy the following requirements.
(A) The purpose of the Joint Audit Program must be to assess whether each registered futures commission merchant member of the Joint Audit Committee self-regulatory organization members is in compliance with the Joint Audit Program and Commission regulations governing minimum net capital and related financial requirements, the obligation to segregate customer funds, risk management requirements, including policies and procedures relating to the receipt, holding, investment, and disbursement of customer funds, financial reporting requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and sales practice and other compliance requirements.
(B) The Joint Audit Program must include written policies and procedures concerning the application of the Joint Audit Program in the examination of the registered futures commission merchant members of the Joint Audit Committee self-regulatory organization members.
(C)(1) Adequate levels and independence of examination staff. A designated self-regulatory organization must maintain staff of an adequate size, training, and experience to effectively implement the Joint Audit Program. Staff of the designated self-regulatory organization, including officers, directors, and supervising committee members, must maintain independent judgment and its actions must not impair its independence nor appear to impair its independence in matters related to the Joint Audit Program. The designated self-regulatory organization must provide annual ethics training to all staff with responsibilities for the Joint Audit Program.
(2) Ongoing surveillance. A designated self-regulatory organization’s ongoing surveillance of futures commission merchant member registrants over which it has oversight responsibilities must include the review and analysis of financial reports and regulatory notices filed by such member registrants with the designated self-regulatory organization.
(3) High-risk firms. The Joint Audit Program must include procedures for identifying futures commission merchant member registrants over which it has oversight responsibilities that are determined to pose a high degree of potential financial risk, including the potential risk of loss of customer funds. High-risk member registrants must include firms experiencing financial or operational difficulties, failing to meet segregation or net capital requirements, failing to maintain current books and records, or experiencing material inadequacies in internal controls. Enhanced monitoring for high risk firms should include, as appropriate, daily review of net capital, segregation, and secured calculations, to assess compliance with self-regulatory and Commission requirements.
(4) On-site examinations. A designated self-regulatory organization must conduct routine periodic on-site examinations of futures commission merchant member registrants over which it has oversight responsibilities. Such member registrants must be subject to on-site examinations no less frequently than once every eighteen months. A designated self-regulatory organization shall establish a risk-based method of establishing the scope of each on-site examination, provided, however, that the scope of each on-site examination of a futures commission merchant must include an assessment of whether the registrant is in compliance with applicable Commission and self-regulatory organization minimum capital, customer fund protection, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. A designated self-regulatory organization must conduct on-site examinations of futures commission merchant registrants in accordance with the Joint Audit Program.
(D) The Joint Audit Committee members must adequately document all aspects of the operation of the Joint Audit Program, including the conduct of risk-based scope setting and the risk-based surveillance of high-risk member registrants, and the imposition of remedial and punitive action(s) for material violations.
(E) The Joint Audit Program must set forth in writing the examination standards that a designated self-regulatory organization must apply in its examination of a registered futures commission merchant. The Joint Audit Program must be based on controls testing and substantive testing, and must address all areas of risk to which the futures commission merchant can reasonably be foreseen to be subject. The Joint Audit Program must be based on an understanding of the internal control environment to determine the nature, timing and extent of the controls and substantive testing to be performed. The determination as to which elements of the Joint Audit Program are to be performed on any examination must be based on the risk profile of each registered futures commission merchant.
(F) The Joint Audit Program must include examination standards addressing the items listed in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section.
(G)(1) Prior to the initial implementation of the Joint Audit Program, the Joint Audit Committee must engage an examinations expert to evaluate the examination standards for consistency with auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as such auditing standards are applicable in the context of the Joint Audit Committee’s examination of its futures commission merchant members. At least once every five years after the initial implementation of the Joint Audit Program, the Joint Audit Committee must engage an examinations expert to evaluate the examination standards for consistency with any new or amended auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board since the previous review performed by the examinations expert. At the conclusion of each review, the Joint Audit Committee must obtain a written report from the examinations expert in accordance with paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(G)(3) of this section.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(G)(1) of this section, the Joint Audit Committee must review any new or amended auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and must revise its examination standards promptly to reflect any changes in such auditing standards that are applicable in the context of the Joint Audit Committee’s examination of its futures commission merchant members. The Joint Audit Committee must engage an examinations expert to evaluate any material revisions that the Joint Audit Committee makes to the examination standards to conform such standards with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s auditing standards, or if directed to engage an examinations expert by the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight. The Joint Audit Committee must obtain a written report from the examinations expert in accordance with paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(G)(3) of this section.
(3) At the conclusion of the examinations expert’s engagement pursuant to paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(G)(1) or (2) of this section, the Joint Audit Committee must obtain from the examinations expert a written report on findings and recommendations issued under the consulting services standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The Joint Audit Committee must provide the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight with a copy of the examinations expert’s written report, and the Joint Audit Committee’s written responses to any of the examinations expert’s findings and recommendations, within thirty days of the receipt thereof. Upon resolution of any questions or comments raised by the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, and upon written notice from the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight that it has no further comments or questions on the examinations standards as amended (by reason of the examinations expert’s proposals, consideration of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight’s questions or comments, or otherwise), the Joint Audit Committee shall commence applying such examinations standards for examining its registered futures commission merchant members for all examinations conducted with an “as of” date later than the date of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary’s written notification.
(H) The Joint Audit Program must require the Joint Audit Committee members to report to their respective risk and/or audit committee of their respective board of directors, or a functional equivalent committee, with timely reports of the activities and findings of the Joint Audit Program to assist the risk and/or audit committee of the board of directors, or a functional equivalent committee, to fulfill its responsibility of overseeing the examination function.
(I) The examinations expert’s written report, the Joint Audit Committee’s response, if any, as well as any information concerning the supervisory program is confidential.
(iii) Meetings of the Joint Audit Committee. (A) The Joint Audit Committee members must meet at least once each year. During such meetings, the Joint Audit Committee members shall consider revisions to the Joint Audit Program as a result of regulatory changes, revisions to the examination standards resulting from new or amended auditing standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the results of an examinations expert’s review.
(B) In addition to the items considered in paragraph (d)(2)(iii)(A) of this section, the Joint Audit Committee members must consider the following items during the meetings:
(1) Coordinating and sharing information between the Joint Audit Committee members, including issues and industry concerns in connection with examinations of futures commission merchants;
(2) Identifying industry regulatory reporting issues and financial and operational internal control issues and modifying the Joint Audit Program accordingly;
(3) Issuing risk alerts for futures commission merchants and/or designated self-regulatory organization examiners on an as-needed basis;
(4) Responding to industry issues; and
(5) Providing industry feedback to Commission proposals.
(C) Minutes must be taken of all meetings and distributed to all members on a timely basis.
(D) The Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight must receive timely prior notice of each meeting, have the right to attend and participate in each meeting and receive written copies of the minutes required pursuant to paragraph (d)(2)(iii)(C) of this section, respectively.
(3) The plan referenced in paragraph (d)(1) of this section shall not be effective without Commission approval pursuant to paragraph (h) of this section.
(e) Any plan filed under this section may contain provisions for the allocation of expenses reasonably incurred by designated self-regulatory organizations among the self-regulatory organizations participating in such a plan.
(f) A plan’s designated self-regulatory organizations must report to:
(1) That plan’s other self-regulatory organizations any violation of such other self-regulatory organizations’ rules and regulations for which the responsibility to monitor or examine has been delegated to such designated self-regulatory organization under this section; and
(2) The Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the Commission any violation of a self-regulatory organization’s rules and regulations or any violation of the Commission’s regulations for which the responsibility to monitor, audit, or examine has been delegated to such designated self-regulatory organization under this section.
(g) The Joint Audit Committee members may, among themselves, establish programs to provide access to any necessary financial or related information.
(h) After appropriate notice and opportunity for comment, the Commission may, by written notice, approve such a plan, or any part of the plan, if it finds that the plan, or any part of it:
(1) Is necessary or appropriate to serve the public interest;
(2) Is for the protection and in the interest of customers;
(3) Reduces multiple monitoring and multiple examining for compliance with the minimum financial rules of the Commission and of the self-regulatory organizations submitting the plan of any futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker that is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization;
(4) Reduces multiple reporting of the financial information necessitated by such minimum financial and related reporting requirements by any futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker that is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization;
(5) Fosters cooperation and coordination among the self-regulatory organizations; and
(6) Does not hinder the development of a registered futures association under section 17 of the Act.
(i) After the Commission has approved a plan, or part thereof, under paragraph (h) of this section, a self-regulatory organization delegating the functions described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section must notify each of its members that are subject to such a plan:
(1) Of the limited scope of the delegating self-regulatory organization’s responsibility for such a member’s compliance with the Commission’s and self-regulatory organization’s minimum financial and related reporting requirements; and
(2) Of the identity of the designated self-regulatory organization that has been delegated responsibility for such a member; provided, however, that the self-regulatory organization that delegates, pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section, the functions set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section shall remain responsible for its member registrants’ compliance with the regulatory obligations, and if such self-regulatory organization becomes aware that a delegated function is not being performed as required under this section, the self-regulatory organization shall promptly take any necessary steps to address any noncompliance.
(j) The Commission may at any time, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing, withdraw its approval of any plan, or part thereof, established under this section, if such plan, or part thereof, ceases to adequately effectuate the purposes of section 4f(b) of the Act or of this section.
(k) Whenever a registered futures commission merchant, a registered retail foreign exchange dealer, or a registered introducing broker holding membership in a self-regulatory organization ceases to be a member in good standing of that self-regulatory organization, such self-regulatory organization must, on the same day that event takes place, give electronic notice of that event to the Commission at its Washington, DC, headquarters and send a copy of that notification to such futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker.
(l) Nothing in this section shall preclude the Commission from examining any futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker for compliance with the minimum financial and related reporting requirements, and the risk management requirements, as applicable, to which such futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker is subject.
(m) In the event a plan is not filed and/or approved for each registered futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, or introducing broker that is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization, the Commission may design and, after notice and opportunity for comment, approve a plan for those futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, or introducing brokers that are not the subject of an approved plan (under paragraph (h) of this section), delegating to a designated self-regulatory organization the responsibilities described in paragraph (d) of this section.
§ 1.53 [Reserved]
§ 1.54 Contract market rules submitted to and approved or not disapproved by the Secretary of Agriculture.
Notwithstanding any provision of these rules, any bylaw, rule, regulation, or resolution of a contract market that was submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant or § 1.38(a) or § 1.39(a) of these rules, and was either approved by the Secretary or not disapproved by him, as of April 21, 1975, shall continue in full force and effect unless and until disapproved, altered or supplemented by or with the approval of the Commission. The adoption of this rule does not constitute approval by the Commission of any contract market bylaw, rule, regulation or resolution.
§ 1.55 Public disclosures by futures commission merchants.
(a)(1) Except as provided in 1.65, no futures commission merchant, or in the case of an introduced account no introducing broker, may open a commodity futures account for a customer, other than for a customer specified in paragraph (f) of this section, unless the futures commission merchant or introducing broker first:
(i) Furnishes the customer with a separate written disclosure statement containing only the language set forth in paragraph (b) of this section (except for nonsubstantive additions such as captions) or as otherwise approved under paragraph (c) of this section; Provided, however, that the disclosure statement may be attached to other documents as the cover page or the first page of such documents and as the only material on such page; and
(ii) Receives from the customer an acknowledgment signed and dated by the customer that he received and understood the disclosure statement.
(b) The language set forth in the written disclosure document required by paragraph (a) of this section shall be as follows:
The risk of loss in trading commodity futures contracts can be substantial. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. You should be aware of the following points:
(1) You may sustain a total loss of the funds that you deposit with your broker to establish or maintain a position in the commodity futures market, and you may incur losses beyond these amounts. If the market moves against your position, you may be called upon by your broker to deposit a substantial amount of additional margin funds, on short notice, in order to maintain your position. If you do not provide the required funds within the time required by your broker, your position may be liquidated at a loss, and you will be liable for any resulting deficit in your account.
(2) The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant for trading futures positions are not protected by insurance in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the futures commission merchant, or in the event your funds are misappropriated.
(3) The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant for trading futures positions are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation even if the futures commission merchant is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker or dealer.
(4) The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant are generally not guaranteed or insured by a derivatives clearing organization in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the futures commission merchant, or if the futures commission merchant is otherwise unable to refund your funds. Certain derivatives clearing organizations, however, may have programs that provide limited insurance to customers. You should inquire of your futures commission merchant whether your funds will be insured by a derivatives clearing organization and you should understand the benefits and limitations of such insurance programs.
(5) The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant are not held by the futures commission merchant in a separate account for your individual benefit. Futures commission merchants commingle the funds received from customers in one or more accounts and you may be exposed to losses incurred by other customers if the futures commission merchant does not have sufficient capital to cover such other customers’ trading losses.
(6) The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant may be invested by the futures commission merchant in certain types of financial instruments that have been approved by the Commission for the purpose of such investments. Permitted investments are listed in Commission Regulation 1.25 and include: U.S. government securities; municipal securities; money market mutual funds; and certain corporate notes and bonds. The futures commission merchant may retain the interest and other earnings realized from its investment of customer funds. You should be familiar with the types of financial instruments that a futures commission merchant may invest customer funds in.
(7) Futures commission merchants are permitted to deposit customer funds with affiliated entities, such as affiliated banks, securities brokers or dealers, or foreign brokers. You should inquire as to whether your futures commission merchant deposits funds with affiliates and assess whether such deposits by the futures commission merchant with its affiliates increases the risks to your funds.
(8) You should consult your futures commission merchant concerning the nature of the protections available to safeguard funds or property deposited for your account.
(9) Under certain market conditions, you may find it difficult or impossible to liquidate a position. This can occur, for example, when the market reaches a daily price fluctuation limit (“limit move”).
(10) All futures positions involve risk, and a “spread” position may not be less risky than an outright “long” or “short” position.
(11) The high degree of leverage (gearing) that is often obtainable in futures trading because of the small margin requirements can work against you as well as for you. Leverage (gearing) can lead to large losses as well as gains.
(12) In addition to the risks noted in the paragraphs enumerated above, you should be familiar with the futures commission merchant you select to entrust your funds for trading futures positions. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission requires each futures commission merchant to make publicly available on its Web site firm specific disclosures and financial information to assist you with your assessment and selection of a futures commission merchant. Information regarding this futures commission merchant may be obtained by visiting our Web site, www.[Web site address].
(13) Foreign futures transactions involve executing and clearing trades on a foreign exchange. This is the case even if the foreign exchange is formally “linked” to a domestic exchange, whereby a trade executed on one exchange liquidates or establishes a position on the other exchange. No domestic organization regulates the activities of a foreign exchange, including the execution, delivery, and clearing of transactions on such an exchange, and no domestic regulator has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of the foreign exchange or the laws of the foreign country. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the transaction occurs. For these reasons, customers who trade on foreign exchanges may not be afforded certain of the protections which apply to domestic transactions, including the right to use domestic alternative dispute resolution procedures. In particular, funds received from customers to margin foreign futures transactions may not be provided the same protections as funds received to margin futures transactions on domestic exchanges. Before you trade, you should familiarize yourself with the foreign rules which will apply to your particular transaction.
(14) Finally, you should be aware that the price of any foreign futures or option contract and, therefore, the potential profit and loss resulting therefrom, may be affected by any fluctuation in the foreign exchange rate between the time the order is placed and the foreign futures contract is liquidated or the foreign option contract is liquidated or exercised.
I hereby acknowledge that I have received and understood this risk disclosure statement.
(c) The Commission may approve for use in lieu of the risk disclosure document required by paragraph (b) of this section a risk disclosure statement approved by one or more foreign regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations if the Commission determines that such risk disclosure statement is reasonably calculated to provide the disclosure required by paragraph (b) of this section. Notice of risk disclosure statements that may be used to satisfy Commission disclosure requirements, what requirements such statements meet and the jurisdictions which accept each format will be set forth in appendix A to this section; Provided, however, that an FCM also provides a customer with the risk disclosure statement required by paragraph (b) of this section and obtains the customer’s acknowledgment that it has read and understands the disclosure document.
(d) Any futures commission merchant, or (in the case of an introduced account) any introducing broker, may open a commodity futures account for a customer without obtaining the separate acknowledgments of disclosure and elections required by this section and by §§ 1.33(g) and 33.7 of this chapter, provided that:
(1) Prior to the opening of such account, the futures commission merchant or introducing broker obtains an acknowledgement from the customer, which may consist of a single signature at the end of the futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s customer account agreement, or on a separate page, of the disclosure statements, consents, and elections specified in this section and § 1.33(g), and in §§ 33.7, 155.3(b)(2), and 155.4(b)(2) of this chapter, and which may include authorization for the transfer of funds from a segregated customer account to another account of such customer, as listed directly above the signature line, provided the customer has acknowledged by check or other indication next to a description of each specified disclosure statement, consent, or election that the customer has received and understood such disclosure statement or made such consent or election; and
(2) The acknowledgment referred to in paragraph (d)(1) of this section is accompanied by and executed contemporaneously with delivery of the disclosures and elective provisions required by this section and § 1.33(g), and by § 33.7 of this chapter.
(e) The acknowledgment required by paragraph (a) of this section must be retained by the futures commission merchant or introducing broker in accordance with § 1.31.
(f) A futures commission merchant or, in the case of an introduced account, an introducing broker, may open a commodity futures account for an “institutional customer” as defined in § 1.3 without furnishing such institutional customer the disclosure statements or obtaining the acknowledgments required under paragraph (a) of this section, or §§ 1.33(g), 1.55(p), and 1.65(a)(3), and §§ 30.6(a), 33.7(a), 155.3(b)(2), and 155.4(b)(2) of this chapter.
(g) This section does not relieve a futures commission merchant or introducing broker from any other disclosure obligation it may have under applicable law.
(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or § 1.65, a person registered or required to be registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant pursuant to sections 4f(a)(1) or 4f(a)(2) of the Commodity Exchange Act and registered or required to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker or dealer pursuant to sections 15(b)(1) or 15(b)(11) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules thereunder must provide to a customer or prospective customer, prior to the acceptance of any order for, or otherwise handling any transaction in or in connection with, a security futures product for a customer, the disclosures set forth in § 41.41(b)(1) of this chapter.
This disclosure document meets the risk disclosure requirements in the jurisdictions identified below ONLY for those instruments which are specified.
(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no futures commission merchant may enter into a customer account agreement or first accept funds from a customer, unless the futures commission merchant discloses to the customer all information about the futures commission merchant, including its business, operations, risk profile, and affiliates, that would be material to the customer’s decision to entrust such funds to and otherwise do business with the futures commission merchant and that is otherwise necessary for full and fair disclosure. In connection with the disclosure of such information, the futures commission merchant shall provide material information about the topics described in paragraph (k) of this section, expanding upon such information as necessary to keep such disclosure from being misleading, whether through omission or otherwise. The futures commission merchant shall also disclose the same information required by this paragraph to all customers existing on the effective date of this paragraph even if the futures commission merchant and such existing customers have previously entered into a customer account agreement or the futures commission merchant has already accepted funds from such existing customers. The futures commission merchant shall update the information required by this section as and when necessary, but at least annually, to keep such information accurate and complete and shall promptly disclose such updated information to all of its customers. In connection with such obligation to update information, the futures commission merchant shall take into account any material change to its business operation, financial condition and other factors material to the customer’s decision to entrust the customer’s funds and otherwise do business with the futures commission merchant since its most recent disclosure pursuant to this paragraph, and for this purpose shall without limitation consider events that require periodic reporting required to be filed pursuant to § 1.12. For purposes of this section, the disclosures required pursuant to this paragraph will be referred to as the “Disclosure Documents.” The Disclosure Documents shall provide a detailed table of contents referencing and describing the Disclosure Documents.
(j)(1) Each futures commission merchant shall make the Disclosure Documents available to each customer to whom disclosure is required pursuant to paragraph (i) of this section (for purposes of this section, its “FCM Customers”) and to the general public.
(2) A futures commission merchant shall make the Disclosure Documents available to FCM Customers and to the general public by posting a copy of the Disclosure Documents on the futures commission merchant’s Web site. A futures commission merchant, however, may use an electronic means other than its Web site to make the Disclosure Documents available to its FCM Customers; provided that:
(i) The electronic version of the Disclosure Documents shall be presented in a format that is readily communicated to the FCM Customers. Information is readily communicated to the FCM Customers if it is accessible to the ordinary computer user by means of commonly available hardware and software and if the electronically delivered document is organized in substantially the same manner as would be required for a paper document with respect to the order of presentation and the relative prominence of information; and
(ii) A complete paper copy of the Disclosure Documents shall be provided to an FCM Customer upon request.
(k) The futures commission merchant shall provide material information about the following specific topics:
(1) The futures commission merchant’s name, address of its principal place of business, phone number, fax number, and email address;
(2) The name, title, business address, business background, areas of responsibility, and the nature of the duties of each person that is defined as a principal of the futures commission merchant pursuant to § 3.1 of this chapter;
(3) The significant types of business activities and product lines engaged in by the futures commission merchant, and the approximate percentage of the futures commission merchant’s assets and capital that are used in each type of activity;
(4) The futures commission merchant’s business on behalf of its customers, including types of customers, markets traded, international businesses, and clearinghouses and carrying brokers used, and the futures commission merchant’s policies and procedures concerning the choice of bank depositories, custodians, and counterparties to permitted transactions under § 1.25;
(5) The material risks, accompanied by an explanation of how such risks may be material to its customers, of entrusting funds to the futures commission merchant, including, without limitation, the nature of investments made by the futures commission merchant (including credit quality, weighted average maturity, and weighted average coupon); the futures commission merchant’s creditworthiness, leverage, capital, liquidity, principal liabilities, balance sheet leverage and other lines of business; risks to the futures commission merchant created by its affiliates and their activities, including investment of customer funds in an affiliated entity; and any significant liabilities, contingent or otherwise, and material commitments;
(6) The name of the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization and its Web site address and the location where the annual audited financial statements of the futures commission merchant is made available;
(7) Any material administrative, civil, enforcement, or criminal complaints or actions filed against the FCM where such complaints or actions have not concluded, and any enforcement complaints or actions filed against the FCM during the last three years;
(8) A basic overview of customer fund segregation, futures commission merchant collateral management and investments, futures commission merchants, and joint futures commission merchant/broker dealers;
(9) Information on how a customer may obtain information regarding filing a complaint about the futures commission merchant with the Commission or with the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization; and
(10) The following financial data as of the most recent month-end when the Disclosure Document is prepared:
(i) The futures commission merchant’s total equity, regulatory capital, and net worth, all computed in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and § 1.17, as applicable;
(ii) The dollar value of the futures commission merchant’s proprietary margin requirements as a percentage of the aggregate margin requirement for futures customers, Cleared Swaps Customers, and 30.7 customers;
(iii) The smallest number of futures customers, Cleared Swaps Customers, and 30.7 customers that comprise 50 percent of the futures commission merchant’s total funds held for futures customers, Cleared Swaps Customers, and 30.7 customers, respectively;
(iv) The aggregate notional value, by asset class, of all non-hedged, principal over-the-counter transactions into which the futures commission merchant has entered;
(v) The amount, generic source and purpose of any committed unsecured lines of credit (or similar short-term funding) the futures commission merchant has obtained but not yet drawn upon;
(vi) The aggregated amount of financing the futures commission merchant provides for customer transactions involving illiquid financial products for which it is difficult to obtain timely and accurate prices; and
(vii) The percentage of futures customer, Cleared Swaps Customer, and 30.7 customer receivable balances that the futures commission merchant had to write-off as uncollectable during the past 12-month period, as compared to the current balance of funds held for futures customers, Cleared Swaps Customers, and 30.7 customers; and
(11) A summary of the futures commission merchant’s current risk practices, controls and procedures.
(l) In addition to the foregoing, each futures commission merchant shall adopt policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that advertising and solicitation activities by each such futures commission merchant and any introducing brokers associated with such futures commission merchant are not misleading to its FCM Customers in connection with their decision to entrust funds to and otherwise do business with such futures commission merchant.
(m) The Disclosure Document required by paragraph (i) of this section is in addition to the Risk Disclosure Statement required under paragraph (a) of this section.
(n) All Disclosure Documents, with each Disclosure Document dated the date of first use, shall be maintained in accordance with § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of its designated self-regulatory organization, representatives of the Commission, and representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
(o)(1) Each futures commission merchant shall make the following financial information publicly available on its Web site:
(i) The daily Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Exchanges for the most current 12-month period;
(ii) The daily Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers Pursuant to Commission Regulation 30.7 for the most current 12-month period;
(iii) The daily Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts Under Section 4d(f) of the Act for the most current 12-month period;
(iv) A summary schedule of the futures commission merchant’s adjusted net capital, net capital, and excess net capital, all computed in accordance with § 1.17 and reflecting balances as of the month-end for the 12 most recent months;
(v) The Statement of Financial Condition, the Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Exchanges, the Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers Pursuant to Commission Regulation 30.7, the Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts Under Section 4d(f) of the Act, an all related footnotes to the above schedules that are part of the futures commission merchant’s most current certified annual report pursuant to § 1.16; and
(vi) The Statement of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation for Customers Trading on U.S. Exchanges, the Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers Pursuant to Commission Regulation30.7, and the Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts Under Section 4d(f) of the Act that are part of the futures commission merchant’s unaudited Form 1-FR-FCM or Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“FOCUS Report”) for the most current 12-month period.
(2) To the extent any of the financial data identified in paragraph (1) of this section is amended, the FCM must clearly notate that the data has been amended.
(3) Each futures commission merchant must include a statement on its Web site that is available to the public that financial information regarding the futures commission merchant, including how the futures commission merchant invests and holds customer funds, may be obtained from the National Futures Association and include a link to the Web site of the National Futures Association’s Basic System where information regarding the futures commission merchant’s investment of customer funds is maintained.
(4) Each futures commission merchant must include a statement on its Web site that is available to the public that additional financial information on all futures commission merchants is available from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and include a link to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Web page for financial data for futures commission merchants.
(p)(1) Except as provided in § 1.65, no commodity broker (other than a clearing organization) may accept property other than cash from or for the account of a customer, other than a customer specified in paragraph (f) of this section, to margin, guarantee, or secure a commodity contract unless the commodity broker first furnishes the customer with the disclosure statement set forth in paragraph (p)(2) of this section in boldface print in at least 10 point type which may be provided as either a separate, written document or incorporated into the customer agreement, or with another statement approved under paragraph (c) of this section and set forth in appendix A to this section which the Commission finds satisfies the requirement of this paragraph (p)(1).
(2) The disclosure statement required by paragraph (p)(1) of this section is as follows:
THIS STATEMENT IS FURNISHED TO YOU BECAUSE REGULATION 1.55(p) OF THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION REQUIRES IT FOR REASONS OF FAIR NOTICE UNRELATED TO THIS COMPANY’S CURRENT FINANCIAL CONDITION.
1. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF THIS COMPANY’S BANKRUPTCY, PROPERTY, INCLUDING PROPERTY SPECIFICALLY TRACEABLE TO YOU, WILL BE RETURNED, TRANSFERRED OR DISTRIBUTED TO YOU, OR ON YOUR BEHALF, ONLY TO THE EXTENT OF YOUR PRO RATA SHARE OF ALL PROPERTY AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION TO CUSTOMERS.
2. THE COMMISSION’S REGULATIONS CONCERNING BANKRUPTCIES OF COMMODITY BROKERS CAN BE FOUND AT 17 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 190.
(3) The statement contained in paragraph (p)(2) of this section need be furnished only once to each customer to whom it is required to be furnished by this section.
§ 1.56 Prohibition of guarantees against loss.
(a) [Reserved]
(b) No futures commission merchant or introducing broker may in any way represent that it will, with respect to any commodity interest in any account carried by the futures commission merchant for or on behalf of any person:
(1) Guarantee such person against loss;
(2) Limit the loss of such person; or
(3) Not call for or attempt to collect initial and maintenance margin as established by the rules of the applicable board of trade.
(c) No person may in any way represent that a futures commission merchant or introducing broker will engage in any of the acts or practices described in paragraph (b) of this section.
(d) This section shall not be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant or introducing broker from:
(1) Assuming or sharing in the losses resulting from an error or mishandling of an order; or
(2) Participating as a general partner in a commodity pool which is a limited partnership.
(e) This section shall not affect any guarantee entered into prior to January 28, 1982, but this section shall apply to any extension, modification or renewal thereof entered into after such date.
§ 1.57 Operations and activities of introducing brokers.
(a) Each introducing broker must:
(1) Open and carry each customer’s account with a carrying futures commission merchant on a fully-disclosed basis: Provided, however, That an introducing broker which has entered into a guarantee agreement with a futures commission merchant in accordance with the provisions of § 1.10(j) must open and carry such customer’s account with such guarantor futures commission merchant on a fully-disclosed basis; and
(2) Transmit promptly for execution all customer orders to:
(i) A carrying futures commission merchant; or
(ii) A floor broker, if the introducing broker identifies its carrying futures commission merchant and that carrying futures commission merchant is also the clearing member with respect to the customer’s order.
(b) An introducing broker may not carry proprietary accounts, nor may an introducing broker carry accounts in foreign futures.
(c) An introducing broker may not accept any money, securities or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee or secure any trades or contracts of customers, or any money, securities or property accruing as a result of such trades or contracts: Provided, however, That an introducing broker may deposit a check in a qualifying account or forward a check drawn by a customer if:
(1) The futures commission merchant carrying the customer’s account authorizes the introducing broker, in writing, to receive a check in the name of the futures commission merchant, and the introducing broker retains such written authorization in its files in accordance with § 1.31;
(2) The check is payable to the futures commission merchant carrying the customer’s account;
(3) The check is deposited by the introducing broker, on the same day upon which it is received, in a bank or trust company located in the United States in a qualifying account, or the check is mailed or otherwise transmitted by the introducing broker to the futures commission merchant on the same day upon which it is received;
(4) For purposes of this paragraph (c), a qualifying account shall be deemed to be an account:
(i) Which is maintained in an account name which clearly identifies the funds therein as belonging to customers of the futures commission merchant carrying the customer’s account;
(ii) For which the bank or trust company restricts withdrawals to withdrawals by the carrying futures commission merchant;
(iii) For which the bank or trust company prohibits the introducing broker or anyone acting upon its behalf from withdrawing funds; and
(iv) For which the bank or trust company provides the futures commission merchant carrying the customer’s account with a written acknowledgment, which the futures commission merchant must retain in its files in accordance with § 1.31, that it was informed that the funds deposited therein are those of customers and are being held in accordance with the provisions of the Act and the regulations in this chapter.
§ 1.58 Gross collection of exchange-set margins.
(a) Each futures commission merchant which carries a commodity futures or commodity option position for another futures commission merchant or for a foreign broker on an omnibus basis must collect, and each futures commission merchant and foreign broker for which an omnibus account is being carried must deposit, initial and maintenance margin on each position reported in accordance with § 17.04 of this chapter at a level no less than that established for customer accounts by the rules of the applicable contract market.
(b) If the futures commission merchant which carries a commodity futures or commodity option position for another futures commission merchant or for a foreign broker on an omnibus basis allows a position to be margined as a spread position or as a hedged position in accordance with the rules of the applicable contract market, the carrying futures commission merchant must obtain and retain a written representation from the futures commission merchant or from the foreign broker for which the omnibus account is being carried that each such position is entitled to be so margined.
§ 1.59 Activities of self-regulatory organization employees, governing board members, committee members, and consultants.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Self-regulatory organization means a “self-regulatory organization,” as defined in § 1.3.
(2) Governing board member means a member, or functional equivalent thereof, of the board of governors of a self-regulatory organization.
(3) Committee member means a member, or functional equivalent thereof, of any committee of a self-regulatory organization.
(4) Employee means any person hired or otherwise employed on a salaried or contract basis by a self-regulatory organization, but does not include:
(i) Any governing board member compensated by a self-regulatory organization solely for governing board activities; or
(ii) Any committee member compensated by a self-regulatory organization solely for committee activities; or
(iii) Any consultant hired by a self-regulatory organization.
(5) Material information means information which, if such information were publicly known, would be considered important by a reasonable person in deciding whether to trade a particular commodity interest on a contract market or a swap execution facility, or to clear a swap contract through a derivatives clearing organization. As used in this section, “material information” includes, but is not limited to, information relating to present or anticipated cash positions, commodity interests, trading strategies, the financial condition of members of self-regulatory organizations or members of linked exchanges or their customers, or the regulatory actions or proposed regulatory actions of a self-regulatory organization or a linked exchange.
(6) Non-public information means information which has not been disseminated in a manner which makes it generally available to the trading public.
(7) Linked exchange means:
(i) Any board of trade, exchange or market outside the United States, its territories or possessions, which has an agreement with a contract market or swap execution facility in the United States that permits positions in a commodity interest which have been established on one of the two markets to be liquidated on the other market;
(ii) Any board of trade, exchange or market outside the United States, its territories or possessions, the products of which are listed on a United States contract market, swap execution facility, or a trading facility thereof;
(iii) Any securities exchange, the products of which are held as margin in a commodity account or cleared by a securities clearing organization pursuant to a cross-margining arrangement with a futures clearing organization; or
(iv) Any clearing organization which clears the products of any of the foregoing markets.
(8) Commodity interest means any commodity futures, commodity option or swap contract traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market, a swap execution facility or linked exchange, or cleared by a derivatives clearing organization, or cash commodities traded on or subject to the rules of a board of trade which has been designated as a contract market.
(9) Related commodity interest means any commodity interest which is traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market, swap execution facility, linked exchange, or other board of trade, exchange, or market, or cleared by a derivatives clearing organization, other than the self-regulatory organization by which a person is employed, and with respect to which:
(i) Such employing self-regulatory organization has recognized or established intermarket spread margins or other special margin treatment between that other commodity interest and a commodity interest which is traded on or subject to the rules of the employing self-regulatory organization; or
(ii) Such other self-regulatory organization has recognized or established intermarket spread margins or other special margin treatment with another commodity interest as to which the person has access to material, nonpublic information.
(10) Pooled investment vehicle means a trading vehicle organized and operated as a commodity pool within the meaning of § 4.10(d) of this chapter, and whose units of participation have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, or a trading vehicle for which § 4.5 of this chapter makes available relief from regulation as a commodity pool operator, i.e., registered investment companies, insurance company separate accounts, bank trust funds, and certain pension plans.
(b) Employees of self-regulatory organizations; Self-regulatory organization rules. (1) Each self-regulatory organization must maintain in effect rules which have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5c(c) of the Act and part 40 of this chapter (or, pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act in the case of a registered futures association) that, at a minimum, prohibit:
(i) Employees of the self-regulatory organization from:
(A) Trading, directly or indirectly, in any commodity interest traded on or cleared by the employing contract market, swap execution facility, or clearing organization;
(B) Trading, directly or indirectly, in any related commodity interest;
(C) Trading, directly or indirectly, in a commodity interest traded on contract markets or swap execution facilities or cleared by derivatives clearing organizations other than the employing self-regulatory organization if the employee has access to material, non-public information concerning such commodity interest;
(D) Trading, directly or indirectly, in a commodity interest traded on or cleared by a linked exchange if the employee has access to material, non-public information concerning such commodity interest; and
(ii) Employees of the self-regulatory organization from disclosing to any other person any material, non-public information which such employee obtains as a result of his or her employment at the self-regulatory organization where such employee has or should have a reasonable expectation that the information disclosed may assist another person in trading any commodity interest; Provided, however, That such rules shall not prohibit disclosures made in the course of an employee’s duties, or disclosures made to another self-regulatory organization, linked exchange, court of competent jurisdiction or representative of any agency or department of the federal or state government acting in his or her official capacity.
(2) Each self-regulatory organization may adopt rules, which must be submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and Commission regulation 1.41 (or, pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act in the case of a registered futures association), which set forth circumstances under which exemptions from the trading prohibition contained in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section may be granted; such exemptions are to be administered by the self-regulatory organization on a case-by-case basis. Specifically, such circumstances may include:
(i) Participation by an employee in pooled investment vehicles where the employee has no direct or indirect control with respect to transactions executed for or on behalf of such vehicles; and
(ii) Trading by an employee under circumstances enumerated by the self-regulatory organization in rules which the self-regulatory organization determines are not contrary to the purposes of this regulation, the Commodity Exchange Act, the public interest, or just and equitable principles of trade.
(c) Governing board members, committee members, and consultants; Registered futures association rules. Each registered futures association must maintain in effect rules which have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act which provide that no governing board member, committee member, or consultant shall use or disclose—for any purpose other than the performance of official duties as a governing board member, committee member, or consultant—material, non-public information obtained as a result of the performance of such person’s official duties.
(d) Prohibited conduct. (1) No employee, governing board member, committee member, or consultant shall:
(i) Trade for such person’s own account, or for or on behalf of any other account, in any commodity interest, on the basis of any material, non-public information obtained through special access related to the performance of such person’s official duties as an employee, governing board member, committee member, or consultant; or
(ii) Disclose for any purpose inconsistent with the performance of such person’s official duties as an employee, governing board member, committee member, or consultant any material, non-public information obtained through special access related to the performance of such duties.
(2) No person shall trade for such person’s own account, or for or on behalf of any other account, in any commodity interest, on the basis of any material, non-public information that such person knows was obtained in violation of paragraph (d)(1) of this section from an employee, governing board member, committee member, or consultant.
§ 1.60 Pending legal proceedings.
(a) Every contract market shall submit to the Commission copies of the complaint, any dispositive or partially dispositive decision, any notice of appeal filed concerning such decisions and such further documents as the Commission may thereafter request filed in any material legal proceeding to which the contract market is a party or its property or assets is subject.
(b) Every futures commission merchant shall sumit to the Commission copies of any dispositive or partially dispositive decision for which a notice of appeal has been filed, the notice of appeal and such further documents as the Commission may thereafter request filed in any material legal proceeding to which the futures commission merchant is a party or its property or assets is subjects.
(c) Every contract market shall submit to the Commission copies of the complaint, any dispositive or partially dispositive decision, any notice of appeal filed concerning such decisions and such further documents as the Commission may thereafter request filed in any material legal proceeding instituted against any officer, director, or other official of the contract market arising from conduct in such person’s capacity as a contract market official and alleging violations of:
(1) The act or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder;
(2) the constitution, bylaws or rules of the contract market; or
(3) the applicable provisions of state law relating to the duties of officers, directors, or other officials of business organizations.
(d) Every futures commission merchant shall submit to the Commission copies of any dispositive or partially dispositive decision concerning which a notice of appeal has been filed, the notice of appeal, and such further documents as the Commission may thereafter request filed in any material legal proceeding instituted against any person who is a principal of the futures commission merchant (as that term is defined in § 3.1(a) of this chapter) arising from conduct in such person’s capacity as a principal of the futures commission merchant and alleging violations of: (1) The Act or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder; or (2) provisions of state law relating to a duty or obligation owed by such a principal.
(e) All documents required by this section to be submitted to the Commission shall be mailed via first-class or submitted by other more expeditious means to the Commission’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, Attention: Office of the General Counsel. All documents required by this section to be submitted to the Commission as to matters pending on the effective date of the section (May 25, 1984), shall be mailed to the Commission within 45 days of that effective date. Thereafter, all complaints required by this section to be submitted to the Commission by contract markets shall be mailed to the Commission within 10 days after the initiation of the legal proceedings to which they relate, all decisions required to be submitted by contract markets shall be mailed within 10 days of their date of issuance, all notices of appeal required to be submitted by contract markets shall be mailed within 10 days of the filing or receipt by the contract market of the notice of appeal, and all decisions and notices of appeal required to be submitted by futures commission merchants shall be mailed within 10 days of the filing or receipt by the futures commission merchant of the relevant notice of appeal. For purposes of paragraph (a), (b), (c) and (d) of this rule, a “material legal proceeding” includes but is not limited to actions involving alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act or the Commission’s regulations. However, a legal proceeding is not “material” for the purposes of this rule if the proceeding is not in a federal or state court or if the Commission is a party.
§§ 1.61-1.62 [Reserved]
§ 1.63 Service on self-regulatory organization governing boards or committees by persons with disciplinary histories.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Self-regulatory organization means a “self-regulatory organization,” as defined in § 1.3, except as defined in paragraph (b)(6) of this section.
(2) Disciplinary committee means any person or committee of persons, or any subcommittee thereof, that is authorized by a self-regulatory organization to issue disciplinary charges, to conduct disciplinary proceedings, to settle disciplinary charges, to impose disciplinary sanctions or to hear appeals thereof.
(3) Arbitration panel means any person or panel empowered by a self-regulatory organization to arbitrate disputes involving such organization’s members or their customers.
(4) Oversight panel means any panel authorized by a self-regulatory organization to review, recommend or establish policies or procedures with respect to the self-regulatory organization’s surveillance, compliance, rule enforcement or disciplinary responsibilities.
(5) Final decision means:
(i) A decision of a self-regulatory organization which cannot be further appealed within the self-regulatory organization, is not subject to the stay of the Commission or a court of competent jurisdiction, and has not been reversed by the Commission or any court of competent jurisdiction; or,
(ii) Any decision by an administrative law judge, a court of competent jurisdiction or the Commission which has not been stayed or reversed.
(6) Disciplinary offense means:
(i) Any violation of the rules of a self-regulatory organization except those rules related to
(A) Decorum or attire,
(B) Financial requirements, or
(C) Reporting or recordkeeping unless resulting in fines aggregating more than $5,000 within any calendar year;
(ii) Any rule violation described in subparagraphs (a)(6)(i) (A) through (C) of this regulation which involves fraud, deceit or conversion or results in a suspension or expulsion;
(iii) Any violation of the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder; or,
(iv) Any failure to exercise supervisory responsibility with respect to acts described in paragraphs (a)(6) (i) through (iii) of this section when such failure is itself a violation of either the rules of a self-regulatory organization, the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(v) A disciplinary offense must arise out of a proceeding or action which is brought by a self-regulatory organization, the Commission, any federal or state agency, or other governmental body.
(7) Settlement agreement means any agreement consenting to the imposition of sanctions by a self-regulatory organization, a court of competent jurisdiction or the Commission.
(b) Each self-regulatory organization must maintain in effect rules which have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5c(c) of the Act and part 40 of this chapter or, in the case of a registered futures association, pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act, that render a person ineligible to serve on its disciplinary committees, arbitration panels, oversight panels or governing board who:
(1) Was found within the prior three years by a final decision of a self-regulatory organization, an administrative law judge, a court of competent jurisdiction or the Commission to have committed a disciplinary offense;
(2) Entered into a settlement agreement within the prior three years in which any of the findings or, in the absence of such findings, any of the acts charged included a disciplinary offense;
(3) Currently is suspended from trading on any contract market, is suspended or expelled from membership with any self-regulatory organization, is serving any sentence of probation or owes any portion of a fine imposed pursuant to either:
(i) A finding by a final decision of a self-regulatory organization, an administrative law judge, a court of competent jurisdiction or the Commission that such person committed a disciplinary offense; or,
(ii) A settlement agreement in which any of the findings or, in the absence of such findings, any of the acts charged included a disciplinary offense.
(4) Currently is subject to an agreement with the Commission or any self-regulatory organization not to apply for registration with the Commission or membership in any self-regulatory organization;
(5) Currently is subject to or has had imposed on him within the prior three years a Commission registration revocation or suspension in any capacity for any reason, or has been convicted within the prior three years of any of the felonies listed in section 8a(2)(D) (ii) through (iv) of the Act;
(6) Currently is subject to a denial, suspension or disqualification from serving on the disciplinary committee, arbitration panel or governing board of any self-regulatory organization as that term is defined in section 3(a)(26) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
(c) No person may serve on a disciplinary committee, arbitration panel, oversight panel or governing board of a self-regulatory organization if such person is subject to any of the conditions listed in paragraphs (b) (1) through (6) of this section.
(d) Each self-regulatory organization shall submit to the Commission a schedule listing all those rule violations which constitute disciplinary offenses as defined in paragraph (a)(6)(i) of this section and to the extent necessary to reflect revisions shall submit an amended schedule within thirty days of the end of each calendar year. Each self-regulatory organization must maintain and keep current the schedule required by this section, and post the schedule on the self-regulatory organization’s Web site so that it is in a public place designed to provide notice to members and otherwise ensure its availability to the general public.
(e) Each self-regulatory organization shall submit to the Commission within thirty days of the end of each calendar year a certified list of any persons who have been removed from its disciplinary committees, arbitration panels, oversight panels or governing board pursuant to the requirements of this regulation during the prior year.
(f) Whenever a self-regulatory organization finds by final decision that a person has committed a disciplinary offense and such finding makes such person ineligible to serve on that self-regulatory organization’s disciplinary committees, arbitration panels, oversight panels or governing board, the self-regulatory organization shall inform the Commission of that finding and the length of the ineligibility in any notice it is required to provide to the Commission pursuant to either section 17(h)(1) of the Act or Commission regulation 9.11.
§ 1.64 Composition of various self-regulatory organization governing boards and major disciplinary committees.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Self-regulatory organization means “self-regulatory organization,” as defined in § 1.3.
(2) Major disciplinary committee means a committee of persons who are authorized by a self-regulatory organization to conduct disciplinary hearings, to settle disciplinary charges, to impose disciplinary sanctions or to hear appeals thereof in cases involving any violation of the rules of the self-regulatory organization except those which:
(i) Are related to:
(A) Decorum or attire,
(B) Financial requirements, or
(C) Reporting or recordkeeping; and,
(ii) Do not involve fraud, deceit or conversion.
(3) Regular voting member of a governing board means any person who is eligible to vote routinely on matters being considered by the board and excludes those members who are only eligible to vote in the case of a tie vote by the board.
(4) Membership interest (i) In the case of a contract market, each of the following will be considered a different membership interest:
(A) Floor brokers,
(B) Floor traders,
(C) Futures commission merchants,
(D) Producers, consumers, processors, distributors, and merchandisers of commodities traded on the particular contract market,
(E) Participants in a variety of pits or principal groups of commodities traded on the particular contract market; and,
(F) Other market users or participants; except that with respect to paragraph (c)(2) of this section, a contract market may define membership interests according to the different pits or principal groups of commodities traded on the contract market.
(ii) In the case of a registered futures association, each of the following will be considered a different membership interest:
(A) Futures commission merchants,
(B) Introducing brokers,
(C) Commodity pool operators,
(D) Commodity trading advisors; and,
(E) Associated persons, except that under paragraph (c)(3) of this section an associated person will be deemed to represent the same membership interest as its sponsor.
(b) Each self-regulatory organization must maintain in effect standards and procedures with respect to its governing board which have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and § 1.41 or, when applicable to a registered futures association, pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act, that ensure:
(1) That twenty percent or more of the regular voting members of the board are persons who:
(i) Are knowledgeable of futures trading or financial regulation or are otherwise capable of contributing to governing board deliberations; and,
(ii)(A) Are not members of the self-regulatory organization,
(B) Are not currently salaried employees of the self-regulatory organization,
(C) Are not primarily performing services for the self-regulatory organization in a capacity other than as a member of the self-regulatory organization’s governing board, or
(D) Are not officers, principals or employees of a firm which holds a membership at the self-regulatory organization either in its own name or through an employee on behalf of the firm;
(2) In the case of a contract market, that ten percent or more of the regular voting members of the governing board be comprised where applicable of persons representing farmers, producers, merchants or exporters of principal commodities underlying a commodity futures or commodity option traded on the contract market; and
(3) That the board’s membership includes a diversity of membership interests. The self-regulatory organization must be able to demonstrate that the board membership fairly represents the diversity of interests at such self-regulatory organization and is otherwise consistent with this regulation’s composition requirements;
(c) Each self-regulatory organization must maintain in effect rules with respect to its major disciplinary committees which have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and § 1.41 or, when applicable to a registered futures association, pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act, that ensure:
(1) That at least one member of each major disciplinary committee or hearing panel thereof be a person who is not a member of the self-regulatory organization whenever such committee or panel is acting with respect to a disciplinary action in which:
(i) The subject of the action is a member of the self-regulatory organization’s:
(A) Governing board, or
(B) Major disciplinary committee; or,
(ii) Any of the charged, alleged or adjudicated contract market rule violations involve:
(A) Manipulation or attempted manipulation of the price of a commodity, a futures contract or an option on a futures contract, or
(B) Conduct which directly results in financial harm to a non-member of the contract market;
(2) In the case of a contract market, that more than fifty percent of each major disciplinary committee or hearing panel thereof include persons representing membership interests other than that of the subject of the disciplinary proceeding being considered;
(3) In the case of a registered futures association, that each major disciplinary committee or hearing panel thereof include persons representing membership interests other than that of the subject of the disciplinary proceeding being considered; and,
(4) That each major disciplinary committee or hearing panel thereof include sufficient different membership interests so as to ensure fairness and to prevent special treatment or preference for any person in the conduct of a committee’s or the panel’s responsibilities.
(d) Each self-regulatory organization must submit to the Commission within thirty days after each governing board election a list of the governing board’s members, the membership interests they represent and how the composition of the governing board otherwise meets the requirements of § 1.64(b) and the self-regulatory organization’s implementing standards and procedures.
§ 1.65 Notice of bulk transfers and disclosure obligations to customers.
(a) Notice and Disclosure to Customers. (1) Prior to transferring a customer account to another futures commission merchant or introducing broker other than at the request of the customer, a futures commission merchant or introducing broker must obtain the customer’s specific consent to the transfer.
(2) If the customer account agreement contains a valid consent by the customer to prospective transfers of the account, the transferor futures commission merchant or introducing broker may transfer the account if the customer is provided with written notice of, and a reasonable opportunity to object to, the transfer and the customer has not asserted an objection to the transfer or given other instructions as to the disposition of the account. The notice to the customer must include:
(i) A clear statement of the reason(s) for the transfer, the name, address and telephone number of the proposed transferee firm and other information material to the transfer;
(ii) A statement that the customer is not required to accept the proposed transfer and may direct the transfer or firm to liquidate the account or ransfer the account to a firm of the customer’s selection;
(iii) The name, telephone number and address of a contact person at the transferor firm to whom the customer may give instructions as to the disposition of the account;
(iv) Notice that a failure to respond to the letter within a specified time period, which must be a reasonable period in the circumstances, will be deemed consent to the transfer; and
(v) A clear statement as to the means by which the customer may object to or otherwise respond to the notice of proposed transfer.
(3) Where customer accounts are transferred to a futures commission merchant or introducing broker, other than at the customer’s request, the transferee introducing broker or futures commission merchant must provide each customer whose account is transferred with the risk disclosure statements and acknowledgments required by § 1.55 (domestic futures and foreign futures and options trading) and § 33.7 of this chapter (domestic exchange-traded commodity options) and receive the required acknowledgments within sixty days of the transfer of accounts. This paragraph (a)(3) shall not apply:
(i) As to customers owning transferred accounts for which the transferee futures commission merchant or introducing broker has clear written evidence that the customer has received and acknowledged the required disclosure documents; or
(ii) As to customers for which the transferee futures commission merchant or introducing broker has clear evidence that such customer was at the time the account was opened by the transferring futures commission merchant or introducing broker, or is at the time the account is being transferred, a customer listed in § 1.55(f); or
(iii) If the transfer of accounts is made from one introducing broker to another introducing broker guaranteed by the same futures commission merchant pursuant to a guarantee agreement in accordance with the requirements of § 1.10(j) and such futures commission merchant maintains the relevant acknowledgments required by §§ 1.55(a)(1)(ii) and 33.7(a)(1)(ii) of this chapter and can establish compliance with § 1.55(p).
(b) Notice to the Commission. Each futures commission merchant or introducing broker shall file with the Commission, at least ten business days in advance of the transfer, notice of any transfer of customer accounts carried or introduced by such futures commission merchant or introducing broker that is not initiated at the request of the customer, where the transfer involves the lesser of:
(1) 25 percent of the total number of customer accounts carried or introduced by such firm if that percentage represents at least 100 accounts; or
(2) 50 percent or more of the total number of customer accounts carried or introduced by such firm. The computation of the percentage and number of accounts must be based on the total number of accounts carried by the transferor futures commission merchant or introduced by the introducing broker, irrespective of whether such accounts are transferred to a single or multiple transferees.
(c) The notice required by paragraph (b) of this section shall include:
(1) The name, principal business address and telephone number of the transferor futures commission merchant or introducing broker;
(2) The name, principal business address and telephone number of each transferee futures commission merchant or introducing broker;
(3) The designated self-regulatory organization for the transferor and transferee firms;
(4) A brief statement as to the reasons for the transfer;
(5) A copy of the notice to customers informing them of the proposed transfer and providing an opportunity to object to such transfer; and
(6) A statement of the number of accounts to be transferred and the estimated liquidating equity of the accounts to be transferred.
(d) The notice required by paragraph (b) of this section shall be considered filed when submitted to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, in electronic form using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission.
(e) In the event that the notice required by paragraph (b) of this section cannot be filed with the Commission at least ten days prior to the account transfer, the Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to accept a lesser time period for such notification at the Director’s or designee’s discretion. In any event, however, the transferee futures commission merchant or introducing broker shall file such notice as soon as practicable and no later than the day of the transfer. Such notice shall include a brief statement explaining the circumstances necessitating the delay in filing.
(f) The requirements of this section shall not affect the obligations of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker under the rules of a self-regulatory organization or applicable customer account agreement with respect to transfer of accounts.
(g) If a proposed transfer is not completed in accordance with the notice required to be filed by paragraph (b) of this section, a corrective notice shall be filed within five business days of the date such proposed transfer was to occur explaining why the proposed transfer was not completed.
§ 1.66 No-action positions with respect to floor traders.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a contract market submits to the National Futures Association by April 26, 1993 a list of floor traders who were granted trading privileges on that contract market on or before April 26, 1993, and whose floor trading privileges remain in effect, which includes the name, date of birth and social security number of such floor traders, as well as facts regarding such floor traders which are set forth as statutory disqualifications in section 8a(2) of the Act if the contract market knows of such facts, and such list is signed by the chief operating officer of the contract market, the Commission will not commence an enforcement proceeding against a floor trader on that list based solely upon the floor trader’s failure to register or receive a temporary license under section 4f of the Act and § 3.11 of this chapter, nor will the Commission commence an enforcement proceeding against the contract market under § 1.62 for failing to bar such floor trader from operating as such: Provided, however, That for those floor traders listed as to whom the contract market knows of facts set forth as statutory disqualifications in section 8a(2) of the Act, the no-action position contained in paragraph (a) of this section will only apply if the contract market submits a supplemental statement signed by the chief operating officer of the contract market stating that, in light of the Congressional mandate requiring registration of floor traders under the Act, the contract market acknowledges its responsibility to take affirmative action to conduct appropriate surveillance of such floor traders. These no-action positions shall expire upon the floor’s trader being granted or denied registration under the Act, or on June 11, 1993, whichever comes earliest: Provided, however, That if the floor trader files an application for registration in accordance with § 3.11 of this chapter with the National Futures Association by June 11, 1993, the no-action positions for the floor trader and the contract market as to the registration of such floor trader will be extended until the floor trader is granted or denied registration under the Act, unless an Administrative Law Judge issues an interim order suspending the no-action position as to such floor trader in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section or the application for registration is withdrawn.
(b) Suspension of no-action position under paragraph (a) of this section pursuant to section 8a(2) of the Act—(1) Notice. On the basis of information obtained by the Commission, the Commission may at any time serve notice upon a floor trader whose name appears on a list submitted in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section that:
(i) The Commission alleges and is prepared to prove that such floor trader is subject to one or more of the statutory disqualifications set forth in section 8a(2) of the Act;
(ii) An Administrative Law Judge shall make a determination, based upon written evidence, as to whether the floor trader is subject to such statutory disqualification; and
(iii) If the floor trader is found to be subject to a statutory disqualification, the no-action status of the floor trader under paragraph (a) of this section may be suspended and the floor trader ordered to show cause why registration should not be denied.
(2) Written submission. If the floor trader wishes to challenge the accuracy of the allegations set forth in the notice, the floor trader may submit written evidence limited to the type described in § 3.60(b)(1) of this chapter. Such written submission must be served upon the Division of Enforcement and filed with the Proceedings Clerk within twenty days of the date of service of notice to the floor trader.
(3) Reply. Within ten days of receipt of any written submission filed by the floor trader, the Division of Enforcement may serve upon the floor trader and file with the Proceedings Clerk a reply.
(4) Determination by Administrative Law Judge. A determination by the Administrative Law Judge as to whether the floor trader is subject to a statutory disqualification must be based upon the evidence of the statutory disqualification, notice with proof of service, the written submission, if any, filed by the floor trader in response thereto, any written reply submitted by the Division of Enforcement and such other papers as the Administrative Law Judge may require or permit.
(5) Suspension and order to show cause. (i) If the floor trader is found to be subject to a statutory disqualification, the Administrative Law Judge, within thirty days after receipt of the floor trader’s written submission, if any, and any reply thereto, shall issue an interim order suspending the no-action status of the floor trader under paragraph (a) of this section and requiring the floor trader to show cause within twenty days of the date of the order why, notwithstanding the existence of the statutory disqualification, the registration of the floor trader should not be denied. The no-action status of the floor trader shall be suspended, effective five days after the order to show cause is served upon the floor trader in accordance with § 3.50(a) of this chapter, until a final order with respect to the order to show cause has been issued: Provided, That if the sole basis upon which the floor trader is subject to statutory disqualification is the existence of a temporary order, judgment or decree of the type described in section 8a(2)(C) of the Act, the order to show cause shall not be issued and the floor trader shall be suspended until such time as the temporary order, judgment or decree shall have expired: Provided, however, That in no event shall the floor trader’s no-action status be suspended for a period to exceed six months.
(ii) If the floor trader is found not to be subject to a statutory disqualification, the Administrative Law Judge shall issue an order to that effect and the Proceedings Clerk shall promptly serve a copy of such order on the floor trader, the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and the Division of Enforcement. Such order shall be effective as a final order of the Commission fifteen days after the date it is served upon the floor trader in accordance with the provisions of § 3.50(a) of this chapter unless a timely application for review is filed in accordance with § 10.102 of this chapter. The appellate procedures set forth in §§ 10.102, 10.103, 10.104, 10.106, 10.107 and 10.109 of this chapter shall apply to any appeal brought under paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section.
(6) Further proceedings. If an order to show cause is issued pursuant to paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section, further proceedings on such order shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of § 3.60(b) through (j) of this chapter.
§ 1.67 Notification of final disciplinary action involving financial harm to a customer.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
Final disciplinary action means any decision by or settlement with a contract market or swap execution facility in a disciplinary matter which cannot be further appealed at the contract market or swap execution facility, is not subject to the stay of the Commission or a court of competent jurisdiction, and has not been reversed by the Commission or any court of competent jurisdiction.
(b) Upon any final disciplinary action in which a contract market or swap execution facility finds that a member has committed a rule violation that involved a transaction for a customer, whether executed or not, and that resulted in financial harm to the customer:
(1)(i) The contract market or swap execution facility shall promptly provide written notice of the disciplinary action to the futures commission merchant or other registrant; and
(ii) A futures commission merchant or other registrant that receives a notice, under paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section shall promptly provide written notice of the disciplinary action to the customer as disclosed on its books and records. If the customer is another futures commission merchant or other registrant, such futures commission merchant or other registrant shall promptly provide notice to the customer.
(2) A written notice required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section must include the principal facts of the disciplinary action and a statement that the contract market or swap execution facility has found that the member has committed a rule violation that involved a transaction for the customer, whether executed or not, and that resulted in financial harm to the customer. For the purposes of this paragraph, a notice which includes the information listed in § 9.11(b) of this chapter shall be deemed to include the principal facts of the disciplinary action thereof.
§ 1.68 [Reserved]
§ 1.69 Voting by interested members of self-regulatory organization governing boards and various committees.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Disciplinary committee means any person or committee of persons, or any subcommittee thereof, that is authorized by a self-regulatory organization to issue disciplinary charges, to conduct disciplinary proceedings, to settle disciplinary charges, to impose disciplinary sanctions, or to hear appeals thereof in cases involving any violation of the rules of the self-regulatory organization except those cases where the person or committee is authorized summarily to impose minor penalties for violating rules regarding decorum, attire, the timely submission of accurate records for clearing or verifying each day’s transactions or other similar activities.
(2) Family relationship of a person means the person’s spouse, former spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, sibling, stepbrother, stepsister, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or in-law.
(3) Governing board means a self-regulatory organization’s board of directors, board of governors, board of managers, or similar body, or any subcommittee thereof, duly authorized, pursuant to a rule of the self-regulatory organization that has been approved by the Commission or has become effective pursuant to either Section 5a(a)(12)(A) or 17(j) of the Act to take action or to recommend the taking of action on behalf of the self-regulatory organization.
(4) Oversight panel means any panel, or any subcommittee thereof, authorized by a self-regulatory organization to recommend or establish policies or procedures with respect to the self-regulatory organization’s surveillance, compliance, rule enforcement, or disciplinary responsibilities.
(5) Member’s affiliated firm is a firm in which the member is a “principal,” as defined in § 3.1(a), or an employee.
(6) Named party in interest means a person or entity that is identified by name as a subject of any matter being considered by a governing board, disciplinary committee, or oversight panel.
(7) Self-regulatory organization means a “self-regulatory organization,” as defined in § 1.3, but excludes registered futures associations for the purposes of paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(8) Significant action includes any of the following types of self-regulatory organization actions or rule changes that can be implemented without the Commission’s prior approval:
(i) Any actions or rule changes which address an “emergency” as defined in § 1.41(a)(4)(i) through (iv) and (vi) through (viii); and,
(ii) Any changes in margin levels that are designed to respond to extraordinary market conditions such as an actual or attempted corner, squeeze, congestion or undue concentration of positions, or that otherwise are likely to have a substantial effect on prices in any contract traded or cleared at such self-regulatory organization; but does not include any rule not submitted for prior Commission approval because such rule is unrelated to the terms and conditions of any contract traded at such self-regulatory organization.
(b) Self-regulatory organization rules. Each self-regulatory organization shall maintain in effect rules that have been submitted to the Commission pursuant to Section 5a(a)(12)(A) of the Act and § 1.41 or, in the case of a registered futures association, pursuant to Section 17(j) of the Act, to address the avoidance of conflicts of interest in the execution of its self-regulatory functions. Such rules must provide for the following:
(1) Relationship with named party in interest—(i) Nature of relationship. A member of a self-regulatory organization’s governing board, disciplinary committee or oversight panel must abstain from such body’s deliberations and voting on any matter involving a named party in interest where such member:
(A) Is a named party in interest;
(B) Is an employer, employee, or fellow employee of a named party in interest;
(C) Is associated with a named party in interest through a “broker association” as defined in § 156.1;
(D) Has any other significant, ongoing business relationship with a named party in interest, not including relationships limited to executing futures or option transactions opposite of each other or to clearing futures or option transactions through the same clearing member; or,
(E) Has a family relationship with a named party in interest.
(ii) Disclosure of relationship. Prior to the consideration of any matter involving a named party in interest, each member of a self-regulatory organization governing board, disciplinary committee or oversight panel must disclose to the appropriate self-regulatory organization staff whether he or she has one of the relationships listed in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section with a named party in interest.
(iii) Procedure for determination. Each self-regulatory organization must establish procedures for determining whether any member of its governing board, disciplinary committees or oversight committees is subject to a conflicts restriction in any matter involving a named party in interest. Taking into consideration the exigency of the committee action, such determinations should be based upon:
(A) Information provided by the member pursuant to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section; and
(B) Any other source of information that is held by and reasonably available to the self-regulatory organization.
(2) Financial interest in a significant action—(i) Nature of interest. A member of a self-regulatory organization’s governing board, disciplinary committee or oversight panel must abstain from such body’s deliberations and voting on any significant action if the member knowingly has a direct and substantial financial interest in the result of the vote based upon either exchange or non-exchange positions that could reasonably be expected to be affected by the action.
(ii) Disclosure of interest. Prior to the consideration of any significant action, each member of a self-regulatory organization governing board, disciplinary committee or oversight panel must disclose to the appropriate self-regulatory organization staff the position information referred to in paragraph (b)(2)(iii) of this section that is known to him or her. This requirement does not apply to members who choose to abstain from deliberations and voting on the subject significant action.
(iii) Procedure for determination. Each self-regulatory organization must establish procedures for determining whether any member of its governing board, disciplinary committees or oversight committees is subject to a conflicts restriction under this section in any significant action. Such determination must include a review of:
(A) Gross positions held at that self-regulatory organization in the member’s personal accounts or “controlled accounts,” as defined in § 1.3(j);
(B) Gross positions held at that self-regulatory organization in proprietary accounts, as defined in § 1.17(b)(3), at the member’s affiliated firm;
(C) Gross positions held at that self-regulatory organization in accounts in which the member is a principal, as defined in § 3.1(a);
(D) Net positions held at that self-regulatory organization in “customer” accounts, as defined in § 1.17(b)(2), at the member’s affiliated firm; and,
(E) Any other types of positions, whether maintained at that self-regulatory organization or elsewhere, held in the member’s personal accounts or the proprietary accounts of the member’s affiliated firm that the self-regulatory organization reasonably expects could be affected by the significant action.
(iv) Bases for determination. Taking into consideration the exigency of the significant action, such determinations should be based upon:
(A) The most recent large trader reports and clearing records available to the self-regulatory organization;
(B) Information provided by the member with respect to positions pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section; and,
(C) Any other source of information that is held by and reasonably available to the self-regulatory organization.
(3) Participation in deliberations. (i) Under the rules required by this section, a self-regulatory organization governing board, disciplinary committee or oversight panel may permit a member to participate in deliberations prior to a vote on a significant action for which he or she otherwise would be required to abstain, pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section, if such participation would be consistent with the public interest and the member recuses himself or herself from voting on such action.
(ii) In making a determination as to whether to permit a member to participate in deliberations on a significant action for which he or she otherwise would be required to abstain, the deliberating body shall consider the following factors:
(A) Wwhether the member’s participation in deliberations is necessary for the deliberating body to achieve a quorum in the matter; and
(B) Whether the member has unique or special expertise, knowledge or experience in the matter under consideration.
(iii) Prior to any determination pursuant to paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section, the deliberating body must fully consider the position information which is the basis for the member’s direct and substantial financial interest in the result of a vote on a significant action pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(4) Documentation of determination. Self-regulatory organization governing boards, disciplinary committees, and oversight panels must reflect in their minutes or otherwise document that the conflicts determination procedures required by this section have been followed. Such records also must include:
(i) The names of all members who attended the meeting in person or who otherwise were present by electronic means;
(ii) The name of any member who voluntarily recused himself or herself or was required to abstain from deliberations and/or voting on a matter and the reason for the recusal or abstention, if stated; and
(iii) Information on the position information that was reviewed for each member.
§ 1.70 Notification of State enforcement actions brought under the Commodity Exchange Act.
(a) Immediately upon instituting any proceeding in any Federal district court for violation of the Act or any rule, regulation or order thereunder against any person who is subject to suit pursuant to sections 6d(1)-(6) of the Act, the authorized State official of the State instituting the proceeding shall submit to the Commission a copy of the complaint filed in the proceeding, together with a written notice which:
(1) Indicates the names of parties to the proceeding;
(2) Indicates the provision of the Act or the rule, regulation or order thereunder which is alleged to have been violated.
(b) Prior to instituting any proceeding in a State court for the alleged violation of any antifraud provisions of the Act or any antifraud rule, regulation or order thereunder against any person registered with the Commission who is subject to suit pursuant to the provisions of section 6d(8) of the Act, the authorized State official of the State intending to institute the proceeding shall submit to the Commission written notice which:
(1) Indicates the names of parties to the proposed proceeding;
(2) Indicates the provision of the Act or the rule, regulation or order thereunder which will be alleged to have been violated;
(3) Contains a brief statement of the facts on which the proposed action will be based.
(c) Where it is impracticable to provide the Commission with written notice within the time period specified in paragraph (b) of this section, the authorized state official must inform the Secretary of the Commission by telephone as soon as practicable to institute a proceeding in state court and must send the written notice required in paragraph (b)(1) through (b)(3) of this section by facsimile or other similarly expeditious means of written communication to the Secretary of the Commission, prior to instituting the proceeding in state court.
(d) Immediately upon instituting any proceeding in a State court pursuant to the provisions of section 6d(8) of the Act for alleged violation of any antifraud provisions of the Act or any antifraud rule, regulation or order thereunder, the authorized State official instituting the proceeding shall submit to the Commission a copy of the complaint filed in the proceeding. The copy of the complaint must be sent by first class U.S. mail or personally delivered to the Secretary, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.
§ 1.71 Conflicts of interest policies and procedures by futures commission merchants and introducing brokers.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall be defined as provided.
(1) Affiliate. This term means, with respect to any person, a person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with, such person.
(2) Business trading unit. This term means any department, division, group, or personnel of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or personnel exercising direct supervisory authority over the performance of, any pricing (excluding price verification for risk management purposes), trading, sales, marketing, advertising, solicitation, structuring, or brokerage activities on behalf of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker or any of its affiliates.
(3) Clearing unit. This term means any department, division, group, or personnel of a futures commission merchant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or personnel exercising direct supervisory authority over the performance of, any proprietary or customer clearing activities on behalf of a futures commission merchant or any of its affiliates.
(4) Derivative. This term means:
(i) A contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery;
(ii) A security futures product;
(iii) A swap;
(iv) Any agreement, contract, or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act; and
(v) Any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; and (vi) any leverage transaction authorized under section 19 of the Act.
(5) Non-research personnel. This term means any employee of the business trading unit or clearing unit, or any other employee of the futures commission merchant or introducing broker, other than an employee performing a legal or compliance function, who is not directly responsible for, or otherwise not directly involved in, research or analysis intended for inclusion in a research report.
(6) Public appearance. This term means any participation in a conference call, seminar, forum (including an interactive electronic forum) or other public speaking activity before 15 or more persons (individuals or entities), or interview or appearance before one or more representatives of the media, radio, television or print media, or the writing of a print media article, in which a research analyst makes a recommendation or offers an opinion concerning a derivatives transaction. This term does not include a password-protected Webcast, conference call or similar event with 15 or more existing customers, provided that all of the event participants previously received the most current research report or other documentation that contains the required applicable disclosures, and that the research analyst appearing at the event corrects and updates during the public appearance any disclosures in the research report that are inaccurate, misleading, or no longer applicable.
(7) Research analyst. This term means the employee of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker who is primarily responsible for, and any employee who reports directly or indirectly to such research analyst in connection with, preparation of the substance of a research report relating to any derivative, whether or not any such person has the job title of “research analyst.”
(8) Research department. This term means any department or division that is principally responsible for preparing the substance of a research report relating to any derivative on behalf of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker, including a department or division contained in an affiliate of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker.
(9) Research report. This term means any written communication (including electronic) that includes an analysis of the price or market for any derivative, and that provides information reasonably sufficient upon which to base a decision to enter into a derivatives transaction. This term does not include:
(i) Communications distributed to fewer than 15 persons;
(ii) Commentaries on economic, political or market conditions;
(iii) Statistical summaries of multiple companies’ financial data, including listings of current ratings;
(iv) Periodic reports or other communications prepared for investment company shareholders or commodity pool participants that discuss individual derivatives positions in the context of a fund’s past performance or the basis for previously-made discretionary decisions;
(v) Any communications generated by an employee of the business trading unit that is conveyed as a solicitation for entering into a derivatives transaction, and is conspicuously identified as such; and
(vi) Internal communications that are not given to current or prospective customers.
(b) Policies and procedures. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, each futures commission merchant and introducing broker subject to this rule must adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the futures commission merchant or introducing broker and its employees comply with the provisions of this rule.
(2) Small Introducing Brokers. An introducing broker that has generated, over the preceding 3 years, $5 million or less in aggregate gross revenues from its activities as an introducing broker must establish structural and institutional safeguards reasonably designed to ensure that the activities of any person within the firm relating to research or analysis of the price or market for any commodity or derivative are separated by appropriate informational partitions within the firm from the review, pressure, or oversight of persons whose involvement in trading or clearing activities might potentially bias the judgment or supervision of the persons.
(c) Research analysts and research reports—(1) Restrictions on relationship with research department. (i) Non-research personnel shall not direct a research analyst’s decision to publish a research report of the futures commission merchant or introducing broker, and non-research personnel shall not direct the views and opinions expressed in a research report of the futures commission merchant or introducing broker.
(ii) No research analyst may be subject to the supervision or control of any employee of the futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s business trading unit or clearing unit, and no employee of the business trading unit or clearing unit may have any influence or control over the evaluation or compensation of a research analyst.
(iii) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section, non-research personnel, other than the board of directors and any committee thereof, shall not review or approve a research report of the futures commission merchant or introducing broker before its publication.
(iv) Non-research personnel may review a research report before its publication as necessary only to verify the factual accuracy of information in the research report, to provide for non-substantive editing, to format the layout or style of the research report, or to identify any potential conflicts of interest, provided that:
(A) Any written communication between non-research personnel and research department personnel concerning the content of a research report must be made either through authorized legal or compliance personnel of the futures commission merchant or introducing broker or in a transmission copied to such personnel; and
(B) Any oral communication between non-research personnel and research department personnel concerning the content of a research report must be documented and made either through authorized legal or compliance personnel acting as an intermediary or in a conversation conducted in the presence of such personnel.
(2) Restrictions on communications. Any written or oral communication by a research analyst to a current or prospective customer relating to any derivative must not omit any material fact or qualification that would cause the communication to be misleading to a reasonable person.
(3) Restrictions on research analyst compensation. A futures commission merchant or introducing broker may not consider as a factor in reviewing or approving a research analyst’s compensation his or her contributions to the futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s trading or clearing business. Except for communicating client or customer feedback, ratings and other indicators of research analyst performance to research department management, no employee of the business trading unit or clearing unit of the futures commission merchant or introducing broker may influence the review or approval of a research analyst’s compensation.
(4) Prohibition of promise of favorable research. No futures commission merchant or introducing broker may directly or indirectly offer favorable research, or threaten to change research, to an existing or prospective customer as consideration or inducement for the receipt of business or compensation.
(5) Disclosure requirements—(i) Ownership and material conflicts of interest. A futures commission merchant or introducing broker must disclose in research reports and a research analyst must disclose in public appearances whether the research analyst maintains a financial interest in any derivative of a type, class, or category that the research analyst follows, and the general nature of the financial interest.
(ii) Prominence of disclosure. Disclosures and references to disclosures must be clear, comprehensive, and prominent. With respect to public appearances by research analysts, the disclosures required by paragraph (c)(5) of this section must be conspicuous.
(iii) Records of public appearances. Each futures commission merchant and introducing broker must maintain records of public appearances by research analysts sufficient to demonstrate compliance by those research analysts with the applicable disclosure requirements under paragraph (c)(5) of this section.
(iv) Third-party research reports. (A) For the purposes of paragraph (c)(5)(iv) of this section, “independent third-party research report” shall mean a research report, in respect of which the person or entity producing the report:
(1) Has no affiliation or business or contractual relationship with the distributing futures commission merchant or introducing broker, or that futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s affiliates, that is reasonably likely to inform the content of its research reports; and
(2) Makes content determinations without any input from the distributing futures commission merchant or introducing broker or from the futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s affiliates.
(B) Subject to paragraph (c)(5)(iv)(C) of this section, if a futures commission merchant or introducing broker distributes or makes available any independent third-party research report, the futures commission merchant or introducing broker must accompany the research report with, or provide a web address that directs the recipient to, the current applicable disclosures, as they pertain to the futures commission merchant or introducing broker, required by this section. Each futures commission merchant and introducing broker must establish written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure the completeness and accuracy of all applicable disclosures.
(C) The requirements of paragraph (c)(5)(iv)(B) of this section shall not apply to independent third-party research reports made available by a futures commission merchant or introducing broker to its customers:
(1) Upon request; or
(2) Through a Web site maintained by the futures commission merchant or introducing broker.
(6) Prohibition of retaliation against research analysts. No futures commission merchant or introducing broker, and no employee of a futures commission merchant or introducing broker who is involved with the futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s trading or clearing activities, may, directly or indirectly, retaliate against or threaten to retaliate against any research analyst employed by the futures commission merchant or introducing broker or its affiliates as a result of an adverse, negative, or otherwise unfavorable research report or public appearance written or made, in good faith, by the research analyst that may adversely affect the futures commission merchant’s or introducing broker’s present or prospective trading or clearing activities.
(7) Small Introducing Brokers. An introducing broker that has generated, over the preceding 3 years, $5 million or less in aggregate gross revenues from its activities as an introducing broker is exempt from the requirements set forth in this paragraph (c).
(d) Clearing activities. (1) No futures commission merchant shall permit any affiliated swap dealer or major swap participant to directly or indirectly interfere with, or attempt to influence, the decision of the clearing unit personnel of the futures commission merchant to provide clearing services and activities to a particular customer, including but not limited to a decision relating to the following:
(i) Whether to offer clearing services and activities to a particular customer;
(ii) Whether to accept a particular customer for the purposes of clearing derivatives;
(iii) Whether to submit a customer’s transaction to a particular derivatives clearing organization;
(iv) Whether to set or adjust risk tolerance levels for a particular customer;
(v) Whether to accept certain forms of collateral from a particular customer; or
(vi) Whether to set a particular customer’s fees for clearing services based upon criteria that are not generally available and applicable to other customers of the futures commission merchant.
(2) Each futures commission merchant shall create and maintain an appropriate informational partition between business trading units of an affiliated swap dealer or major swap participant and clearing unit personnel of the futures commission merchant to reasonably ensure compliance with the Act and the prohibitions specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section. At a minimum, such informational partitions shall require that:
(i) No employee of a business trading unit of an affiliated swap dealer or major swap participant may review or approve the provision of clearing services and activities by clearing unit personnel of the futures commission merchant, make any determination regarding whether the futures commission merchant accepts clearing customers, or in any way condition or tie the provision of trading services upon or to the provision of clearing services or otherwise participate in the provision of clearing services by improperly incentivizing or encouraging the use of the affiliated futures commission merchant. Any employee of a business trading unit of an affiliated swap dealer or major swap participant may participate in the activities of the futures commission merchant as necessary for (A) participating in default management undertaken by a derivatives clearing organization during an event of default; and (B) transferring, liquidating, or hedging any proprietary or customer positions during an event of default;
(ii) No employee of a business trading unit of an affiliated swap dealer or major swap participant shall supervise, control, or influence any employee of a clearing unit of the futures commission merchant; and
(iii) No employee of the business trading unit of an affiliated swap dealer or major swap participant shall influence or control compensation or evaluation of any employee of the clearing unit of the futures commission merchant.
(e) Undue influence on customers. Each futures commission merchant and introducing broker must adopt and implement written policies and procedures that mandate the disclosure to its customers of any material incentives and any material conflicts of interest regarding the decision of a customer as to the trade execution and/or clearing of the derivatives transaction.
(f) Records. All records that a futures commission merchant or introducing broker is required to maintain pursuant to this regulation shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission.
§ 1.72 Restrictions on customer clearing arrangements.
No futures commission merchant providing clearing services to customers shall enter into an arrangement that:
(a) Discloses to the futures commission merchant or any swap dealer or major swap participant the identity of a customer’s original executing counterparty;
(b) Limits the number of counterparties with whom a customer may enter into a trade;
(c) Restricts the size of the position a customer may take with any individual counterparty, apart from an overall limit for all positions held by the customer at the futures commission merchant;
(d) Impairs a customer’s access to execution of a trade on terms that have a reasonable relationship to the best terms available; or
(e) Prevents compliance with the timeframes set forth in § 1.74(b), § 23.610(b), or § 39.12(b)(7) of this chapter.
§ 1.73 Clearing futures commission merchant risk management.
(a) Each futures commission merchant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Establish risk-based limits in the proprietary account and in each customer account based on position size, order size, margin requirements, or similar factors;
(2) Screen orders for compliance with the risk-based limits in accordance with the following:
(i) When a clearing futures commission merchant provides electronic market access or accepts orders for automated execution, it shall use automated means to screen orders for compliance with the limits;
(ii) When a clearing futures commission merchant accepts orders for non-automated execution, it shall establish and maintain systems of risk controls reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the limits;
(iii) When a clearing futures commission merchant accepts transactions that were executed bilaterally and then submitted for clearing, it shall establish and maintain systems of risk management controls reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the limits;
(iv) When a firm executes an order on behalf of a customer but gives it up to another firm for clearing,
(A) The clearing futures commission merchant shall establish risk-based limits for the customer, and enter into an agreement in advance with the executing firm that requires the executing firm to screen orders for compliance with those limits in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (ii) as applicable; and
(B) The clearing futures commission merchant shall establish and maintain systems of risk management controls reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the limits.
(v) When an account manager bunches orders on behalf of multiple customers for execution as a block and post-trade allocation to individual accounts for clearing:
(A) The futures commission merchant that initially clears the block shall establish risk-based limits for the block account and screen the order in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (ii) as applicable;
(B) The futures commission merchants that clear the allocated trades on behalf of customers shall establish risk-based limits for each customer and enter into an agreement in advance with the account manager that requires the account manager to screen orders for compliance with those limits; and
(C) The futures commission merchants that clear the allocated trades on behalf of customers shall establish and maintain systems of risk management controls reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the limits.
(3) Monitor for adherence to the risk-based limits intra-day and overnight;
(4) Conduct stress tests under extreme but plausible conditions of all positions in the proprietary account and in each customer account that could pose material risk to the futures commission merchant at least once per week;
(5) Evaluate its ability to meet initial margin requirements at least once per week;
(6) Evaluate its ability to meet variation margin requirements in cash at least once per week;
(7) Evaluate its ability to liquidate, in an orderly manner, the positions in the proprietary and customer accounts and estimate the cost of the liquidation at least once per quarter; and
(8) Test all lines of credit at least once per year.
(b) Each futures commission merchant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Establish written procedures to comply with this regulation; and
(2) Keep full, complete, and systematic records documenting its compliance with this regulation.
(3) All records required to be maintained pursuant to these regulations shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation 1.31 (17 CFR 1.31) and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
§ 1.74 Futures commission merchant acceptance for clearing.
(a) Each futures commission merchant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall coordinate with each derivatives clearing organization on which it clears to establish systems that enable the futures commission merchant, or the derivatives clearing organization acting on its behalf, to accept or reject each trade submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing by or for the futures commission merchant or a customer of the futures commission merchant as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used; and
(b) Each futures commission merchant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall accept or reject each trade submitted by or for it or its customers as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used; a clearing futures commission merchant may meet this requirement by:
(1) Establishing systems to pre-screen orders for compliance with criteria specified by the clearing futures commission merchant;
(2) Establishing systems that authorize a derivatives clearing organization to accept or reject on its behalf trades that meet, or fail to meet, criteria specified by the clearing futures commission merchant; or
(3) Establishing systems that enable the clearing futures commission merchant to communicate to the derivatives clearing organization acceptance or rejection of each trade as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to establish an alternative compliance schedule for requirements of § 1.74 for swaps that are found to be technologically or economically impracticable for an affected futures commission merchant that seeks, in good faith, to comply with the requirements of § 1.74 within a reasonable time period beyond the date on which compliance by such futures commission merchant is otherwise required.
(b) A request for an alternative compliance schedule under this section shall be acted upon by the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk within 30 days from the time such a request is received, or it shall be deemed approved.
(c) An exception granted under this section shall not cause a registrant to be out of compliance or deemed in violation of any registration requirements.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in any case in which a Commission employee delegated authority under this section believes it appropriate, he or she may submit to the Commission for its consideration the question of whether an alternative compliance schedule should be established. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
Appendix A to Part 1 [Reserved]
Appendix B to Part 1—Fees for Contract Market Rule Enforcement Reviews and Financial Reviews
(a) Within 60 days of the effective date of a final fee schedule for each fiscal year, each board of trade which has been designated as a contract market for at least one actively trading contract shall submit a check or money order, made payable to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to cover the Commission’s actual costs in conducting contract market rule enforcement reviews and financial reviews.
(b) The Commission determines fees charged to exchanges based upon a formula that considers both actual costs and trading volume.
(c) Checks should be sent to the attention of the Office of the Secretariat, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.
Appendix C to Part 1 [Reserved]
PART 2—OFFICIAL SEAL
§ 2.1 Description.
Pursuant to section 2(a)(10) of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 4(i), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has adopted an official seal (the “Seal”), the description of which is as follows:
(a) An American bald eagle in black and white holding the scales of balanced interests over a black and white wheel of commerce and a farmer’s plow, also in black and white. These symbols are enclosed with an inner red octagon and a blue outer octagon representing traditional futures contract trading pits. Around the outside of the octagons are the words “Commodity Futures Trading Commission” separated by two stars from the year “1975,” the first year of the Commission’s existence.
(b) The Seal of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is illustrated as follows:
§ 2.2 Authority to affix seal.
(a) The following officials of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are authorized to affix the Seal to appropriate documents and other materials of the Commission for all purposes including those authorized by 28 U.S.C. 1733(b) (relating to authenticated copies of agency documents used as evidence): The Chairman and all Commissioners, the General Counsel, the Executive Director, the Directors of Divisions, and the Secretariat.
(b) The officials named in paragraph (a) of this section, may redelegate, and authorize redelegation of this authority, except that the Secretary may redelegate this authority only to the Deputy Secretary.
§ 2.3 Prohibitions against misuse of seal.
(a) Fraudulently or wrongfully affixing or impressing the Seal to or upon any certificate, instrument, document or paper or with knowledge of its fraudulent character, or with wrongful or fraudulent intent, using, buying, procuring, selling or transferring to another any such paper is punishable under section 1017 of title 18, U.S. Code.
(b) Falsely making, forging, counterfeiting, mutilating, or altering the Seal, or knowingly using a fraudulent or altered Seal or possessing any such Seal knowingly is punishable under section 506 of title 18, U.S. Code.
§ 2.4 Employee Recreation Association’s use of Commission seal.
(a) As a specific exception to the provisions of 17 CFR 2.2 and 2.3, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Employee Recreation Association (“Association”) is hereby authorized to use the Commission seal as an imprint upon sport apparel (e.g., hats, clothing, accessories, etc.) and novelty items (e.g., office mugs, lanyards, badge holders, stationary items, among other);
(b) The Association may sell or distribute above said items imprinted with the Commission seal to members of the Association or others to meet its fundraising goals and/or in conjunction with its sports, social or similar events.
PART 3—REGISTRATION
Subpart A—Registration
§ 3.1 Definitions.
(a) Principal. Principal means, with respect to an entity that is an applicant for registration, a registrant or a person required to be registered under the Act or the regulations in this part:
(1) If the entity is organized as a sole proprietorship, the proprietor and chief compliance officer; if a partnership, any general partner and chief compliance officer; if a corporation, any director, the president, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, chief compliance officer, and any person in charge of a principal business unit, division or function subject to regulation by the Commission; if a limited liability company or limited liability partnership, any director, the president, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, chief compliance officer, the manager, managing member or those members vested with the management authority for the entity, and any person in charge of a principal business unit, division or function subject to regulation by the Commission; and, in addition, any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, having the power, directly or indirectly, through agreement or otherwise, to exercise a controlling influence over the entity’s activities that are subject to regulation by the Commission;
(2)(i) Any individual who directly or indirectly, through agreement, holding company, nominee, trust or otherwise, is either the owner of ten percent or more of the outstanding shares of any class of equity securities, other than non-voting securities, is entitled to vote or has the power to sell or direct the sale of ten percent or more of the outstanding shares of any class of equity securities, other than non-voting securities, is entitled to receive ten percent or more of the profits of the entity, or has the power to exercise a controlling influence over the entity’s activities that are subject to regulation by the Commission; or
(ii) Any person other than an individual that is the direct owner of ten percent or more of the outstanding shares of any class of equity securities, other than non-voting securities; or
(3) Any person that has contributed ten percent or more of the capital of the entity, provided, however, that if such capital contribution consists of subordinated debt contributed by either:
(i) An unaffiliated bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
(ii) An unaffiliated “foreign bank,” as defined in 12 CFR 211.21(n) that currently operates an “office of a foreign bank,” as defined in 12 CFR 211.21(t), which is licensed under 12 CFR 211.24(a),
(iii) Such unaffiliated office of a foreign bank that is licensed, or
(iv) An insurance company subject to regulation by any State, such bank, foreign bank, office of a foreign bank, or insurance company will not be deemed to be a principal for purposes of this section, provided such debt is not guaranteed by another party not listed as a principal.
(4) Any individual who, directly or indirectly, creates or uses a trust, proxy, power of attorney, pooling arrangement or any other contract, arrangement, or device with the purpose or effect of divesting such person of direct or indirect ownership of an equity security of the entity, other than a non-voting security, or preventing the vesting of such ownership, or of avoiding making a contribution of ten percent or more of the capital of the entity, as part of a plan or scheme to evade being deemed a principal of the entity, shall be deemed to be a principal of the entity.
(b) Current. As used in this subpart, a Form 8-R is current if, subsequent to the filing of that form and continuously thereafter, the registrant or principal has been either registered or affiliated with a registrant as a principal.
(c) Sponsor. Sponsor means the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator or leverage transaction merchant which makes the certification required by § 3.12 of this part for the registration of an associated person of such sponsor.
(d)-(e) [Reserved]
(f) Section 4s Implementing Regulation. Section 4s Implementing Regulation means a regulation the Commission issues pursuant to section 4s(e), 4s(f), 4s(g), 4s(h), 4s(i), 4s(j), 4s(k) or 4s(l) of the Act.
(g) Swap Definitional Regulation. Swap Definitional Regulation means a regulation the Commission issues to further define the term “swap dealer,” “major swap participant” or “swap” in section 1a(49), 1a(33) or 1a(47) of the Act, respectively, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
(h) Swaps activities. Swaps activities means, with respect to a registrant, such registrant’s activities related to swaps and any product used to hedge such swaps, including, but not limited to, futures, options, other swaps or security-based swaps, debt or equity securities, foreign currency, physical commodities, and other derivatives.
(i) Board of directors. Board of directors means the board of directors, board of governors, or equivalent governing body of a registrant.
(j) Senior officer. Senior officer means the chief executive officer or other equivalent officer of a registrant.
§ 3.2 Registration processing by the National Futures Association; notification and duration of registration.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in any rule, regulation or order of the Commission, the registration functions of the Commission set forth in subpart A, subpart B and subpart C of this part shall be performed by the National Futures Association, in accordance with such rules, consistent with the provisions of the Act and this part, applicable to registrations granted under the Act that the National Futures Association may adopt and are approved by the Commission pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the original of any registration form, any schedule or supplement thereto, any fingerprint card or other document required by this part to be filed with both the Commission and the National Futures Association, may be filed with either the Commission or the National Futures Association if:
(1) A legible, accurate, and complete photocopy of that form, schedule, supplement, fingerprint card, or other document is filed simultaneously with the National Futures Association or the Commission, respectively, and
(2) Such photocopy contains an original signature and date in each place where such signature and date is required on the original form, schedule, supplement, fingerprint card, or other document.
(c) The National Futures Association shall notify the registrant, or the sponsor in the case of an applicant for registration as an associated person, and each designated contract market and swap execution facility that has granted the applicant trading privileges in the case of an applicant for registration as a floor broker or floor trader, if registration has been granted under the Act.
(1) If an applicant for registration as an associated person receives a temporary license in accordance with § 3.40, the National Futures Association shall notify the sponsor that only a temporary license has been granted.
(2) If an applicant for registration as a floor broker or floor trader receives a temporary license in accordance with § 3.40, the National Futures Association shall notify the designated contract market or swap execution facility that has granted the applicant trading privileges that only a temporary license has been granted.
(3)(i) If an applicant for registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant pursuant to § 3.10(a)(1)(v) files a Form 7-R and a Form 8-R and fingerprint card for each natural person who is a principal of the applicant, accompanied by such documentation as may be required to demonstrate compliance with each of the Section 4s Implementing Regulations, as defined in § 3.1(f), as are applicable to it, in accordance with the terms of the Section 4s Implementing Regulations, the National Futures Association shall notify the swap dealer or major swap participant, as the case may be, that it is provisionally registered.
(ii) Subsequent to providing notice of provisional registration to an applicant for registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant, the National Futures Association shall determine whether the documentation submitted pursuant to § 3.10(a)(1)(v) by the applicant demonstrates compliance with the Section 4s Implementing Regulation to which it pertains; Provided, that where the National Futures Association has notified the applicant that it is provisionally registered, the applicant must supplement its registration application by providing such documentation as may be required to demonstrate compliance with each Section 4s Implementing Regulation that the Commission issues subsequent to the date the National Futures Association notifies the applicant that it is provisionally registered.
(iii) On and after the date on which the National Futures Association confirms that the applicant for registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant has demonstrated its initial compliance with the applicable requirements of each of the Section 4s Implementing Regulations and all other applicable registration requirements under the Act and Commission regulations, the provisional registration of the applicant shall cease and it shall be registered as a swap dealer or major swap participant, as the case may be.
(d) Any registration form, any schedule or supplement thereto, any fingerprint card or other document required by this part or any rule of the National Futures Assocation to be filed with the National Futures Association shall be deemed for all purposes to have been filed with, and to be the official record of, the Commission.
§ 3.3 Chief compliance officer.
(a) Designation. Each futures commission merchant, swap dealer, and major swap participant shall designate an individual to serve as its chief compliance officer, and provide the chief compliance officer with the responsibility and authority to develop, in consultation with the board of directors or the senior officer, appropriate policies and procedures to fulfill the duties set forth in the Act and Commission regulations relating to the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s swaps activities, or to the futures commission merchant’s business as a futures commission merchant and to ensure compliance with the Act and Commission regulations relating to the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s swaps activities, or to the futures commission merchant’s business as a futures commission merchant.
(1) The chief compliance officer shall report to the board of directors or the senior officer of the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant. The board of directors or the senior officer shall appoint the chief compliance officer, shall approve the compensation of the chief compliance officer, and shall meet with the chief compliance officer at least once a year and at the election of the chief compliance officer.
(2) Only the board of directors or the senior officer of the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant may remove the chief compliance officer.
(b) Qualifications. The individual designated to serve as chief compliance officer shall have the background and skills appropriate for fulfilling the responsibilities of the position. No individual disqualified, or subject to disqualification, from registration under section 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act may serve as a chief compliance officer.
(c) Submission with registration. Each application for registration as a futures commission merchant under § 3.10, a swap dealer under § 23.21, or a major swap participant under § 23.21, must include a designation of a chief compliance officer by submitting a Form 8-R for the chief compliance officer as a principal of the applicant pursuant to § 3.10(a)(2).
(d) Chief compliance officer duties. The chief compliance officer’s duties shall include, but are not limited to:
(1) Administering each of the registrant’s policies and procedures relating to its business as a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant that are required to be established pursuant to the Act and Commission regulations;
(2) In consultation with the board of directors or the senior officer, taking reasonable steps to resolve material conflicts of interest relating to the registrant’s business as a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant that may arise;
(3) Taking reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the Act and Commission regulations relating to the registrant’s business as a futures commission merchant, swap dealer or major swap participant;
(4) Taking reasonable steps to ensure the registrant establishes, maintains, and reviews written policies and procedures reasonably designed to remediate noncompliance issues identified by the chief compliance officer through any means, including any compliance office review, look-back, internal or external audit finding, self-reporting to the Commission and other appropriate authorities, or complaint that can be validated;
(5) Taking reasonable steps to ensure the registrant establishes written procedures reasonably designed for the handling, management response, remediation, retesting, and resolution of noncompliance issues; and
(6) Preparing and signing the annual report required under paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
(e) Annual report. The chief compliance officer annually shall prepare a written report that covers the most recently completed fiscal year of the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant. The annual report shall, at a minimum, contain a description of:
(1) The written policies and procedures of the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant described in paragraph (d) of this section, including the code of ethics and conflicts of interest policies;
(2) The futures commission merchant’s, swap dealer’s, or major swap participant’s assessment of the effectiveness of its policies and procedures relating to its business as a futures commission merchant, swap dealer or major swap participant;
(3) Areas for improvement, and recommended potential or prospective changes or improvements to its compliance program and resources devoted to compliance;
(4) The financial, managerial, operational, and staffing resources set aside for compliance with respect to the Act and Commission regulations relating to its business as a futures commission merchant, swap dealer or major swap participant, including any material deficiencies in such resources;
(5) Any material noncompliance issues identified and the corresponding action taken; and
(6) Any material changes to compliance policies and procedures during the coverage period for the report.
(f) Furnishing the annual report and related matters—(1) Furnishing the annual report. (i) Prior to furnishing the annual report to the Commission, the chief compliance officer shall provide the annual report to the board of directors or senior officer of the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant for its review.
(ii) If the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant has established an audit committee (or an equivalent body), then the chief compliance officer shall furnish the annual report to the audit committee (or equivalent body) not later than its next scheduled meeting after the annual report is furnished to the Commission, but in no event more than 90 days after the applicable date specified in paragraph (f)(2) of this section for furnishing the annual report to the Commission.
(iii) A written record of transmittal of the annual report to the board of directors or the senior officer, and audit committee, if applicable, shall be made and maintained in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(2) Furnishing the annual report to the Commission. (i) Except as provided in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section, the annual report shall be furnished electronically to the Commission not more than 90 days after the end of the fiscal year of the futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant.
(ii) The annual report of a swap dealer or major swap participant that is eligible to comply with a substituted compliance regime for paragraph (e) of this section pursuant to a comparability determination of the Commission may be furnished to the Commission electronically up to 15 days after the date on which the comparable annual report must be completed under the requirements of the applicable substituted compliance regime. If the substituted compliance regime does not specify a date by which the comparable annual report must be completed, then the annual report shall be furnished to the Commission by the date specified in paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section.
(3) Certification. The report shall include a certification by the chief compliance officer or chief executive officer of the registrant that, to the best of his or her knowledge and reasonable belief, and under penalty of law, the information contained in the annual report is accurate and complete in all material respects.
(4) Amending the annual report. The futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant shall promptly furnish an amended annual report if material errors or omissions in the report are identified. An amendment must contain the certification required under paragraph (f)(3) of this section.
(5) Extensions. A futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant may request from the Commission an extension of time to furnish its annual report, provided the registrant’s failure to timely furnish the report could not be eliminated by the registrant without unreasonable effort or expense. Extensions of the deadline will be granted at the discretion of the Commission.
(6) Incorporation by reference and related registrants—(i) Prior reports. A futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant may incorporate by reference sections of an annual report that has been furnished within the current or immediately preceding reporting period to the Commission.
(ii) Dual registrants. If a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant is registered in more than one capacity with the Commission, an annual report submitted as one registrant may incorporate by reference sections in the annual report furnished within the current or immediately preceding reporting period as the other registrant. A dual registrant may submit one annual report that addresses the requirements set forth in paragraphs (e), (f)(1) and (f)(3) of this section with respect to each registration capacity.
(iii) Affiliated registrants. If a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, one or more other futures commission merchants, swap dealers, or major swap participants, and each of the affiliated registrants must submit an annual report, an affiliated registrant may incorporate by reference in its annual report sections from an annual report prepared by any of its affiliated registrants furnished within the current or immediately preceding reporting period. Affiliated registrants may submit one annual report that addresses the requirements set forth in paragraphs (e), (f)(1) and (f)(3) of this section with respect to each affiliated registrant.
(g) Recordkeeping. (1) The futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant shall maintain:
(i) A copy of the registrant’s policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the Act and Commission regulations;
(ii) Copies of materials, including written reports provided to the board of directors or the senior officer in connection with the review of the annual report under paragraph (e) of this section; and
(iii) Any records relevant to the annual report, including, but not limited to, work papers and other documents that form the basis of the report, and memoranda, correspondence, other documents, and records that are created, sent or received in connection with the annual report and contain conclusions, opinions, analyses, or financial data related to the annual report.
(2) All records or reports that a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant are required to maintain pursuant to this section shall be maintained in accordance with § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of the applicable prudential regulator, as defined in 1a(39) of the Act.
(h) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to grant extensions of time, as set forth in paragraph (f)(5) of this section. Notwithstanding such delegation, in any case in which a Commission employee delegated authority under this paragraph believes it appropriate, he or she may submit to the Commission for its consideration the question of whether an extension of time should be granted. The delegation of authority in this paragraph shall not prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority set forth in paragraph (f)(5) of this section.
§ 3.4 Registration in one capacity not included in registration in any other capacity.
(a) Except as may be otherwise provided in the Act or in any rule, regulation, or order of the Commission, each futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, floor broker, floor trader of any commodity for future delivery, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, leverage transaction merchant, and associated person (other than an associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant) must register as such under the Act. Except as may be otherwise provided in the Act or in any rule, regulation, or order of the Commission, registration in one capacity under the Act shall not include registration in any other capacity.
(b) Except as may be provided in any rule, regulation or order of the Commission, registration as an associated person in one capacity shall not include registration as an associated person in any other capacity: Provided, however, That an associated person who is sponsored by a registrant, which itself is registered in more than one capacity, need register only once to act as an associated person of the registrant, and shall be deemed to be an associated person of such registrant, in each such capacity.
§§ 3.5-3.9 [Reserved]
§ 3.10 Registration of futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators, swap dealers, major swap participants and leverage transaction merchants.
(a) Application for registration. (1)(i) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, application for registration as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or leverage transaction merchant must be on Form 7-R, completed and filed with the National Futures Association in accordance with the instructions thereto.
(ii) Applicants for registration as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or introducing broker must accompany their Form 7-R with a Form 1-FR-FCM or Form 1-FR-IB, respectively, in accordance with the provisions of § 1.10 of this chapter: Provided, however, That an applicant for registration as a futures commission merchant or introducing broker which is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a securities broker or dealer may accompany its Form 7-R with a copy of its Financial and Operational Combined Uniform Single Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Part II or Part II A, in accordance with the provisions of § 1.10(h) of this chapter.
(iii) Applicants for registration as a commodity pool operator must accompany their Form 7-R with the financial statements described in § 4.13(c) of this chapter.
(iv) Applicants for registration as a leverage transaction merchant must accompany their Form 7-R with a Form 2-FR in accordance with the provisions of § 31.13 of this chapter.
(v)(A) Applicants for registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant must accompany their Form 7-R with such documentation as may be required to demonstrate compliance with each Section 4s Implementing Regulation, as defined in § 3.1(f), applicable to them, in accordance with the terms of the Section 4s Implementing Regulation; Provided, however, that for the purposes of this paragraph (a)(1)(v) the term “compliance” includes the term “the ability to comply,” to the extent that a particular Section 4s Implementing Regulation may require demonstration of the ability to comply with a requirement thereunder.
(B) The filing of the Form 7-R and accompanying documentation by the applicant swap dealer or major swap participant authorizes the Commission to conduct on-site inspection of the applicant to determine compliance with the Section 4s Implementing Regulations applicable to it.
(C)(1) At any time prior to the latest effective date of the Swap Definitional Regulations, defined in § 3.1(g), any person may apply to be registered as a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) By no later than the latest effective date of the Swap Definitional Regulations, each person who is a swap dealer or major swap participant on that date must apply to be registered as a swap dealer or major swap participant, as the case may be.
(3) From and after the latest effective date of the Swap Definitional Regulations, each person who intends to engage in business as a swap dealer or major swap participant must apply to be registered as a swap dealer or major swap participant, as the case may be.
(D)(1) Where an applicant for registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant to whom the National Futures Association has provided notice of provisional registration under § 3.2(c)(3) fails to demonstrate compliance with a Section 4s Implementing Regulation, the National Futures Association will notify the applicant that its application is deficient, whereupon the applicant must withdraw its registration application, it must not engage in any new activity as a swap dealer or major swap participant, as the case may be, and the applicant shall cease to be provisionally registered; Provided, that in the event the applicant fails to withdraw its registration application or cure the deficiency within 90 days following receipt of notice from the National Futures Association that its application is deficient, the application will be deemed withdrawn and thereupon its provisional registration shall cease; Provided further, that upon written request by the applicant submitted to the Commission, the Commission may in its discretion extend the time by which the applicant must cure the deficiency.
(2) The provisions of the foregoing paragraph (a)(1)(v)(D)(1) of this section shall supplement and be in addition to any other activities in which the National Futures Association engages under the Act and Commission regulations in connection with processing an application for registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(E) Unless specifically reserved in the applicable swap documentation, no withdrawal, deemed withdrawal, cessation or revocation of registration as a swap dealer or major swap participant pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)(v), (b), or (d) of this section shall constitute a termination event, force majeure, an illegality, increased costs, a regulatory change, or a similar event under a swap (including any related credit support arrangement) that would permit a party to terminate, renegotiate, modify, amend or supplement one or more transactions under the swap.
(2) Each Form 7-R filed in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section must be accompanied by a Form 8-R, completed in accordance with the instructions thereto and executed by each natural person who is a principal of the applicant, and must be accompanied by the fingerprints of that principal on a fingerprint card provided by the National Futures Association for that purpose: Provided, however, that if such principal is a director who qualifies for the exemption from the fingerprint requirement pursuant to § 3.21(c) or has a current Form 8-R on file with the Commission or the National Futures Association, the fingerprints of that principal do not need to accompany the Form 7-R.
(3) Notice registration as a futures commission merchant or introducing broker for certain securities brokers or dealers. (i) Any broker or dealer that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission may be registered as a futures commission merchant or introducing broker, as applicable, by following such procedures for notice registration as may be specified by the National Futures Association, if—
(A) The broker or dealer limits its solicitation of orders, acceptance of orders, or execution of orders, or placing of orders on behalf of others involving any contracts of sale of any commodity for future delivery, on or subject to the rules of any contract market, to security futures products as defined in section 1a(44) of the Act;
(B) The registration of the broker or dealer is not suspended pursuant to an order of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and
(C) The broker or dealer is a member of a national securities association registered pursuant to section 15A(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
(ii) The registration will be effective upon the filing of the notice prescribed by the National Futures Association in accordance with the instructions thereto.
(b) Duration of registration. (1) A person registered as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or leverage transaction merchant in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section will continue to be so registered until the effective date of any revocation or withdrawal of such registration. Upon effectiveness of any revocation or withdrawal of registration, such person will immediately be prohibited from engaging in new activities requiring registration under the Act or from representing himself to be a registrant under the Act or the representative or agent of any registrant during the pendency of any suspension of such registration.
(2) A person registered as an introducing broker who was a party to a guarantee agreement with a futures commission merchant in accordance with § 1.10(j) of this chapter will have its registration cease thirty days after the termination of such guarantee agreement unless the procedures set forth in § 1.10(j)(8) of this chapter are followed.
(c) Exemption from registration for certain persons—(1) Definitions. For purposes of this paragraph (c), the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
(i) Covered transaction means a commodity interest transaction, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, executed bilaterally or made on or subject to the rules of any designated contract market or registered swap execution facility.
(ii) Foreign located person means a person located outside the United States, its territories, or possessions.
(iii) International financial institution means the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the United Nations, the European Stability Mechanism, the North American Development Bank, those institutions defined as “international financial institutions” in 22 U.S.C. 262r(c)(2), those institutions defined as “multilateral development banks” in Article 1(5(a)) of Regulation (EU) No. 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on OTC Derivative Transactions, Central Counterparties and Trade Repositories, their agencies and pension plans, and any other similar international organizations, and their agencies and pension plans.
(2) Exempt futures commission merchants—(i) Proprietary accounts. A person trading solely for proprietary accounts, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, is not required to register as a futures commission merchant; provided, that such person remains subject to all other provisions of the Act and of the rules, regulations and orders thereunder.
(ii) Foreign located persons. (A) A foreign located person engaging in the activity of a futures commission merchant, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, in connection with any covered transaction only on behalf of foreign located persons or international financial institutions is not required to register in such capacity; provided, that if any such covered transaction is required or intended to be cleared on a registered derivatives clearing organization and the foreign located person or international financial institution that is party to the covered transaction is not a clearing member of such registered derivatives clearing organization, the covered transaction is submitted for clearing through a futures commission merchant registered in accordance with section 4d of the Act.
(B) A foreign located person acting in accordance with paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(A) of this section is not required to comply with those provisions of the Act and of the rules, regulations and orders thereunder applicable solely to any registered futures commission merchant or any person required to be so registered.
(3) Exempt introducing brokers—(i) Foreign located persons. (A) A foreign located person engaged in the activity of an introducing broker, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, in connection with any covered transaction only on behalf of foreign located persons or international financial institutions is not required to register in such capacity; provided, that if any such covered transaction is required or intended to be cleared on a registered derivatives clearing organization and the foreign located person or international financial institution that is party to the covered transaction is not a clearing member of such registered derivatives clearing organization, the covered transaction is submitted for clearing through a futures commission merchant registered in accordance with section 4d of the Act.
(B) A foreign located person acting in accordance with paragraph (c)(3)(i)(A) of this section is not required to comply with those provisions of the Act and of the rules, regulations and orders thereunder applicable solely to any registered introducing broker or any person required to be so registered.
(ii) Exempt foreign brokers. (A) A foreign located person that is exempt from registration as a futures commission merchant in accordance with § 30.10 of this chapter is not required to register as an introducing broker in accordance with section 4d of the Act if:
(1) Such person is affiliated with a futures commission merchant registered in accordance with section 4d of the Act;
(2) Such person introduces, on a fully-disclosed basis in accordance with § 1.57 of this chapter, any institutional customer, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, to a registered futures commission merchant for the purpose of trading on a designated contract market;
(3) Such person’s affiliated futures commission merchant has filed with the National Futures Association (Attn: Vice President, Compliance) an acknowledgement that the affiliated futures commission merchant will be jointly and severally liable for any violations of the Act or the Commission’s regulations committed by such person in connection with those introducing activities, whether or not the affiliated futures commission merchant submits for clearing any trades resulting from those introducing activities; and
(4) Such person does not solicit any person located in the United States, its territories or possessions for trading on a designated contract market, nor does such person handle the customer funds of any person located in the United States, its territories or possessions for the purpose of trading on any designated contract market.
(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, a person shall be affiliated with a futures commission merchant if such a person owns 50 percent or more of the futures commission merchant, is owned 50 percent or more by the futures commission merchant, or is owned 50 percent or more by a third person that also owns 50 percent or more of the futures commission merchant.
(4) Exempt commodity trading advisors. (i) A foreign located person engaging in the activity of a commodity trading advisor, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, in connection with any covered transaction only on behalf of foreign located persons or international financial institutions is not required to register in such capacity; provided, that if any such covered transaction is required or intended to be cleared on a registered derivatives clearing organization and the foreign located person or international financial institution that is party to the covered transaction is not a clearing member of such registered derivatives clearing organization, the covered transaction is submitted for clearing through a futures commission merchant registered in accordance with section 4d of the Act.
(ii) A foreign located person acting in accordance with paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section remains subject to section 4o of the Act, but otherwise is not required to comply with those provisions of the Act and of the rules, regulations and orders thereunder applicable solely to any registered commodity trading advisor or any person required to be so registered.
(5) Exempt commodity pool operators. (i) A foreign located person engaged in the activity of a commodity pool operator, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, in connection with any covered transaction is not required to register in such capacity, when such covered transactions are executed on behalf of a commodity pool, the participants of which are all foreign located persons or international financial institutions; provided, that if any such covered transaction is required or intended to be cleared on a registered derivatives clearing organization and the commodity pool that is party to the covered transaction is not a clearing member of such registered derivatives clearing organization, the covered transaction is submitted for clearing through a futures commission merchant registered in accordance with section 4d of the Act.
(ii) With respect to paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section, initial capital contributed to a commodity pool by an affiliate, as defined by § 4.7(a)(1)(i) of this chapter, of the pool’s commodity pool operator shall not be considered for purposes of determining whether such commodity pool operator is executing commodity interest transactions on behalf of a commodity pool, the participants of which are all foreign located persons; provided, that:
(A) The affiliate is not a natural person;
(B) The affiliate and its principals are not barred or suspended from participating in commodity interest markets in the United States, its territories or possessions; and
(C) Interests in the affiliate are not marketed as providing access to trading in commodity interest markets in the United States, its territories or possessions.
(iii) A commodity pool operated by a foreign located person shall be considered to be operated in accordance with the terms of paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section, if:
(A) The commodity pool is organized and operated outside of the United States, its territories or possessions;
(B) The commodity pool’s offering materials and any underwriting or distribution agreements include clear, written prohibitions on the commodity pool’s offering to participants located in the United States and on U.S. ownership of the commodity pool’s participation units;
(C) The commodity pool’s constitutional documents and offering materials:
(1) are reasonably designed to preclude persons located in the United States from participating therein; and
(2) include mechanisms reasonably designed to enable its operator to exclude any persons located in the United States that attempt to participate in the offshore pool, notwithstanding those prohibitions;
(D) The commodity pool operator exclusively uses non-U.S. intermediaries for the distribution of participations in the commodity pool;
(E) The commodity pool operator uses reasonable investor due diligence methods at the time of sale to preclude persons located in the United States from participating in the commodity pool; and
(F) The commodity pool’s participation units are directed and distributed to participants outside the United States, including by means of listing and trading such units on secondary markets organized and operated outside of the United States, and in which the commodity pool operator has reasonably determined participation by persons located in the United States is unlikely.
(iv) Utilizing the relief under paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section for a qualifying commodity pool will not affect the ability of a person to register with the Commission as a commodity pool operator, or to qualify for, rely upon, or claim other relief from regulation as such by the Commission, with respect to the operation of commodity pools or trading vehicles not otherwise eligible for the relief offered in this section.
(v) A person acting in accordance with paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section remains subject to section 4o of the Act, but otherwise is not required to comply with those provisions of the Act and of the rules, regulations and orders thereunder applicable solely to any person registered in such capacity, or any person required to be so registered.
(6) Associated persons of swap dealers. In determining whether a person is a swap dealer, the activities of a registered swap dealer with respect to which such person is an associated person shall not be considered.
(d) On a date to be established by the National Futures Association, and in accordance with procedures established by the National Futures Association, each registrant as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or leverage transaction merchant shall, on an annual basis, review and update registration information maintained with the National Futures Association. The failure to complete the review and update within thirty days following the date established by the National Futures Association shall be deemed to be a request for withdrawal from registration, which shall be processed in accordance with the provisions of § 3.33(f).
§ 3.11 Registration of floor brokers and floor traders.
(a) Application for registration. (1) Application for registration as a floor broker or floor trader must be on Form 8-R, if as an individual, or Form 7-R, if as a non-natural person, and must be completed and filed with the National Futures Association in accordance with the instructions thereto. Each Form 7-R filed in accordance with this paragraph (a) must be accompanied by a Form 8-R, completed in accordance with the instructions thereto and executed by each individual who is a principal of the applicant, and each individual responsible for entry of orders from that applicant’s own account. Each Form 8-R filed in accordance with this paragraph (a) must be accompanied by the fingerprints of the applicant on a fingerprint card provided for that purpose by the National Futures Association, except that a fingerprint card need not be filed by any applicant who has a current Form 8-R on file with the Commission or the National Futures Association.
(2) An applicant for registration as a floor broker or floor trader will not be registered or issued a temporary license as a floor broker or floor trader unless the applicant has been granted trading privileges by a board of trade designated as a contract market or registered as a swap execution facility by the Commission.
(3) When the Commission or the National Futures Association determines that an applicant for registration as a floor broker or floor trader is not disqualified from such registration or temporary license, the National Futures Association will notify the applicant and any contract market or swap execution facility that has granted the applicant trading privileges that the applicant’s registration or temporary license as a floor broker or floor trader is granted.
(b) Duration of registration. A person registered as a floor broker or floor trader in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, and whose registration has neither been revoked nor withdrawn, will continue to be so registered unless such person’s trading privileges on all contract markets and swap execution facilities have ceased: Provided, that if a floor broker or floor trader whose trading privileges on all contract markets and swap execution facilities have ceased for reasons unrelated to any Commission action or any contract market or swap execution facility disciplinary proceeding and whose registration is not revoked, suspended or withdrawn is granted trading privileges as a floor broker or floor trader, respectively, by any contract market or swap execution facility where such person held such privileges within the preceding sixty days, such registration as a floor broker or floor trader, respectively, shall be deemed to continue and no new Form 7-R, Form 8-R or change to Form 7-R or Form 8-R need be filed solely on the basis of the resumption of trading privileges. A floor broker or floor trader is prohibited from engaging in activities requiring registration under the Act or from representing such person to be a registrant under the Act or the representative or agent of any registrant during the pendency of any suspension of such registration or of all such trading privileges. Each contract market and swap execution facility that has granted trading privileges to a person who is registered, or has applied for registration, as a floor broker or floor trader, must provide notice in accordance with § 3.31(d) after such person’s trading privileges on such contract market or swap execution facility have ceased.
(c) Exceptions. A registered floor broker need not also register as a floor trader in order to engage in activity as a floor trader.
§ 3.12 Registration of associated persons of futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, introducing brokers, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators and leverage transaction merchants.
(a) Registration required. It shall be unlawful for any person to be associated with a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator or leverage transaction merchant as an associated person unless that person shall have registered under the Act as an associated person of that sponsoring futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator or leverage transaction merchant in accordance with the procedures in paragraphs (c), (d), (f), or (i), of this section or is exempt from such registration pursuant to paragraph (h) of this section.
(b) Duration of registration. A person registered in accordance with paragraphs (c), (d), (f), or (i) of this section and whose registration has not been revoked will continue to be so registered until the revocation or withdrawal of the registration of each of the registrant’s sponsors, or until the cessation of the association of the registrant with each of the registrant’s sponsors. Such person will be prohibited from engaging in activities requiring registration under the Act or from representing himself or herself to be a registrant under the Act or the representative or agent of any registrant during the pendency of any suspension of his or her registration, or his or her sponsor’s registration. Each of the registrant’s sponsors must file a notice in accordance with § 3.31(c) reporting the termination of the association of the associated person.
(c) Application for registration. Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (d), (f), and (i) of this section, application for registration as an associated person in any capacity must be on Form 8-R, completed and filed in accordance with the instructions thereto.
(1) No person will be registered as an associated person in accordance with this paragraph (c) unless a person duly authorized by the sponsor certifies that:
(i) It is the intention of the sponsor to hire or otherwise employ the applicant as an associated person and that it will do so within thirty days after the receipt of the notification provided in accordance with paragraph (c)(4) of this section and that the applicant will not be permitted to engage in any activity requiring registration as an associated person until the applicant is registered as such in accordance with this section;
(ii) The sponsor has verified the information supplied by the applicant in response to the questions on Form 8-R which relate to the applicant’s education and employment history during the preceding three years.
(iii) To the best of the sponsor’s knowledge, information, and belief, all of the publicly available information supplied by the applicant on Form 8-R is accurate and complete: Provided, That it is unlawful for the sponsor to make the certification required by this paragraph (c)(1)(iii) if the sponsor knew or should have known that any of that information is not accurate and complete; and
(2) The certification required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be submitted concurrently with the Form 8-R.
(3) Each Form 8-R filed in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section must be accompanied by the fingerprints of the applicant on a fingerprint card provided for that purpose by the National Futures Association.
(4) When the Commission or the National Futures Association determines that an applicant for registration as an associated person is not unfit for such registration, it will notify the sponsor that has made the certifications required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section that the applicant’s registration as an associated person is granted contingent upon the sponsor hiring or otherwise employing the applicant as such within thirty days.
(d) Special temporary licensing and registration procedures for certain persons—(1) Registration terminated within the preceding 60 days. Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (f) and (i) of this section, any person whose registration as an associated person in any capacity has terminated within the preceding 60 days and who becomes associated with a new sponsor will be granted a temporary license to act in the capacity of an associated person of such sponsor upon filing by that sponsor with the National Futures Association a Form 8-R, completed in accordance with the instructions thereto and, if applicable, a Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement filed on behalf of the new sponsor (who must meet the requirements set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i)(A) and (B)) stating that the new sponsor will supervise the applicant in accordance with conditions identical to those agreed to by the previous sponsor, which includes certifications stating:
(i) That such person has been hired or is otherwise employed by that sponsor;
(ii) That such person’s registration as an associated person in any capacity is not suspended or revoked;
(iii) That such person is eligible to be registered or temporarily licensed in accordance with this paragraph (d);
(iv) Whether there is a pending adjudicatory proceeding under sections 6(c), 6(d), 6c, 6d, 8a or 9 of the Act or § 3.55, § 3.56 or § 3.60 or if, within the preceding 12 months, the Commission has permitted the withdrawal of an application for registration in any capacity after instituting the procedures provided in § 3.51 and, if so, that the sponsor has been given a copy of the notice of the institution of a proceeding in connection therewith; and
(v) That the sponsor has received a copy of the notice of the institution of a proceeding if the applicant has certified, in accordance with paragraph (d)(1)(iv) of this section, that there is a proceeding pending against the applicant as described in that paragraph or that the Commission has permitted the withdrawal of an application for registration as described in that paragraph.
(2) Any temporary license granted pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of this section shall be terminated immediately upon notice to the sponsor of the person granted the temporary license that, within 20 days following the date the temporary license was issued, the National Futures Association has not received the applicant’s fingerprints.
(3) A temporary license received in accordance with paragraph (d)(1) of this section shall be subject to the provisions of §§ 3.42 and 3.43.
(4) The certifications permitted by paragraphs (d)(1)(i) and (v) of this section must be filed by a person duly authorized by the sponsor. The certifications permitted by paragraphs (d)(1)(ii)-(iv) must be filed by the applicant for registration as an associated person.
(e) Retention of records. The sponsor must retain in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter such records as are necessary to support the certifications required by this section.
(f) Reporting of dual and multiple associations. (1)(i) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f)(4) of this section, a person who is already registered as an associated person in any capacity whose registration is not subject to conditions or restrictions may become associated as an associated person with another sponsor if the new sponsor (who must meet the requirements set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i) (A) and (B)) files with the National Futures Association a Form 8-R in accordance with the instructions thereto.
(ii) NFA shall notify each sponsor of the associated person that the associated person has applied to become associated with another sponsor.
(iii) Each sponsor of the associated person shall supervise that associated person and each sponsor is jointly and severally responsible for the conduct of the associated person with respect to the:
(A) Solicitation or acceptance of customers’ orders,
(B) Solicitation of funds, securities, or property for a participation in a commodity pool,
(C) Solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account,
(D) Solicitation or acceptance of leverage customers’ orders for leverage transactions, and
(E) Associated person’s supervision of any person or persons engaged in any of the foregoing solicitations or acceptances, with respect to any customers common to it and any other futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, or leverage transaction merchant with which the associated person is associated.
(2) Upon receipt by the National Futures Association of a Form 8-R filed in accordance with paragraph (f)(1) of this section from an associated person, the associated person named therein shall be registered as an associated person of the new sponsor.
(3) A person who is simultaneously associated with more than one sponsor in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this section shall be required, upon receipt of notice from the National Futures Association, to file with the National Futures Association his fingerprints on a fingerprint card provided by the National Futures Association for that purpose as well as such other information as the National Futures Association may require. The National Futures Association may require such a filing every two years, or at such greater period of time as the National Futures Association may deem appropriate, after the associated person has become associated with a new sponsor in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this section.
(4) If a person is associated with a futures commission merchant, with a retail foreign exchange dealer, or with an introducing broker and he directs customers seeking a managed account to use the services of a commodity trading advisor(s) approved by the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or introducing broker and all such customers’ accounts solicited or accepted by the associated person are carried by the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or introduced by the introducing broker with which the associated person is associated, such a person shall be deemed to be associated solely with the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or introducing broker and may not also register as an associated person of the commodity trading advisor(s).
(5)(i)(A) A person who is already registered as an associated person in any capacity whose registration is not subject to conditions or restrictions may become associated as an associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant if the swap dealer or major swap participant meets the requirements set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i)(A).
(B) A person who is already associated as an associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant may become registered as an associated person of a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, or leverage transaction merchant if the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, or leverage transaction merchant with which the person intends to associate meets the requirements set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i)(A) and (B).
(ii) Each sponsor and each swap dealer and/or major swap participant with whom the person is associated shall supervise that associated person, and each sponsor and each swap dealer and/or major swap participant is jointly and severally responsible for the conduct of the associated person with respect to the:
(A) Solicitation or acceptance of customer orders,
(B) Solicitation of funds, securities or property for a participation in a commodity pool,
(C) Solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account,
(D) Solicitation or acceptance of leverage customers’ orders for leverage transactions,
(E) Solicitation or acceptance of swaps, and
(F) Associated person’s supervision of any person or persons engaged in any of the foregoing solicitations or acceptances, with respect to any customers common to it and any futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, leverage transaction merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant with which the associated person is associated.
(g) Petitions for exemption. Any person adversely affected by the operation of this section may file a petition with the Secretary of the Commission, which petition must set forth with particularity the reasons why that person believes that an applicant should be exempted from the requirements of this section and why such an exemption would not be contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought. The petition will be granted or denied by the Commission on the basis of the papers filed. The Commission may grant such a petition if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought. The petition may be granted subject to such terms and conditions as the Commission may find appropriate.
(h) Exemption from registration. (1) A person is not required to register as an associated person in any capacity if that person is:
(i) Registered under the Act as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, floor broker, or as an introducing broker;
(ii) Engaged in the solicitation of funds, securities, or property for a participation in a commodity pool, or the supervision of any person or persons so engaged, pursuant to registration with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority as a registered representative, registered principal, limited representative or limited principal, and that person does not engage in any other activity subject to regulation by the Commission;
(iii) The chief operating officer, general partner or other person in the supervisory chain-of-command, provided the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, or leverage transaction merchant engages in commodity interest related activity for customers as no more than ten percent of its total revenue on an annual basis, the firm is not subject to a pending proceeding brought by the Commission or a self-regulatory organization alleging fraud or failure to supervise, and has not been found in such a proceeding to have committed fraud or failed to supervise, as required by the Act, the rules promulgated thereunder or the rules of a self-regulatory organization, the person for whom exemption is sought and the person designated in accordance with paragraphs (h)(1)(iii)(C) or (h)(1)(iii)(D) of this section are listed as principals of the firm, the fitness examination conducted by the National Futures Association with respect to these persons discloses no derogatory information that would disqualify any of such persons as a principal or as an associated person, and the firm files with the National Futures Association corporate or partnership resolutions stating that:
(A) Such supervisory person is not authorized to:
(1) Solicit or accept customers’, retail forex customers’, or leverage customers’ orders,
(2) Solicit a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account,
(3) Solicit funds, securities or property for a participation in a commodity pool, or
(4) Exercise any line supervisory authority over those persons so engaged;
(B) Such supervisory person has no authority with respect to hiring, firing or other personnel matters involving persons engaged in activities subject to regulation under the Act;
(C) Another person (or persons) designated therein, who is registered as an associated person(s) or who has applied for registration as an associated person(s) and is not subject to a pending proceeding brought by the Commission or a self-regulatory organization alleging fraud or failure to supervise, and has not been found in such a proceeding to have committed fraud or failed to supervise, as required by the Act, the rules promulgated thereunder or the rules of a self-regulatory organization, holds and exercises full and final supervisory authority, including authority to hire and fire personnel, over the customer commodity interest related activities of the firm; and
(D) If the person (or persons) so designated in accordance with paragraph (h)(1)(iii)(C) of this section ceases to have the authority referred to therein, the firm will notify the National Futures Association within twenty days of such occurrence by means of a subsequent resolution which resolution must also include the name of another associated person (or persons) who has been vested with full supervisory authority, including authority to hire and fire personnel, over the customer commodity interest related activities of the firm in the event that all of those previously designated in accordance with paragraph (h)(1)(iii)(C) of this section have been relieved of such authority. Subsequent changes in supervisory authority shall be reported in the same manner; or
(iv) Engaged in any activity as an associated person, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, from a location outside the United States, its territories or possessions, and limits such activities to customers located outside the United States, its territories or possessions.
(2) A person is not required to register as an associated person of a commodity trading advisor if that person is:
(i) Registered as a commodity trading advisor, if that person is associated with a commodity trading advisor; or
(ii) Exempt from registration as a commodity trading advisor pursuant to the provisions of § 4.14(a)(1), § 4.14(a)(2) or § 4.14(a) (8) of this chapter or is associated with a person who is so exempt from registration: Provided, That the provisions of paragraph (h)(2)(ii) of this section shall not apply to the solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account, or the supervision of any person or persons so engaged, by, for or on behalf of a commodity trading advisor which is:
(A) Not exempt from registration pursuant to the provisions of § 4.14(a)(1), § 4.14(a)(2) or § 4.14(a)(8) of this chapter or
(B) Registered as a commodity trading advisor notwithstanding the availability of that exemption.
(3) A person is not required to register as an associated person of a commodity pool operator if that person is:
(i) Registered as a commodity pool operator, if that person is associated with a commodity pool operator;
(ii) Exempt from registration as a commodity pool operator pursuant to the provisions of § 4.13 of this chapter or is associated with a person who is so exempt from registration: Provided, That the provisions of paragraph (h)(3)(ii) of this section shall not apply to the solicitation of funds, securities, or property for a participation in a commodity pool, or the supervision of any person or persons so engaged, by, for, or on behalf of a commodity pool operator which is
(A) Not exempt from registration pursuant to the provisions of § 4.13 of this chapter or
(B) Registered as a commodity pool operator notwithstanding the availability of that exemption; or
(iii) Where a commodity pool is operated or to be operated by two or more commodity pool operators, registered as an associated person of one of the pool operators of the commodity pool in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs (c), (d), (f), or (i) of this section: Provided, That each such commodity pool operator shall be jointly and severally liable for the conduct of that associated person in the solicitation of funds, securities, or property for participation in the commodity pool, or the supervision of any person or persons so engaged, regardless of whether that associated person is registered as an associated person of each such commodity pool operator.
(i) Special registration or temporary licensing procedures when previous sponsor’s registration ceases. (1) Any person whose registration as an associated person in any capacity was not subject to conditions or restrictions, and was terminated within the preceding sixty days because the previous sponsor’s registration was revoked or withdrawn, and who becomes associated with a new sponsor, will be registered as an associated person of such new sponsor upon the mailing by that new sponsor to the National Futures Association of written certifications stating:
(i) That such person has been hired or is otherwise employed by that sponsor;
(ii) That such person’s registration as an associated person in any capacity is not suspended or revoked;
(iii) That such person is eligible to be registered in accordance with paragraph (i) of this section;
(iv) Whether there is a pending adjudicatory proceeding under sections 6(c), 6(d), 6c, 6d, 8a or 9 of the Act or § 3.55, 3.56 or 3.60 or if, within the preceding twelve months, the Commission has permitted the withdrawal of an application for registration in any capacity after instituting the procedures provided in § 3.51 and, if so, that the sponsor has been given a copy of the notice of the institution of a proceeding in connection therewith;
(v) That the new sponsor has received a copy of the notice of the institution of a proceeding if the applicant for registration has certified, in accordance with paragraph (i)(1)(iv) of this section, that there is a proceeding pending against the applicant as described in that paragraph or that the Commission has permitted the withdrawal of an application for registration as described in that paragraph; and
(vi) That the new sponsor will be responsible for supervising all activities of the person in connection with the sponsor’s business as a registrant under the Act. Provided, however, That if such person’s prior registration as an associated person was subject to conditions or restrictions, the new sponsor (who must meet the requirements set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i) (A) and (B) of this part) must also file a signed Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement that contains conditions identical to those agreed to by the original sponsor and, in such case, the person will be granted a temporary license, subject to the provisions of §§ 3.41, 3.42 and 3.43 of this part.
(2) The certifications required by paragraphs (i)(1)(i), (i)(1)(v), and (i)(1)(vi) of this section must be signed and dated by an officer, if the sponsor is a corporation, a general partner, if a partnership, or the proprietor, if a sole proprietorship. The certifications required by paragraphs (i)(1)(ii)-(iv) of this section must be signed and dated by the applicant for registration as an associated person.
(3) A person who is registered in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (i)(1) of this section shall be required, upon receipt of notice from the National Futures Association, to file with the National Futures Association his fingerprints on a fingerprint card provided by the National Futures Association for that purpose as well as such other information as the National Futures Association may require. The National Futures Association may require such a filing every two years, or at such greater period of time as the National Futures Association may deem appropriate, after the associated person has become associated with a new sponsor in connection with the requirements of paragraph (i)(1) of this section.
§§ 3.13-3.20 [Reserved]
§ 3.21 Exemption from fingerprinting requirement in certain cases.
(a) Any person who is required by this part to submit a fingerprint card may file, or cause to be filed, in lieu of such card:
(1) A legible, accurate and complete photocopy of a fingerprint card that has been submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for identification and appropriate processing and of each report, record, and notation made available by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with respect to that fingerprint card if such identification and processing has been completed satisfactorily by the Federal Bureau of Investigation not more than ninety days prior to the filing with the National Futures Association of the photocopy;
(2) A statement that such person’s application for initial registration in any capacity was granted within the preceding ninety days, provided that the provisions of this paragraph (a)(2) shall not be applicable to any person who, by Commission rule, regulation, or order, was not required to file a fingerprint card in connection with such application for initial registration; or
(3) A statement that such person has a current Form 8-R on file with the Commission or the National Futures Association.
(b) Each photocopy and statement filed in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section must be signed and dated. Such signature shall constitute a certification by that individual that the photocopy or statement is accurate and complete and must be made by:
(1) With respect to the fingerprints of an associated person: An officer, if the sponsor is a corporation; a general partner, if a partnership; or the sole proprietor, if a sole proprietorship;
(2) With respect to fingerprints of a floor broker or individual floor trader: The applicant for registration; and with respect to fingerprints of each individual who is responsible for entry of orders from the account of a floor trader that is a non-natural person, the applicant for registration, or
(3) With respect to the fingerprints of a principal: An officer, if the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant with which the principal will be affiliated is a corporation; a general partner, if a partnership; or the sole proprietor, if a sole proprietorship.
(c) Outside directors. Any futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant that has a principal who is a director but is not also an officer or employee of the firm may, in lieu of submitting a fingerprint card in accordance with the provisions of § 3.10(a)(2), file a “Notice Pursuant to Rule 3.21(c)” with the National Futures Association. Such notice shall state, if true, that such outside director:
(1) Is not engaged in:
(i) The solicitation or acceptance of customers’ orders or retail forex customers’ orders,
(ii) The solicitation of funds, securities or property for a participation in a commodity pool,
(iii) The solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account,
(iv) The solicitation of leverage customers’ orders for leverage transactions,
(v) The solicitation or acceptance of a swap agreement;
(2) Does not regularly have access to the keeping, handling or processing of:
(i) Transactions involving “commodity interests,” as that term is defined in § 1.3;
(ii) Customer funds, retail forex customer funds, leverage customer funds, foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, or adjusted net capital; or
(3) Does not have direct supervisory responsibility over persons engaged in the activities referred to in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section; and
(4) The Notice Pursuant to Rule 3.21(c) shall also include:
(i) The name of the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor trader that is a non-natural person, leverage transaction merchant, or applicant for registration in any of these capacities of which the person is an outside director;
(ii) The nature of the duties of the outside director for whom exemption under paragraph (c) of this section is sought;
(iii) The internal controls used to ensure that the outside director for whom exemption under this paragraph (c) is sought does not have access to the keeping, handling or processing of the items described in paragraphs (c)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section; and
(iv) The reasons why the outside director believes he should be exempted from the fingerprint requirement and why such an exemption would not be contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought.
(d) A firm that has filed a Notice Pursuant to Rule 3.21(c) with respect to an outside director described therein must file with the National Futures Association on behalf of such outside director a Form 8-R, completed in accordance with the instructions thereto and executed by the outside director. The exemption provided for in paragraph (c) of this section is limited solely to the outside director’s fingerprint requirement and does not affect any other duties or responsibilities of the firm or the outside director under the Act or the rules set forth in this chapter. In appropriate cases, the Commission and the National Futures Association may require further information from the firm with respect to any outside director referred to in a Notice Pursuant to Rule 3.21(c).
(e) Foreign natural persons. (1) For purposes of this paragraph (e):
(i) The term foreign natural person means any natural person who has not resided in the United States since reaching the age of 18 years.
(ii) The term certifying firm means:
(A) For any natural person that is a principal or associated person of a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, leverage transaction merchant, floor broker, or floor trader, such futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, leverage transaction merchant, floor broker, or floor trader; and
(B) For any natural person that is responsible for, or directs, the entry of orders from a floor broker’s or floor trader’s own account, such floor broker or floor trader.
(2) Any obligation in this part to provide a fingerprint card for a foreign natural person shall be deemed satisfied with respect to a certifying firm if:
(i) Such certifying firm causes a criminal history background check of such foreign natural person to be performed; and
(ii) The criminal history background check:
(A) Is of a type that would reveal all matters listed under Sections 8a(2)(D) or 8a(3)(D), (E), or (H) of the Act relating to such foreign natural person;
(B) Does not reveal any matters that constitute a disqualification under Sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act, other than those disclosed to the National Futures Association; and
(C) Is completed not more than one calendar year prior to the date that such certifying firm submits the certification described in paragraph (e)(2)(iii) of this section;
(iii) A person authorized by such certifying firm submits, in reliance on such criminal history background check, a certification by such certifying firm to the National Futures Association, that:
(A) States that the conditions of paragraphs (e)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section have been satisfied; and
(B) Is signed by a person authorized by such certifying firm to make such certification.
(3) The certifying firm shall maintain, in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter, records documenting that the criminal history background check performed pursuant to paragraph (e)(2)(i) of this section was completed and the results thereof.
§ 3.22 Supplemental filings.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Commission, the Directors of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or Division of Enforcement or either Director’s designee, or the National Futures Association may, at any time, give written notice to any registrant, applicant for registration, or person required to be registered:
(a)(1) That derogatory information has come to the attention of the staff of the Commission or the National Futures Association which, if true, could constitute grounds upon which to base a determination that the person is unfit to become, or to remain, registered or temporarily licensed in accordance with the Act or the regulations thereunder and setting forth such information in the notice and requesting the person to provide evidence mitigating the seriousness of the statutory disqualification set forth in the notice and evidence that the person has undergone rehabilitation, or
(2) That the Commission or the National Futures Association has undertaken a routine or periodic review of the registrant’s fitness to remain registered or temporarily licensed; and
(b) That the person, or any individual who, based upon his or her relationship with that person is required to file a Form 8-R in accordance with the requirements of this part, as applicable, must, within such period of time as the Commission or the National Futures Association may specify, complete and file with the Commission or the National Futures Association a current Form 7-R, or if appropriate, a Form 8-R, in accordance with the instructions thereto.
(c) Failure to provide the information required under paragraph (b) of this section is a violation of the Commission’s regulations which itself constitutes grounds upon which to base a determination that the person is unfit to become or to remain so registered.
§§ 3.23-3.29 [Reserved]
§ 3.30 Current address for purpose of delivery of communications from the Commission or the National Futures Association.
(a) The address of each registrant, applicant for registration, and principal, as submitted on the application for registration (Form 7-R or Form 8-R) or as submitted on the biographical supplement (Form 8-R) shall be deemed to be the address for delivery to the registrant, applicant or principal for any communications from the Commission or the National Futures Association, including any summons, complaint, reparation claim, order, subpoena, special call, request for information, notice, and other written documents or correspondence, unless the registrant, applicant or principal specifies another address for this purpose: Provided that the Commission or the National Futures Association may address any correspondence relating to a biographical supplement submitted for or on behalf of a principal to the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant with which the principal is affiliated and may address any correspondence relating to an associated person to the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant with which the associated person or the applicant for registration is or will be associated as an associated person.
(b) Each registrant, while registered and for two years after termination of registration, and each principal, while affiliated and for two years after termination of affiliation, must notify in writing the National Futures Association of any change of the address on the application for registration, biographical supplement, or other address filed with the National Futures Association for the purpose of receiving communications from the Commission or the National Futures Association. Failure to file a required response to any communication sent to the latest such address filed with the National Futures Association that is caused by a failure to notify in writing the National Futures Association of an address change may result in an order of default and award of claimed monetary damages or other appropriate order in any National Futures Association or Commission proceeding, including a reparation proceeding brought under part 12 of this chapter.
§ 3.31 Deficiencies, inaccuracies, and changes, to be reported.
(a)(1) Each applicant or registrant as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, floor trader that is a non-natural person or leverage transaction merchant shall, in accordance with the instructions thereto, promptly correct any deficiency or inaccuracy in Form 7-R or Form 8-R that no longer renders accurate and current the information contained therein, with the exception of any change that requires withdrawal from registration under § 3.33 or any change resulting from an exchange disciplinary or access denial action. Each such correction shall be prepared and filed in accordance with the instructions thereto.
(2) Where a registrant has changed its form of organization to or from a sole proprietorship, the registrant must request withdrawal from registration in accordance with § 3.33.
(3) Where any person becomes a principal of an applicant or registrant subsequent to the filing of the applicant’s or registrant’s current Form 7-R:
(i) If the new principal is not a natural person, the registrant shall update such Form 7-R.
(ii) If the new principal is a natural person, the registrant shall file a Form 8-R, completed in accordance with the instructions thereto and executed by such person who is a principal of the registrant and who was not listed on the registrant’s initial application for registration or any amendment thereto.
(b) Each applicant or registrant as a floor broker, floor trader or associated person, and each principal of a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant must, in accordance with the instructions thereto, promptly correct any deficiency or inaccuracy in the Form 8-R or supplemental statement thereto.
(c)(1) After the filing of a Form 8-R or updating a Form 8-R by or on behalf of any person for the purpose of permitting that person to be an associated person of a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, or a leverage transaction merchant, that futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker or leverage transaction merchant must, within thirty days after the occurrence of either of the following, file a notice thereof with the National Futures Association indicating:
(i) The failure of that person to become associated with the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, or leverage transaction merchant, and the reasons therefor; or
(ii) The termination of the association of the associated person with the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, or leverage transaction merchant, and the reasons therefor.
(2) Each person registered as, or applying for registration as, a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, introducing broker, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant must, within thirty days after the termination of the affiliation of a principal with the registrant or applicant, file a notice thereof with the National Futures Association.
(3) Any notice required by paragraph (c) of this section must be filed on Form 8-T or on a Uniform Termination Notice for Securities Industry Registration.
(d) Each contract market or swap execution facility that has granted trading privileges to a person who is registered, has received a temporary license, or has applied for registration as a floor broker or floor trader, must notify the National Futures Association within sixty days after such person has ceased having trading privileges on such contract market or swap execution facility.
§ 3.33 Withdrawal from registration.
(a) A futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant must request that its registration be withdrawn prior to any voluntary resolution to file articles (or a certificate) of dissolution (or cancellation), and upon notice of any involuntary dissolution initiated by a third-party. A futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, leverage transaction merchant, floor broker or floor trader may request that its registration be withdrawn in accordance with the requirements of this section if:
(1) The registrant has ceased, or has not commenced, engaging in activities requiring registration in such capacity;
(2) The registrant is exempt from registration in such capacity; or
(3) The registrant is excluded from the persons or any class of persons required to be registered in such capacity: Provided, That the National Futures Association or the Commission, as appropriate, may consider separately each capacity for which withdrawal is requested in acting upon such a request.
(b) A request for withdrawal from registration as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant must be made on Form 7-W, and a request for withdrawal from registration as a floor broker or individual floor trader must be made on Form 8-W, completed and filed with the National Futures Association in accordance with the instructions thereto. The request for withdrawal must be made by a person duly authorized by the registrant and must specify:
(1) The name of the registrant for which withdrawal is being requested;
(2) The registration capacities for which withdrawal is being requested;
(3) The name, address, and telephone number of the person who will have custody of the books and records of the registrant; the address where such books and records will be located; and a statement that such person is authorized to make them available in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31 of this chapter;
(4) The applicable basis under paragraph (a) of this section for requesting withdrawal for each capacity for which withdrawal is requested.
(5) If withdrawal is requested under paragraph (a)(2) or (a)(3) of this section, then, with respect to each capacity for which withdrawal is requested, the section of the Act, regulations, or other authority permitting the exemption or exclusion, and the circumstances which entitle the registrant to claim such exemption or exclusion.
(6) If a basis for withdrawal from registration under paragraph (a)(1) of this section is that the registrant has ceased engaging in activities requiring registration, then, with respect to each capacity for which the registrant has ceased such activities:
(i) That all customer, retail forex customer or option customer agreements, if any, have been terminated;
(ii) That all customer, retail forex customer or option customer positions, if any, have been transferred on behalf of customers or option customers or closed;
(iii) That all customer, retail forex customer or option customer cash balances, securities, or other property, if any, have been transferred on behalf of customers, retail forex customers or option customers or returned, and that there are no obligations to customers, retail forex customers or option customers outstanding;
(iv) In the case of a commodity pool operator, that all interests in, and assets of, any commodity pool have been redeemed, distributed, or transferred, on behalf of the participants therein, and that there are no obligations to such participants outstanding;
(v) In the case of a leverage transaction merchant:
(A) Either that all leverage customer agreements, if any, and all leverage contracts have been terminated, and that all leverage customer cash balances, securities or other property, if any, have been returned, or
(B) Alternatively, that pursuant to Commission approval, the leverage contract obligations of the leverage transaction merchant have been assumed by another leverage transaction merchant and all leverage customer cash balances, securities or other property, if any, have been transferred to such leverage transaction merchant on behalf of leverage customers or returned, and that there are no obligations to leverage customers outstanding;
(vi) The nature and extent of any pending customer, retail forex customer, option customer, leverage customer, swap counterparty or commodity pool participant claims against the registrant, and, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge and belief, the nature and extent of any anticipated or threatened customer, option customer, leverage customer, swap counterparty or commodity pool participant claims against the registrant;
(vii) In the case of a futures commission merchant or a retail foreign exchange dealer which is a party to a guarantee agreement, that all such agreements have been or will be terminated in accordance with the provisions of § 1.10(j) of this chapter not more than thirty days after the filing of the request for withdrawal from registration;
(viii) In the case of a swap dealer, that the person will not engage in any new activity described in the definition of the term “swap dealer” in section 1a(49) of the Act, as such term may be further defined by the Commission; and
(ix) In the case of a major swap participant, that the person will not engage in any new activity described in the definition of the term “major swap participant” in section 1a(33) of the Act, as such term may be further defined by the Commission.
(c) Where a leverage transaction merchant is requesting withdrawal from registration in that capacity and the basis for withdrawal under paragraph (a)(1) of this section is that it has ceased engaging in activities requiring registration, the request for withdrawal must be accompanied by a form 2-FR which contains the information specified in § 31.13(f) of this chapter as of a date not more than 30 days prior to the date of the withdrawal request.
(d) [Reserved]
(e) A request for withdrawal from registration as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, major swap participant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, floor trader that is a non-natural person, or leverage transaction merchant on Form 7-W, and a request for withdrawal from registration as a floor broker or individual floor trader on Form 8-W, must be filed with the National Futures Association and a copy of such request must be sent by the National Futures Association within three business days of the receipt of such withdrawal request to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581. In addition, any floor broker or individual floor trader requesting withdrawal from registration must file a copy of his or her Form 8-W with each contract market or swap execution facility that has granted him or her trading privileges, and any floor trader that is a non-natural person requesting withdrawal from registration must file a copy of its Form 7-W with each contract market or swap execution facility that has granted it trading privileges. Within three business days of any determination by the National Futures Association under § 3.10(d) to treat the failure by a registrant to file an annual Form 7-R as a request for withdrawal, the National Futures Association shall send the Commission notice of that determination.
(f) A request for withdrawal from registration will become effective on the thirtieth day after receipt of such request by the National Futures Association, or earlier upon written notice from the National Futures Association (with the written concurrence of the Commission) of the granting of such request, unless prior to the effective date:
(1) The Commission or the National Futures Association has instituted a proceeding to suspend or revoke such registration;
(2) The Commission or the National Futures Association imposes, or gives notice by mail which notice shall be complete upon mailing, that it intends to impose terms or conditions upon such withdrawal from registration;
(3) The Commission or the National Futures Association notifies the registrant by mail, which notice shall be complete upon mailing, or the registrant otherwise is notified that it is the subject of an investigation to determine, among other things, whether such registrant has violated, is violating, or is about to violate the Act, rules, regulations or orders adopted thereunder;
(4) The Commission or the National Futures Association requests from the registrant further information pertaining to its request for withdrawal from registration; or
(5) The Commission or National Futures Association determines that it would be contrary to the requirements of the Act, or of any rule, regulation or order thereunder, or to the public interest to permit such withdrawal from registration.
(g) Withdrawal from registration in one capacity does not constitute withdrawal from registration in any other capacity.
(h) Withdrawal from registration does not constitute a release from liability for any violation of the Act or of any rule, regulation, or order thereunder.
Subpart B—Temporary Licenses
§ 3.40 Temporary licensing of applicants for associated person, floor broker or floor trader registration.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of these regulations and pursuant to the terms and conditions of this subpart:
(1) The National Futures Association may grant a temporary license to any applicant for registration as an associated person upon the contemporaneous filing with the National Futures Association of:
(i) A Form 8-R, properly completed in accordance with the instructions thereto; and
(ii) The sponsor’s certification required by § 3.12(c): Provided, however, that the fingerprints of the applicant on a fingerprint card provided by the National Futures Association for that purpose must be filed with the National Futures Association within 20 days following the date the temporary license is issued; and, provided further, that failure to file the fingerprints within this period will result in the termination of the temporary license immediately upon notice to the applicant’s sponsor that the National Futures Association has not received the applicant’s fingerprints.
(2) The National Futures Association may grant a temporary license to any applicant for registration as a floor broker or individual floor trader upon the contemporaneous filing with the National Futures Association of:
(i) A Form 8-R, properly completed in accordance with the instructions thereto;
(ii) The fingerprints of the applicant on a fingerprint card provided by the National Futures Association for that purpose;
(iii) A Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement executed by a sponsor meeting the requirements under § 3.60(b)(2)(i), if the applicant is subject to an order imposing conditions on the applicant’s registration; and
(iv) Evidence that the applicant has been granted trading privileges by a contract market or swap execution facility that has filed with the National Futures Association a certification signed by its chief operating officer with respect to the review of an applicant’s employment, credit and other history in connection with the granting of trading privileges.
(b) The failure of an applicant or the applicant’s sponsor to respond to a request by the Commission or the National Futures Association for clarification of any information set forth in the application of the applicant or for the resubmission of fingerprints in accordance with such request will be deemed to constitute a withdrawal of the applicant’s registration application and shall result in the immediate termination of the applicant’s temporary license.
(c) Subject to the provisions of § 3.42 and all of the obligations imposed on such registrants under the Act (in particular, section 14 thereof) and the rules, regulations, and orders thereunder, an applicant for registration as an associated person who has received notification that a temporary license has been granted may act in the capacity of an associated person, an applicant for registration as a floor trader who has received written notification that a temporary license has been granted may act in the capacity of a floor trader, and an applicant for registration as a floor broker who has received written notification that a temporary license has been granted may act in the capacity of a floor broker.
§ 3.42 Termination.
(a) A temporary license issued pursuant to § 3.40 shall terminate:
(1) Five days after service upon the applicant of a notice by the Commission or the National Futures Association pursuant to § 3.60 of this part that the applicant for registration may be found subject to a statutory disqualification from registration;
(2) Immediately upon termination of the association of the applicant for registration as an associated person with the registrant which filed the sponsorship certification, or immediately upon loss of trading privileges by an applicant for registration as a floor broker or floor trader on all contract markets and swap execution facilities which filed the certification described in § 3.40;
(3) Immediately upon the withdrawal of the registration application pursuant to § 3.40;
(4) Immediately upon failure to comply with an order to pay a civil monetary penalty, restitution, or disgorgement within the time permitted under sections 6(e), 6b, or 6c(d) of the Act;
(5) Immediately upon failure to pay the full amount of a reparation order within the time permitted under section 14(f) of the Act;
(6) Immediately upon failure to comply with an award in an arbitration proceeding conducted pursuant to the rules of a designated contract market, swap execution facility or registered futures association within the time specified in section 10(g) of the National Futures Association’s Code of Arbitration or the comparable time period specified in the rules of a contract market or other appropriate arbitration forum.
(7) Immediately upon the revocation or withdrawal of the registration of the applicant’s sponsor; or
(8) Immediately upon notice to the applicant and the applicant’s sponsor or the contract market or swap execution facility that has granted the applicant trading privileges that:
(i) The applicant failed to disclose relevant disciplinary history information on the applicant’s Form 8-R; or
(ii) An event has occurred leading to a required disclosure on the applicant’s Form 8-R.
(b) Upon termination, the applicant may not engage in any activity which requires registration with the Commission as an associated person, floor broker or floor trader.
§ 3.43 Relationship to registration.
(a) A temporary license shall not be deemed to be a registration or to confer any right to such registration.
(b) Unless a temporary license has terminated pursuant to § 3.42, a temporary license shall become a registration with the Commission upon the earlier of:
(1) A determination by the National Futures Association that the applicant is qualified for registration as an associated person, floor broker or floor trader; or
(2) The expiration of six months from the date of issuance unless a notice has been issued under § 3.60 of the initiation of a proceeding to deny registration under section 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act.
§ 3.44 Temporary licensing of applicants for guaranteed introducing broker registration.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of these regulations, and pursuant to the terms and conditions of this subpart, the National Futures Association may grant a temporary license to any applicant for registration as an introducing broker upon the contemporaneous filing with the National Futures Association of:
(1) A properly completed guarantee agreement (Form 1-FR part B) from a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer which is eligible to enter into such an agreement pursuant to § 1.10(j)(2) of this chapter;
(2) A Form 7-R properly completed in accordance with the instructions thereto;
(3) A Form 8-R for the applicant, if a sole proprietor, and each principal (including each branch office manager) thereof, properly completed in accordance with the instructions thereto, all of whom would be eligible for a temporary license if they had applied as associated persons.
(4) A certification executed by a person duly authorized by the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer that has executed the guarantee agreement required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section, stating that:
(i) The futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer has verified the information on the Forms 8-R filed pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) of this section which relate to education and employment history of the applicant’s principals (including each branch office manager) thereof during the preceding three years; and
(ii) To the best of the futures commission merchant’s or retail foreign exchange dealer’s knowledge, information, and belief, all of the publicly available information supplied by the applicant and its principals and each branch office manager of the applicant on the Form 7-R and Forms 8-R, as appropriate, is accurate and complete; and
(5) The fingerprints of the applicant, if a sole proprietor, and of each principal (including each branch office manager) thereof on fingerprint cards provided by the National Futures Association for that purpose.
(b) The effective date of a guarantee agreement filed in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section is the date upon which the temporary license is granted by the National Futures Association.
(c) An applicant that fails to respond in accordance with a written request by the Commission or the National Futures Association for clarification of any information set forth in the application of the applicant or any principal (including any branch office manager) thereof or for the resubmission of a fingerprint card will be deemed to have withdrawn its registration application and the temporary license issued to such applicant and any associated person thereof shall terminate immediately.
§ 3.45 Restrictions upon activities.
(a) Subject to the provisions of § 3.46 of this subpart and all of the obligations imposed on such registrants under the Act (in particular, section 14 thereof) and the rules, regulations and orders thereunder, an applicant for registration as an introducing broker who has received written notification that a temporary license has been granted may act in the capacity of a guaranteed introducing broker.
(b) An applicant for registration as an introducing broker who has received a temporary license may be guaranteed by a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer other than the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer which provided the initial guarantee agreement described in § 3.44(a)(1) of this subpart: Provided, That, at least 10 days prior to the effective date of the termination of the existing guarantee agreement in accordance with the provisions of § 1.10 (j)(5) of this chapter, or such other period of time as the National Futures Association may allow for good cause shown, the applicant files with the National Futures Association—
(1) Written notice of such termination and
(2) A new guarantee agreement with another futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer effective the day following the last effective date of the existing guarantee agreement.
§ 3.46 Termination.
(a) A temporary license issued pursuant to § 3.44 shall terminate:
(1) Five days after service upon the applicant of a notice by the National Futures Association that the applicant for registration may be found subject to a statutory disqualification from registration;
(2) Immediately upon termination of the applicant’s guarantee agreement in accordance with § 1.10(j)(4)(ii) or (j)(5) of this chapter, unless a new guarantee agreement is filed in accordance with § 3.45(b);
(3) Immediately upon the failure of an applicant to respond to a written request by the Commission or the National Futures Association for clarification of information set forth in the application of the applicant or any principal (including any branch office manager) thereof or for the resubmission of a fingerprint card pursuant to § 3.44(c) in accordance with such request;
(4) Immediately upon the revocation or withdrawal of the guarantor futures commission merchant’s registration;
(5) Immediately upon the withdrawal of the registration application pursuant to § 3.44(c);
(6) Immediately upon failure to comply with an order to pay a civil monetary penalty, restitution, or disgorgement within the time permitted under section 6(e), 6b, or 6c(d) of the Act;
(7) Immediately upon failure to pay the full amount of a reparation order within the time permitted under section 14(f) of the Act;
(8) Immediately upon failure to comply with an award in an arbitration proceeding conducted pursuant to the rules of a designated contract market, swap execution facility, or registered futures association within the time specified in section 10(g) of the National Futures Association’s Code of Arbitration or the comparable time period specified in the rules of a contract market, swap execution facility, or other appropriate arbitration forum.
(9) Whenever a person not listed as a principal on the applicant’s initial registration application becomes a principal under § 3.1(a); or
(10) Immediately upon notice to the applicant and the guarantor futures commission merchant that:
(i) The applicant or any principal (including any branch officer manager) failed to disclose relevant disciplinary history information on the applicant’s Form 7-R or on a principal’s Form 8-R; or
(ii) An event has occurred leading to a required disclosure on the applicant’s Form 7-R or on a principal’s Form 8-R.
(b) Upon termination, the applicant may not engage in any activity which requires registration as an introducing broker.
§ 3.47 Relationship to registration.
(a) A temporary license shall not be deemed to be a registration or to confer any right to such registration.
(b) Unless a temporary license has terminated, a temporary license shall become a registration upon the earlier of:
(1) A determination by the National Futures Association that the applicant is qualified for registration as an introducing broker; or
(2) The expiration of six months from the date of issuance unless a notice has been issued under § 3.60 of the initiation of a proceeding to deny registration under sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act.
Subpart C—Denial, Suspension or Revocation of Registration
§ 3.50 Service.
(a) For purposes of this subpart, service upon an applicant or registrant will be sufficient if mailed by registered mail or certified mail return receipt requested properly addressed to the applicant or registrant at the address shown on his application or any amendment thereto, and will be complete upon mailing. Where a party effects service by mail, the time within which the person served may respond thereto shall be increased by three days.
(b) A copy of any notice served in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section shall also be served upon:
(1) Any registrant sponsoring the applicant or registrant pursuant to the provisions of § 3.12 of this part if the applicant or registrant is an individual registered as or applying for registration as an associated person; or
(2) Any futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer which has entered into a guarantee agreement in accordance with § 1.10(j) of this chapter, if the applicant or registrant is registered as or applying for registration as an introducing broker.
(c) Documents served upon the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or upon the Division of Enforcement or filed with the Commission under this subpart shall be considered served or filed only upon actual receipt at the Commission’s Washington, DC office, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.
(d) Except for the documents which may be served under § 3.51, any documents served upon an applicant or registrant or upon the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the Division of Enforcement or filed with the Commission under this subpart shall be concurrently filed with the Proceedings Clerk, together with proof of service, in accordance with the provisions of § 10.12 (d) and (e) of this chapter.
§ 3.51 Withdrawal of application for registration.
(a) Notice. Whenever information comes to the attention of the Commission that an applicant for initial registration in any capacity under the Act may be found subject to a statutory disqualification under sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act, the Commission may serve written notice upon the applicant, which notice shall specify the statutory disqualifications to which the applicant may be subject and advise the applicant that:
(1) The information, if true, is a basis upon which the applicant’s registration may be denied;
(2) Unless the applicant voluntarily withdraws the application, it may be necessary to institute the denial procedures described in this subpart; and
(3) If the applicant does not confirm in writing that the applicant wishes to have the application given further consideration, the application of the applicant will be deemed to have been withdrawn.
(b) The applicant must serve the written confirmation referred to in paragraph (a)(3) of this section upon the Secretary of the Commission on or before twenty days after the date the notice described in paragraph (a) of this section is served.
§§ 3.52-3.54 [Reserved]
§ 3.55 Suspension and revocation of registration pursuant to section 8a(2) of the Act.
(a) Notice. On the basis of information obtained by the Commission, the Commission may at any time serve notice upon a registrant in any capacity under the Act that:
(1) The Commission alleges and is prepared to prove that the registrant is subject to one or more of the statutory disqualifications set forth in section 8a(2) of the Act;
(2) An Administrative Law Judge shall make a determination, based upon written evidence, as to whether the registrant is subject to such statutory disqualification; and
(3) If the registrant is found to be subject to a statutory disqualification, the registration of the registrant may be suspended and the registrant ordered to show cause why such registration should not be revoked.
(b) Written submission. If the registrant wishes to challenge the accuracy of the allegations set forth in the notice, the registrant may submit written evidence limited to the type described in § 3.60(b)(1) of this part. Such written submission must be served upon the Division of Enforcement and filed with the Proceedings Clerk within twenty days of the date of service of notice to the registrant.
(c) Reply. Within ten days of receipt of any written submission filed by the registrant, the Division of Enforcement may serve upon the registrant and file with the Proceedings Clerk a reply.
(d) Determination by Administrative Law Judge. A determination by the Administrative Law Judge as to whether the registrant is subject to a statutory disqualification must be based upon the evidence of the statutory disqualification, notice with proof of service, the written submission, if any, filed by the registrant in response thereto, any written reply submitted by the Division of Enforcement and such other papers as the Administrative Law Judge may require or permit.
(e) Suspension and order to show cause. (1) If the registrant is found to be subject to a statutory disqualification, the Administrative Law Judge, within thirty days after receipt of the registrant’s written submission, if any, and any reply thereto, shall issue an interim order suspending the registration of the registrant and requiring the registrant to show cause within twenty days of the date of the order why, notwithstanding the existence of the statutory disqualification, the registration of the registrant should not be revoked. The registration of the registrant shall be suspended, effective five days after the order to show cause is served upon the registrant in accordance with § 3.50(a), until a final order with respect to the order to show cause has been issued: Provided, That if the sole basis upon which the registrant is subject to statutory disqualification is the existence of a temporary order, judgment or decree of the type described in section 8a(2)(C) of the Act, the order to show cause shall not be issued and the registrant shall be suspended until such time as the temporary order, judgment or decree shall have expired: Provided, however, That in no event shall the registrant be suspended for a period to exceed six months.
(2) If the registrant is found not to be subject to a statutory disqualification, the Administrative Law Judge shall issue an order to that effect and the Proceedings Clerk shall promptly serve a copy of such order on the registrant, the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and the Division of Enforcement. Such order shall be effective as a final order of the Commission fifteen days after the date it is served upon the registrant in accordance with the provisions of § 3.50(a) of this part unless a timely application for review is filed in accordance with § 10.102 of this chapter. The appellate procedures set forth in §§ 10.102, 10.103, 10.104, 10.106, 10.107 and 10.109 of this chapter shall apply to any appeal brought under paragraph (e)(2) of this section.
(f) Further proceedings. If an order to show cause is issued pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section, further proceedings on such order shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of § 3.60(b)-(j) of this part.
§ 3.56 Suspension or modification of registration pursuant to section 8a(11) of the Act.
(a) Notice. (1) On the basis of information obtained by the Commission, the Commission may at any time serve written notice upon a registrant in any capacity under the Act that:
(i) The Commission alleges and is prepared to prove, by reference to an information, indictment or complaint authorized by a United States Attorney or an appropriate official of any State that the registrant is charged with the commission of or participation in a crime involving a violation of the Act or a violation of any other provision of Federal or State law that would reflect on the honesty or the fitness of the person to act as a fiduciary that is punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and that continued registration of the person may pose a threat to the public interest or may threaten to impair public confidence in any market regulated by the Commission;
(ii) An Administrative Law Judge shall make a determination, based upon written evidence and any oral hearing granted, as to whether the registrant is charged with the Commission of or participation in such a crime and whether the continued registration of the person may pose a threat to the public interest or may threaten to impair public confidence in any market regulated by the Commission; and
(iii) If the registrant is found to be charged with the commission of or participation in such a crime and it is found that the continued registration of the person may pose a threat to the public interest or may threaten to impair public confidence in any market regulated by the Commission, the registration of the registrant shall be suspended or modified.
(2) The notice referred to in paragraph (a) of this section shall include a short and plain statement that the continued registration of the registrant may pose a threat to the public interest or may threaten to impair public confidence in any market regulated by the Commission.
(b) Response. (1) If the registrant wishes to challenge the accuracy of the allegations in the notice, the registrant may submit written evidence as to:
(i) The registrant’s identity;
(ii) The existence of a clerical error in any record documenting the information, indictment or complaint;
(iii) The nature of the information, indictment or complaint; or
(iv) The statement accompanying the notice referred to in paragraph (a)(2) of this section and, in an effort to have his registration modified rather than suspended, the Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement signed by a sponsor, supervising floor broker or, in the case of a floor trader, a supervising registrant, principal, contract market, or swap execution facility, as appropriate for the registrant in accordance with § 3.60(b)(2)(i) and who meets the standards set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i)(A) and (C).
(2) The registrant may also request an oral hearing, which shall include a statement of the issues to be addressed, a list of any witnesses to be called, a summary of the testimony to be elicited and copies of any documents to be introduced. An oral hearing shall be granted upon request.
(3) Such written submissions must be served upon the Division of Enforcement and filed with the Proceedings Clerk within twenty days of the date of service of notice to the registrant under paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Reply. Within ten days of receipt of any written submission filed by the registrant, the Division of Enforcement may serve upon the registrant and file with the Proceedings Clerk a reply.
(d) Oral hearing. An oral hearing shall be conducted pursuant to such sections of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, 17 CFR part 10, as the Administrative Law Judge deems necessary and in a manner which shall ensure that the proceeding is resolved expeditiously.
(e) Determination by Administrative Law Judge. (1) A determination by the Administrative Law Judge as to whether the Division of Enforcement has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the registrant is charged with the commission of or participation in a crime as set forth in the notice and that the continued registration of the registrant may pose a threat to the public interest or may threaten to impair public confidence in any market regulated by the Commission must be based upon the evidence of service, the response, if any, filed by the registrant, any written reply submitted by the Division of Enforcement and such other papers as the Administrative Law Judge may require or permit, and the oral hearing, if any. If the Division of Enforcement has made the required showings, the Administrative Law Judge, within thirty days after the last written submission or the oral hearing, shall issue an order suspending or modifying the registration of the registrant. If the Division of Enforcement has not made the required showings, the Administrative Law Judge, within thirty days after the last written submission or the oral hearing, shall issue an order to that effect. The Administrative Law Judge’s order shall include a written determination setting forth the basis for his ruling.
(2) The Proceedings Clerk shall promptly serve a copy of such order on the registrant, the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and the Division of Enforcement. Such Order shall be effective as a final order of the Commission fifteen days after the date it is served upon the registrant in accordance with the provisions of § 3.50(a) unless a timely application for review is filed in accordance with § 10.102 of this chapter. The appellate procedures set forth in §§ 10.102, 10.103, 10.104, 10.106, 10.107 and 10.109 of this chapter shall apply to any appeal brought under paragraph (e)(2) of this section.
(f) Any order of suspension or modification issued under this section shall remain in effect until such information, indictment, or complaint is disposed of or until terminated by the Commission.
(g) On disposition of such information, indictment, or complaint, the Commission may issue and serve on such registrant a notice under § 3.55 or § 3.60 to suspend, restrict, or revoke the registration of such person.
(h) A finding of not guilty or other disposition of the charge shall not preclude the Commission from thereafter instituting any other proceedings under the Act or its rules.
(i) A person aggrieved by an order issued under this section may obtain review of such order in the same manner and on the same terms and conditions as are provided in section 6(c) of the Act.
§ 3.57 Proceedings under section 8a(2)(E) of the Act.
The Commission will not initiate a proceeding under section 8a(2)(E) of the Act, if respondeat superior is the sole basis upon which the registrant may be found subject to a statutory disqualification.
§ 3.60 Procedure to deny, condition, suspend, revoke or place restrictions upon registration pursuant to sections 8a(2), 8a(3) and 8a(4) of the Act.
(a) Notice. On the basis of information obtained by the Commission, the Commission may at any time give written notice to any applicant for registration or any registrant in any capacity under the Act that:
(1) The Commission alleges and is prepared to prove that the registrant or applicant is subject to one or more of the statutory disqualifications set forth in section 8a(2), 8a(3) or 8a(4) of the Act;
(2) The allegations set forth in the notice, if true, constitute a basis upon which registration may be denied, granted upon conditions, suspended, revoked or restricted;
(3) The applicant or registrant is entitled to file a response within thirty days of the date of service of the notice to challenge the evidentiary basis of the statutory disqualification set forth in the notice or show cause why, notwithstanding the accuracy of those allegations, registration should nevertheless be granted, or granted upon condition, or should not be conditioned, suspended, revoked or restricted; and
(4) If the applicant or registrant does not file a timely response to the notice:
(i) The applicant or registrant will be deemed to have waived his right to a hearing on all issues and the facts stated in the notice shall be deemed to be true and conclusive for the purpose of finding that the applicant or registrant is subject to a statutory disqualification under sections 8a(2), 8a(3) or 8a(4) of the Act; and
(ii) A presiding officer may thereafter decide whether to issue an order of default in accordance with paragraph (g) of this section to deny, condition, suspend, revoke, or place restrictions upon registration based solely upon the facts set forth in the notice.
(b) Response. Within thirty days after service upon the applicant or registrant of a notice issued in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the applicant or registrant shall file a response with the Proceedings Clerk and serve a copy of the response on the Division of Enforcement.
(1) In the response, the applicant or registrant shall state whether he challenges the evidentiary basis of the statutory disqualification set forth in the notice. The grounds for such a challenge shall include evidence as to:
(i) The applicant’s or registrant’s identity,
(ii) The existence of a clerical error in any record documenting the statutory disqualification,
(iii) The nature or date of the statutory disqualification,
(iv) The post-conviction modification of any record of conviction, or
(v) The favorable disposition of any appeal.
(2)(i) In the response, if the person is not an associated person, a floor broker or a floor trader or an applicant for registration in any of those capacities, the applicant or registrant shall also state whether he or she intends to show that registration would not pose a substantial risk to the public despite the existence of the disqualification set forth in the notice. If the person is an associated person, a floor broker or a floor trader or an applicant for registration in any of those capacities, the applicant or registrant shall also state whether he or she intends to show that full, conditioned or restricted registration would not pose a substantial risk to the public despite the existence of the disqualification set forth in the notice. If the person is an associated person or an applicant for registration as an associated person and intends to make such a showing, he or she must also submit a letter signed by an officer or general partner authorized to bind the sponsor whereby the sponsor agrees to sign a Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement and supervise compliance with any conditions or restrictions that may be imposed on the applicant or registrant as a result of a statutory disqualification proceeding under this section; if the person is a floor broker or a floor trader or an applicant for registration in either capacity and intends to make such a showing, he or she must, in the case of a floor broker or applicant for registration as a floor broker, also submit a letter signed by his employer or if he or she has no employer by another floor broker or, in the case of a floor trader or applicant for registration as a floor trader, also submit a letter signed by an officer of the floor trader’s clearing member, if such officer is a registrant or a principal of a registrant, or the chief operating officer of each contract market or swap execution facility that has granted trading privileges, whereby the employer or floor broker, appropriate registrant, principal or chief operating officer (on behalf of the contract market or swap execution facility) agrees to sign a Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement and supervise compliance with any conditions or restrictions that may be imposed on the applicant or registrant as a result of a statutory disqualification proceeding under this section; provided, that, with respect to such sponsor, supervising employer or floor broker, supervising registrant or principal:
(A) An adjudicatory proceeding pursuant to the provisions of sections 6(c), 6(d), 6c, 6d, 8a or 9 of the Act is not pending; and
(B) In the case of a sponsor which is a futures commission merchant, a retail foreign exchange dealer or a leverage transaction merchant, the sponsor is not subject to the reporting requirements of § 1.12(b), § 5.6(b) or § 31.7(b) of this chapter, respectively; and
(C) Such person is not barred from service on self-regulatory organization governing boards or committees based on disciplinary history in accordance with § 1.63 of this chapter.
(ii) If, in the response, the applicant or registrant states that he intends to make the showing referred to in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, he shall also, within fifteen days after filing his initial response under paragraph (b) of this section, file with the Proceedings Clerk and serve a copy on the Division of Enforcement a submission which includes a statement of the applicant, registrant or his attorney identifying and summarizing the testimony of each witness whom the applicant or registrant intends to have testify in support of facts material to his showing, and copies of all documents which the applicant or registrant intends to introduce to support facts material to his showing. The factors forming the basis for a disqualified applicant’s or registrant’s showing referred to in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section may include:
(A) Evidence mitigating the seriousness of the wrongdoing underlying the statutory disqualification set forth in the notice;
(B) Evidence that the applicant or registrant has undergone rehabilitation since the time of the wrongdoing underlying the statutory disqualification; and
(C) If the person is an associated person, floor broker or floor trader or an applicant for registration in any of those capacities, evidence that the applicant’s or registrant’s registration on a conditioned or restricted basis would be subject to supervisory controls likely both to detect future wrongdoing by the applicant or registrant and protect the public from any harm arising from the applicant’s or registrant’s future wrongdoing, including proposed conditions or restrictions.
(c) Reply. Within thirty days after the latter of the date the applicant or registrant serves a copy of the response on the Division of Enforcement (if no further submission is to be made in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section), or the date the applicant or registrant serves a copy of the further submission made in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section on the Division of Enforcement, the Division of Enforcement shall file a reply thereto with the Proceedings Clerk and serve a copy of the reply on the applicant or registrant. The Division of Enforcement’s reply shall include either:
(1) A motion for summary disposition stating that there are no genuine issues of material fact to be determined and that registration should be denied or revoked, based upon the applicant’s or registrant’s response and further submission, if any, and any other materials which are attached to the reply and would be admissible under § 10.91 of this chapter; or
(2) A description of factual issues raised in the applicant’s or registrant’s response and further submission, if any, that the Division of Enforcement regards as material and disputed. Such a reply shall also include the identity and a summary of the expected testimony of each witness whom the Division intends to have testify, and copies of all documents which the Division intends to introduce.
(d) Oral Presentation. Within thirty days of the date the Division of Enforcement files its reply in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section to the applicant’s or registrant’s response and further submission, if any, the Administrative Law Judge shall issue an order:
(1) If the Administrative Law Judge finds, based on the motion for summary disposition, that a party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, granting, denying, suspending, or revoking the registration of an applicant or registrant, or dismissing the notice issued in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, and such order shall be made in accordance with the standards set forth in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section; or
(2) Notifying the parties of a time and place of hearing. At such hearing, the parties shall be limited to presentation of witnesses and documents listed in previous filings except, for good cause shown, the parties may request that the witness and document lists be supplemented for purposes of rebuttal. Such oral hearing shall be conducted in accordance with §§ 10.61-10.81 and 10.83 of this chapter. The Administrative Law Judge shall file an initial decision after completion of the oral hearing in accordance with the standards set forth in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
(3) Upon notice that the Administrative Law Judge has concluded that an oral presentation is appropriate, the parties may elect to participate by telephone in accordance with the terms set forth in § 12.209(b) of this chapter. To effect such an election, the party shall file a notice with the Proceedings Clerk and serve a copy on all opposing parties within fifteen days of the date the Administrative Law Judge’s notice is served. The filing of an election to participate by telephone will be deemed a waiver of the party’s right to a full oral hearing on the parties’ material disputes of fact. The Administrative Law Judge shall schedule a telephonic hearing only if all parties to the proceeding elect such a procedure. The Administrative Law Judge shall conduct such a hearing in accordance with § 12.209(b) of this chapter. Following the hearing, the Administrative Law Judge shall issue a written decision in accordance with the standards set forth in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
(e) Determination by Administrative Law Judge—Standards of Proof. The Administrative Law Judge’s written determination shall specifically consider whether the Division of Enforcement has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the applicant or registrant is subject to the statutory disqualification set forth in the notice issued by the Commission and, where appropriate:
(1) In actions involving statutory disqualifications set forth in section 8a(2) of the Act, whether the applicant or registrant has made a clear and convincing showing that full, conditioned or restricted registration would not pose a substantial risk to the public despite the existence of the statutory disqualification; or
(2) In actions involving statutory disqualifications set forth in sections 8a(3) or 8a(4) of the Act, whether the applicant or registrant has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that full, conditioned or restricted registration would not pose a substantial risk to the public despite the existence of the statutory disqualification.
(f) Determination of Administrative Law Judge—Findings. In making his written determination, the Administrative Law Judge shall set forth the facts material to his conclusion and provide an explanation of his decision in light of the statutory disqualification set forth in the notice and, where appropriate, his findings regarding:
(1) Evidence mitigating the seriousness of the wrongdoing underlying the applicant’s or registrant’s statutory disqualification;
(2) Evidence that the applicant or registrant has undergone rehabilitation since the time of the wrongdoing underlying the statutory disqualification; and
(3) If the person is an associated person, a floor broker or a floor trader or an applicant for registration in any of those capacities, evidence that the applicant’s or registrant’s registration on a conditioned or restricted basis would be subject to supervisory controls likely both to detect future wrongdoing by the applicant or registrant and protect the public from any harm arising from future wrongdoing by the applicant or registrant. Any decision providing for a conditioned or restricted registration shall take into consideration the applicant’s or registrant’s statutory disqualification and the time period remaining on such statutory disqualification, and shall fix a time period after which the registrant and his or her sponsor, supervising employer or floor broker, or supervising registrant, principal, contract market, or swap execution facility may petition to lift or modify the conditions or restrictions in accordance with § 3.64.
(g) Default. The procedures for obtaining a default order and the setting aside of a default order in a proceeding instituted under this section shall follow the procedures set forth in §§ 10.93 and 10.94 of this chapter.
(h) Settlements—(1) When offers may be made. Parties may, at any time during the course of the proceeding, propose offers of settlement. All offers of settlement shall be in writing.
(2) Content of offer. Each offer of settlement made by a respondent shall:
(i) Acknowledge service of the notice;
(ii) Admit the jurisdiction of the Commission with respect to the matters set forth in the notice;
(iii) Include a waiver of:
(A) A hearing,
(B) All post-hearing procedures,
(C) Judicial review, and
(D) Any objection to the staff’s participation in the Commission’s consideration of the offer;
(iv) Stipulate the record basis on which an order may be entered, which may consist solely of the notice and any findings contained in the offer of settlement; and
(v) Consent to the entry of an order reflecting the terms of settlement agreed upon, including, where appropriate:
(A) Findings that the respondent is subject to statutory disqualification under sections 8a(2), 8a(3), or 8a(4) of the Act, and
(B) The revocation, suspension, denial or granting of full registration or imposition of conditioned or restricted registration.
(3) Submission of offer. Offers of settlement made by a respondent shall be submitted in writing to the Division of Enforcement, which shall present them to the Commission with the Division’s recommendation. The respondent will be informed if the recommendation will be unfavorable, in which event the offer shall not be presented to the Commission unless the respondent so requests. Any offer of settlement not presented to the Commission shall be null and void with respect to any acknowledgment, admission, waiver, stipulation or consent contained in the offer and shall not be used in any manner in the proceeding by any party thereto.
(4) Acceptance of offer. The offer of settlement will only be deemed accepted upon issuance by the Commission of an opinion and order based on the offer. Upon issuance of the opinion and order, the proceeding shall be terminated as to the respondent involved and so noted on the docket by the Proceedings Clerk.
(5) Rejection of offer. When an offer of settlement is rejected, the party making the offer shall be notified by the Division of Enforcement and the offer of settlement shall be deemed withdrawn. A rejected offer of settlement and any documents relating thereto shall not constitute a part of the record in the proceeding; and the offer will be null and void with respect to any acknowledgment, admission, waiver, stipulation or consent contained in the offer and shall not be used in any manner in the proceeding by any party thereto.
(i) Effect of the Administrative Law Judge’s Determination. The Administrative Law Judge’s written determination shall become the final decision of the Commission thirty days following the date the Proceedings Clerk serves the determination on the parties unless:
(1) One or more of the parties files and serves a timely notice of appeal in accordance with § 10.102 of this chapter; or
(2) The Commission issues an order staying the effective date of the determination and notifying the parties of its intention to undertake sua sponte review in accordance with § 10.105 of this chapter.
(j) Appeal. Following the filing of a notice of appeal, the rules of appellate procedure set forth in §§ 10.102, 10.103, 10.104, 10.106, 10.107 and 10.109 of this chapter shall apply to any proceeding brought under this section.
(k) With the exception of §§ 10.2 through 10.5, 10.7 through 10.12(a) (1), 10.12(a) (3) through 10.12(g), 10.26(a)-(d), 10.34, 10.43, 10.44 and 10.84 of this chapter, or unless otherwise provided in §§ 3.50 through 3.64 of this part, the provisions of the Commission’s Rules of Practice in part 10 of this chapter shall not apply in any proceeding brought under this part to deny, suspend, revoke, restrict or condition registration pursuant to sections 8a(2), 8a(3) or 8a(4) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(l) The failure of any sponsor, supervising employer or floor broker, or supervising registrant, principal, contract market, or swap execution facility to fulfill its obligations with respect to supervision or monitoring of a conditioned or restricted registrant as agreed to in the Supplemental Sponsor Certification Statement shall be deemed a violation of this rule under the Act.
§ 3.61 Extensions of time for proceedings brought under § 3.55, § 3.56, and § 3.60 of this part.
(a) In general. Except as otherwise provided by law or by these rules, for good cause shown, the Commission or an Administrative Law Judge before whom a proceeding brought under § 3.55, § 3.56 or § 3.60 is then pending, on their own motion or the motion of a party, may at any time extend or shorten the time limit prescribed by those rules for filing any document. In any instance in which a time limit is not prescribed for an action to be taken concerning any matter, the Commission or the Administrative Law Judge may set a time limit for that action.
(b) Motions for extension of time. Absent extraordinary circumstances, in any instance in which a time limit that has been prescribed for an action to be taken concerning any matter exceeds seven days from the date of the order establishing the time limit, requests for extension of time shall be filed at least five (5) days prior to the expiration of the time limit and shall explain why an extension of time is necessary.
§ 3.62 [Reserved]
§ 3.63 Service of order issued by an Administrative Law Judge or the Commission.
A copy of any order issued pursuant to § 3.60 of this part shall be served promptly upon the applicant or registrant, the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, the Division of Enforcement, the National Futures Association, and any contract markets where the applicant or registrant is a member or has trading privileges in accordance with the provisions of § 3.50(a) of this part.
§ 3.64 Procedure to lift or modify conditions or restrictions.
(a) Petition. The registrant and his sponsor or supervising floor broker may file a petition with the Proceedings Clerk and serve a copy of the petition on the Division of Enforcement to lift or modify conditions or restrictions on the registrant’s registration.
(1) The petition may be filed after the period specified in the order imposing the conditioned or restricted registration.
(2) In the petition, the registrant and his or her sponsor, supervising employer or floor broker, or supervising registrant, principal, contract market, or swap execution facility shall be limited to a showing, by affidavit, that the conditions or restrictions have been satisfied pursuant to the order which imposed them. The affidavit must be sworn to by a person with actual knowledge of the registrant’s activities on behalf of the sponsor, supervising employer or floor broker, or supervising registrant, principal, contract market or swap execution facility.
(b) Response. (1) Within thirty days of receipt of the petition, pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the Division of Enforcement shall file a response with the Proceedings Clerk. The response must include a recommendation by the Division of Enforcement as to whether to continue the conditions or restrictions, modify the conditions or restrictions, or to allow for a full registration.
(2) If the Division of Enforcement agrees with the petitioner’s request to lift or modify conditions or restrictions on the petitioner’s registration, it shall so recommend to the Commission. Such recommendation will only be deemed accepted upon issuance by the Commission of an order lifting or modifying conditions or restrictions on the petitioner’s registration. Such order shall be so noted on the docket by the Proceedings Clerk.
(c) Oral presentation. If the Division of Enforcement requests a continuation, or a modification other than in accordance with the terms of the petition, of the restrictions or conditions on the registration, the Administrative Law Judge shall, within thirty days of the date that the response is filed pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, determine whether an oral presentation is appropriate to the reliable resolution of the registrant’s petition.
(1) If the Administrative Law Judge determines that an oral presentation is appropriate, he shall notify the parties of his determination and shall schedule and conduct an oral hearing in accordance with §§ 10.61 through 10.81 of this chapter. Following the hearing, the Administrative Law Judge shall issue a written decision or an order.
(2) If the Administrative Law Judge concludes that an oral presentation is unnecessary, he shall notify the parties and issue a written decision or an order.
(d) Effect of the Administrative Law Judge’s determination. The Administrative Law Judge’s written determination shall become the final decision of the Commission thirty days following the date the Proceedings Clerk serves the determination on the registrant, the registrant’s sponsor, supervising employer or floor broker, or supervising registrant, principal or contract market, and the Division of Enforcement unless one or more of the parties files a timely notice of appeal in accordance with § 10.102 of this chapter.
(e) Appeal. Following the filing of a notice of appeal, the rules of appellate procedure set forth in §§ 10.102, 10.103, 10.104, 10.106, 10.107 and 10.109 of this chapter shall apply to any proceeding brought under this section.
Subpart D—Notice Under Section 4k(5) of the Act
§ 3.70 Notification of certain information regarding associated persons.
(a) Notice. A registrant must notify the Commission under section 4k(5) of the Act of any facts regarding an associated person of the registrant or an applicant for registration as an associated person whom it has sponsored pursuant to the provisions of § 3.12 of this part or whom it intends to hire or otherwise employ as an associated person which are set forth as statutory disqualifications in section 8a(2) of the Act within ten business days of the date upon which the registrant first knows or should have known such facts. Notice to the Commission shall be sufficient if the registrant gives notice to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the Director’s designee by telephone and confirms such notice in writing by certified or registered mail or equivalent means to the Commission at its Washington, DC office (Attn: Deputy Director, Registration and Compliance Branch, Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581).
(b) Unlawful to act as an associated person. Upon the earlier of notification to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, or actual receipt of notice to the registrant pursuant to § 3.50(b)(1) of this part, that an associated person of the registrant or an applicant for registration as an associated person may be subject to a statutory disqualification as set forth in section 8a(2) of the Act, it shall be unlawful for the registrant to permit such person to act in the capacity of an associated person of the registrant until the Commission determines that such person should nonetheless be registered.
(c) Proceedings under subpart C. Upon notification to the Commission by the registrant under paragraph (a) of this section, the Commission may promptly issue notice under § 3.55 or § 3.60 of this part, as appropriate, to suspend and revoke the registration of the associated person of the registrant or to deny the registration of the applicant for registration as an associated person of the registrant.
Subpart E—Delegation and Reservation of Authority
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until such time as it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or his or her designee the authority to grant or deny requests filed pursuant to § 3.12(g). The Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated to him pursuant to § 3.12(g). The Commission hereby delegates, until such time as it orders otherwise, the authority to perform all functions specified in subparts B through D of this part to the persons authorized to perform them thereunder.
(b) Nothing in this subpart shall prevent the Commission from exercising the authority delegated therein.
(c) The Commission reserves to itself the decision in any case to proceed by order, upon notice and hearing, to deny, suspend, condition or restrict the registration of any person pursuant to sections 8a(2), 8a(3) and 8a(4) of the Act.
(d) Nothing in this part shall affect the authority of the Commission to institute a proceeding pursuant to section 6(c) of the Act.
(e) The Commission may, by order of delegation, authorize a futures association registered pursuant to section 17 of the Act to perform all or any portion of the registration functions under subparts B through D in accordance with rules or procedures adopted by such futures association and submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act and subject to the applicable provisions of the Act.
Appendix A to Part 3—Interpretative Statement With Respect to Section 8a (2)(C) and (E) and Section 8a (3)(J) and (M) of the Commodity Exchange Act
The provisions of sections 8a(2)-8a(4) of the Commodity Exchange Act (“Act”) establish a system of statutory disqualifications pursuant to which the Commission may find an applicant or registrant unfit for registration and vest the Commission with wide discretion to deny, condition, suspend, restrict or revoke the registration of any person subject to one or more of the disqualifications set forth therein. The Commission recognizes that the full exercise of its authority under these provisions of the Act may have unintended results. In particular, the exercise of such authority may, in certain cases, impede the efficient enforcement of the Act and the various federal and state securities acts.
At this time, the Commission cannot anticipate all of the circumstances under which it may elect not to exercise its authority under sections 8a(2)-8a(4). Until the Commission has gained experience with these provisions of the Act, such determinations generally must be made on a case-by-case basis. Nonetheless, the Commission has identified two paragraphs of section 8a(2) of the Act which it has determined to interpret more narrowly than required.
Section 8a(2)(C). Section 8a(2) of the Act authorizes the Commission to deny, condition, suspend or restrict the registration of any person “upon notice, but without a hearing” and to revoke the registration of any person “with such hearing as may be appropriate,” if such person is subject to one or more of the disqualifications described in paragraphs (A)-(H). Section 8a(2)(C) authorizes the Commission to affect the registration of any person:
“if such person is permanently or temporarily enjoined by order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction * * * , including an order entered pursuant to an agreement of settlement to which the Commission or any Federal or State agency or other governmental body is a party, from (i) acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, floor broker, floor trader, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, associated person of any registrant under the Act, securities broker, securities dealer, municipal securities broker, municipal securities dealer, transfer agent, clearing agency, securities information processor, investment advisor, investment company, or affiliated person or employee of any of the foregoing or (ii) engaging in or continuing any activity involving any transaction in or advice concerning contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery, concerning matters subject to Commission regulation under section 4c or 19 of the Act, or concerning securities;”
The Commission believes that a person enjoined from acting in a certain capacity as described in section 8a(2)(C)(i), even if the order of injunction is entered into pursuant to an agreement of settlement, similarly should be prohibited from acting in any other capacity which requires registration with the Commission. Therefore, the Commission does not intend to limit its authority under section 8a(2)(C)(i) of the Act.
However, the Commission is also aware that it has often initiated proceedings in which the sole relief sought was an injunction from engaging in certain conduct. In such circumstances, the Commission has accepted offers of settlement which provide that the findings set forth in the settlement will not form the sole basis for the denial, suspension or revocation of such person’s registration with the Commission. The Commission does not wish to impede the resolution by negotiated settlement of such proceedings. Therefore, the Commission has determined that it will not exercise its authority under section 8a(2)(C)(ii) of the Act with respect to any person temporarily or permanently enjoined by agreement of settlement from engaging in any conduct described in that paragraph, if the agreement of settlement clearly restricts the use of such order of injunction or any findings set forth therein in subsequent or collateral proceedings.
Thus, a provision in the agreement of settlement to the effect, inter alia, that the findings set forth in the agreement will not form the sole basis upon which the registration of such person may be affected will preclude a collateral proceeding under section 8a(2)(C)(ii) where the sole basis for such proceeding is the agreement of settlement. Unless otherwise precluded in the agreement of settlement, however, the person will be collaterally estopped from denying the findings set forth therein, whether or not admitted, in any other subsequent or collateral proceeding and such findings may, in conjunction with the findings in such subsequent or collateral proceeding, form a basis for affecting the registration of that person or imposing such other sanctions as may be deemed appropriate.
Section 8a(2)(E) of the Act authorizes the Commission to affect the registration of any person:
If such person, within ten years preceding the filing of the application or at any time thereafter, has been found in a proceeding brought by the Commission or any Federal or State agency or other governmental body, or by agreement of settlement to which the Commission or any Federal or State agency or other governmental body is a party, (i) to have violated any provision of this Act, [the securities acts], chapter 96 of title 18 of the United States Code, or any similar statute of a State or foreign jurisdiction, or any rule, regulation, or order under any such statutes, or the rules of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board where such violation involves embezzlement, theft, extortion, fraud, fraudulent conversion, misappropriation of funds, securities or property, forgery, counterfeiting, false pretenses, bribery, or gambling, or (ii) to have willfully aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, or procured such violation by any other person;
As in section 8a(2)(C)(ii), the Commission will not exercise its authority under section 8a(2)(E) of the Act with respect to any person subject to a statutory disqualification thereunder, if the findings are part of an agreement of settlement which clearly restricts the use of such findings by inclusion of a provision to the effect, inter alia, that the findings set forth in the agreement will not form the sole basis upon which the registration of such person may be affected.
Section 2(a)(1)(A) of the Act, inter alia, codifies the legal concept of respondant superior by providing that a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator or leverage transaction merchant may be held liable for the conduct of an associated person sponsored by such registrant. *
* Specifically, section 2(a)(1)(A)(iii) of the Act provides in part, that the “act, omission or failure of any official, agent, or other person acting for any individual, association, partnership, corporation, or trust within the scope of his employment or office shall be deemed the act, omission, or failure of such individual, association, partnership, corporation, or trust as well as of such official, agent, or other person.” 7 U.S.C. 4 (1982).
The Commission notes that section 8a(3)(C) and 8a(4) authorize the Commission to affect the registration of a person if it is found, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, that such person “failed reasonably to supervise another person, who is subject to such person’s supervision, with a view to preventing violations of this Act or [the securities acts], or of any of the rules, regulation or orders thereunder, and the person subject to supervision committed such a violation * * *” In this connection, the Commission believes that any proceeding to affect the registration of a registrant against which findings have been made solely pursuant to section 2(a)(1)(A) of the Act is more appropriately initiated under the provisions of section 8a(3)(C) and 8a(4).
Section 8a(2)(E) may also be interpreted to authorize the Commission to affect the registration of any person if the findings described therein are made in a proceeding initiated by a private party either in a court of law or in a reparations proceeding under section 14 of the Act. At the present time, however, the Commission does not intend to exercise its authority under section 8a(2)(E) on the basis of such findings. The Commission believes that such proceedings are intended primarily to provide restitution to the customer and are not intended to be punitive in nature. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to use findings in such proceedings to affect the registration of any person under section 8a(2)(E).
At the same time, however, such findings may form the basis of a proceeding against a person under the provisions of section 8a(3)(M) and 8a(4), which authorize the Commission, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to deny, condition, suspend, restrict or revoke the registration of any person if “there is other good cause.” Similarly, such findings may form the basis for a proceeding against a registrant under sections 8a(3)(C) and 8a(4) for the failure of such registrant “reasonably to supervise another person, who is subject to such person’s supervision, with a view to preventing violations of this Act * * * or of any of the rules, regulations or orders thereunder * * *” Moreover, because the Commission views actions by private parties as an important adjunct to the Commission’s own enforcement proceedings, the Commission intends to monitor carefully decisions in such proceedings and may amend this interpretation if deemed appropriate.
Section 8a(3) authorizes the Commission to refuse to register an applicant for registration if, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, the applicant is found subject to one or more of the disqualifications described in paragraphs (A)-(M). Section 8a(4) authorizes the Commission, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to condition, suspend, restrict, or revoke the registration of any person subject to a disqualification under section 8a(3).
Section 8a(3)(J) authorizes the Commission to affect the registration of any person if:
If such person is subject to an outstanding order denying, suspending, or expelling such person from membership in a contract market, a registered futures association, any other self-regulatory organization or any foreign regulatory body that the Commission recognizes as having a comparable regulatory program, or barring or suspending such person from being associated with any member or members of such contract market, association, self-regulatory organization, or foreign regulatory body.
The Commission interprets the term “self-regulatory organization” to include, in addition to a contract market and a registered futures association, any self-regulatory organization as defined in section 3(a)(26) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Thus, a self-regulatory organization includes any national securities exchange, any registered securities association, any registered clearing agency and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
Section 8a(3)(M). Section 8a(3)(M) authorizes the Commission to affect the registration of any person if “there is other good cause”. Specifically, the Commission interprets paragraph (M) to authorize the Commission to refuse to register such person in any new capacity, if such person, or any principal of such person, is the subject of an administrative proceeding brought by the Commission to revoke the existing registration of such person in any other capacity, pending a final decision in such administrative proceeding. The Commission believes it would be inconsistent to register a person in a new capacity, thereby determining that such person is qualified to be registered, while simultaneously seeking to revoke such person’s registration in a different capacity because such person’s conduct disqualifies him from registration.
Similarly, the Commission interprets paragraph (M) to authorize the Commission to refuse to register, register conditionally or otherwise affect the registration of any person if such person has consented, in connection with an agreement of settlement with a contract market, a registered futures association, or any other self-regulatory organization, to comply with an undertaking to withdraw all forms of existing or pending registration and/or not to apply for registration with the National Futures Association or the Commission in any capacity. Such person’s effort to violate his or her prior undertaking to withdraw from and/or not to apply for registration shall be considered to constitute “other good cause” under paragraph (M). The Commission believes that allowing such a person to be registered would be inappropriate and inconsistent with the intention of parties to the prior settlement agreement. The failure to withdraw or the attempt to register in the face of such an undertaking would indicate the lack of fair and honest dealing which the Commission believes constitutes “other good cause” for denying, revoking or conditioning registration under the Act. The Commission also believes that allowing registration in such a situation would be inconsistent with both Section 8a(2)(A), which authorizes the Commission to refuse to register, to register conditionally, or to revoke, suspend or place restrictions upon the registration of any person if such person’s prior registration has been suspended (and the period of such suspension has not expired) or has been revoked, and Section 8a(3)(J), which authorizes the Commission to refuse to register or to register conditionally any person if he or she is subject to an outstanding order denying, suspending, or expelling such person from membership in a contract market, a registered futures association, or any other self-regulatory organization.
Good cause to affect a person’s registration also exists: (1) If the operations of such person disrupt or would tend to disrupt orderly market conditions, or cause or would tend to cause sudden or unreasonable fluctuations or unwarranted changes in the price of commodities or contracts for future delivery of commodities or commodity options; (2) if such person has used or is using in its name a term such as “board of trade”, “clearing corporation” or “exchange” in a misleading context, or uses any terms in its representations to the public which may indicate that the person is a contract market or a member of a contract market when such is not the case, or has used or is using a misleading name which would tend to suggest to the public that the person is affiliated with another person when that is not the case or that the person is engaged in a commodity-related business when the person is not in fact substantially so engaged, or has failed to disclose to the public an agency relationship with another person when such failure could mislead the public; (3) if such person is subject to an outstanding order denying, suspending or revoking the license of such person by a licensing authority, such as a state real estate or insurance commission; and (4) if such person has failed to answer the inquiries or requests for further information concerning an application for registration filed with the Commission.
This listing, of course, is not exclusive. In general, the Commission interprets paragraph (M) to authorize the Commission to affect the registration of any person if, as a result of any act or pattern of conduct attributable to such person, although never the subject of formal action or proceeding before either a court or governmental agency, such person’s potential disregard of or inability to comply with the requirements of the Act or the rules, regulations or order thereunder, or such person’s moral turpitude, or lack of honesty or financial responsibility is demonstrated to the Commission.
Any inability to deal fairly with the public and consistent with just and equitable principles of trade may render an applicant or registrant unfit for registration, given the high ethical standards which must prevail in the industry.
The Commission has further addressed “other good cause” under Section 8a(3)(M) of the Act in issuing guidance letters on assessing the fitness of floor brokers, floor traders or applicants in either category:
Dear Mr. Wilmouth: As you know, the Commission on June 26, 1997, approved for publication in the
By this correspondence, the Commission is issuing guidance that provides NFA further direction on how it expects NFA to exercise its delegated power, based upon the experience of the Commission and the staff with the registration review process during the past three years. This guidance will help ensure that NFA exercises its delegated power in a manner consistent with Commission precedent.
In exercising its delegated authority, NFA, of course, needs to apply all of the provisions of Sections 8a(2) and (3) of the Commodity Exchange Act (“Act”).
One of the areas in which NFA appears to have had the most uncertainty is with regard to previous self-regulatory organization (“SRO”) disciplinary actions. Commission Rule 1.63
Rule 1.63(a)(6) provides that a “disciplinary offense” includes: (i) any violation of the rules of an SRO except those rules related to (A) decorum or attire, (B) financial requirements, or (C) reporting or record-keeping unless resulting in fines aggregating more than $5,000 within any calendar year; (ii) any rule violation described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) above that involves fraud, deceit or conversion or results in a suspension or expulsion; (iii) any violation of the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder; or (iv) any failure to exercise supervisory responsibility with respect to an act described in paragraphs (i) through (iii) above when such failure is itself a violation of either the rules of an SRO, the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
The Commission has treated the registration process and the SRO disciplinary process as separate matters involving separate considerations. The fact that the Commission has not pursued its own enforcement case in a particular situation does not necessarily mean that the Commission considers the situation to be a minor matter for which no registration sanctions are appropriate. Further, the Commission believes that it and NFA, entities with industry-wide perspective and responsibilities, are the appropriate bodies, rather than any individual exchange, to decide issues relating to registration status, which can affect a person’s ability to function in the industry well beyond the jurisdiction of a particular exchange. Thus, NFA’s role is in no way related to review of exchange sanctions for particular conduct, but rather it is the entirely separate task of determining whether an FB’s or FT’s conduct should impact his or her registration.
NFA also should look to Commission precedent in selecting conditions or restrictions to be imposed, such as a dual trading ban where a person has been involved in disciplinary offenses involving customer abuse. Where conditions or restrictions are imposed, or agreed upon, NFA also should follow Commission precedent, under which such conditions or restrictions generally have been imposed for a two-year period.
The Commission has required sponsorship for conditioned FBs and FTs when their disciplinary offenses have involved noncompetitive trading and fraud irrespective of the level of sanctions imposed by an SRO. Indeed, but for a sponsorship requirement there would be no one routinely watching and responsible for the activities of these registrants. Absent sponsorship, such FBs and FTs would only be subject to routine Commission and exchange surveillance. The Commission’s rules are premised upon the judgment that requiring FTs and FBs to have sponsors to ensure their compliance with conditions is both appropriate and useful. See Rule 3.60(b)(2)(i).
A question has arisen whether, if NFA is required to prove up the underlying facts of an SRO disciplinary action, the exchanges can provide information on exchange disciplinary proceedings directly to NFA. Although Section 8c(a)(2) of the Act states that an exchange shall not disclose the evidence for a disciplinary action except to the person disciplined and to the Commission, Section 8a(10) of the Act allows the Commission to authorize any person to perform any portion of the registration functions under the Act, notwithstanding any other provision of law. The effective discharge of the delegated registration function requires NFA to have access to the exchange evidence. Thus, the Commission believes that Section 8a(10) may reasonably be interpreted to allow the disclosure of information from exchange disciplinary proceedings directly to NFA despite the provisions of Section 8c(a)(2).
Nothing in the Notice and Order affects the Commission’s authority to review the granting of a registration application by NFA in the performance of Commission registration functions, including review of the sufficiency of conditions or restrictions imposed by NFA, to review the determination by NFA not to take action to affect an existing registration, or to take its own action to address a statutory disqualification. Moreover, the Commission Order contemplates that to allow for appropriate Commission oversight of NFA’s exercise of this delegated authority, NFA will provide for the Commission’s review quarterly schedules of all applicants cleared for registration and all registrants whose registrations are maintained without adverse action by NFA’s Registration, Compliance, Legal Committee despite potential statutory disqualifications.
The Commission will continue to monitor NFA activities through periodic rule enforcement reviews, and NFA remains subject to the present requirement that it monitor compliance with the conditions and restrictions imposed on conditioned and restricted registrants.
Sincerely,
Dear Mr. Wilmouth:
In July 1997, the Commission issued a Notice and Order authorizing the National Futures Association (“NFA”) to grant or to maintain, either with or without conditions or restrictions, floor broker (“FB”) or floor trader (“FT”) registration where NFA previously would have forwarded the case to the Commission for review of disciplinary history.
The Commission has determined to revise the Guidance Letter. Specifically, the Commission is revising the portion of the Guidance Letter that addresses the use of exchange disciplinary actions as “other good cause” to affect FB and FT registrations. The Commission has made this determination following its own reconsideration of the issue and at the urging of industry members.
The Guidance Letter pointed out that, in exercising its delegated authority, NFA must apply all of the provisions of Sections 8a(2) and (3) of the Commodity Exchange Act (“Act”).
The Guidance Letter recommended the application of the provisions of Commission Rule 1.63
Rule 1.63(a)(6) defines a “disciplinary offense” to include:
(i) any violation of the rules of an SRO except those rules related to (A) decorum or attire, (B) financial requirements, or (C) reporting or record-keeping unless resulting in fines aggregating more than $5,000 within any calendar year; (ii) any rule violation described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) above that involves fraud, deceit or conversion or results in a suspension or expulsion; (iii) any violation of the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder; or (iv) any failure to exercise supervisory responsibility with respect to an act described in paragraphs (i) through (iii) above when such failure is itself a violation of either the rules of an SRO, the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
As stated above, the Commission has determined to revise the Guidance Letter. From this point forward, NFA should cease using Rule 1.63 as the basis to evaluate the impact of an FB or FT applicant’s or registrant’s disciplinary history on his or her fitness to be registered. Instead, as Clark stated, when reviewing disciplinary history to assess the fitness to be registered of an FB, FT, or applicant in either category, a pattern of exchange disciplinary actions alleging serious rule violations that result in significant sanctions will trigger the “other good cause” provision of Section 8a(3)(M). The “pattern” should consist of at least two final exchange disciplinary actions, whether settled or adjudicated.
NFA also should consider initiating proceedings to affect the registration of the FB or FT, even if there is only a single exchange action against the FB or FT, if the exchange action was based on allegations of particularly egregious misconduct or involved numerous instances of misconduct occurring over a long period of time. If, however, a proceeding is initiated based on a single exchange action that was disposed of by settlement, NFA may have to prove up the underlying misconduct. Furthermore, traditional principles of collateral estoppel apply to adjudicated actions, whether they are being considered individually or as part of a pattern.
As provided by the Guidance Letter, “exchange disciplinary actions” would continue to include disciplinary actions taken by both futures industry SROs and SROs as defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the 1934 Exchange Act. Furthermore, NFA should review an applicant’s or registrant’s disciplinary history for the past five years.
Congress, the courts and the Commission have indicated the importance of considering an applicant’s history of exchange disciplinary actions in assessing that person’s fitness to register.
The Commission also wants to clarify to the fullest extent possible that its power to delegate the authority to deny or condition the registration of an FB, FT, or an applicant for registration in either category permits exchanges to disclose to NFA all evidence underlying exchange disciplinary actions, notwithstanding the language of Section 8c(a)(2) of the Act.
This letter supersedes the Guidance Letter to the extent discussed above. In all other aspects, the Guidance Letter and other guidance provided by the Commission or its staff remain in effect. Therefore, NFA should continue to follow Commission precedent when selecting conditions or restrictions to be imposed. For example, NFA should impose a dual trading ban where customer abuse is involved and any conditions or restrictions imposed should be for a two-year period. Furthermore, NFA should require sponsorship for conditioned FBs or FTs when their disciplinary offenses involve noncompetitive trading and fraud.
Nothing in the Notice and Order or this letter affects the Commission’s authority to review the granting of a registration application by NFA in the performance of Commission registration functions, including review of the sufficiency of conditions or restrictions imposed by NFA, to review the determination by NFA not to take action to affect an existing registration, or to take its own action to address a statutory disqualification. Moreover, the Commission Order contemplates that to allow for appropriate Commission oversight of NFA’s exercise of this delegated authority, NFA will provide for the Commission’s review quarterly schedules of all applicants cleared for registration and all registrants whose registrations are maintained without adverse action by NFA’s Registration, Compliance, Legal Committee despite potential statutory disqualifications.
The Commission will continue to monitor NFA activities through periodic rule enforcement reviews, and NFA remains subject to the present requirement that it monitor compliance with the conditions and restrictions imposed on conditioned and restricted registrants.
Sincerely,
Appendix B to Part 3—Statement of Acceptable Practices With Respect to Ethics Training
(a) The provisions of Section 4p(b) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 6p(b) (1994)) set forth requirements regarding training of registrants as to their responsibilities to the public. This section requires the Commission to issue regulations requiring new registrants to attend ethics training sessions within six months of registration, and all registrants to attend such training on a periodic basis. The awareness and maintenance of professional ethical standards are essential elements of a registrant’s fitness. Further, the use of ethics training programs is relevant to a registrant’s maintenance of adequate supervision, a requirement under Rule 166.3.
(b)(1) The Commission recognizes that technology has provided new, faster means of sharing and distributing information. In view of the foregoing, the Commission has chosen to allow registrants to develop their own ethics training programs. Nevertheless, futures industry professionals may want guidance as to the role of ethics training. Registrants may wish to consider what ethics training should be retained, its format, and how it might best be implemented. Therefore, the Commission finds it appropriate to issue this Statement of Acceptable Practices regarding appropriate training for registrants, as interpretative guidance for intermediaries on fitness and supervision. Commission registrants may look to this Statement of Acceptable Practices as a “safe harbor” concerning acceptable procedures in this area.
(2) The Commission believes that section 4p(b) of the Act reflects an intent by Congress that industry professionals be aware, and remain abreast, of their continuing obligations to the public under the Act and the regulations thereunder. The text of the Act provides guidance as to the nature of these responsibilities. As expressed in section 4p(b) of the Act, personnel in the industry have an obligation to the public to observe the Act, the rules of the Commission, the rules of any appropriate self-regulatory organizations or contract markets (which would also include registered derivatives transaction execution facilities), or other applicable federal or state laws or regulations. Further, section 4p(b) acknowledges that registrants have an obligation to the public to observe “just and equitable principles of trade.”
(3) Additionally, section 4p(b) reflects Congress’ intent that registrants and their personnel retain an up-to-date knowledge of these requirements. The Act requires that registrants receive training on a periodic basis. Thus, it is the intent of Congress that Commission registrants remain current with regard to the ethical ramifications of new technology, commercial practices, regulations, or other changes.
(c) The Commission believes that training should be focused to some extent on a person’s registration category, although there will obviously be certain principles and issues common to all registrants and certain general subjects that should be taught. Topics to be addressed include:
(1) An explanation of the applicable laws and regulations, and the rules of self-regulatory organizations or contract markets and registered derivatives transaction execution facilities;
(2) The registrant’s obligation to the public to observe just and equitable principles of trade;
(3) How to act honestly and fairly and with due skill, care and diligence in the best interests of customers and the integrity of the market;
(4) How to establish effective supervisory systems and internal controls;
(5) Obtaining and assessing the financial situation and investment experience of customers;
(6) Disclosure of material information to customers; and
(7) Avoidance, proper disclosure and handling of conflicts of interest.
(d) An acceptable ethics training program would apply to all of a firm’s associated persons and its principals to the extent they are required to register as associated persons. Additionally, personnel of firms that rely on their registration with other regulators, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be provided with ethics training to the extent the Act and the Commission’s regulations apply to their business.
(e) As to the providers of such training, the Commission believes that classes sponsored by independent persons, firms, or industry associations would be acceptable. It would also be permissible to conduct in-house training programs. Further, registrants should ascertain the credentials of any ethics training providers they retain. Thus, persons who provide ethics training should be required to provide proof of satisfactory completion of the proficiency testing requirements applicable to the registrant and evidence of three years of relevant industry or pedagogical experience in the field. This industry experience might include the practice of law in the fields of futures or securities, or employment as a trader or risk manager at a brokerage or end-user firm. Likewise, the Commission believes that registrants should employ as ethics training providers only those persons they reasonably believe in good faith are not subject to any investigations or to bars to registration or to service on a self-regulatory organization governing board or disciplinary panel.
(f)(1) With regard to the frequency and duration of ethics training, it is permissible for a firm to require training on whatever periodic basis and duration the registrant (and relevant self-regulatory organizations) deems appropriate. It may even be appropriate not to require any such specific requirements as, for example, where ethics training could be termed ongoing. For instance, a small entity, sole proprietorship, or even a small section in an otherwise large firm, might satisfy its obligation to remain current with regard to ethics obligations by distribution of periodicals, legal cases, or advisories. Use of the latest information technology, such as Internet websites, can be useful in this regard. In such a context, there would be no structured classes, but the goal should be a continuous awareness of changing industry standards. A corporate culture to maintain high ethical standards should be established on a continuing basis.
(2) On the other hand, larger firms which transact business with a larger segment of the public may wish to implement a training program that requires periodic classwork. In such a situation, the Commission believes it appropriate for registrants to maintain such records as evidence of attendance and of the materials used for training. In the case of a floor broker or floor trader, the applicable contract market or registered derivatives transaction execution facility should maintain such evidence on behalf of its member. This evidence of ethics training could be offered to demonstrate fitness and overall compliance during audits by self-regulatory organizations, and during reviews of contract market or registered derivatives transaction execution facility operations.
(g) The methodology of such training may also be flexible. Recent innovations in information technology have made possible new, fast, and cost-efficient ways for registrants to maintain their awareness of events and changes in the commodity interest markets. In this regard, the Commission recognizes that the needs of a firm will vary according to its size, personnel, and activities. No format of classes will be required. Rather, such training could be in the form of formal class lectures, video presentation, Internet transmission, or by simple distribution of written materials. These options should provide sufficiently flexible means for adherence to Congressional intent in this area.
(h) Finally, it should be noted that self-regulatory organizations and industry associations will have a significant role in this area. Such organizations may have separate ethics and proficiency standards, including ethics training and testing programs, for their own members.
Appendix C to Part 3—Guidance on the Application of § 3.3(e), Chief Compliance Officer Annual Report Form and Content
In acknowledgment of the large number of WPPs that a Registrant implements to comply with CFTC regulations, the Commission understands that for purposes of the CCO Annual Report, specific WPP descriptions may be appropriately brief while still identifying the basic purpose of the policy or procedure and how the policy or procedure operates to achieve that purpose. The CCO Annual Report should include a summary overview that describes the general forms and types of WPPs the Registrant has, such as a compliance manual specific to the Registrant, global corporate manuals or policies, and/or business-unit-specific WPPs that support the applicable regulatory requirements. This summary overview would provide a narrative of the Registrant’s system or program of WPPs, how they work as a whole, and how the Registrant generally puts the WPPs into practice as part of its compliance activities. With respect to the COI policy, it is the Commission’s view that the CCO should describe the COI policy specific to the Registrant, addressing the specific requirements of § 1.71 or § 23.605 of this chapter, as applicable.
The Commission expects a CCO Annual Report to contain a comprehensive discussion of: the assessment process; and the results of the effectiveness assessment. The regulation does not dictate the form or manner for the effectiveness assessment. Rather, the Commission would expect each Registrant to follow a process and present the resulting assessment in a form and manner that is appropriate for the size and complexity of the Registrant’s applicable business activities and structure. While § 3.3(e)(2) no longer has a “requirement-by-requirement” standard, the CCO Annual Report should address all of the general areas of regulation applicable to the Registrant.
1. Section 3.3(e)(3) requires two components in the CCO Annual Report: an identification and discussion of each area that needs improvement; and a discussion of what changes are recommended to address each area needing improvement. In addressing these two elements, the CCO Annual Report should include, as applicable: A discussion of why the particular area needs improvement; a discussion of the proposed improvements and the time frame for their implementation; and a cross-reference to the regulation that a recommended change would address.
2. In general, identifying areas in need of improvement and recommending steps to effect those improvements should be a core function of compliance. Accordingly, a CCO Annual Report that makes no recommendations for changes or improvements to the compliance program may raise concerns about the adequacy of the compliance program review intended by the CCO Annual Report process. Moreover, there should be continuity from one reporting cycle to the next, such that where a previous CCO Annual Report discussed future changes or improvements that were being considered or planned, subsequent CCO Annual Reports should discuss the outcomes of the changes that were implemented during the most recent scope period, any monitoring or testing of those changes, whether any compliance issues arose from the changes and, if there were any issues, how those issues were handled. While this section may address improvements to the compliance program that have already been completed, the Commission believes that this section primarily should discuss recommended improvements in process and/or future plans to improve the Registrant’s compliance program or resources devoted to compliance.
1. The resources description required by § 3.3(e)(4) should be appropriate for assisting the Registrant’s senior management and the CFTC in assessing whether sufficient resources are dedicated to compliance. Accordingly, the description should include the following types of information: the budget allocated to the compliance department of the Registrant for compliance with the CEA and Commission regulations; full-time compliance staffing levels for such compliance activities; partially allocated staff counts (if applicable), with information on how much of such employees’ time is devoted to the Registrant’s compliance matters that are subject to CFTC oversight; an explanation of managerial resources (the explanation should clearly identify the division between staffing resources and management resources devoted to compliance); general infrastructure information (e.g., computers, compliance-oriented software, technology infrastructure, etc.); and if applicable, a description of the use of third party vendors or outsourcing for compliance activities. In most cases, to effectively inform the board of directors or senior officer and the Commission, the description should include quantifiable information for the financial, managerial, operational, and staffing resources allocated to compliance with the CEA and Commission regulations.
2. The Commission understands that a discussion of specific compliance budget allocations may not be as straightforward as described above depending on the size and complexity of the Registrant’s compliance program and the extent to which the Registrant’s compliance resources may be shared for other non-CFTC regulated business activities. The purpose of the CCO Annual Report requirement is to convey to senior management and the CFTC a clear understanding of the resources the Registrant has set aside for compliance with the CEA and Commission regulations. While some of the compliance resources used in a Registrant’s CFTC compliance-related program may be used for compliance activities in other parts of a larger corporate enterprise, this sharing of resources does not negate the Registrant’s obligation to discuss how the Registrant’s compliance program is being resourced. For those instances where compliance resources are shared, it is recognized that the description of the shared resources may reasonably be more general in nature, providing approximations and estimates based on expected needs. However, the Commission expects that the CCO Annual Report will still address shared resources in as much detail as is necessary to convey the information needed to assess the overall compliance activities of the Registrant.
3. Section 3.3(e)(4) also requires that the CCO Annual Report include a discussion of any material deficiencies in compliance resources. If there have been reductions in the compliance program of the Registrant since the prior reporting period, for example, if there has been a reduction in compliance staff, a significant compliance budget decrease, or the Registrant initiated significant new business activities without a corresponding increase in compliance resources, the CCO Annual Report should include an explanation of why the compliance resources are not deficient in light of the changes. If there are no material deficiencies in the resources devoted to compliance, the Commission recommends that the CCO Annual Report contain an express statement to that effect so that the recipients of the report can see that the requirement was assessed.
The CCO Annual Report should include an explanation of the standard the Registrant used to determine a non-compliance event’s materiality. In addition, this section of the CCO Annual Report should contain a description of each material non-compliance issue identified either through self-assessment procedures conducted within the Registrant, or noted by any external entities which conducted a review of the Registrant (such as a designated self-regulatory organization). The description should also include the corresponding actions taken, described in reasonable detail, as well as specific references to the Commission regulation or regulations that are implicated by the non-compliance event. Specifically, the Commission recommends that the CCO Annual Report include a discussion of the Registrant’s deliberations on a course of remediation, how the implementation of the remediation is being or was executed, any follow-up testing of the remediation, and any noteworthy results from such testing. Additionally, the Commission recommends that CCOs consider including an overview of how the CCO or compliance department handles and tracks non-compliance events in general.
When describing any material changes to the WPPs, a description of the standard of materiality used should be provided. This description will provide meaningful context for any reported changes to the WPPs.
PART 4—COMMODITY POOL OPERATORS AND COMMODITY TRADING ADVISORS
Subpart A—General Provisions, Definitions and Exemptions
§ 4.1 Requirements as to form.
(a) Each document distributed pursuant to this part 4 must be:
(1) Clear and legible;
(2) Paginated; and
(3) Fastened in a secure manner.
(b) Information that is required to be “prominently” disclosed under this part 4 must be displayed in capital letters and in boldface type.
(c) Where a document is distributed through an electronic medium:
(1) The requirements of paragraphs (a) of this section shall mean that required information must be presented in a format that is readily communicated to the recipient. For purposes of this paragraph (c), information is readily communicated to the recipient if it is accessible to the ordinary user by means of commonly available hardware and software and if the electronically delivered document is organized in substantially the same manner as would be required for a paper document with respect to the order of presentation and the relative prominence of information. Where a table of contents is required, the electronic document must either include page numbers in the text or employ a substantially equivalent cross-reference or indexing method or tool;
(2) The requirements of paragraph (b) of this section shall mean that such information must be presented in capital letters and boldface type or, as warranted in the context, another manner reasonably calculated to draw the recipient’s attention to the information and accord it greater prominence than the surrounding text; and
(3) A complete paper version of the document that complies with the applicable provisions of this part 4 must be provided to the recipient upon request.
(d) If graphic, image or audio material is included in a document delivered to a prospective or existing client or pool participant, and such material cannot be reproduced in an electronic filing, a fair and accurate narrative description, tabular representation or transcript of the omitted material must be included in the filed version of the document. Inclusion of such material in a Disclosure Document shall be subject to the requirements of § 4.24(v) in the case of pool Disclosure Documents, and § 4.34(n) in the case of commodity trading advisor Disclosure Documents.
§§ 4.2-4.4 [Reserved]
§ 4.5 Exclusion for certain otherwise regulated persons from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator.”
(a) Subject to compliance with the provisions of this section, the following persons, and any principal or employee thereof, shall be excluded from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” with respect to the operation of a qualifying entity specified in paragraph (b) of this section:
(1) An investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended;
(2) An insurance company subject to regulation by any State;
(3) A bank, trust company or any other such financial depository institution subject to regulation by any State or the United States; and
(4) A trustee of, a named fiduciary of (or a person designated or acting as a fiduciary pursuant to a written delegation from or other written agreement with the named fiduciary) or an employer maintaining a pension plan that is subject to title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; Provided, however, That for purposes of this § 4.5 the following employee benefit plans shall not be construed to be pools:
(i) A noncontributory plan, whether defined benefit or defined contribution, covered under title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974;
(ii) A contributory defined benefit plan covered under title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; Provided, however, That with respect to any such plan to which an employee may voluntarily contribute, no portion of an employee’s contribution is committed as margin or premiums for futures or options contracts;
(iii) A plan defined as a governmental plan in section 3(32) of title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974;
(iv) Any employee welfare benefit plan that is subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; and
(v) A plan defined as a church plan in Section 3(33) of title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 with respect to which no election has been made under 26 U.S.C. 410(d).
(b) For the purposes of this section, the term “qualifying entity” means:
(1) With respect to any person specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or a business development company that elected an exemption from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940;
(2) With respect to any person specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a separate account established and maintained or offered by an insurance company pursuant to the laws of any State or territory of the United States, under which income gains and losses, whether or not realized, from assets allocated to such account, are, in accordance with the applicable contract, credited to or charged against such account, without regard to other income, gains, or losses of the insurance company;
(3) With respect to any person specified in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the assets of any trust, custodial account or other separate unit of investment for which it is acting as a fiduciary and for which it is vested with investment authority; and
(4) With respect to any person specified in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, and subject to the proviso thereof, a pension plan that is subject to title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; Provided, however, That such entity will be operated in the manner specified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
(c) Any person who desires to claim the exclusion provided by this section shall file electronically a notice of eligibility with the National Futures Association through its electronic exemption filing system; Provided, however, That a plan fiduciary who is not a named fiduciary as described in paragraph (a)(4) of this section may claim the exclusion through the notice filed by the named fiduciary.
(1) The notice of eligibility must contain the following information:
(i) The name of such person;
(ii) The applicable subparagraph of paragraph (a) of this section pursuant to which such person is claiming exclusion;
(iii) The name of the qualifying entity which such person intends to operate pursuant to the exclusion; and
(iv) The applicable subparagraph of paragraph (b) of this section pursuant to which such entity is a qualifying entity.
(2) The notice of eligibility must contain representations that such person will operate the qualifying entity specified therein in the following ways, as applicable:
(i) The person will disclose in writing to each participant, whether existing or prospective, that the qualifying entity is operated by a person who has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Act and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under the Act; Provided, that such disclosure is made in accordance with the requirements of any other federal or state regulatory authority to which the qualifying entity is subject. The qualifying entity may make such disclosure by including the information in any document that its other Federal or State regulator requires to be furnished routinely to participants or, if no such document is furnished routinely, the information may be disclosed in any instrument establishing the entity’s investment policies and objectives that the other regulator requires to be made available to the entity’s participants; and
(ii) The person will submit to such special calls as the Commission may make to require the qualifying entity to demonstrate compliance with the provisions of this paragraph (c); Provided, however, that the making of such representations shall not be deemed a substitute for compliance with any criteria applicable to commodity futures or commodity options trading established by any regulator to which such person or qualifying entity is subject; and
(iii) If the person is an investment adviser claiming an exclusion with respect to the operation of a qualifying entity under paragraph (b)(1) of this section, then the notice of eligibility must also contain representations that such person will operate that qualifying entity in a manner such that the qualifying entity:
(A) Will use commodity futures or commodity options contracts, or swaps solely for bona fide hedging purposes within the meaning and intent of the definition of bona fide hedging transactions and positions for excluded commodities in §§ 1.3 and 151.5 of this chapter; Provided however, That, in addition, with respect to positions in commodity futures or commodity options contracts, or swaps which do not come within the meaning and intent of the definition of bona fide hedging transactions and positions for excluded commodities in §§ 1.3 and 151.5 of this chapter, a qualifying entity may represent that the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish such positions will not exceed five percent of the liquidation value of the qualifying entity’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such contracts it has entered into; and, Provided further, That in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of the purchase, the in-the-money amount as defined in § 190.01of this chapter may be excluded in computing such five percent; or
(B) The aggregate net notional value of commodity futures, commodity options contracts, or swaps positions not used solely for bona fide hedging purposes within the meaning and intent of the definition of bona fide hedging transactions and positions for excluded commodities in §§ 1.3 and 151.5 of this chapter determined at the time the most recent position was established, does not exceed 100 percent of the liquidation value of the pool’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions it has entered into. For purposes of this paragraph:
(1) The term “notional value” shall be calculated for each futures position by multiplying the number of contracts by the size of the contract, in contract units (taking into account any multiplier specified in the contract), by the current market price per unit, for each such option position by multiplying the number of contracts by the size of the contract, adjusted by its delta, in contract units (taking into account any multiplier specified in the contract), by the strike price per unit, for each such retail forex transaction, by calculating the value in U.S. Dollars for such transaction, at the time the transaction was established, excluding for this purpose the value in U.S. Dollars of offsetting long and short transactions, if any, and for any cleared swap by the value as determined consistent with the terms of 17 CFR part 45; and
(2) The person may net futures contracts with the same underlying commodity across designated contract markets and foreign boards of trade; and swaps cleared on the same designated clearing organization where appropriate; and (C) Will not be, and has not been, marketing participations to the public as or in a commodity pool or otherwise as or in a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options, or swaps markets.
(3) The notice of eligibility must be filed with the National Futures Association prior to the date upon which such person intends to operate the qualifying entity pursuant to the exclusion provided by this section.
(4) The notice of eligibility shall be effective upon filing.
(5) Annual notice. Each person who has filed a notice of exclusion under this section must affirm on an annual basis the notice of exemption from registration, withdraw such exemption due to the cessation of activities requiring registration or exemption therefrom, or withdraw such exemption and apply for registration within 60 days of the calendar year end through National Futures Association’s electronic exemption filing system.
(d)(1) Each person who has claimed an exclusion hereunder must, in the event that any of the information contained or representations made in the notice of eligibility becomes inaccurate or incomplete, amend the notice electronically through National Futures Association’s electronic exemption filing system as may be necessary to render the notice of eligibility accurate and complete.
(2) This amendment required by paragraph (d)(1) of this section shall be filed within fifteen business days after the occurrence of such event.
(e) An exclusion claimed hereunder shall cease to be effective upon any change which would render:
(1) A person as to whom such exclusion has been claimed ineligible under paragraph (a) of this section;
(2) The entity for which such exclusion has been claimed ineligible under paragraph (b) of this section; or
(3) Either the representations made pursuant to paragraph (c)(2) of this section inaccurate or the continuation of such representations false or misleading.
(f) Any notice required to be filed hereunder must be filed by a representative duly authorized to bind the person specified in paragraph (a) of this section.
(g) The filing of a notice of eligibility or the application of “non-pool status” under this section will not affect the ability of a person to qualify for an exemption from registration as a commodity pool operator under § 4.13 in connection with the operation of another trading vehicle that is not covered under this § 4.5.
§ 4.6 Exclusion for certain otherwise regulated persons from the definition of the term “commodity trading advisor.”
(a) Subject to compliance with the provisions of this section, the following persons, and any principal or employee thereof, shall be excluded from the definition of the term “commodity trading advisor:”
(1) An insurance company subject to regulation by any State, or any wholly-owned subsidiary or employee thereof; Provided, however, That its commodity interest advisory activities are solely incidental to the conduct of the insurance business of the insurance company as such; and
(2) A person who is excluded from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” by § 4.5; Provided, however, That:
(i) Its commodity interest advisory activities are solely incidental to its operation of those trading vehicles for which § 4.5 provides relief; and
(ii) Where necessary, prior to providing any commodity interest trading advice to any such trading vehicle the person files a notice of eligibility as specified in § 4.5 to claim the relief available under that section.
(3) A swap dealer registered with the Commission as such pursuant to the Act or excluded or exempt from registration under the Act or the Commission’s regulations; Provided, however, That the commodity interest and swap advisory activities of the swap dealer are solely incidental to the conduct of its business as a swap dealer.
(b) Any person who has claimed an exclusion under this § 4.6 must submit to such special calls as the Commission may make to require the person to demonstrate compliance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) An exclusion claimed under this § 4.6 shall cease to be effective upon any change which would render the person claiming the exclusion ineligible under paragraph (a) of this section.
§ 4.7 Exemption from certain part 4 requirements for commodity pool operators with respect to offerings to qualified eligible persons and for commodity trading advisors with respect to advising qualified eligible persons.
This section is organized as follows: Paragraph (a) contains definitions for the purposes of § 4.7; paragraph (b) contains the relief available to commodity pool operators under § 4.7; paragraph (c) contains the relief available to commodity trading advisors under § 4.7; paragraph (d) concerns the Notice of Claim for Exemption under § 4.7; and paragraph (e) addresses the effect of an insignificant deviation from a term, condition or requirement of § 4.7.
(a) Definitions. Paragraph (a)(1) of this section contains general definitions, paragraph (a)(2) of this section contains the definition of the term qualified eligible person with respect to those persons who do not need to satisfy the Portfolio Requirement and paragraph (a)(3) of this section contains the definition of the term qualified eligible person with respect to those persons who must satisfy the Portfolio Requirement. For the purposes of this section:
(1) In general—(i) Affiliate of, or a person affiliated with, a specified person means a person that directly or indirectly through one or more persons, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the specified person.
(ii) Exempt account means the account of a qualified eligible person that is directed or guided by a commodity trading advisor pursuant to an effective claim for exemption under § 4.7.
(iii) Exempt pool means a pool that is operated pursuant to an effective claim for exemption under § 4.7.
(iv) Non-United States person means:
(A) A natural person who is not a resident of the United States;
(B) A partnership, corporation or other entity, other than an entity organized principally for passive investment, organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction and which has its principal place of business in a foreign jurisdiction;
(C) An estate or trust, the income of which is not subject to United States income tax regardless of source;
(D) An entity organized principally for passive investment such as a pool, investment company or other similar entity; Provided, That units of participation in the entity held by persons who do not qualify as Non-United States persons or otherwise as qualified eligible persons represent in the aggregate less than 10% of the beneficial interest in the entity, and that such entity was not formed principally for the purpose of facilitating investment by persons who do not qualify as Non-United States persons in a pool with respect to which the operator is exempt from certain requirements of part 4 of the Commission’s regulations by virtue of its participants being Non-United States persons; and
(E) A pension plan for the employees, officers or principals of an entity organized and with its principal place of business outside the United States.
(v) Portfolio Requirement means that a person:
(A) Owns securities (including pool participations) of issuers not affiliated with such person and other investments with an aggregate market value of at least $2,000,000;
(B) Has had on deposit with a futures commission merchant, for its own account at any time during the six-month period preceding either the date of sale to that person of a pool participation in the exempt pool or the date that the person opens an exempt account with the commodity trading advisor, at least $200,000 in exchange-specified initial margin and option premiums, together with required minimum security deposit for retail forex transactions (as defined in § 5.1(m) of this chapter) for commodity interest transactions; or
(C) Owns a portfolio comprised of a combination of the funds or property specified in paragraphs (a)(1)(v)(A) and (B) of this section in which the sum of the funds or property includable under paragraph (a)(1)(v)(A), expressed as a percentage of the minimum amount required thereunder, and the amount of futures margin and option premiums includable under paragraph (a)(1)(v)(B), expressed as a percentage of the minimum amount required thereunder, equals at least one hundred percent. An example of a composite portfolio acceptable under this paragraph (a)(1)(v)(C) would consist of $1,000,000 in securities and other property (50% of paragraph (a)(1)(v)(A)) and $100,000 in exchange-specified initial margin and option premiums (50% of paragraph (a)(1)(v)(B)).
(vi) United States means the United States, its states, territories or possessions, or an enclave of the United States government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
(2) Persons who do not need to satisfy the Portfolio Requirement to be qualified eligible persons. Qualified eligible person means any person, acting for its own account or for the account of a qualified eligible person, who the commodity pool operator reasonably believes, at the time of the sale to that person of a pool participation in the exempt pool, or who the commodity trading advisor reasonably believes, at the time that person opens an exempt account, is:
(i)(A) A futures commission merchant registered pursuant to section 4d of the Act, or a principal thereof;
(B) A retail foreign exchange dealer registered pursuant to section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)(gg) of the Act, or a principal thereof;
(C) A swap dealer registered pursuant to section 4s(a)(1) of the Act, or a principal thereof;
(ii) A broker or dealer registered pursuant to section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or a principal thereof;
(iii) A commodity pool operator registered pursuant to section 4m of the Act, or a principal thereof; Provided, That the pool operator:
(A) Has been registered and active as such for two years; or
(B) Operates pools which, in the aggregate, have total assets in excess of $5,000,000;
(iv) A commodity trading advisor registered pursuant to section 4m of the Act, or a principal thereof; Provided, That the trading advisor:
(A) Has been registered and active as such for two years; or
(B) Provides commodity interest trading advice to commodity accounts which, in the aggregate, have total assets in excess of $5,000,000 deposited at one or more futures commission merchants;
(v) An investment adviser registered pursuant to section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Investment Advisers Act”) or pursuant to the laws of any state, or a principal thereof; Provided, That the investment adviser:
(A) Has been registered and active as such for two years; or
(B) Provides securities investment advice to securities accounts which, in the aggregate, have total assets in excess of $5,000,000 deposited at one or more registered securities brokers;
(vi) A “qualified purchaser” as defined in section 2(a)(51)(A) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”);
(vii) A “knowledgeable employee” as defined in § 270.3c-5 of this title;
(viii)(A) With respect to an exempt pool:
(1) The commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor or investment adviser of the exempt pool offered or sold, or an affiliate of any of the foregoing;
(2) A principal of the exempt pool or the commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor or investment adviser of the exempt pool, or of an affiliate of any of the foregoing;
(3) An employee of the exempt pool or the commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor or investment adviser of the exempt pool, or of an affiliate of any of the foregoing (other than an employee performing solely clerical, secretarial or administrative functions with regard to such person or its investments) who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, participates in the investment activities of the exempt pool, other commodity pools operated by the pool operator of the exempt pool or other accounts advised by the trading advisor or the investment adviser of the exempt pool, or by the affiliate; Provided, That such employee has been performing such functions and duties for or on behalf of the exempt pool, pool operator, trading advisor, investment adviser or affiliate, or substantially similar functions or duties for or on behalf of another person engaged in providing commodity interest, securities or other financial services, for at least 12 months;
(4) Any other employee of, or an agent engaged to perform legal, accounting, auditing or other financial services for, the exempt pool or the commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor or investment adviser of the exempt pool, or any other employee of, or agent so engaged by, an affiliate of any of the foregoing (other than an employee or agent performing solely clerical, secretarial or administrative functions with regard to such person or its investments); Provided, That such employee or agent:
(i) Is an accredited investor as defined in § 230.501(a)(5) or (6) of this title; and
(ii) Has been employed or engaged by the exempt pool, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, investment adviser or affiliate, or by another person engaged in providing commodity interest, securities or other financial services, for at least 24 months;
(5) The spouse, child, sibling or parent of a person who satisfies the criteria of paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(A)(1), (2), (3) or (4) of this section; Provided, That:
(i) An investment in the exempt pool by any such family member is made with the knowledge and at the direction of the person; and
(ii) The family member is not a qualified eligible person for the purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(xi) of this section;
(6)(i) Any person who acquires a participation in the exempt pool by gift, bequest or pursuant to an agreement relating to a legal separation or divorce from a person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(A)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section;
(ii) The estate of any person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(A)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section; or
(iii) A company established by any person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(A)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section exclusively for the benefit of (or owned exclusively by) that person and any person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(A)(6)(i) or (ii) of this section;
(B) With respect to an exempt account:
(1) An affiliate of the commodity trading advisor of the exempt account;
(2) A principal of the commodity trading advisor of the exempt account or of an affiliate of the trading advisor;
(3) An employee of the commodity trading advisor of the exempt account or of an affiliate of the trading advisor (other than an employee performing solely clerical, secretarial or administrative functions with regard to such person or its investments) who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, participates in the investment activities of the trading advisor or the affiliate; Provided, That such employee has been performing such functions and duties for or on behalf of the trading advisor or the affiliate, or substantially similar functions or duties for or on behalf of another person engaged in providing commodity interest, securities or other financial services, for at least 12 months;
(4) Any other employee of, or an agent engaged to perform legal, accounting, auditing or other financial services for, the commodity trading advisor of the exempt account or any other employee of, or agent so engaged by, an affiliate of the trading advisor (other than an employee or agent performing solely clerical, secretarial or administrative functions with regard to such person or its investments); Provided, That such employee or agent:
(i) Is an accredited investor as defined in § 230.501(a)(5) or (a)(6) of this title; and
(ii) Has been employed or engaged by the commodity trading advisor or the affiliate, or by another person engaged in providing commodity interest, securities or other financial services, for at least 24 months; or
(5) The spouse, child, sibling or parent of the commodity trading advisor of the exempt account or of a person who satisfies the criteria of paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(B)(1), (2), (3) or (4) of this section; Provided, That:
(i) The establishment of an exempt account by any such family member is made with the knowledge and at the direction of the person; and
(ii) The family member is not a qualified eligible person for the purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(xi) of this section;
(6)(i) Any person who acquires an interest in an exempt account by gift, bequest or pursuant to an agreement relating to a legal separation or divorce from a person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(B)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section;
(ii) The estate of any person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(B)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section; or
(iii) A company established by any person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(B)(1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section exclusively for the benefit of (or owned exclusively by) that person and any person listed in paragraph (a)(2)(viii)(B)(6)(i) or (ii) of this section;
(ix) A trust; Provided, That:
(A) The trust was not formed for the specific purpose of either participating in the exempt pool or opening an exempt account; and
(B) The trustee or other person authorized to make investment decisions with respect to the trust, and each settlor or other person who has contributed assets to the trust, is a qualified eligible person;
(x) An organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”); Provided, That the trustee or other person authorized to make investment decisions with respect to the organization, and the person who has established the organization, is a qualified eligible person;
(xi) A Non-United States person;
(xii)(A) An entity in which all of the unit owners or participants, other than the commodity trading advisor claiming relief under this section, are qualified eligible persons;
(B) An exempt pool; or
(C) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(3) of this section, an entity as to which a notice of eligibility has been filed pursuant to § 4.5 which is operated in accordance with such rule and in which all unit owners or participants, other than the commodity trading advisor claiming relief under this section, are qualified eligible persons.
(3) Persons who must satisfy the Portfolio Requirement to be qualified eligible persons. Qualified eligible person means any person who the commodity pool operator reasonably believes, at the time of the sale to that person of a pool participation in the exempt pool, or any person who the commodity trading advisor reasonably believes, at the time that person opens an exempt account, satisfies the Portfolio Requirement and is:
(i) An investment company registered under the Investment Company Act or a business development company as defined in section 2(a)(48) of such Act not formed for the specific purpose of either investing in the exempt pool or opening an exempt account;
(ii) A bank as defined in section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) or any savings and loan association or other institution as defined in section 3(a)(5)(A) of the Securities Act acting for its own account or for the account of a qualified eligible person;
(iii) An insurance company as defined in section 2(13) of the Securities Act acting for its own account or for the account of a qualified eligible person;
(iv) A plan established and maintained by a state, its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality of a state or its political subdivisions, for the benefit of its employees, if such plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000;
(v) An employee benefit plan within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; Provided, That the investment decision is made by a plan fiduciary, as defined in section 3(21) of such Act, which is a bank, savings and loan association, insurance company, or registered investment adviser; or that the employee benefit plan has total assets in excess of $5,000,000; or, if the plan is self-directed, that investment decisions are made solely by persons that are qualified eligible persons;
(vi) A private business development company as defined in section 202(a)(22) of the Investment Advisers Act;
(vii) An organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRC, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000;
(viii) A corporation, Massachusetts or similar business trust, or partnership, limited liability company or similar business venture, other than a pool, which has total assets in excess of $5,000,000, and is not formed for the specific purpose of either participating in the exempt pool or opening an exempt account;
(ix) A natural person whose individual net worth, or joint net worth with that person’s spouse at the time of either his purchase in the exempt pool or his opening of an exempt account would qualify him as an accredited investor as defined in § 230.501(a)(5) of this title;
(x) A natural person who would qualify as an accredited investor as defined in § 203.501(a)(6) of this title;
(xi) A pool, trust, insurance company separate account or bank collective trust, with total assets in excess of $5,000,000, not formed for the specific purpose of either participating in the exempt pool or opening an exempt account, and whose participation in the exempt pool or investment in the exempt account is directed by a qualified eligible person; or
(xii) Except as provided for the governmental entities referenced in paragraph (a)(3)(iv) of this section, if otherwise authorized by law to engage in such transactions, a governmental entity (including the United States, a state, or a foreign government) or political subdivision thereof, or a multinational or supranational entity or an instrumentality, agency, or department of any of the foregoing.
(b) Relief available to commodity pool operators—(1) Eligibility. Relief from specific compliance obligations is available to certain registered commodity pool operators with respect to the pool(s) they operate, provided that the registered commodity pool operator files the required notice under paragraph (d) of this section and otherwise complies with the conditions of paragraph (d) of this section in operating the exempt pool(s).
(i) Types of commodity pools. (A) Regarding an offering that is exempt from registration under section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, any registered commodity pool operator who offers or sells participations in such a pool solely to qualified eligible persons, without marketing to the public, may claim any or all of the relief described in this paragraph (b) with respect to such pool; Provided, that the prohibition on marketing to the public shall not apply to a registered commodity pool operator who offers or sells participations in a pool offered pursuant to § 230.506(c) of this title.
(B) Regarding an offering that is offered and sold pursuant to Regulation S, § § 230.901 through 230.905 of this title, any registered commodity pool operator who offers or sells participations in such a pool solely to qualified eligible persons, without marketing to the public, may claim any or all of the relief described in this paragraph (b) with respect to such pool.
(C) Regarding a pool that is a collective trust fund, the securities of which are exempt from registration pursuant to section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, any bank registered as a commodity pool operator that offers or sells participations in such a pool solely to qualified eligible persons, without marketing to the public, may claim any or all of the relief described in this paragraph (b) with respect to such pool.
(ii) Resales. A registered commodity pool operator may claim any or all of the relief described in this paragraph (b) with respect to the pools described in paragraphs (b)(1)(i)(A) through (C) of this section, if participations in such pools are resold pursuant to Rule 144A (§ 230.144A of this title).
(2) Disclosure relief. (i) Exemption from the specific requirements of §§ 4.21, 4.24, 4.25 and 4.26 with respect to each exempt pool; Provided, That if an offering memorandum is distributed in connection with soliciting prospective participants in the exempt pool, such offering memorandum must include all disclosures necessary to make the information contained therein, in the context in which it is furnished, not misleading; and that the following statement is prominently disclosed on the cover page of the offering memorandum, or, if none is provided, immediately above the signature line on the subscription agreement or other document that the prospective participant must execute to become a participant in the pool:
“PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH POOLS WHOSE PARTICIPANTS ARE LIMITED TO QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM FOR THIS POOL IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A POOL OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF AN OFFERING MEMORANDUM. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS OFFERING OR ANY OFFERING MEMORANDUM FOR THIS POOL.”
(ii) Exemption from disclosing the past performance of exempt pools in the Disclosure Document of non-exempt pools except to the extent that such past performance is material to the non-exempt pool being offered; Provided, That a pool operator that has claimed exemption hereunder and elects not to disclose any such performance in the Disclosure Document of non-exempt pools shall state in a footnote to the performance disclosure therein that the operator is operating or has operated exempt pools whose performance is not disclosed in this Disclosure Document.
(3) Periodic reporting relief. (i) Exemption from the specific requirements of § 4.22(a) and (b), provided, that a statement signed and affirmed in accordance with § 4.22(h) is prepared and distributed to pool participants no less frequently than quarterly within 30 calendar days after the end of the reporting period. This statement must be presented and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and indicate:
(A) The net asset value of the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period;
(B) The change in net asset value from the end of the previous reporting period; and
(C) Either the net asset value per outstanding participation unit in the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period, or the total value of the participant’s interest or share in the exempt pool as of the end of the reporting period.
(ii) Where the pool is comprised of more than one ownership class or series, the net asset value of the series or class on which the account statement is reporting, and the net asset value per unit or value of the participant’s share, also must be included in the statement required by this paragraph (b)(3); except that, for a pool that is a series fund structured with limitation on liability among the different series, the account statement required by this paragraph (b)(3) is not required to include the consolidated net asset value of all series of the pool.
(iii) A commodity pool operator that meets the conditions specified in § 4.22(d)(2)(i) to present and compute the pool’s financial statements contained in the Annual Report other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and has filed notice pursuant to § 4.22(d)(2)(iii), may also use the alternative accounting principles, standards or practices identified in that notice with respect to the computation and presentation of the account statement.
(4) Annual report relief. (i) Exemption from the specific requirements of § 4.22(c) of this part; Provided, that within 90 calendar days after the end of the exempt pool’s fiscal year or the permanent cessation of trading, whichever is earlier, the commodity pool operator electronically files with the National Futures Association and distributes to each participant in lieu of the financial information and statements specified by that section, an annual report for the exempt pool, affirmed in accordance with § 4.22(h) which contains, at a minimum:
(A) A Statement of Financial Condition as of the close of the exempt pool’s fiscal year (elected in accordance with § 4.22(g));
(B) A Statement of Operations for that year;
(C) Appropriate footnote disclosure and such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading. For a pool that invests in other funds, this information must include, but is not limited to, separately disclosing the amounts of income, management and incentive fees associated with each investment in an investee fund that exceeds five percent of the pool’s net assets. The income, management and incentive fees associated with an investment in an investee fund that is less than five percent of the pool’s net assets may be combined and reported in the aggregate with the income, management and incentive fees of other investee funds that, individually, represent an investment of less than five percent of the pool’s net assets. If the commodity pool operator is not able to obtain the specific amounts of management and incentive fees charged by an investee fund, the commodity pool operator must disclose the percentage amounts and computational basis for each such fee and include a statement that the CPO is not able to obtain the specific fee amounts for this fund;
(D) Where the pool is comprised of more than one ownership class or series, information for the series or class on which the financial statements are reporting should be presented in addition to the information presented for the pool as a whole; except that, for a pool that is a series fund structured with a limitation on liability among the different series, the financial statements are not required to include consolidated information for all series.
(ii) Legend. If a claim for exemption has been made pursuant to this section, the commodity pool operator must make a statement to that effect on the cover page of each annual report.
(5) Recordkeeping relief. Exemption from the specific requirements of § 4,23; Provided, That the commodity pool operator must maintain the reports referred to in paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section and all books and records prepared in connection with his activities as the pool operator of the exempt pool (including, without limitation, records relating to the qualifications of qualified eligible persons and substantiating any performance representations). Books and records that are not maintained at the pool operator’s main business office shall be maintained by one or more of the following: the pool’s administrator, distributor or custodian, or a bank or registered broker or dealer acting in a similar capacity with respect to the pool. Such books and records must be made available to any representative of the Commission, the National Futures Association and the United States Department of Justice in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31.
(6) If the pool operator does not maintain its books and records at its main business office, the pool operator shall:
(i) At the time it registers with the Commission or delegates its recordkeeping obligations, whichever is later, file a statement that:
(A) Identifies the name, main business address, and main business telephone number of the person(s) who will be keeping required books and records in lieu of the pool operator;
(B) Sets forth the name and telephone number of a contact for each person who will be keeping required books and records in lieu of the pool operator;
(C) Specifies, by reference to the respective paragraph of this section, the books and records that such person will be keeping; and
(D) Contains representations from the pool operator that:
(1) It will promptly amend the statement if the contact information or location of any of the books and records required to be kept by this section changes, by identifying in such amendment the new location and any other information that has changed;
(2) It remains responsible for ensuring that all books and records required by this section are kept in accordance with § 1.31;
(3) Within 48 hours after a request by a representative of the Commission, it will obtain the original books and records from the location at which they are maintained, and provide them for inspection at the pool operator’s main business office; Provided, however, that if the original books and records are permitted to be, and are maintained, at a location outside the United States, its territories or possessions, the pool operator will obtain and provide such original books and records for inspection at the pool operator’s main business office within 72 hours of such a request; and
(4) It will disclose in the pool’s Disclosure Document the location of its books and records that are required under this section.
(ii) The pool operator shall also file electronically with the National Futures Association a statement from each person who will be keeping required books and records in lieu of the pool operator wherein such person:
(A) Acknowledges that the pool operator intends that the person keep and maintain required pool books and records;
(B) Agrees to keep and maintain such records required in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter; and
(C) Agrees to keep such required books and records open to inspection by any representative of the Commission, the National Futures Association, or the United States Department of Justice in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(c) Relief available to commodity trading advisors. Upon filing the notice required by paragraph (d) of this section, and subject to compliance with the conditions specified in paragraph (d) of this section, any registered commodity trading advisor who anticipates directing or guiding the commodity interest accounts of qualified eligible persons may claim any or all of the following relief with respect to the accounts of qualified eligible persons who have given due consent to their account being an exempt account under § 4.7:
(1) Disclosure relief. (i) Exemption from the specific requirements of §§ 4.31, 4.34, 4.35 and 4.36; Provided, That if the commodity trading advisor delivers a brochure or other disclosure statement to such qualified eligible persons, such brochure or statement shall include all additional disclosures necessary to make the information contained therein, in the context in which it is furnished, not misleading; and that the following statement is prominently displayed on the cover page of the brochure or statement or, if none is provided, immediately above the signature line of the agreement that the client must execute before it opens an account with the commodity trading advisor:
“PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.”
(ii) Exemption from disclosing the past performance of exempt accounts in the Disclosure Document for non-exempt accounts except to the extent that such past performance is material to the non-exempt account being offered; Provided, That a commodity trading advisor that has claimed exemption hereunder and elects not to disclose any such performance in the Disclosure Document for non-exempt accounts shall state in a footnote to the performance disclosure therein that the advisor is advising or has advised exempt accounts for qualified eligible persons whose performance is not disclosed in this Disclosure Document.
(2) Recordkeeping relief. Exemption from the specific requirements of § 4.33; Provided, That the commodity trading advisor must maintain, at its main business office, all books and records prepared in connection with his activities as the commodity trading advisor of qualified eligible persons (including, without limitation, records relating to the qualifications of such qualified eligible persons and substantiating any performance representations) and must make such books and records available to any representative of the Commission, the National Futures Association and the United States Department of Justice in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31.
(d) Notice of claim for exemption. (1) A notice of a claim for exemption under this section must:
(i) Provide the name, main business address, main business telephone number and the National Futures Association commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor identification number of the person claiming the exemption;
(ii)(A) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, provide the name(s) of the pool(s) for which the request is made; Provided, That a single notice representing that the pool operator anticipates operating single-investor pools may be filed to claim exemption for single-investor pools and such notice need not name each such pool;
(B) Where the claimant is a commodity trading advisor, contain a representation that the trading advisor anticipates providing commodity interest trading advice to qualified eligible persons;
(iii) Contain representations that:
(A) Neither the commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor nor any of its principals is subject to any statutory disqualification under section 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act unless such disqualification arises from a matter which was previously disclosed in connection with a previous application for registration if such registration was granted or which was disclosed more than thirty days prior to the filing of the notice under this paragraph (d);
(B) The commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor will comply with the applicable requirements of § 4.7; and
(C) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, that the exempt pool will be offered and operated in compliance with the applicable requirements of § 4.7;
(iv) Specify the relief claimed under § 4.7;
(v) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, state the closing date of the offering or that the offering will be continuous;
(vi) Be filed by a representative duly authorized to bind the commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor;
(vii) Be filed electronically with the National Futures Association through its electronic exemption filing system; and
(viii)(A)(1) Where the claimant is a commodity pool operator, except as provided in paragraph (d)(1)(ii)(A) of this section with respect to single-investor pools and in paragraph (d)(1)(viii)(A)(2) of this section, be received by the National Futures Association:
(i) Before the date the pool first enters into a commodity interest transaction, if the relief claimed is limited to that provided under paragraphs (b)(2), (3) and (4) of this section; or
(ii) Prior to any offer or sale of any participation in the exempt pool if the claimed relief includes that provided under paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(2) Where participations in a pool have been offered or sold in full compliance with part 4, the notice of a claim for exemption may be filed with the National Futures Association at any time; Provided, That the claim for exemption is otherwise consistent with the duties of the commodity pool operator and the rights of pool participants and that the commodity pool operator notifies the pool participants of his intention, absent objection by the holders of a majority of the units of participation in the pool who are unaffiliated with the commodity pool operator within twenty-one days after the date of the notification, to file a notice of claim for exemption under § 4.7 and such holders have not objected within such period. A commodity pool operator filing a notice under this paragraph (d)(1)(viii)(A)(2) shall either provide disclosure and reporting in accordance with the requirements of part 4 to those participants objecting to the filing of such notice or allow such participants to redeem their units of participation in the pool within three months of the filing of such notice.
(B) Where the claimant is a commodity trading advisor, be received by the Commission before the date the trading advisor first enters into an agreement to direct or guide the commodity interest account of a qualified eligible person pursuant to § 4.7.
(2) The notice will be effective upon receipt by the National Futures Association with respect to each pool for which it was made where the claimant is a commodity pool operator and otherwise generally where the claimant is a commodity trading advisor; Provided, That any notice which does not include all the required information shall not be effective, and that if at the time the National Futures Association receives the notice an enforcement proceeding brought by the Commission under the Act or the regulations is pending against the pool operator or trading advisor or any of its principals, the exemption will not be effective until twenty-one calendar days after receipt of the notice by the National Futures Association and that in such case an exemption may be denied by the Commission or the National Futures Association or made subject to such conditions as the Commission or the National Futures Association may impose.
(3) Any exemption claimed hereunder shall cease to be effective upon any change which would cause the commodity pool operator of an exempt pool to be ineligible for the relief claimed with respect to such pool or which would cause a commodity trading advisor to be ineligible for the relief claimed. The pool operator or trading advisor must promptly file a notice advising the National Futures Association of such change.
(4)(i) Any exemption from the requirements of § 4.21, § 4.22, § 4.23, § 4.24, § 4.25 or § 4.26 claimed hereunder with respect to a pool shall not affect the obligation of the commodity pool operator to comply with all other applicable provisions of part 4, the Act and the Commission’s rules and regulations, with respect to the pool and any other pool the pool operator operates or intends to operate.
(ii) Any exemption from the requirements of § 4.31, § 4.33, § 4.34, § 4.35 or § 4.36 claimed hereunder shall not affect the obligation of the commodity trading advisor to comply with all other applicable provisions of part 4, the Act and the Commission’s rules and regulations, with respect to any qualified eligible person and any other client to which the commodity trading advisor provides or intends to provide commodity interest trading advice.
(e) Insignificant deviations from a term, condition or requirement of § 4.7. (1) A failure to comply with a term or condition of § 4.7 will not result in the loss of the exemption with respect to a particular pool or client if the commodity pool operator or the commodity trading advisor relying on the exemption shows that:
(i) The failure to comply did not pertain to a term, condition or requirement directly intended to protect that particular qualified eligible person;
(ii) The failure to comply was insignificant with respect to the exempt pool as a whole or to the particular exempt account; and
(iii) A good faith and reasonable attempt was made to comply with all applicable terms, conditions and requirements of § 4.7.
(2) A transaction made in reliance on § 4.7 must comply with all applicable terms, conditions and requirements of § 4.7. Where an exemption is established only through reliance upon paragraph (e)(1) of this section, the failure to comply shall nonetheless be actionable by the Commission.
§ 4.8 Exemption from certain requirements of rule 4.26 with respect to pools offered or sold in certain offerings exempt from registration under the Securities Act.
(a) Notwithstanding paragraph (d) of § 4.26 and subject to the conditions specified herein, the registered commodity pool operator of a pool offered or sold solely to “accredited investors” as defined in 17 CFR 230.501 in an offering exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Rule 505 or 506 of Regulation D, 17 CFR 230.505 or 230.506, may solicit, accept and receive funds, securities and other property from prospective participants in that pool upon filing with the National Futures Association and providing to such participants the Disclosure Document for the pool.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (d) of § 4.26 and subject to the conditions specified herein, the registered commodity pool operator of a pool offered or sold in an offering exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Rule 505 or 506 of Regulation D, 17 CFR 230.505 or 230.506, that is operated in compliance with, and has filed the notice required by § 4.12(b) may solicit, accept and receive funds, securities and other property from prospective participants in that pool upon filing with the National Futures Association and providing to such participants the Disclosure Document for the pool.
(c) The relief provided under § 4.8 is not available if an enforcement proceeding brought by the Commission under the Act or the regulations is pending against the commodity pool operator or any of its principals or if the commodity pool operator or any of its principals is subject to any statutory disqualification under §§ 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act.
§ 4.9 [Reserved]
§ 4.10 Definitions.
For purposes of this part:
(a) [Reserved]
(b) Net asset value means total assets minus total liabilities, determined in accord with generally accepted accounting principles, with each position in a commodity interest accounted for at fair market value.
(c) Participant means any person that has any direct financial interest in a pool (e.g., a limited partner).
(d)(1) Pool means any investment trust, syndicate or similar form of enterprise operated for the purpose of trading commodity interests.
(2) Multi-advisor pool means a pool in which:
(i) No commodity trading advisor is allocated or intended to be allocated more than twenty-five percent of the pool’s funds available for commodity interest trading; and
(ii) No investee pool is allocated or intended to be allocated more than twenty-five percent of the pool’s net asset value.
(3) Principal-protected pool means a pool (commonly referred to as a “guaranteed pool”) that is designed to limit the loss of the initial investment of its participants.
(4) Investee pool means any pool in which another pool or account participates or invests, e.g., as a limited partner thereof.
(5) Major investee pool means, with respect to a pool, any investee pool that is allocated or intended to be allocated at least ten percent of the net asset value of the pool.
(e)(1) Principal, when referring to a person that is a principal of a particular entity, shall have the same meaning as the term “principal” under § 3.1(a) of this chapter.
(2) Trading principal means:
(i) With respect to a commodity pool operator, a principal who participates in making trading decisions for a pool, or who supervises, or has authority to allocate pool assets to, persons so engaged; and
(ii) With respect to a commodity trading advisor, a principal who participates in making trading decisions for the account of a client or who supervises or selects persons so engaged.
(f) Direct, as used in the context of trading commodity interest accounts, refers to agreements whereby a person is authorized to cause transactions to be effected for a client’s commodity interest account without the client’s specific authorization.
(g) Trading program refers to the program pursuant to which a person (1) directs a client’s commodity interest account, or (2) guides the client’s commodity interest trading by means of a systematic program that recommends specific transactions.
(h) Trading manager means, with respect to a pool, any person, other than the commodity pool operator of the pool, having sole or partial authority to allocate pool assets to commodity trading advisors or investee pools.
(i) Major commodity trading advisor means, with respect to a pool, any commodity trading advisor that is allocated or is intended to be allocated at least ten percent of the pool’s funds available for commodity interest trading. For this purpose, the percentage allocation shall be the amount of funds allocated to the trading advisor by agreement with the commodity pool operator (or trading manager) on behalf of the pool, expressed as a percentage of the lesser of the aggregate value of the assets allocated to the pool’s trading advisors or the net assets of the pool at the time of allocation.
(j) Break-even point—(1) Means the trading profit that a pool must realize in the first year of a participant’s investment to equal all fees and expenses such that such participant will recoup its initial investment, as calculated pursuant to rules promulgated by a registered futures association pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act; and
(2) Must be expressed both as a dollar amount and as a percentage of the minimum unit of initial investment and assume redemption of the initial investment at the end of the first year of investment.
(k) Draw-down means losses experienced by a pool or account over a specified period.
(l) Worst peak-to-valley draw-down means the greatest cumulative percentage decline in month-end net asset value due to losses sustained by a pool, account or trading program during any period in which the initial month-end net asset value is not equaled or exceeded by a subsequent month-end net asset value. Such decline must be expressed as a percentage of the initial month-end net asset value, together with an indication of the months and year(s) of such decline from the initial month-end net asset value to the lowest month-end net asset value of such decline.
(m) Partially-funded account means a client participation in the program of a commodity trading advisor in which the amount of funds in the client’s commodity interest account over which such commodity trading advisor has trading authority is less than the account size that establishes the client’s level of trading in a commodity trading advisor’s program.
§ 4.11 Exemption from section 4n(3)(B).
The provisions of section 4n(3)(B) of the Act shall not apply to any commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor that is registered under the Act as such or that is exempt from such registration.
§ 4.12 Exemption from provisions of this part.
(a) In general. (1) The Commission may exempt any person or any class or classes of persons from any provision of this part 4 if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provisions from which the exemption is sought.
(2) The Commission may grant the exemption subject to such terms and conditions as it may find appropriate.
(b) Exemption from subpart B for certain commodity pool operators based on amount and nature of commodity interest trading—(1) Eligibility. Subject to compliance with the provisions of paragraph (d) of this section, any person who is registered as a commodity pool operator, or has applied for such registration, may claim any or all of the relief available under paragraph (b)(2) of this section if:
(i) The pool for which it makes such claim:
(A) Will be offered and sold pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933 or pursuant to an exemption from said Act;
(B) Will generally and routinely engage in the buying and selling of securities and securities derived instruments;
(C) Will not enter into commodity interest transactions for which the aggregate initial margin and premiums, and required minimum security deposit for retail forex transactions (as defined in § 5.1(m) of this chapter) exceed 10 percent of the fair market value of the pool’s assets, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such contracts it has entered into; Provided, however, That in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount as defined in § 190.01 of this chapter may be excluded in computing such 10 percent; and
(D) Will trade such commodity interests in a manner solely incidental to its securities trading activities.
(ii) Each existing participant and prospective participant in the pool for which it makes such request is informed in writing of the restrictions set forth in paragraph (b)(1)(i) (C) and (D) of this section prior to the date the pool commences trading commodity interests. The pool operator may furnish this information by way of the pool’s Disclosure Document, Account Statement, a separate notice or other similar means, including written communication delivered through electronic transmission.
(2) Relief available to pool operator. The commodity pool operator of a pool which meets the criteria of paragraph (b)(1) of this section may claim the following relief:
(i) In the case of § 4.21, that the Commission accept in lieu and in satisfaction of the Disclosure Document specified by that section an offering memorandum for the pool which does not contain the information required by §§ 4.24(a), 4.24(b), and 4.24(n); Provided, however, that the offering memorandum:
(A) Is prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the exemption from said Act pursuant to which the pool is being offered and sold;
(B) Contains the information required by §§ 4.24(c) through (m) and (o) through (u); and
(C) Complies with the requirements of §§ 4.24(v) and (w).
(ii) In the case of § 4.22 (a) and (b), that the Commission accept in lieu and in satisfaction of the Account Statement and prescribed frequency respectively specified by those sections a statement which indicates the net asset value of the pool as of the end of the reporting period and the change in net asset value from the end of the previous reporting period, to be prepared and distributed no less frequently than quarterly; Provided, however, That each such statement complies with the other requirements of § 4.22 (a) and (b), including the references in those sections to § 4.22 (g) and (h).
(iii) In the case of § 4.22 (c) through (e), that the Commission accept in lieu and in satisfaction of the financial information and statements in the Annual Report specified by those sections an annual report for the pool which contains, at a minimum, a Statement of Financial Condition as of the close of the pool’s fiscal year and a Statement of Income (Loss) for that year; Provided, however, That:
(A) Each such annual report complies with the other requirements of § 4.22(c), including the reference in that section to § 4.22(h) and the requirement in § 4.22(c)(5) that the annual report must contain appropriate footnote disclosure and further material information; and
(B) The financial statements in such annual report must be presented and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied and must be certified by an independent public accountant.
(iv) In the case of § 4.23(a) (10) and (11), to exempt the pool operator from the requirements of those sections with respect to the pool.
(c) Exemption from subpart B for certain commodity pool operators based on registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Investment Company Act of 1940—(1) Eligibility. Subject to compliance with the provisions of paragraph (d) of this section, any person who is registered as a commodity pool operator, or has applied for such registration, may claim any or all of the relief available under paragraph (c)(2) of this section if, with respect to the pool for which it makes such claim:
(i) The units of participation will be offered and sold pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933; or
(ii) The pool is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(2) Relief available to pool operator claiming relief under paragraph (c)(1)(i). The commodity pool operator of a pool whose units of participation meet the criteria of paragraph (c)(1)(i) if this section may claim the following relief:
(i) In the case of § 4.21, exemption from the Disclosure Document delivery and acknowledgment requirements of that section, Provided, however, that the pool operator:
(A) Cause the pool’s Disclosure Document to be readily accessible on an Internet Web site maintained by the pool operator;
(B) Cause the Disclosure Document to be kept current in accordance with the requirements of § 4.26(a);
(C) Clearly inform prospective pool participants with whom it has contact of the Internet address of such Web site and direct any broker, dealer or other selling agent to whom the pool operator sells units of participation in the pool to so inform prospective pool participants; and
(D) Comply with all other requirements applicable to pool Disclosure Documents under part 4. The pool operator may satisfy the requirement of § 4.26(b) to attach to the Disclosure Document a copy of the pool’s most current Account Statement and Annual Report if the pool operator makes such Account Statement and Annual Report readily accessible on an Internet Web site maintained by the pool operator.
(ii) In the case of § 4.22, exemption from the Account Statement distribution requirement of that section; Provided, however, that the pool operator:
(A) Cause the pool’s Account Statements, including the certification required by § 4.22(h), to be readily accessible on an Internet Web site maintained by the pool operator within 30 calendar days after the last day of the applicable reporting period and continuing for a period of not less than 30 calendar days; and
(B) Cause the Disclosure Document for the pool to clearly indicate:
(1) That the information required to be included in the Account Statements will be readily accessible on an Internet Web site maintained by the pool operator; and
(2) The Internet address of such Web site.
(3) Relief available to pool operator claiming relief under paragraph (c)(1)(ii). The commodity pool operator of a pool whose units of participation meet the criteria of paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of this section may claim the following relief:
(i) The pool operator of an offered pool will be exempt from the requirements of §§ 4.21, 4.24, 4.25, and 4.26; Provided, that
(A) The pool operator of an offered pool with less than a three-year operating history discloses the performance of all accounts and pools that are managed by the pool operator and that have investment objectives, policies, and strategies substantially similar to those of the offered pool; and,
(B) The disclosure provided with respect to the offered pool complies with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the regulations promulgated thereunder, and any guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any division thereof.
(ii) Exemption from the Account Statement distribution requirement of §§ 4.22(a) and (b); Provided, however, that the pool operator:
(A) Causes the current net asset value per share to be available to participants;
(B) Causes the pool to clearly disclose:
(1) That the information will be readily accessible on an Internet Web site maintained by the pool operator or its designee or otherwise made available to participants and the means through which the information will be made available; and
(2) The Internet address of such Web site, if applicable; and
(iii) Exemption from the provisions of § 4.23 that require that a pool operator’s books and records be made available to participants for inspection and/or copying at the request of the participant.
(d)(1) Notice of claim for exemption. Any registered commodity pool operator, or applicant for commodity pool operator registration, who desires to claim the relief available under paragraph (b) or (c) of this § 4.12 must file electronically a claim of exemption with the National Futures Association through its electronic exemption filing system. Such claim must:
(i) Provide the name, main business address and main business telephone number of the registered commodity pool operator, or applicant for such registration, making the request;
(ii) Provide the name of the commodity pool for which the request is being made;
(iii) Contain representations that:
(A) The pool will be operated in compliance with paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section and the pool operator will comply with the requirements of paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section;
(B) The pool will be operated in compliance with paragraph (c)(1) of this section and the pool operator will comply with the requirements of paragraph (c)(2) of this section; or
(C) The pool will be operated in compliance with paragraph (c)(1) of this section and the pool operator will comply with the requirements of paragraph (c)(3) of this section;
(iv) Specify the relief sought under paragraph (b)(2), (c)(2), or (c)(3) of this section, as the case may be;
(v) Be filed by a representative duly authorized to bind the pool operator.
(2)(i) The claim of exemption must be filed before the date the commodity pool first enters into a commodity interest transaction.
(ii) The claim of exemption shall be effective upon filing; Provided, however, That any exemption claimed hereunder:
(A) Will not be effective unless and until the notice required by this paragraph (d) contains all information called for herein and any statements required under paragraph (c)(2)(iii) have been provided; and
(B) Will cease to be effective upon any change which would render the representations made pursuant to paragraph (d)(1)(iii) of this section inaccurate or the continuation of such representations false or misleading.
(3)(i) If a claim of exemption has been made under § 4.12(b)(2)(i), the commodity pool operator must make a statement to that effect on the cover page of each offering memorandum, or amendment thereto, that it is required to file with the National Futures Association pursuant to § 4.26.
(ii) If a claim of exemption has been made with respect to paragraph (b)(2)(iii) of this section, the pool operator must make a statement to that effect on the cover page of each annual report that it is required to file with the National Futures Association pursuant to § 4.22(c).
(4)(i) Any claim of exemption effective hereunder shall be effective only with respect to the pool for which it has been made.
(ii) The effectiveness of such claim shall not affect the obligations of the commodity pool operator to comply with all other applicable provisions of this part 4, the Act and the Commission’s rules and regulations issued thereunder with respect to the pool and any other pool the pool operator operates or intends to operate.
§ 4.13 Exemption from registration as a commodity pool operator.
This section is organized as follows: Paragraph (a) of this section specifies the criteria that must be met to qualify for exemption from registration under this section; paragraph (b) of this section governs the notice that must be filed to claim exemption from registration; paragraph (c) of this section sets forth the continuing obligations of a person who has claimed exemption under this section; paragraph (d) of this section specifies information certain persons must provide if they subsequently register; paragraph (e) of this section specifies the effect of registration on a person who has claimed an exemption from registration under this section or who is eligible to claim an exemption from registration hereunder; and paragraph (f) of this section specifies the effect of this section on § 4.5 of this chapter.
(a) A person is not required to register under the Act as a commodity pool operator if:
(1)(i) It does not receive any compensation or other payment, directly or indirectly, for operating the pool, except reimbursement for the ordinary administrative expenses of operating the pool;
(ii) It operates only one commodity pool at any time;
(iii) It is not otherwise required to register with the Commission and is not a business affiliate of any person required to register with the Commission; and
(iv) Neither the person nor any other person involved with the pool does any advertising in connection with the pool (for purposes of this section, advertising includes the systematic solicitation of prospective participants by telephone or seminar presentation);
(2)(i) None of the pools operated by it has more than 15 participants at any time; and
(ii) The total gross capital contributions it receives for units of participation in all of the pools it operates or that it intends to operate do not in the aggregate exceed $400,000.
(iii) For the purpose of determining eligibility for exemption under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the person may exclude the following participants and their contributions:
(A) The pool’s operator, commodity trading advisor, and the principals thereof;
(B) A child, sibling or parent of any of these participants;
(C) The spouse of any participant specified in paragraph (a)(2)(iii)(A) or (B) of this section; and
(D) Any relative of a participant specified in paragraph (a)(2)(iii)(A), (B) or (C) of this section, its spouse or a relative of its spouse, who has the same principal residence as such participant;
(3) For each pool for which the person claims exemption from registration under this paragraph (a)(3):
(i) Interests in the pool are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, and the interests are marketed and advertised to the public in the United States solely, if at all, in compliance with § 230.506(c) of this title, or with Rule 144A, § 230.144A of this title, as applicable;
(ii) At all times, the pool meets one or the other of the following tests with respect to its commodity interest positions, including positions in security futures products, whether entered into for bona fide hedging purposes or otherwise:
(A) The aggregate initial margin, premiums, and required minimum security deposit for retail forex transactions (as defined in § 5.1(m) of this chapter) required to establish such positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, will not exceed 5 percent of the liquidation value of the pool’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions it has entered into; Provided, That in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount as defined in § 190.01 of this chapter may be excluded in computing such 5 percent; or
(B) The aggregate net notional value of such positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, does not exceed 100 percent of the liquidation value of the pool’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions it has entered into. For the purpose of this paragraph:
(1) The term “notional value” shall be calculated for each futures position by multiplying the number of contracts by the size of the contract, in contract units (taking into account any multiplier specified in the contract), by the current market price per unit, for each such option position by multiplying the number of contracts by the size of the contract, adjusted by its delta, in contract units (taking into account any multiplier specified in the contract), by the strike price per unit, for each such retail forex transaction, by calculating the value in U.S. Dollars of such transaction, at the time the transaction was established, excluding for this purpose the value in U.S. Dollars of offsetting long and short transactions, if any, and for any cleared swap by the value as determined consistent with the terms of 17 CFR part 45; and
(2) The person may net futures contracts with the same underlying commodity across designated contract markets and foreign boards of trade; and swaps cleared on the same derivatives clearing organization where appropriate; and
(iii) The person reasonably believes, at the time of investment (or, in the case of an existing pool, at the time of conversion to a pool meeting the criteria of paragraph (a)(3) of this section), that each person who participates in the pool is:
(A) An “accredited investor,” as that term is defined in § 230.501 of this title;
(B) A trust that is not an accredited investor but that was formed by an accredited investor for the benefit of a family member;
(C) A “knowledgeable employee,” as that term is defined in § 270.3c-5 of this title; or
(D) A “qualified eligible person,” as that term is defined in § 4.7; and
(iv) Participations in the pool are not marketed as or in a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures or commodity options markets; Provided, That nothing in paragraph (a)(3) of this section shall prohibit the person from claiming an exemption under this section if it additionally operates one or more pools for which it meets the criteria of paragraph (a)(4) of this section;
(4) [Reserved]
(5) The person is acting as a director or trustee with respect to a pool whose operator is registered as a commodity pool operator and is eligible to claim relief under § 4.12(c) of this chapter, Provided, however, that:
(i) The person acts in such capacity solely to comply with the requirements under section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any Securities and Exchange Commission rules and exchange listing requirements adopted pursuant thereto, that the pool have an audit committee comprised exclusively of independent directors or trustees;
(ii) The person has no power or authority to manage or control the operations or activities of the pool except as necessary to comply with such requirement; and
(iii) The registered pool operator of the pool is and will be liable for any violation of the Act or the Commission’s regulations by the person in connection with the person’s serving as a director or trustee with respect to the pool.
(6) For each pool for which the person claims exemption under this paragraph (a)(6):
(i) Interests in the pool are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, and such interests are offered and sold only to “family clients,” as defined in § 275.202(a)(11)(G)-1 of this title;
(ii) The person qualifies as a “family office,” as defined in § 275.202(a)(11)(G)-1 of this title; and
(iii) The person reasonably believes, at the time of investment, or in the case of an existing pool, at the time of conversion to a pool meeting the criteria of this paragraph (a)(6) of this section, that each person who participates in the pool is a “family client” of the “family office,” as defined in § 275.202(a)(11)(G)-1 of this title.
(7)(i) Eligibility for exemption under paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3) or (a)(4) of this section is subject to the person furnishing in written communication physically delivered or delivered through electronic transmission to each prospective participant in the pool:
(A) A statement that the person is exempt from registration with the Commission as a commodity pool operator and that therefore, unlike a registered commodity pool operator, it is not required to deliver a Disclosure Document and a certified annual report to participants in the pool; and
(B) A description of the criteria pursuant to which it qualifies for such exemption from registration.
(ii) The person must make these disclosures by no later than the time it delivers a subscription agreement for the pool to a prospective participant in the pool.
(b)(1) Any person who desires to claim the relief from registration provided by this section, except for any person claiming the exemption for family offices in paragraph (a)(6) of this section, must file electronically a notice of exemption from commodity pool operator registration with the National Futures Association through its electronic exemption filing system. The notice must:
(i) Provide the name, main business address, main business telephone number, main facsimile number and main email address of the person claiming the exemption and the name of the pool for which it is claiming exemption;
(ii) Specify the paragraph number pursuant to which the person is filing the notice (i.e., § 4.13(a)(1), (2), (3), or (5)) and represent that the pool will be operated in accordance with the criteria of that paragraph;
(iii) Represent that neither the person nor any of its principals has in its background a statutory disqualification that would require disclosure under section 8a(2) of the Act if such person sought registration, unless such disqualification arises from a matter which was disclosed in connection with a previous application for registration, where such registration was granted; and
(iv) Be filed by a representative duly authorized to bind the person.
(2) The person must file the notice by no later than the time that the pool operator delivers a subscription agreement for the pool to a prospective participant in the pool; Provided, however, that in the case of a claim for relief under § 4.13(a)(5), the person must file the notice by the later of the effective date of the pool’s registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 or the date on which the person first becomes a director or trustee; and Provided, further, that where a person registered with the Commission as a commodity pool operator intends to withdraw from registration in order to claim exemption hereunder, the person must notify its pool’s participants in written communication physically delivered or delivered through electronic transmission that it intends to withdraw from registration and claim the exemption, and it must provide each such participant with a right to redeem its interest in the pool prior to the person filing a notice of exemption from registration
(3) The notice will be effective upon filing, provided the notice is materially complete.
(4) Annual notice. Each person who has filed a notice of exemption from registration under this section must affirm on an annual basis the notice of exemption from registration, withdraw such exemption due to the cessation of activities requiring registration or exemption therefrom, or withdraw such exemption and apply for registration within 60 days of the calendar year end through National Futures Association’s electronic exemption filing system.
(5) Each person who has filed a notice of exemption from registration under this section must, in the event that any of the information contained or representations made in the notice becomes inaccurate or incomplete, amend the notice through National Futures Association’s electronic exemption filing system as may be necessary to render the notice accurate and complete. This amendment must be filed electronically within 15 business days after the pool operator becomes aware of the occurrence of such event.
(c)(1) Each person who has claimed an exemption from registration under this section must:
(i) Make and keep all books and records prepared in connection with its activities as a pool operator for a period of five years from the date of preparation;
(ii) Keep such books and records readily accessible during the first two years of the five-year period. All such books and records must be available for inspection upon the request of any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or any other appropriate regulatory agency; and
(iii) Submit to such special calls as the Commission may make to demonstrate eligibility for and compliance with the applicable criteria for exemption under this section.
(2) Each person who has filed a notice of exemption from registration pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section must:
(i) Promptly furnish to each participant in the pool a copy of each monthly statement for the pool that the pool operator received from a futures commission merchant pursuant to § 1.33 of this chapter; and
(ii) Clearly show on such statement, or on an accompanying supplemental statement, the net profit or loss on all commodity interests closed since the date of the previous statement.
(d) Each person who applies for registration as a commodity pool operator subsequent to claiming relief under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section must include with its application the financial statements and other information required by § 4.22(c)(1) through (5) for each pool that it has operated as an operator exempt from registration. That information must be presented and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied. If the person is granted registration as a commodity pool operator, it must comply with the provisions of this part with respect to each such pool.
(e)(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (e)(2) of this section, if a person who is eligible for exemption from registration as a commodity pool operator under this section nonetheless registers as a commodity pool operator, the person must comply with the provisions of this part with respect to each commodity pool identified on its registration application or supplement thereto.
(2) If a person operates one or more commodity pools described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, and one or more commodity pools for which it must be, and is, registered as a commodity pool operator, the person is exempt from the requirements applicable to a registered commodity pool operator with respect to the pool or pools described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section; Provided, That the person:
(i) Furnishes in written communication physically delivered or delivered through electronic transmission to each prospective participant in a pool described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section that it operates:
(A) A statement that it will operate the pool as if the person was exempt from registration as a commodity pool operator;
(B) A description of the criteria pursuant to which it will so operate the pool;
(ii) Complies with paragraph (c) of this section; and
(iii) Provides each existing participant in a pool that the person elects to operate as described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section a right to redeem the participant’s interest in the pool, and informs each such participant of that right no later than the time the person commences to operate the pool as described in paragraph (a)(3) of this section.
(f) The filing of a notice of exemption from registration under this section will not affect the ability of a person to qualify for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under § 4.5 in connection with its operation of another trading vehicle that is not covered under this § 4.13.
§ 4.14 Exemption from registration as a commodity trading advisor.
This section is organized as follows: Paragraph (a) of this section specifies the criteria that must be met to qualify for exemption from registration under this section, including the notice of exemption from registration and continuing obligations of persons who have claimed exemption under paragraph (a)(8) of this section; paragraph (b) of this section concerns “cash market transactions”; and paragraph (c) of this section specifies the effect of registration on a person who has claimed an exemption from registration under this section or who is eligible to claim an exemption from registration hereunder.
(a) A person is not required to register under the Act as a commodity trading advisor if:
(1) It is a dealer, processor, broker, or seller in cash market transactions of any commodity (or product thereof) and the person’s commodity trading advice is solely incidental to the conduct of its cash market business;
(2) It is a non-profit, voluntary membership, trade association or farm organization and the person’s commodity trading advice is solely incidental to the conduct of its business as such association or organization;
(3) It is registered under the Act as an associated person and the person’s commodity trading advice is issued solely in connection with its employment as an associated person;
(4) It is registered under the Act as a commodity pool operator and the person’s commodity trading advice is directed solely to, and for the sole use of, the pool or pools for which it is so registered;
(5) It is exempt from registration as a commodity pool operator and the person’s commodity trading advice is directed solely to, and for the sole use of, the pool or pools for which it is so exempt;
(6) It is registered under the Act as an introducing broker and the person’s trading advice is solely in connection with its business as an introducing broker;
(7)(i) It is registered under the Act as a leverage transaction merchant and the person’s trading advice is solely in connection with its business as a leverage transaction merchant;
(ii) It is registered under the Act as a retail foreign exchange dealer and the person’s trading advice is solely in connection with its business as a retail foreign exchange dealer.
(8) It is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or with the applicable securities regulatory agency of any State, or it is exempt from such registration, or it is excluded from the definition of the term “investment adviser” pursuant to the provisions of sections 202(a)(2) and 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Provided, That:
(i) The person’s commodity interest trading advice is directed solely to, and for the sole use of, one or more of the following:
(A) “Qualifying entities,” as that term is defined in § 4.5(b), for which a notice of eligibility has been filed;
(B) Collective investment vehicles that are excluded from the definition of the term commodity “pool” under § 4.5(a)(4); and
(C) Commodity pools that are organized and operated outside of the United States, its territories or possessions, where:
(1) The commodity pool operator of each such pool has not so organized and is not so operating the pool for the purpose of avoiding commodity pool operator registration;
(2) With the exception of the pool’s operator, advisor and their principals, solely “Non-United States persons,” as that term is defined in § 4.7(a)(1)(iv), will contribute funds or other capital to, and will own beneficial interests in, the pool; Provided, That units of participation in the pool held by persons who do not qualify as Non-United States persons or otherwise as qualified eligible persons represent in the aggregate less than 10 percent of the beneficial interest of the pool;
(3) No person affiliated with the pool conducts any marketing activity for the purpose of, or that could reasonably have the effect of, soliciting participation from other than Non-United States persons; and
(4) No person affiliated with the pool conducts any marketing activity from within the United States, its territories or possessions; and
(D) A commodity pool operator who has claimed an exemption from registration under § 4.13(a)(3), or, if registered as a commodity pool operator, who may treat each pool it operates that meets the criteria of § 4.13(a)(3) as if it were not so registered; and
(ii) The person:
(A) Provides commodity interest trading advice solely incidental to its business of providing securities or other investment advice to qualifying entities, collective investment vehicles and commodity pools as described in paragraph (a)(8)(i) of this section; and
(B) Is not otherwise holding itself out as a commodity trading advisor.
(iii)(A) A person who desires to claim the relief from registration provided by this § 4.14(a)(8) must file electronically a notice of exemption from commodity trading advisor registration with the National Futures Association through its electronic exemption filing system. The notice must:
(1) Provide the name, main business address, main business telephone number, main facsimile number and main email address of the trading advisor claiming the exemption;
(2) Contain the section number pursuant to which the advisor is filing the notice (i.e., under § 4.14(a)(8)(i)) and represent that it will provide commodity interest advice to its clients in accordance with the criteria of that paragraph or paragraphs; and
(3) Be filed by a representative duly authorized to bind the person.
(B) The person must file the notice by no later than the time it delivers an advisory agreement for the trading program pursuant to which it will offer commodity interest advice to a client; Provided, That where the advisor is registered with the Commission as a commodity trading advisor, it must notify its clients in written communication physically delivered or delivered through electronic transmission that it intends to withdraw from registration and claim the exemption and must provide each such client with a right to terminate its advisory agreement prior to the person filing a notice of exemption from registration.
(C) The notice will be effective upon filing, provided the notice is materially complete.
(D) Annual notice. Each person who has filed a notice of exemption from registration under this section must affirm on an annual basis the notice of exemption from registration, withdraw such exemption due to the cessation of activities requiring registration or exemption therefrom, or withdraw such exemption and apply for registration within 60 days of the calendar year end through National Futures Association’s electronic exemption filing system.
(E) Each person who has filed a notice of exemption from registration under this section must, in the event that any of the information contained or representations made in the notice becomes inaccurate or incomplete, amend the notice electronically through National Futures Association’s electronic exemption filing system as may be necessary to render the notice accurate and complete. This amendment must be filed within 15 business days after the trading advisor becomes aware of the occurrence of such event.
(iv) Each person who has filed a notice of registration exemption under this § 4.14(a)(8) must:
(A)(1) Make and keep all books and records prepared in connection with its activities as a trading advisor, including all books and records demonstrating eligibility for and compliance with the applicable criteria for exemption under this section, for a period of five years from the date of preparation; and
(2) Keep such books and records readily accessible during the first two years of the five-year period. All such books and records must be available for inspection upon the request of any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or any other appropriate regulatory agency; and
(B) Submit to such special calls as the Commission may make to demonstrate eligibility for and compliance with the applicable criteria for exemption under this section;
(9) It does not engage in any of the following activities:
(i) Directing client accounts; or
(ii) Providing commodity trading advice based on, or tailored to, the commodity interest or cash market positions or other circumstances or characteristics of particular clients; or
(10) If, as provided for in section 4m(1) of the Act, during the course of the preceding 12 months, it has not furnished commodity trading advice to more than 15 persons and it does not hold itself out generally to the public as a commodity trading advisor.
(i) For the purpose of paragraph (a)(10) of this section, the following are deemed a single person:
(A) A natural person, and:
(1) Any minor child of the natural person;
(2) Any relative, spouse, or relative of the spouse of the natural person who has the same principal residence;
(3) All accounts of which the natural person and/or the persons referred to in paragraph (a)(10)(i)(A) of this section are the only primary beneficiaries; and
(4) All trusts of which the natural person and/or the persons referred to in paragraph (a)(10)(i)(A) of this section are the only primary beneficiaries;
(B)(1) A corporation, general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, trust (other than a trust referred to in paragraph (a)(10)(i)(A)(4) of this section), or other legal organization (any of which are referred to hereinafter as a “legal organization”) that receives commodity interest trading advice based on its investment objectives rather than the individual investment objectives of its shareholders, partners, limited partners, members, or beneficiaries (any of which are referred to hereinafter as an “owner”); and
(2) Two or more legal organizations referred to in paragraph (a)(10)(i)(B)(1) of this section that have identical owners.
(ii) Special Rules. For the purpose of paragraph (a)(10) of this section:
(A) An owner must be counted in its own capacity as a person if the commodity trading advisor provides advisory services to the owner separate and apart from the advisory services provided to the legal organization; Provided, That the determination that an owner is a client will not affect the applicability of paragraph (a)(10) of this section with regard to any other owner;
(B)(1) A general partner of a limited partnership, or other person acting as a commodity trading advisor to the partnership, may count the limited partnership as one person; and
(2) A manager or managing member of a limited liability company, or any other person acting as a commodity trading advisor to the company, may count the limited liability company as one person.
(C) A commodity trading advisor that has its principal office and place of business outside of the United States, its territories or possessions must count only clients that are residents of the United States, its territories and possessions; a commodity trading advisor that has its principal office and place of business in the United States or in any territory or possession thereof must count all clients.
(iii) Holding Out. Any commodity trading advisor relying on paragraph (a)(10) of this section shall not be deemed to be holding itself out generally to the public as a commodity trading advisor, within the meaning of section 4m(1) of the Act, solely because it participates in a non-public offering of interests in a collective investment vehicle under the Securities Act of 1933.
(11) The person’s commodity trading advice is solely directed to, and is for the sole use of, “family clients,” as defined in § 275.202(a)(11)(G)-1 of this title.
(b) For purposes of this section, “cash market transactions” shall not include transactions involving contracts for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery or transactions subject to Commission regulation under section 4c or 19 of the Act.
(c)(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (c)(2) of this section, if a person who is eligible for exemption from registration as a commodity trading advisor under this section nonetheless registers as a commodity trading advisor, the person must comply with the provisions of this part with respect to those clients for which it could have claimed an exemption from registration hereunder.
(2) If a person provides commodity interest trading advice to a client described in paragraph (a) of this section and to a client for which it must be, and is, registered as a commodity trading advisor, the person is exempt from the requirements applicable to a registered commodity trading advisor with respect to the clients so described; Provided, That the person furnishes in writing to each prospective client described in paragraph (a) of this section a statement that it will provide commodity interest trading advice to the client as if it was exempt from registration as a commodity trading advisor; Provided Further, That the person provides to each existing client described in paragraph (a) of this section a right to terminate its advisory agreement, and informs such client of that right no later than the time the person commences to provide commodity interest trading advice to the client as if the person was exempt from registration.
§ 4.15 Continued applicability of antifraud section.
The provisions of section 4o of the Act shall apply to any person even though such person is exempt from registration under this part 4, and it shall continue to be unlawful for any such person to violate section 4o of the Act.
§ 4.16 Prohibited representations.
It shall be unlawful for any commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, principal thereof or person who solicits therefor to represent or imply in any manner whatsoever that such commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor has been sponsored, recommended or approved, or that its abilities or qualifications have in any respect been passed upon, by the Commission, the Federal government or any agency thereof.
§ 4.17 Severability.
If any provision of this part, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or application of such provision to other persons or circumstances which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.
Subpart B—Commodity Pool Operators
§ 4.20 Prohibited activities.
(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a commodity pool operator must operate its pool as an entity cognizable as a legal entity separate from that of the pool operator.
(2) The Commission may exempt a corporation from the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section if;
(i) The corporation represents in writing to the Commission that each participant in its pool will be issued stock or other evidences of ownership in the corporation for all funds, securities or other property that the participant contributes for the purchase of an ownership interest in the pool;
(ii) The corporation demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission that it has established procedures adequate to assure compliance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section; and
(iii) The Commission finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and to the purposes of the provision from which the exemption is sought.
(b) All funds, securities or other property received by a commodity pool operator from an existing or prospective pool participant for the purchase of an interest or as an assessment (whether voluntary or involuntary) on an interest in a pool that it operates or that it intends to operate must be received in the pool’s name.
(c) No commodity pool operator may commingle the property of any pool that it operates or that it intends to operate with the property of any other person.
§ 4.21 Required delivery of pool Disclosure Document.
(a)(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (a)(2) of this section, each commodity pool operator registered or required to be registered under the Act must deliver or cause to be delivered to a prospective participant in a pool that it operates or intends to operate a Disclosure Document for the pool prepared in accordance with §§ 4.24 and 4.25 by no later than the time it delivers to the prospective participant a subscription agreement for the pool; Provided, That any information distributed in advance of the delivery of the Disclosure Document to a prospective participant is consistent with or amended by the information contained in the Disclosure Document and with the obligations of the commodity pool operator under the Act, the Commission’s regulations issued thereunder, and the laws of any other applicable federal or state authority; Provided, further, That in the event such previously distributed information is amended by the Disclosure Document in any material respect, the prospective participant must be in receipt of the Disclosure Document at least 48 hours prior to its subscription being accepted by the pool operator.
(2) For the purpose of the Disclosure Document delivery requirement, including any offering memorandum delivered pursuant to § 4.7(b)(1) or 4.12(b)(2)(i), the term “prospective pool participant” does not include a commodity pool operated by a pool operator that is the same as, or that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the pool operator of the offered pool.
(b) [Reserved]
§ 4.22 Reporting to pool participants.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(4) or (a)(6) of this section, each commodity pool operator registered or required to be registered under the Act must periodically distribute to each participant in each pool that it operates, within 30 calendar days after the last date of the reporting period prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section, an Account Statement, which shall be presented in the form of a Statement of Operations and a Statement of Changes in Net Assets, for the prescribed period. These financial statements must be presented and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied. The Account Statement must be signed in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section.
(1) The portion of the Account Statement which must be presented in the form of a Statement of Operations must separately itemize the following information:
(i) The total amount of realized net gain or loss on commodity interest positions liquidated during the reporting period;
(ii) The change in unrealized net gain or loss on commodity interest positions during the reporting period;
(iii) The total amount of net gain or loss from all other transactions in which the pool engaged during the reporting period, including interest and dividends earned on funds not paid as premiums or used to margin the pool’s commodity interest positions;
(iv) The total amount of all management fees during the reporting period;
(v) The total amount of all advisory fees during the reporting period;
(vi) The total amount of all brokerage commissions during the reporting period;
(vii) The total amount of other fees for commodity interest and other investment transactions during the reporting period; and
(viii) The total amount of all other expenses incurred or accrued by the pool during the reporting period.
(2) The portion of the Account Statement that must be presented in the form of a Statement of Changes in Net Assets must separately itemize the following information:
(i) The net asset value of the pool as of the beginning of the reporting period;
(ii) The total amount of additions to the pool, whether voluntary or involuntary, made during the reporting period;
(iii) The total amount of withdrawals from and redemption of participation units in the pool, whether voluntary or involuntary, for the reporting period;
(iv) The total net income or loss of the pool during the reporting period;
(v) The net asset value of the pool as of the end of the reporting period; and
(vi)(A) The net asset value per outstanding participation unit in the pool as of the end of the reporting period, or
(B) The total value of the participant’s interest or share in the pool as of the end of the reporting period.
(3) The Account Statement must also disclose any material business dealings between the pool, the pool’s operator, commodity trading advisor, futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer, or the principals thereof that previously have not been disclosed in the pool’s Disclosure Document or any amendment thereto, other Account Statements or Annual Reports.
(4) For the purpose of the Account Statement delivery requirement, including any Account Statement distributed pursuant to § 4.7(b)(2) or 4.12(b)(2)(ii), the term “participant” does not include a commodity pool operated by a pool operator that is the same as, or that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the pool operator of a pool in which the commodity pool has invested.
(5) Where the pool is comprised of more than one ownership class or series, information for the series or class on which the account statement is reporting should be presented in addition to the information presented for the pool as a whole; except that, for a pool that is a series fund structured with a limitation on liability among the different series, the account statement is not required to include consolidated information for all series.
(6) A commodity pool operator of a pool that meets the conditions specified in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section and has filed notice pursuant to paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section may elect to follow the same accounting treatment with respect to the computation and presentation of the account statement.
(b) The Account Statement must be distributed at least monthly in the case of pools with net assets of more than $500,000 at the beginning of the pool’s fiscal year, and otherwise at least quarterly; Provided, however, That an Account Statement for the last reporting period of the pool’s fiscal year need not be distributed if the Annual Report required by paragraph (c) of this section is sent to pool participants within 45 calendar days after the end of the fiscal year. The requirement to distribute an Account Statement shall commence as of the date the pool is formed as specified in paragraph (g)(1) of this section.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(7) or (c)(8) of this section, each commodity pool operator registered or required to be registered under the Act must distribute an Annual Report to each participant in each pool that it operates, and must electronically submit a copy of the Report and key financial balances from the Report to the National Futures Association pursuant to the electronic filing procedures of the National Futures Association, within 90 calendar days after the end of the pool’s fiscal year or the permanent cessation of trading, whichever is earlier; Provided, however, that if during any calendar year the commodity pool operator did not operate a commodity pool, the pool operator must so notify the National Futures Association within 30 calendar days after the end of such calendar year. The Annual Report must be affirmed pursuant to paragraph (h) of this section and must contain the following:
(1) The net asset value of the pool as of the end of each of the pool’s two preceding fiscal years.
(2)(i) The net asset value per outstanding participation unit in the pool as of the end of each of the pool’s two preceding fiscal years, or
(ii) The total value of the participant’s interest or share in the pool as of the end of each of the pool’s two preceding fiscal years.
(3) A Statement of Financial Condition as of the close of the pool’s fiscal year and preceding fiscal year.
(4) Statements of Operations, and Changes in Net Assets, for the period between—
(i) The later of:
(A) The date of the most recent Statement of Financial Condition delivered to the National Futures Association pursuant to this paragraph (c); or
(B) The date of the formation of the pool; and
(ii) The close of the pool’s fiscal year, together with Statements of Operations, and Changes in Net Assets for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.
(5) Appropriate footnote disclosure and such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading. For a pool that invests in other funds, this information must include, but is not limited to, separately disclosing the amounts of income, management and incentive fees associated with each investment in an investee fund that exceeds five percent of the pool’s net assets. The management and incentive fees associated with an investment in an investee fund that is less than five percent of the pool’s net assets may be combined and reported in the aggregate with the income, management and incentive fees of other investee funds that, individually, represent an investment of less than five percent of the pool’s net assets. If the commodity pool operator is not able to obtain the specific amounts of management and incentive fees charged by an investee fund, the commodity pool operator must disclose the percentage amounts and computational basis for each such fee and include a statement that the CPO is not able to obtain the specific fee amounts for this fund;
(6) Where the pool is comprised of more than one ownership class or series, information for the series or class on which the financial statements are reporting should be presented in addition to the information presented for the pool as a whole; except that, for a pool that is a series fund structured with a limitation on liability among the different series, the financial statements are not required to include consolidated information for all series.
(7) For a pool that has ceased operation prior to, or as of, the end of the fiscal year, the commodity pool operator may provide the following, within 90 days of the permanent cessation of trading, in lieu of the annual report that would otherwise be required by § 4.22(c) or § 4.7(b)(3):
(i) Statements of Operations and Changes in Net Assets for the period between—
(A) The later of:
(1) The date of the most recent Statement of Financial Condition filed with the National Futures Association pursuant to this paragraph (c); or
(2) The date of the formation of the pool; and
(B) The close of the pool’s fiscal year or the date of the cessation of trading, whichever is earlier; and
(ii)(A) An explanation of the winding down of the pool’s operations and written disclosure that all interests in, and assets of, the pool have been redeemed, distributed or transferred on behalf of the participants;
(B) If all funds have not been distributed or transferred to participants by the time that the final report is issued, disclosure of the value of assets remaining to be distributed and an approximate timeframe of when the distribution will occur. If the commodity pool operator does not distribute the remaining pool assets within the timeframe specified, the commodity pool operator must provide written notice to each participant and to the National Futures Association that the distribution of the remaining assets of the pool has not been completed, the value of assets remaining to be distributed, and a time frame of when the final distribution will occur.
(C) If the commodity pool operator will not be able to liquidate the pool’s assets in sufficient time to prepare, file and distribute the final annual report for the pool within 90 days of the permanent cessation of trading, the commodity pool operator must provide written notice to each participant and to National Futures Association disclosing:
(1) The value of investments remaining to be liquidated, the timeframe within which liquidation is expected to occur, any impediments to liquidation, and the nature and amount of any fees and expenses that will be charged to the pool prior to the final distribution of the pool’s funds;
(2) Which financial reports the commodity pool operator will continue to provide to pool participants from the time that trading ceased until the final annual report is distributed, and the frequency with which such reports will be provided, pursuant to the pool’s operative documents; and
(3) The timeframe within which the commodity pool operator will provide the final report.
(iii) A report filed pursuant to paragraph (c)(7) of this section that would otherwise be required by paragraph (c) of this section is not required to be audited in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section if the commodity pool operator:
(A) Obtains a written waiver of their right to receive an audited Annual Report from each participant other than the pool operator, the pool’s commodity trading advisor, any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the pool operator or trading advisor, and any principal of the foregoing; and
(B) At the time of filing the Annual Report with the National Futures Association, certifies that it has received a written waiver from each participant from whom it is required to obtain a waiver to qualify for the relief available under this paragraph (c)(7). The commodity pool operator must maintain the waivers in accordance with § 4.23 and must make the waivers available to the Commission or National Futures Association upon request. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section, the relief made available by this paragraph (c)(7)(iii) will not be available where the commodity pool operator has not previously distributed an audited Annual Report to pool participants and submitted an audited Annual Report to the National Futures Association.
(8) For the purpose of the Annual Report distribution requirement, including any annual report distributed pursuant to § 4.7(b)(3) or 4.12(b)(2)(iii), the term “participant” does not include a commodity pool operated by a pool operator that is the same as, or that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the pool operator of a pool in which the commodity pool has invested; Provided, That the Annual Report of such investing pool contain financial statements that include such information as the Commission may specify concerning the operations of the pool in which the commodity pool has invested.
(d)(1) Subject to the provisions of paragraphs (d)(2) and (g)(2) of this section, the financial statements in the Annual Report required by this section or by § 4.7(b)(3) must be presented and computed in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied and must be audited by an independent public accountant; Provided, however, and subject to the exception in paragraph (c)(7)(iii)(B) of this section, that the requirement that the Annual Report be audited by an independent public accountant does not apply for any fiscal year during which the only participants in the pool are one or more of the pool operator, the pool’s commodity trading advisor, any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the pool operator or trading advisor, and any principal of the foregoing; and Provided further, that the CPO obtains a written waiver from each such pool participant of their right to receive an audited Annual Report for such fiscal year, maintains such waivers in accordance with § 4.23, and makes such waivers available to the Commission or National Futures Association upon request. The requirements of § 1.16(g) of this chapter shall apply with respect to the engagement of such independent public accountants, except that any related notifications to be made may be made solely to the National Futures Association, and the certification must be in accordance with § 1.16 of this chapter, except that the following requirements of that section shall not apply:
(i) The audit objectives of § 1.16(d)(1) concerning the periodic computation of minimum capital and property in segregation;
(ii) All other references in § 1.16 to the segregation requirements; and
(iii) Section 1.16(c)(5), (d)(2), (e)(2), and (f).
(2)(i) Where a commodity pool is organized in a jurisdiction other than the United States, the financial statements in the Annual Report required by this section or by § 4.7(b)(3) may be presented and computed in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles, standards or practices followed in such other jurisdiction; Provided, That:
(A) The other jurisdiction follows accounting principles, standards or practices set forth in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) of this section and the Annual Report presents and computes the financial statements of the pool in accordance with the applicable accounting principles, standards or practices followed by such other jurisdiction;
(B) The Annual Report includes a condensed schedule of investments, or, if required by the applicable accounting principles, standards or practices followed by such other jurisdiction, a full schedule of investments;
(C) The Annual Report reports special allocations of ownership equity in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this section;
(D) The Disclosure Document or offering memorandum for the pool identifies the accounting principles, standards or practices of the other jurisdiction pursuant to which the Annual Report presents and computes the financial statements of the pool; and
(E) Where the accounting principles, standards or practices of the other jurisdiction require consolidated financial statements for the pool, such as a feeder fund consolidating with its master fund, all applicable disclosures required by United States generally accepted accounting principles for the feeder fund must be presented with the reporting pool’s consolidated financial statements.
(ii) For purposes of paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, the following alternative accounting principles, standards or practices may be employed in the preparation and computation of the financial statements in the Annual Report of the commodity pool; Provided, That any such alternative accounting principles, standards or practices so employed are those followed by the jurisdiction other than the United States in which the commodity pool is organized:
(A) International Financial Reporting Standards;
(B) Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in the United Kingdom;
(C) New Irish Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;
(D) Luxembourg Generally Accepted Accounting Principles; or
(E) Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
(iii) To claim the relief available under this paragraph (d)(2), a commodity pool operator must file a notice with the National Futures Association within 90 calendar days after the end of the pool’s first fiscal year.
(A) The notice must contain: The name, main business address, main telephone number and National Futures Association registration identification number of the commodity pool operator; the name and identification number of the commodity pool for which the pool operator is claiming relief; and the alternative accounting principles, standards or practices pursuant to which the financial statements in the Annual Report will be presented and computed;
(B) The notice must include a representation that the commodity pool operator complies with each of the conditions specified in paragraphs (d)(2)(i)(A) through (D) of this section and, if applicable, paragraph (d)(2)(i)(E) of this section; and
(C) The notice must be signed by the commodity pool operator in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section.
(e)(1) The Statement of Operations required by this section must itemize brokerage commissions, management fees, advisory fees, incentive fees, interest income and expense, total realized net gain or loss from commodity interest trading, and change in unrealized net gain or loss on commodity interest positions during the pool’s fiscal year. Gains and losses on commodity interests need not be itemized by commodity or by specific delivery or expiration date.
(2)(i) Any share of a pool’s profits or transfer of a pool’s equity which exceeds the general partner’s or any other class’s share of profits computed on the general partner’s or other class’s pro rata capital contribution are “special allocations.” Special allocations of partnership equity or other interests must be recognized in the pool’s Statement of Operations in the same period as the net income, interest income, or other basis of computation of the special allocation is recognized. Special allocations must be recognized and classified either as an expense of the pool or, if not recognized as an expense of the pool, presented in the Statement of Operations as a separate, itemized allocation of the pool’s net income to arrive at net income available for pro rata distribution to all partners.
(ii) Special allocations of ownership interest also must be reported separately in the Statement of Partners’ Equity, in addition to the pro-rata allocations of net income, as to each class of ownership interest.
(3) Realized gains or losses on regulated commodities transactions presented in the Statement of Operations of a commodity pool may be combined with realized gains or losses from trading in non-commodity interest transactions, provided that the gains or losses to be combined are part of a related trading strategy. Unrealized gains or losses on open regulated commodity positions presented in the Statement of Operations of a commodity pool may be combined with unrealized gains or losses from open positions in non-commodity positions, provided that the gains or losses to be combined are part of a related trading strategy.
(f)(1)(i) In the event the commodity pool operator finds that it cannot distribute the Annual Report for a pool that it operates within the time specified in paragraph (c) of this section without substantial undue hardship, it may file with the National Futures Association an application for extension of time to a specified date not more than 90 calendar days after the date as of which the Annual Report was to have been distributed. The application must be made by the pool operator and must:
(A) State the name of the pool for which the application is being made;
(B) State the reasons for the requested extension;
(C) Indicate that the inability to make a timely filing is due to circumstances beyond the control of the pool operator, if such is the case, and describe briefly the nature of such circumstances;
(D) Contain an undertaking to file the Annual Report on or before the date specified in the application; and
(E) Be filed with the National Futures Association prior to the date on which the Annual Report is due.
(ii) The application must be accompanied by a letter from the independent public accountant answering the following questions:
(A) What specifically are the reasons for the extension request?
(B) Do you have any indication from the part of your audit completed to date that would lead you to believe that the commodity pool operator was or is not meeting the recordkeeping requirements of this part 4 or was or is not complying with the § 4.20(c) prohibition on commingling of property of any pool with the property of any other person?
(iii) Within ten calendar days after receipt of an application for an extension of time, the National Futures Association shall:
(A) Notify the commodity pool operator of the grant or denial of the requested extension, or
(B) Indicate to the pool operator that additional time is required to analyze the request, in which case the amount of time needed will be specified.
(2) In the event a commodity pool operator finds that it cannot obtain information necessary to prepare annual financial statements for a pool that it operates within the time specified in either paragraph (c) of this section or § 4.7(b)(3)(i), as a result of the pool investing in another collective investment vehicle, it may claim an extension of time under the following conditions:
(i) The commodity pool operator must, within 90 calendar days of the end of the pool’s fiscal year, file a notice with the National Futures Association, except as provided in paragraph (f)(2)(v) of this section.
(ii) The notice must contain the name, main business address, main telephone number and the National Futures Association registration identification number of the commodity pool operator, and name and the identification number of the commodity pool.
(iii) The notice must state the date by which the Annual Report will be distributed and filed (the “Extended Date”), which must be no more than 180 calendar days after the end of the pool’s fiscal year. The Annual Report must be distributed and filed by the Extended Date.
(iv) The notice must include representations by the commodity pool operator that:
(A) The pool for which the Annual Report is being prepared has investments in one or more collective investment vehicles (the “Investments”);
(B) For all reports prepared under paragraph (c) of this section and for reports prepared under § 4.7(b)(3)(i) that are audited by an independent public accountant, the commodity pool operator has been informed by the independent public accountant engaged to audit the commodity pool’s financial statements that specified information required to complete the pool’s annual report is necessary in order for the accountant to render an opinion on the commodity pool’s financial statements. The notice must include the name, main business address, main telephone number, and contact person of the accountant; and
(C) The information specified by the accountant cannot be obtained in sufficient time for the Annual Report to be prepared, audited, and distributed before the Extended Date.
(D) For unaudited reports prepared under § 4.7(b)(3)(i), the commodity pool operator has been informed by the operators of the Investments that specified information required to complete the pool’s annual report cannot be obtained in sufficient time for the Annual Report to be prepared and distributed before the Extended Date.
(v) For each fiscal year following the filing of the notice described in paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section, for a particular pool, it shall be presumed that the particular pool continues to invest in another collective investment vehicle and the commodity pool operator may claim the extension of time; Provided, however, that if the particular pool is no longer investing in another collective investment vehicle, then the commodity pool operator must file electronically with the National Futures Association an Annual Report within 90 days after the pool’s fiscal year-end accompanied by a notice indicating the change in the pool’s status.
(vi) Any notice or statement filed pursuant to this paragraph (f)(2) must be signed by the commodity pool operator in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section.
(g)(1) A commodity pool operator may initially elect any fiscal year for a pool, but the first fiscal year may not end more than one year after the pool’s formation. For purposes of this section, a pool shall be deemed to be formed as of the date the pool operator first receives funds, securities or other property for the purchase of an interest in the pool.
(2)(i) If a commodity pool operator elects a fiscal year other than the calendar year, it must give written notice of the election to all participants and must file the notice with the National Futures Association within 90 calendar days after the date of the pool’s formation. If this notice is not given, the pool operator will be deemed to have elected the calendar year as the pool’s fiscal year.
(ii) For purposes of this paragraph (g)(2), the time period from the date on which the commodity pool operator first receives funds, securities or other property from a participant in the pool that is not a person listed in paragraphs (g)(2)(ii)(A)(1) through (g)(2)(ii)(A)(5) of this section to the end of the pool’s first fiscal year is the stub period of the pool. Where the stub period is four months or less, the first Annual Report for the pool may be unaudited; Provided, however, That:
(A) Throughout the stub period, the pool had no more than fifteen participants and no more than $3,000,000 in aggregate gross capital contributions. For the purpose of satisfying these criteria, the commodity pool operator may exclude the following persons and their contributions:
(1) The pool operator, the pool’s commodity trading advisor, any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the pool operator or trading advisor, and any principal of the foregoing;
(2) A child, sibling, or parent of any of these participants;
(3) The spouse of any participant specified in paragraph (g)(2)(ii)(A)(1) or (2) of this section;
(4) Any relative of a participant specified in paragraph (g)(2)(ii)(A)(1), (2) or (3) of this section, their spouse or a relative of their spouse, who has the same principal residence as such participant; and
(5) An entity that is wholly-owned by one or more participants specified in paragraph (g)(2)(ii)(A)(1), (2), (3) or (4) of this section; and
(B) The next Annual Report for the pool is audited and covers the stub period plus the pool’s first 12-month fiscal year.
(C) To claim the relief available under paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section, a commodity pool operator must:
(1) Prior to the date upon which it is required to distribute and submit an audited Annual Report for the pool’s first fiscal year, obtain a written waiver of the pool participant’s right to receive an audited Annual Report for the pool’s first fiscal year from each participant other than a participant who is the pool operator, the pool’s commodity trading advisor, any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the pool operator or trading advisor, or any principal of the foregoing. The waiver may be included in the subscription agreement for the pool or other agreement with the participant; Provided, however, That the waiver is a separate page in the agreement and the pool operator requires the participant to separately sign and date it. The waiver must be in a form substantially as follows: “[Name of participant], a participant in [Name of pool], voluntarily waives the right under CFTC Regulation 4.22(d) to receive an audited Annual Report for the fiscal year ended [end date of the pool’s first fiscal year] and will accept in lieu thereof an unaudited Annual Report covering [the stub period] and an audited Annual Report covering [the start date of the stub period] through [the end date of the pool’s first twelve-month fiscal year].”; and
(2) On or before the date upon which it is required to distribute and submit the Annual Report for the pool’s first fiscal year, file a notice with the National Futures Association, along with a certification that it has received the required written waiver from each participant who is not the pool operator, the pool’s commodity trading advisor, any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the pool operator or trading advisor, or any principal of the foregoing, and who has been a participant in the pool for its first fiscal year.
(i) The notice must contain: The name, main business address, main telephone number and National Futures Association registration identification number of the commodity pool operator; the name and identification number of the commodity pool for which the pool operator is claiming relief; and the beginning and end dates of the stub period of the pool;
(ii) The notice must include a representation that the commodity pool operator meets the criteria of paragraph (g)(2)(ii)(A) of this section and that it will comply with the condition of paragraph (g)(2)(ii)(B) of this section; and
(iii) The notice must be signed by the commodity pool operator in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section.
(D)(1) Each unaudited Annual Report for which the relief available under paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section has been claimed must prominently disclose on the cover page thereof: “Pursuant to an exemption from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, this unaudited Annual Report covers the period from [beginning date of the stub period of the pool] to the end of the pool’s first fiscal year, a period of [number] months.”
(2) The next Annual Report for the pool must prominently disclose on the cover page thereof: “Pursuant to an exemption from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, this audited Annual Report covers the period from [beginning date of the stub period of the pool] to the end of the pool’s first 12-month fiscal year, a period of [number] months.”
(E) The commodity pool operator must maintain in accordance with § 4.23 of this chapter each waiver it has obtained to claim the relief available under paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section.
(3) The commodity pool operator must continue to use the elected fiscal year for the pool unless it provides written notice of any proposed change to all participants and files such notice with the National Futures Association at least 90 days before the change and the National Futures Association does not disapprove the change within 30 days after the filing of the notice.
(h)(1) Each Account Statement and Annual Report, including an Account Statement or Annual Report provided pursuant to § 4.7(b) or 4.12(b), must contain an oath or affirmation that, to the best of the knowledge and belief of the individual making the oath or affirmation, the information contained in the document is accurate and complete; Provided, however, That it shall be unlawful for the individual to make such oath or affirmation if the individual knows or should know that any of the information in the document is not accurate and complete.
(2) Each oath or affirmation must be made by a representative duly authorized to bind the pool operator, and
(i) for the copy of a commodity pool’s Annual Report submitted to the National Futures Association, such representative shall satisfy the required oath or affirmation through compliance with the National Futures Association’s electronic filing procedures, and
(ii) for a commodity pool Account Statement or Annual Report distributed to participants, a facsimile of the manually signed oath or affirmation of such representative may be used so long as the manually signed original is retained in accordance with § 4.23.
(3) For each manually signed oath or affirmation, there must be typed beneath the signed oath or affirmation:
(i) The name of the individual signing the document;
(ii) The capacity in which he is signing;
(iii) The name of the commodity pool operator for whom he is signing; and
(iv) The name of the commodity pool for which the document is being distributed.
(i) The Account Statement or Annual Report may be distributed to a pool participant by means of electronic media if the participant so consents; Provided, That prior to the transmission of any Account Statement or Annual Report by means of electronic media, a commodity pool operator must disclose to the participant that it intends to distribute electronically the Account Statement or Annual Report or both documents, as the case may be, absent objection from the participant, which objection, if any, the participant must make no later than 10 business days following its receipt of the disclosure.
§ 4.23 Recordkeeping.
Each commodity pool operator registered or required to be registered under the Act must make and keep the following books and records in an accurate, current and orderly manner. Books and records that are not maintained at the pool operator’s main business office shall be maintained by one or more of the following: the pool’s administrator, distributor or custodian, or a bank or registered broker or dealer acting in a similar capacity with respect to the pool. All books and records shall be maintained in accordance with § 1.31. All books and records required by this section except those required by paragraphs (a)(3), (a)(4), (b)(1), (b)(2) and (b)(3) must be made available to participants for inspection and copying during normal business hours. Upon request, copies must be sent by mail to any participant within five business days if reasonable reproduction and distribution costs are paid by the pool participant. If the books and records are maintained at the commodity pool operator’s main business office that is outside the United States, its territories or possessions, then upon the request of a Commission representative, the pool operator must provide such books and records as requested at the place in the United States, its territories or possessions designated by the representative within 72 hours after the pool operator receives the request.
(a) Concerning the commodity pool: (1) An itemized daily record of each commodity interest transaction of the pool, showing the transaction date, quantity, commodity interest, and, as applicable, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether a put or a call, strike price, underlying contract for future delivery or underlying commodity, swap type and counterparty, the futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer carrying the account and the introducing broker, if any, whether the commodity interest was purchased, sold (including, in the case of a retail forex transaction, offset), exercised, expired (including, in the case of a retail forex transaction, whether it was rolled forward), and the gain or loss realized.
(2) A journal of original entry or other equivalent record showing all receipts and disbursements of money, securities and other property.
(3) The acknowledgement specified by § 4.21(b) for each participant in the pool.
(4) A subsidiary ledger or other equivalent record for each participant in the pool showing the participant’s name and address and all funds, securities and other property that the pool received from or distributed to the participant. This requirement may be satisfied through a transfer agent’s maintenance of records or through a list of relevant intermediaries where shares are held in an omnibus account or through intermediaries.
(5) Adjusting entries and any other records of original entry or their equivalent forming the basis of entries in any ledger.
(6) A general ledger or other equivalent record containing details of all asset, liability, capital, income and expense accounts.
(7) Copies of each confirmation or acknowledgment of a commodity interest transaction of the pool, and each purchase and sale statement and each monthly statement for the pool received from a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or swap dealer.
(8) Cancelled checks, bank statements, journals, ledgers, invoices, computer generated records, and all other records, data and memoranda prepared or received in connection with the operation of the pool.
(9) The original or a copy of each report, letter, circular, memorandum, publication, writing, advertisement or other literature or advice (including the texts of standardized oral presentations and of radio, television, seminar or similar mass media presentations) distributed or caused to be distributed by the commodity pool operator to any existing or prospective pool participant or received by the pool operator from any commodity trading advisor of the pool, showing the first date of distribution or receipt if not otherwise shown on the document.
(10) A Statement of Financial Condition as of the close of (i) each regular monthly period if the pool had net assets of $500,000 or more at the beginning of the pool’s fiscal year, or (ii) each regular quarterly period for all other pools. The Statement must be completed within 30 days after the end of that period.
(11) A Statement of Income (Loss) for the period between (i) the later of: (A) the date of the most recent Statement of Financial Condition furnished to the Commission pursuant to § 4.22(c), (B) April 1, 1979 or (C) the formation of the pool, and (ii) the date of the Statement of Financial Condition required by paragraph (a)(10) of this section. The Statement must be completed within 30 days after the end of that period.
(12) A manually signed copy of each Account Statement and Annual Report provided pursuant to § 4.22, 4.7(b) or 4.12(b), and records of the key financial balances submitted to the National Futures Association for each commodity pool Annual Report, which records must clearly demonstrate how the key financial balances were compiled from the Annual Report.
(b) Concerning the commodity pool operator: (1) An itemized daily record of each commodity interest transaction of the commodity pool operator and each principal thereof, showing the transaction date, quantity, commodity interest, and, as applicable, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether a put or a call, strike price, underlying contract for future delivery or underlying commodity, swap type and counterparty, the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer carrying the account and the introducing broker, if any, whether the commodity interest was purchased, sold, exercised, or expired, and the gain or loss realized; Provided, however, that if the pool operator is a counterparty to a swap, it must comply with the swap data recordkeeping and reporting requirements of part 45 of this chapter, as applicable.
(2) Each confirmation of a commodity interest transaction, each purchase and sale statement and each monthly statement furnished by a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer to:
(i) The commodity pool operator relating to a personal account of the pool operator; and
(ii) Each principal of the pool operator relating to a personal account of such principal.
(3) Books and records of all other transactions in all other activities in which the pool operator engages. Those books and records must include cancelled checks, bank statements, journals, ledgers, invoices, computer generated records and all other records, data and memoranda which have been prepared in the course of engaging in those activities.
(c) If the pool operator does not maintain its books and records at its main business office, the pool operator shall:
(1) At the time it registers with the Commission or delegates its recordkeeping obligations, whichever is later, file a statement that:
(i) Identifies the name, main business address, and main business telephone number of the person(s) who will be keeping required books and records in lieu of the pool operator;
(ii) Sets forth the name and telephone number of a contact for each person who will be keeping required books and records in lieu of the pool operator;
(iii) Specifies, by reference to the respective paragraph of this section, the books and records that such person will be keeping; and
(iv) Contains representations from the pool operator that:
(A) It will promptly amend the statement if the contact information or location of any of the books and records required to be kept by this section changes, by identifying in such amendment the new location and any other information that has changed;
(B) It remains responsible for ensuring that all books and records required by this section are kept in accordance with § 1.31;
(C) Within 48 hours after a request by a representative of the Commission, it will obtain the original books and records from the location at which they are maintained, and provide them for inspection at the pool operator’s main business office; Provided, however, that if the original books and records are permitted to be, and are maintained, at a location outside the United States, its territories or possessions, the pool operator will obtain and provide such original books and records for inspection at the pool operator’s main business office within 72 hours of such a request; and
(D) It will disclose in the pool’s Disclosure Document the location of its books and records that are required under this section.
(2) The pool operator shall also file electronically with the National Futures Association a statement from each person who will be keeping required books and records in lieu of the pool operator wherein such person:
(i) Acknowledges that the pool operator intends that the person keep and maintain required pool books and records;
(ii) Agrees to keep and maintain such records required in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter; and
(iii) Agrees to keep such required books and records open to inspection by any representative of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter and to make such required books and records available to pool participants in accordance with this section.
§ 4.24 General disclosures required.
Except as otherwise provided herein, a Disclosure Document must include the following information.
(a) Cautionary Statement. The following Cautionary Statement must be prominently displayed on the cover page of the Disclosure Document.
THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS POOL NOR HAS THE COMMISSION PASSED ON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT.
(b) Risk Disclosure Statement. (1) The following Risk Disclosure Statement must be prominently displayed immediately following any disclosures required to appear on the cover page of the Disclosure Document as provided by the Commission, by any applicable federal or state securities laws and regulations or by any applicable laws of non-United States jurisdictions.
YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION PERMITS YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN A COMMODITY POOL. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT COMMODITY INTEREST TRADING CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS GAINS. SUCH TRADING LOSSES CAN SHARPLY REDUCE THE NET ASSET VALUE OF THE POOL AND CONSEQUENTLY THE VALUE OF YOUR INTEREST IN THE POOL. IN ADDITION, RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE POOL. IN ADDITION, RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE POOL.
FURTHER, COMMODITY POOLS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL CHARGES FOR MANAGEMENT, AND ADVISORY AND BROKERAGE FEES. IT MAY BE NECESSARY FOR THOSE POOLS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES TO MAKE SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS TO AVOID DEPLETION OR EXHAUSTION OF THEIR ASSETS. THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF EACH EXPENSE TO BE CHARGED THIS POOL AT PAGE (insert page number) AND A STATEMENT OF THE PERCENTAGE RETURN NECESSARY TO BREAK EVEN, THAT IS, TO RECOVER THE AMOUNT OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT, AT PAGE (insert page number).
THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS NECESSARY TO EVALUATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMMODITY POOL. THEREFORE, BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMODITY POOL, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY STUDY THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT, INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS OF THIS INVESTMENT, AT PAGE (insert page number).
(2) If the pool may trade foreign futures or options contracts, the Risk Disclosure Statement must further state:
YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY POOL MAY TRADE FOREIGN FUTURES OR OPTIONS CONTRACTS. TRANSACTIONS ON MARKETS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING MARKETS FORMALLY LINKED TO A UNITED STATES MARKET, MAY BE SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS WHICH OFFER DIFFERENT OR DIMINISHED PROTECTION TO THE POOL AND ITS PARTICIPANTS. FURTHER, UNITED STATES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES MAY BE UNABLE TO COMPEL THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES OF REGULATORY AUTHORITIES OR MARKETS IN NON-UNITED STATES JURISDICTIONS WHERE TRANSACTIONS FOR THE POOL MAY BE EFFECTED.
(3) If the potential liability of a participant in the pool is greater than the amount of the participant’s contribution for the purchase of an interest in the pool and the profits earned thereon, whether distributed or not, the commodity pool operator must make the following additional statement in the Risk Disclosure Statement, to be prominently disclosed as the last paragraph thereof:
ALSO, BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS POOL, YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT YOUR POTENTIAL LIABILITY AS A PARTICIPANT IN THIS POOL FOR TRADING LOSSES AND OTHER EXPENSES OF THE POOL IS NOT LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION FOR THE PURCHASE OF AN INTEREST IN THE POOL AND ANY PROFITS EARNED THEREON. A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE LIABILITY OF A PARTICIPANT IN THIS POOL IS EXPLAINED MORE FULLY IN THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT.
(4) If the pool may engage in retail Forex transactions, the Risk Disclosure Statement must further state:
YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY POOL MAY ENGAGE IN OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRADING. SUCH TRADING IS NOT CONDUCTED IN THE INTERBANK MARKET. THE FUNDS THAT THE POOL USES FOR OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRADING WILL NOT RECEIVE THE SAME PROTECTIONS AS FUNDS USED TO MARGIN OR GUARANTEE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUTURES AND OPTION CONTRACTS. IF THE POOL DEPOSITS SUCH FUNDS WITH A COUNTERPARTY AND THAT COUNTERPARTY BECOMES INSOLVENT, THE POOL’S CLAIM FOR AMOUNTS DEPOSITED OR PROFITS EARNED ON TRANSACTIONS WITH THE COUNTERPARTY MAY NOT BE TREATED AS A COMMODITY CUSTOMER CLAIM FOR PURPOSES OF SUBCHAPTER IV OF CHAPTER 7 OF THE BANKRUPTCY CODE AND THE REGULATIONS THEREUNDER. THE POOL MAY BE A GENERAL CREDITOR AND ITS CLAIM MAY BE PAID, ALONG WITH THE CLAIMS OF OTHER GENERAL CREDITORS, FROM ANY MONIES STILL AVAILABLE AFTER PRIORITY CLAIMS ARE PAID. EVEN POOL FUNDS THAT THE COUNTERPARTY KEEPS SEPARATE FROM ITS OWN FUNDS MAY NOT BE SAFE FROM THE CLAIMS OF PRIORITY AND OTHER GENERAL CREDITORS.
(5) If the pool may engage in swaps, the Risk Disclosure Statement must further state:
SWAPS TRANSACTIONS, LIKE OTHER FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, INVOLVE A VARIETY OF SIGNIFICANT RISKS. THE SPECIFIC RISKS PRESENTED BY A PARTICULAR SWAP TRANSACTION NECESSARILY DEPEND UPON THE TERMS OF THE TRANSACTION AND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, ALL SWAPS TRANSACTIONS INVOLVE SOME COMBINATION OF MARKET RISK, CREDIT RISK, COUNTERPARTY CREDIT RISK, FUNDING RISK, LIQUIDITY RISK, AND OPERATIONAL RISK.
HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED SWAPS TRANSACTIONS IN PARTICULAR MAY INCREASE LIQUIDITY RISK, WHICH MAY RESULT IN A SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS. HIGHLY LEVERAGED TRANSACTIONS MAY EXPERIENCE SUBSTANTIAL GAINS OR LOSSES IN VALUE AS A RESULT OF RELATIVELY SMALL CHANGES IN THE VALUE OR LEVEL OF AN UNDERLYING OR RELATED MARKET FACTOR.
IN EVALUATING THE RISKS AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTICULAR SWAP TRANSACTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THAT A SWAP TRANSACTION MAY BE MODIFIED OR TERMINATED ONLY BY MUTUAL CONSENT OF THE ORIGINAL PARTIES AND SUBJECT TO AGREEMENT ON INDIVIDUALLY NEGOTIATED TERMS. THEREFORE, IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR THE COMMODITY POOL OPERATOR TO MODIFY, TERMINATE, OR OFFSET THE POOL’S OBLIGATIONS OR THE POOL’S EXPOSURE TO THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH A TRANSACTION PRIOR TO ITS SCHEDULED TERMINATION DATE.
(c) Table of contents. A table of contents showing, by subject matter, the location of the disclosures made in the Disclosure Document must appear immediately following the Risk Disclosure Statement.
(d) Information required in the forepart of the Disclosure Document. (1) The name, address of the main business office, main business telephone number and form of organization of the pool. If the mailing address of the main business office is a post office box number or is not within the United States, its territories or possessions, the pool operator must state where the pool’s books and records will be kept and made available for inspection;
(2) The name, address of the main business office, main business telephone number and form of organization of the commodity pool operator. If the mailing address of the main business office is a post office box number or is not within the United States, its territories or possessions, the pool operator must state where its books and records will be kept and made available for inspection;
(3) As applicable, a statement that the pool is:
(i) Privately offered pursuant to section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (15 U.S.C. 77d(2)), or pursuant to Regulation D thereunder (17 CFR 230.501 et seq.);
(ii) A multi-advisor pool as defined in § 4.10(d)(2);
(iii) A principal-protected pool as defined in § 4.10(d)(3); or
(iv) Continuously offered. If the pool is not continuously offered, the closing date of the offering must be disclosed.
(4) The date when the commodity pool operator first intends to use the Disclosure Document; and
(5) The break-even point per unit of initial investment, as specified in § 4.10(j).
(e) Persons to be identified. The names of the following persons:
(1) Each principal of the pool operator;
(2) The pool’s trading manager, if any, and each principal thereof;
(3) Each major investee pool, the operator of such investee pool, and each principal of the operator thereof;
(4) Each major commodity trading advisor and each principal thereof;
(5) Which of the foregoing persons will make trading decisions for the pool; and
(6) If known, the futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer through which the pool will execute its trades, and, if applicable, the introducing broker through which the pool will introduce its trades to the futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer.
(f) Business background. (1) The business background, for the five years preceding the date of the Disclosure Document, of:
(i) The commodity pool operator;
(ii) The pool’s trading manager, if any;
(iii) Each major commodity trading advisor;
(iv) The operator of each major investee pool; and
(v) Each principal of the persons referred to in this paragraph (f)(1) who participates in making trading or operational decisions for the pool or who supervises persons so engaged.
(2) The pool operator must include in the description of the business background of each person identified in § 4.24(f)(1) the name and main business of that person’s employers, business associations or business ventures and the nature of the duties performed by such person for such employers or in connection with such business associations or business ventures. The location in the Disclosure Document of any required past performance disclosure for such person must be indicated.
(g) Principal risk factors. A discussion of the principal risk factors of participation in the offered pool. This discussion must include, without limitation, risks relating to volatility, leverage, liquidity, counterparty creditworthiness, as applicable to the types of trading programs to be followed, trading structures to be employed and investment activity (including retail forex and swap transactions) expected to be engaged in by the offered pool.
(h) Investment program and use of proceeds. The pool operator must disclose the following:
(1) The types of commodity interests and other interests which the pool will trade, including:
(i) The approximate percentage of the pool’s assets that will be used to trade commodity interests, securities and other types of interests, categorized by type of commodity or market sector, type of swap, type of security (debt, equity, preferred equity), whether traded or listed on a regulated exchange market, maturity ranges and investment rating, as applicable;
(ii) The extent to which such interests are subject to state or federal regulation, regulation by a non-United States jurisdiction or rules of a self-regulatory organization;
(iii)(A) The custodian or other entity (e.g., bank or broker-dealer) which will hold such interests; and
(B) If such interests will be held or if pool assets will be invested in a non-United States jurisdiction, the jurisdiction in which such interests or assets will be held or invested.
(2) A description of the trading and investment programs and policies that will be followed by the offered pool, including the method chosen by the pool operator concerning how futures commission merchants and/or retail foreign exchange dealers carrying the pool’s accounts shall treat offsetting positions pursuant to § 1.46 of this chapter, if the method is other than to close out all offsetting positions or to close out offsetting positions on other than a first-in, first-out basis, and any material restrictions or limitations on trading required by the pool’s organizational documents or otherwise. This description must include, if applicable, an explanation of the systems used to select commodity trading advisors, investee pools and types of investment activity to which pool assets will be committed;
(3)(i) A summary description of the pool’s major commodity trading advisors, including their respective percentage allocations of pool assets, a description of the nature and operation of the trading programs such advisors will follow, including the types of interests traded pursuant to such programs, and each advisor’s historical experience trading such program including material information as to volatility, leverage and rates of return and the length of time during which the advisor has traded such program;
(ii) A summary description of the pool’s major investee pools or funds, including their respective percentage allocations of pool assets and a description of the nature and operation of such investee pools and funds, including for each investee pool or fund the types of interests traded, material information as to volatility, leverage and rates of return for such investee pool or fund and the period of its operation; and
(4)(i) The manner in which the pool will fulfill its margin requirements and the approximate percentage of the pool’s assets that will be held in segregation pursuant to the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder;
(ii) If the pool will fulfill its margin requirements with other than cash deposits, the nature of such deposits; and
(iii) If assets deposited by the pool as margin or as security deposit generate income, to whom that income will be paid.
(i) Fees and expenses. (1) The Disclosure Document must include a complete description of each fee, commission and other expense which the commodity pool operator knows or should know has been incurred by the pool for its preceding fiscal year and is expected to be incurred by the pool in its current fiscal year, including fees or other expenses incurred in connection with the pool’s participation in investee pools and funds.
(2) This description must include, without limitation:
(i) Management fees;
(ii) Brokerage fees and commissions, including interest income paid to futures commission merchants, and any fees incurred to maintain an open position in retail forex transactions;
(iii) Fees and commissions paid in connection with trading advice provided to the pool;
(iv) Fees and expenses incurred within investments in investee pools, investee funds and other collective investment vehicles, which fees and expenses must be disclosed separately for each investment tier;
(v) Incentive fees;
(vi) Any allocation to the commodity pool operator, or any agreement or understanding which provides the commodity pool operator with the right to receive a distribution, where such allocation or distribution is greater than a pro rata share of the pool’s profits based on the percentage of capital contributions made by the commodity pool operator;
(vii) Commissions or other benefits, including trailing commissions paid or that may be paid or accrue, directly or indirectly, to any person in connection with the solicitation of participations in the pool;
(viii) Professional and general administrative fees and expenses, including legal and accounting fees and office supplies expenses;
(ix) Organizational and offering expenses;
(x) Clearance fees and fees paid to national exchanges and self-regulatory organizations;
(xi) For principal-protected pools, any direct or indirect costs to the pool associated with providing the protection feature, as referred to in paragraph (o)(3) of this section; and
(xii) Any costs or fees included in the spread between bid and asked prices for retail forex or, if known, swap transactions; and
(xiii) Any other direct or indirect cost.
(3) Where any fee, commission or other expense is determined by reference to a base amount including, but not limited to, “net assets,” “allocation of assets,” “gross profits,” “net profits,” or “net gains,” the pool operator must explain how such base amount will be calculated, in a manner consistent with calculation of the break-even point.
(4) Where any fee, commission or other expense is based on an increase in the value of the pool, the pool operator must specify how the increase is calculated, the period of time during which the increase is calculated, the fee, commission or other expense to be charged at the end of that period and the value of the pool at which payment of the fee, commission or other expense commences.
(5) Where any fee, commission or other expense of the pool has been paid or is to be paid by a person other than the pool, the pool operator must disclose the nature and amount thereof and the person who paid or who is expected to pay it.
(6) The pool operator must provide, in a tabular format, an analysis setting forth how the break-even point for the pool was calculated. The analysis must include all fees, commissions and other expenses of the pool, as set forth in § 4.24(i)(2).
(j) Conflicts of interest. (1) A full description of any actual or potential conflicts of interest regarding any aspect of the pool on the part of:
(i) The commodity pool operator;
(ii) The pool’s trading manager, if any;
(iii) Any major commodity trading advisor;
(iv) The commodity pool operator of any major investee pool;
(v) Any principal of the persons described in paragraphs (j)(1) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) of this section; and
(vi) Any other person providing services to the pool, soliciting participants for the pool, acting as a counterparty to the pool’s retail forex or swap transactions, or acting as a swap dealer with respect to the pool.
(2) Any other material conflict involving the pool.
(3) Included in the description of such conflicts must be any arrangement whereby a person may benefit, directly or indirectly, from the maintenance of the pool’s account with the futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer and/or from the maintenance of the pool’s swap positions with a swap dealer, or from the introduction of the pool’s account to a futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer and/or swap dealer by an introducing broker (such as payment for order flow or soft dollar arrangements) or from an investment of pool assets in investee pools or funds or other investments.
(k) Related party transactions. A full description, including a discussion of the costs thereof to the pool, of any material transactions or arrangements for which there is no publicly disseminated price between the pool and any person affiliated with a person providing services to the pool.
(l) Litigation. (1) Subject to the provisions of § 4.24(l)(2), any material administrative, civil or criminal action, whether pending or concluded, within five years preceding the date of the Document, against any of the following persons; Provided, however, that a concluded action that resulted in an adjudication on the merits in favor of such person need not be disclosed:
(i) The commodity pool operator, the pool’s trading manager, if any, the pool’s major commodity trading advisors, and the operators of the pool’s major investee pools;
(ii) Any principal of the foregoing; and
(iii) The pool’s futures commission merchants and/or retail foreign exchange dealers and/or swap dealers and its introducing brokers, if any.
(2) With respect to a futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer and/or swap dealer or an introducing broker, an action will be considered material if:
(i) The action would be required to be disclosed in the notes to the futures commission merchant’s, retail foreign exchange dealer’s, swap dealer’s or introducing broker’s financial statements prepared pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles;
(ii) The action was brought by the Commission; Provided, however, that a concluded action that did not result in civil monetary penalties exceeding $50,000 need not be disclosed unless it involved allegations of fraud or other willful misconduct; or
(iii) The action was brought by any other federal or state regulatory agency, a non-United States regulatory agency or a self-regulatory organization and involved allegations of fraud or other willful misconduct.
(m) Trading for own account. If the commodity pool operator, the pool’s trading manager, any of the pool’s commodity trading advisors or any principal thereof trades or intends to trade commodity interests for its own account, the pool operator must disclose whether participants will be permitted to inspect the records of such person’s trades and any written policies related to such trading.
(n) Performance disclosures. Past performance must be disclosed as set forth in § 4.25.
(o) Principal-protected pools. If the pool is a principal-protected pool as defined in § 4.10(d)(3), the commodity pool operator must:
(1) Describe the nature of the principal protection feature intended to be provided, the manner by which such protection will be achieved, including sources of funding, and what conditions must be satisfied for participants to receive the benefits of such protection;
(2) Specify when the protection feature becomes operative; and
(3) Disclose, in the break-even analysis required by § 4.24(i)(6), the costs of purchasing and carrying the assets to fund the principal protection feature or other limitation on risk, expressed as a percentage of the price of a unit of participation.
(p) Transferability and redemption. (1) A complete description of any restrictions upon the transferability of a participant’s interest in the pool; and
(2) A complete description of the frequency, timing and manner in which a participant may redeem interests in the pool. Such description must specify:
(i) How the redemption value of a participant’s interest will be calculated;
(ii) The conditions under which a participant may redeem its interest, including the cost associated therewith, the terms of any notification required and the time between the request for redemption and payment;
(iii) Any restrictions on the redemption of a participant’s interest, including any restrictions associated with the pool’s investments; and
(iv) Any liquidity risks relative to the pool’s redemption capabilities.
(q) Liability of pool participants. The extent to which a participant may be held liable for obligations of the pool in excess of the funds contributed by the participant for the purchase of an interest in the pool.
(r) Distribution of profits and taxation. (1) The pool’s policies with respect to the payment of distributions from profits or capital and the frequency of such payments;
(2) The federal income tax effects of such payments for a participant, including a discussion of the federal income tax laws applicable to the form of organization of the pool and to such payments therefrom; and
(3) If a pool is specifically structured to accomplish certain federal income tax objectives, the commodity pool operator must explain those objectives, the manner in which they will be achieved and any risks relative thereto.
(s) Inception of trading and other information. (1) The minimum aggregate subscriptions that will be necessary for the pool to commence trading commodity interests;
(2) The minimum and maximum aggregate subscriptions that may be contributed to the pool;
(3) The maximum period of time the pool will hold funds prior to the commencement of trading commodity interests;
(4) The disposition of funds received if the pool does not receive the necessary amount to commence trading, including the period of time within which the disposition will be made; and
(5) Where the pool operator will deposit funds received prior to the commencement of trading by the pool, and a statement specifying to whom any income from such deposits will be paid.
(t) Ownership in pool. The extent of any ownership or beneficial interest in the pool held by the following:
(1) The commodity pool operator;
(2) The pool’s trading manager, if any;
(3) The pool’s major commodity trading advisors;
(4) The operators of the pool’s major investee pools; and
(5) Any principal of the foregoing.
(u) Reporting to pool participants. A statement that the commodity pool operator is required to provide all participants with monthly or quarterly (whichever applies) statements of account and with an annual report containing financial statements certified by an independent public accountant.
(v) Supplemental information. If any information, other than that required by Commission rules, the antifraud provisions of the Act, other federal or state laws or regulations, rules of a self-regulatory agency or laws of a non-United States jurisdiction, is provided, such information:
(1) May not be misleading in content or presentation or inconsistent with required disclosures;
(2) Is subject to the antifraud provisions of the Act and Commission rules and to rules regarding the use of promotional material promulgated by a registered futures association pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act; and
(3) Must be placed as follows, unless otherwise specified by Commission rules, provided that where a two-part document is used pursuant to rules promulgated by a registered futures association pursuant to Section 17(j) of the Act, all supplemental information must be provided in the second part of the two-part document:
(i) Supplemental performance information (not including proprietary trading results as defined in § 4.25(a)(8), or hypothetical, extracted, pro forma or simulated trading results) must be placed after all specifically required performance information; Provided, however, that required volatility disclosure may be included with the related required performance disclosure;
(ii) Supplemental non-performance information relating to a required disclosure may be included with the related required disclosure; and
(iii) Other supplemental information may be included after all required disclosures; Provided, however, that any proprietary trading results as defined in § 4.25(a)(8), and any hypothetical, extracted, pro forma or simulated trading results included in the Disclosure Document must appear as the last disclosure therein following all required and non-required disclosures.
(w) Material information. Nothing set forth in §§ 4.21, 4.24, 4.25 or § 4.26 shall relieve a commodity pool operator from any obligation under the Act or the regulations thereunder, including the obligation to disclose all material information to existing or prospective pool participants even if the information is not specifically required by such sections.
§ 4.25 Performance disclosures.
(a) General principles—(1) Capsule performance information—(i) For pools. Unless otherwise specified, disclosure of the past performance of a pool must include the following information. Amounts shown must be net of any fees, expenses or allocations to the commodity pool operator.
(A) The name of the pool;
(B) A statement as to whether the pool is:
(1) Privately offered pursuant to section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (15 U.S.C. 77d(2)), or pursuant to Regulation D thereunder (17 CFR 230.501 et seq.);
(2) A multi-advisor pool as defined in § 4.10(d)(2); and
(3) A principal-protected pool as defined in § 4.10(d)(3);
(C) The date of inception of trading;
(D) The aggregate gross capital subscriptions to the pool;
(E) The pool’s current net asset value;
(F) The largest monthly draw-down during the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date, expressed as a percentage of the pool’s net asset value and indicating the month and year of the draw-down (the capsule must include a definition of “draw-down” that is consistent with § 4.10(k));
(G) The worst peak-to-valley draw-down during the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date, expressed as a percentage of the pool’s net asset value and indicating the months and year of the draw-down; and
(H) Subject to § 4.25(a)(2) for the offered pool, the annual and year-to-date rate of return for the pool for the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date, computed on a compounded monthly basis;
(ii) For accounts. Disclosure of the past performance of an account required under this § 4.25 must include the following capsule performance information:
(A) The name of the commodity trading advisor or other person trading the account and the name of the trading program;
(B) The date on which the commodity trading advisor or other person trading the account began trading client accounts and the date when client funds began being traded pursuant to the trading program;
(C) The number of accounts directed by the commodity trading advisor or other person trading the account pursuant to the trading program specified, as of the date of the Disclosure Document;
(D)(1) The total assets under the management of the commodity trading advisor or other person trading the account, as of the date of the Disclosure Document; and
(2) The total assets traded pursuant to the trading program specified, as of the date of the Disclosure Document;
(E) The largest monthly draw-down for the trading program specified during the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date expressed as a percentage of client funds, and indicating the month and year of the draw-down;
(F) The worst peak-to-valley draw-down for the trading program specified during the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date, expressed as a percentage of net asset value and indicating the months and year of the draw-down; and
(G) The annual and year-to-date rate-of-return for the program specified, computed on a compounded monthly basis.
(H) Partially-funded accounts directed by a commodity trading advisor may be presented in accordance with § 4.35(a)(7).
(2) Additional requirements with respect to the offered pool. (i) The performance of the offered pool must be identified as such and separately presented first;
(ii) The rate of return of the offered pool must be presented on a monthly basis for the period specified in § 4.25(a)(5), either in a numerical table or in a bar graph;
(iii) A bar graph used to present monthly rates of return for the offered pool:
(A) Must show percentage rate of return on the vertical axis and one-month increments on the horizontal axis;
(B) Must be scaled in such a way as to clearly show month-to-month differences in rates of return; and
(C) Must separately display numerical percentage annual rates of return for the period covered by the bar graph; and
(iv) The pool operator must make available upon request to prospective and existing participants all supporting data necessary to calculate monthly rates of return for the offered pool as specified in § 4.25(a)(7), for the period specified in § 4.25(a)(5).
(3) Additional requirements with respect to pools other than the offered pool. With respect to pools other than the offered pool for which past performance is required to be presented under this section:
(i) Performance data for pools of the same class as the offered pool must be presented following the performance of the offered pool, on a pool-by-pool basis.
(ii) Pools of a different class than the offered pool must be presented less prominently and, unless such presentation would be misleading, may be presented in composite form; Provided, however, that:
(A) The Disclosure Document must disclose how the composite was developed;
(B) Pools of different classes or pools with materially different rates of return may not be presented in the same composite.
(iii) For the purpose of § 4.25(a)(3)(ii), the following, without limitation, shall be considered pools of different classes: Pools privately offered pursuant to section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (15 U.S.C. 77d(2)), or pursuant to Regulation D thereunder (17 CFR 230.501 et seq.), and public offerings; and principal-protected and non-principal-protected pools. Multi-advisor pools as defined in § 4.10(d)(2) will be presumed to have materially different rates of return from those of non-multi-advisor pools absent evidence sufficient to demonstrate otherwise.
(iv) Material differences among the pools for which past performance is disclosed, including, without limitation, differences in leverage and use of different trading programs, must be described.
(4) Additional requirements with respect to accounts. (i) Unless such presentation would be misleading, past performance of accounts required to be presented under this section may be presented in composite form on a program-by-program basis using the format set forth in § 4.25(a)(1)(ii).
(ii) Accounts that differ materially with respect to rates of return may not be presented in the same composite.
(iii) The commodity pool operator must disclose all material differences among accounts included in a composite.
(5) Time period for required performance. All required performance information must be presented for the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date or for the life of the pool, account or trading program, if less than five years.
(6) Trading programs. If the offered pool will use any of the trading programs for which past performance is required to be presented, the Disclosure Document must so indicate.
(7) Calculation of, and recordkeeping concerning, performance information. (i) All performance information presented in a Disclosure Document, including performance information contained in any capsule and performance information not specifically required by Commission rules, must be current as of a date not more than three months preceding the date of the Document, and must be supported by the following amounts, calculated on an accrual basis of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as specified below or by a method otherwise approved by the Commission.
(A) The beginning net asset value for the period, which shall be the same as the previous period’s ending net asset value;
(B) All additions, whether voluntary or involuntary, during the period;
(C) All withdrawals and redemptions, whether voluntary or involuntary, during the period;
(D) The net performance for the period, which shall represent the change in the net asset value net of additions, withdrawals, and redemptions;
(E) The ending net asset value for the period, which shall represent the beginning net asset value plus or minus additions, withdrawals, redemptions and net performance;
(F) The rate of return for the period, which shall be calculated by dividing the net performance by the beginning net asset value or by a method otherwise approved by the Commission; and
(G) The number of units outstanding at the end of the period, if applicable.
(ii) All supporting documents necessary to substantiate the computation of such amounts must be maintained in accordance with § 1.31.
(8) Proprietary trading results. (i) Proprietary trading results may not be included in a Disclosure Document unless such performance is prominently labeled as proprietary and is set forth separately after all disclosures in accordance with § 4.24(v), together with a discussion of any differences between such performance and the performance of the offered pool, including, but not limited to, differences in costs, leverage and trading methodology.
(ii) For the purposes of § 4.24(v) and this § 4.25(a), proprietary trading results means the performance of any pool or account in which fifty percent or more of the beneficial interest is owned or controlled by:
(A) The commodity pool operator, trading manager (if any), commodity trading advisor or any principal thereof
(B) An affiliate or family member of the commodity pool operator, trading manager (if any) or commodity trading advisor; or
(C) Any person providing services to the pool.
(9) Required legend. Any past performance presentation, whether or not required by Commission rules, must be preceded by the following statement, prominently displayed:
(b) Performance disclosure when the offered pool has at least a three-year operating history. The commodity pool operator must disclose the performance of the offered pool, in accordance with paragraphs (a)(1)(i) (A) through (H) and (a)(2) of this § 4.25, where:
(1) The offered pool has traded commodity interests for three years or more; and
(2) For at least such three-year period, seventy-five percent or more of the contributions to the pool were made by persons unaffiliated with the commodity pool operator, the trading manager (if any), the pool’s commodity trading advisors, or the principals of any of the foregoing.
(c) Performance disclosure when the offered pool has less than a three-year operating history—(1) Offered pool performance. (i) The commodity pool operator must disclose the performance of the offered pool, in accordance with paragraphs (a)(1)(i)(A) through (H) and (a)(2) of this § 4.25; or
(ii) If the offered pool has no operating history, the pool operator must prominently display the following statement:
(2) Other performance of commodity pool operator. (i)(A) Except as provided in § 4.25(a)(8), the commodity pool operator must disclose, for the period specified by § 4.25(a)(5), the performance of each other pool operated by the pool operator (and by the trading manager if the offered pool has a trading manager) in accordance with paragraphs (a)(1)(i) (C) through (H) and (a)(3) of this § 4.25, and the performance of each other account traded by the pool operator (and by the trading manager if the offered pool has a trading manager) in accordance with paragraphs (a)(1)(ii) (C) through (G) of this § 4.25. If the trading manager has been delegated complete authority for the offered pool’s trading, and the trading manager’s performance is not materially different from that of the pool operator, the performance of the other pools operated by and accounts traded by the pool operator is not required to be disclosed.
(B) In addition, if the pool operator, or if applicable, the trading manager, has not operated for at least three years any commodity pool in which seventy-five percent or more of the contributions to the pool were made by persons unaffiliated with the commodity pool operator, the trading manager, the pool’s commodity trading advisors or their respective principals, the pool operator must also disclose the performance of each other pool operated by and account traded by the trading principals of the pool operator (and of the trading manager, as applicable) unless such performance does not differ in any material respect from the performance of the offered pool and the pool operator (and trading manager, if any) disclosed in the Disclosure Document.
(ii) If neither the pool operator or trading manager (if any), nor any of its trading principals has operated any other pools or traded any other accounts, the pool operator must prominently display the following statement: NEITHER THIS POOL OPERATOR (TRADING MANAGER, IF APPLICABLE) NOR ANY OF ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS HAS PREVIOUSLY OPERATED ANY OTHER POOLS OR TRADED ANY OTHER ACCOUNTS. If the commodity pool operator or trading manager, if applicable, is a sole proprietorship, reference to its trading principals may be deleted from the prescribed statement.
(3) Major commodity trading advisor performance. (i) The commodity pool operator must disclose the perfor- mance of any accounts (including pools) directed by a major commodity trading advisor in accordance with paragraphs (a)(1)(ii) (C) through (G) of this § 4.25.
(ii) If a major commodity trading advisor has not previously traded accounts, the pool operator must prominently display the following statement:
(name of the major commodity trading advisor), A COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR THAT HAS DISCRETIONARY TRADING AUTHORITY OVER (percentage of the pool’s funds available for commodity interest trading allocated to that trading advisor) PERCENT OF THE POOL’S COMMODITY INTEREST TRADING HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY DIRECTED ANY ACCOUNTS.
(4) Major investee pool performance. (i) The commodity pool operator must disclose the performance of any major investee pool.
(ii) If a major investee pool has not commenced trading, the pool operator must prominently display the following statement:
(5) With respect to commodity trading advisors and investee pools for which performance is not required to be disclosed pursuant to § 4.25(c) (3) and (4), the pool operator must provide a summary description of the performance history of each of such advisors and pools including the following information, provided that where the pool operator uses a two-part document pursuant to the rules promulgated by a registered futures association pursuant to Section 17(j) of the Act, such summary description may be provided in the second part of the two-part document:
(i) Monthly return parameters (highs and lows);
(ii) Historical volatility and degree of leverage; and
(iii) Any material differences between the performance of such advisors and pools as compared to that of the offered pool’s major trading advisors and major investee pools.
§ 4.26 Use, amendment and filing of Disclosure Document.
(a)(1) Subject to paragraph (c) of this section, all information contained in the Disclosure Document and, where used, profile document, must be current as of the date of the Document; Provided, however, that performance information may be current as of a date not more than three months prior to the date of the Document.
(2) No commodity pool operator may use a Disclosure Document or profile document dated more than twelve months prior to the date of its use.
(b) The commodity pool operator must attach to the Disclosure Document the most current Account Statement and Annual Report for the pool required to be distributed in accordance with § 4.22; provided, however, that in lieu of the most current Account Statement the commodity pool operator may provide performance information for the pool current as of a date not more than sixty days prior to the date on which the Disclosure Document is distributed and covering the period since the most recent performance information contained in the Disclosure Document.
(c)(1) If the commodity pool operator knows or should know that the Disclosure Document or profile document is materially inaccurate or incomplete in any respect, it must correct that defect and must distribute the correction to:
(i) All existing pool participants within 21 calendar days of the date upon which the pool operator first knows or has reason to know of the defect; and
(ii) Each previously solicited prospective pool participant prior to accepting or receiving funds, securities or other property from any such prospective participant.
(2) The pool operator may furnish the correction by any of the following means:
(i) An amended Disclosure Document or profile document;
(ii) With respect to a hard copy of the Disclosure Document, a sticker affixed to the Disclosure Document; or
(iii) Other similar means.
(3) The pool operator may not use the Disclosure Document or profile document until such correction has been made.
(d) Except as provided by § 4.8:
(1) The commodity pool operator must electronically file with the National Futures Association, pursuant to the electronic filing procedures of the National Futures Association, the Disclosure Document and, where used, profile document for each pool that it operates or that it intends to operate not less than 21 calendar days prior to the date the pool operator first intends to deliver such Document or documents to a prospective participant in the pool; and
(2) The commodity pool operator must electronically file with the National Futures Association, pursuant to the electronic filing procedures of the National Futures Association, the subsequent amendments to the Disclosure Document and, where used, profile document for each pool that it operates or that it intends to operate within 21 calendar days of the date upon which the pool operator first knows or has reason to know of the defect requiring the amendment.
§ 4.27 Additional reporting by commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors.
(a) General definitions. For the purposes of this section:
(1) Commodity pool operator or CPO has the same meaning as commodity pool operator defined in section 1a(11) of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(2) Commodity trading advisor or CTA has the same meaning as defined in section 1a(12);
(3) Direct has the same meaning as defined in section 4.10(f);
(4) Net asset value or NAV has the same meaning as net asset value as defined in section 4.10(b);
(5) Pool has the same meaning as defined in section 1(a)(10) of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(6) Reporting period means the reporting period as defined in the forms promulgated hereunder;
(b) Persons required to report. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, a reporting person is:
(i) Any commodity pool operator that is registered or required to be registered under the Commodity Exchange Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder; or
(ii) Any commodity trading advisor that is registered or required to be registered under the Commodity Exchange Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder.
(2) The following categories of persons shall not be considered reporting persons, as that term is defined in paragraph (b)(1) of this section:
(i) A commodity pool operator that is registered, but operates only pools for which it maintains an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in § 4.5 and/or an exemption from registration as a commodity pool operator in § 4.13;
(ii) A commodity trading advisor that is registered, but does not direct, as that term is defined in § 4.10(f), the trading of any commodity interest accounts;
(iii) A commodity trading advisor that is registered, but directs only the accounts of commodity pools for which it is registered as a commodity pool operator and, though registered, complies with § 4.14(a)(4); and
(iv) A commodity trading advisor that is registered, but directs only the accounts of commodity pools for which it is exempt from registration as a commodity pool operator, and though registered, complies with § 4.14(a)(5).
(c) Reporting. (1) Each reporting person shall file with the National Futures Association, a report with respect to the directed assets of each pool under the advisement of a commodity pool operator consistent with appendix A to this part, or a commodity trading advisor consistent with appendix C to this part.
(2) A reporting person required to file NFA Form PQR with the National Futures Association for the reporting period may make such filing in lieu of the report required under paragraph (c)(1) of this section; provided that, the Commission has determined that NFA Form PQR is substantively consistent with appendix A to this part.
(3) Nothing in this provision restricts the National Futures Association’s ability to require reporting beyond that required by the Commission; provided that, such additional requirements are consistent with the Commodity Exchange Act and 17 CFR chapter I.
(4) All financial information shall be reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied. A reporting person operating a pool that meets the conditions specified in § 4.22(d)(2)(i) to present and compute the commodity pool’s financial statements contained in the Annual Report other than in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles and has filed notice pursuant to § 4.22(d)(2)(iii) may also use the alternative accounting principles, standards, or practices identified in that notice in reporting information required to be reported pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(d) Investment advisers to private funds. Commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors that are dually registered as investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and that are required to file Form PF under the rules promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, shall file Form PF with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in addition to filings made pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section. Dually registered commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors that file Form PF with the Securities and Exchange Commission will be deemed to have filed Form PF with the Commission, for purposes of any enforcement action regarding any false or misleading statement of material fact in Form PF.
(e) Filing requirements. Each report required to be filed with the National Futures Association under this section shall:
(1)(i) Contain an oath and affirmation that, to the best of the knowledge and belief of the individual making the oath and affirmation, the information contained in the document is accurate and complete; Provided, however, That it shall be unlawful for the individual to make such oath or affirmation if the individual knows or should know that any of the information in the document is not accurate and complete and
(ii) Each oath or affirmation must be made by a representative duly authorized to bind the CPO or CTA.
(2) Be submitted consistent with the National Futures Association’s electronic filing procedures.
(f) Termination of reporting requirement. All reporting persons shall continue to file such reports as are required under this section until the effective date of a Form 7W filed in accordance with the Commission’s regulations.
(g) Public records. Reports filed pursuant to this section shall not be considered Public Records as defined in § 145.0 of this chapter.
Subpart C—Commodity Trading Advisors
§ 4.30 Prohibited activities.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no commodity trading advisor may solicit, accept or receive from an existing or prospective client funds, securities or other property in the trading advisor’s name (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to purchase, margin, guarantee or secure any commodity interest of the client.
(b) The prohibition in paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to:
(1) A futures commission merchant that is registered as such under the Act;
(2) A leverage transaction merchant that is registered as a commodity trading advisor under the Act;
(3) A retail foreign exchange dealer that is registered as such under the Act; or
(4) A swap dealer that is registered as such under the Act, with respect to funds, securities or other property accepted to purchase, margin, guarantee or secure any swap that is not cleared through a derivatives clearing organization.
§ 4.31 Required delivery of Disclosure Document to prospective clients.
(a) Each commodity trading advisor registered or required to be registered under the Act must deliver or cause to be delivered to a prospective client a Disclosure Document containing the information set forth in §§ 4.34 and 4.35 for the trading program pursuant to which the trading advisor seeks to direct the client’s commodity interest account or to guide the client’s commodity interest trading by means of a systematic program that recommends specific transactions by no later than the time the trading advisor delivers to the prospective client an advisory agreement to direct or guide the client’s account; Provided, That any information distributed in advance of the delivery of the Disclosure Document to a prospective client is consistent with or amended by the information contained in the Disclosure Document and with the obligations of the commodity trading advisor under the Act, the Commission’s regulations issued thereunder, and the laws of any other applicable federal or state authority; Provided further, That in the event such previously distributed information is amended by the Disclosure Document in any material respect, the prospective participant must be in receipt of the Disclosure Document at least 48 hours prior to the advisory agreement being accepted by the trading advisor.
(b) The commodity trading advisor may not enter into an agreement with a prospective client to direct the client’s commodity interest account or to guide the client’s commodity interest trading unless the trading advisor first receives from the prospective client an acknowledgment signed and dated by the prospective client stating that the client received a Disclosure Document for the trading program pursuant to which the trading advisor will direct his account or will guide his trading. Where a Disclosure Document is delivered to a prospective client by electronic means, in lieu of a manually signed and dated acknowledgment the trading advisor may establish receipt by electronic means that use a unique identifier to confirm the identity of the recipient of such Disclosure Document, Provided, however, That the requirement of § 4.33(a)(2) to retain the acknowledgment specified in this paragraph (b) applies equally to such substitute evidence of receipt, which must be retained either in hard copy form or in another form approved by the Commission.
§ 4.32 [Reserved]
§ 4.33 Recordkeeping.
Each commodity trading advisor registered or required to be registered under the Act must make and keep the following books and records in an accurate, current and orderly manner at its main business office and in accordance with § 1.31. If the commodity trading advisor’s main business office is located outside the United States, its territories or possessions, then upon the request of a Commission representative the trading advisor must provide such books and records as requested at the place designated by the representative in the United States, its territories or possessions within 72 hours after receipt of the request.
(a) Concerning the clients and subscribers of the commodity trading advisor:
(1) The name and address of each client and each subscriber.
(2) The acknowledgement specified in § 4.31(b).
(3) All powers of attorney and other documents, or copies thereof, authorizing the commodity trading advisor to direct the commodity interest account of a client or subscriber.
(4) All other written agreements, or copies thereof, entered into by the commodity trading advisor with any client or subscriber.
(5) A list or other record of all commodity interest accounts of clients directed by the commodity trading advisor and of all transactions effected therefor.
(6) Copies of each confirmation or acknowledgment of a commodity interest transaction, and each purchase and sale statement and each monthly statement received from a futures commission merchant, a retail foreign exchange dealer or a swap dealer.
(7) The original or a copy of each report, letter, circular, memorandum, publication, writing, advertisement or other literature or advice (including the texts of standardized oral presentations and of radio, television, seminar or similar mass media presentations) distributed or caused to be distributed by the commodity trading advisor to any existing or prospective client or subscriber, showing the first date of distribution if not otherwise shown on the document.
(b) Concerning the commodity trading advisor:
(1) An itemized daily record of each commodity interest transaction of the commodity trading advisor, showing the transaction date, quantity, commodity interest, and, as applicable, price or premium, delivery month or expiration date, whether a put or a call, strike price, underlying contract for future delivery or underlying commodity, swap type and counterparty, the futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer carrying the account and the introducing broker, if any, whether the commodity interest was purchased, sold (including, in the case of a retail forex transaction, offset), exercised, expired (including, in the case of a retail forex transaction, whether it was rolled forward), and the gain or loss realized; Provided, however, that if the trading advisor is a counterparty to a swap, it must comply with the swap data recordkeeping and reporting requirements of part 45 of this chapter, as applicable.
(2) Each confirmation of a commodity interest transaction, each purchase and sale statement and each monthly statement furnished by a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer to:
(i) The commodity trading advisor relating to a personal account of the trading advisor; and
(ii) Each principal of the trading advisor relating to a personal account of such principal.
(3) Books and records of all other transactions in all other business dealings in trading commodity interests and of all cash market transactions in which the commodity trading advisor and each principal thereof engages. Those books and records must include, as applicable, books and records of the type specified in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(7) of this section and in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(8) of § 4.23.
§ 4.34 General disclosures required.
Except as otherwise provided herein, a Disclosure Document must include the following information.
(a) Cautionary Statement. The following Cautionary Statement must be prominently displayed on the cover page of the Disclosure Document:
(b) Risk Disclosure Statement. (1) The following Risk Disclosure Statement must be prominently displayed immediately following any disclosures required to appear on the cover page of the Disclosure Document as provided by the Commission, by any applicable federal or state securities laws and regulations or by any applicable laws of non-United States jurisdictions:
THE RISK OF LOSS IN TRADING COMMODITY INTERESTS CAN BE SUBSTANTIAL. YOU SHOULD THEREFORE CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER SUCH TRADING IS SUITABLE FOR YOU IN LIGHT OF YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION. IN CONSIDERING WHETHER TO TRADE OR TO AUTHORIZE SOMEONE ELSE TO TRADE FOR YOU, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:
IF YOU PURCHASE A COMMODITY OPTION YOU MAY SUSTAIN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE PREMIUM AND OF ALL TRANSACTION COSTS.
IF YOU PURCHASE OR SELL A COMMODITY FUTURES CONTRACT OR SELL A COMMODITY OPTION OR ENGAGE IN OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRADING YOU MAY SUSTAIN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE INITIAL MARGIN FUNDS OR SECURITY DEPOSIT AND ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT YOU DEPOSIT WITH YOUR BROKER TO ESTABLISH OR MAINTAIN YOUR POSITION. IF THE MARKET MOVES AGAINST YOUR POSITION, YOU MAY BE CALLED UPON BY YOUR BROKER TO DEPOSIT A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL MARGIN FUNDS, ON SHORT NOTICE, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN YOUR POSITION. IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE THE REQUESTED FUNDS WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME, YOUR POSITION MAY BE LIQUIDATED AT A LOSS, AND YOU WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY RESULTING DEFICIT IN YOUR ACCOUNT.
UNDER CERTAIN MARKET CONDITIONS, YOU MAY FIND IT DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO LIQUIDATE A POSITION. THIS CAN OCCUR, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE MARKET MAKES A “LIMIT MOVE.”
THE PLACEMENT OF CONTINGENT ORDERS BY YOU OR YOUR TRADING ADVISOR, SUCH AS A “STOP-LOSS” OR “STOP-LIMIT” ORDER, WILL NOT NECESSARILY LIMIT YOUR LOSSES TO THE INTENDED AMOUNTS, SINCE MARKET CONDITIONS MAY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EXECUTE SUCH ORDERS.
A “SPREAD” POSITION MAY NOT BE LESS RISKY THAN A SIMPLE “LONG” OR “SHORT” POSITION.
THE HIGH DEGREE OF LEVERAGE THAT IS OFTEN OBTAINABLE IN COMMODITY INTEREST TRADING CAN WORK AGAINST YOU AS WELL AS FOR YOU. THE USE OF LEVERAGE CAN LEAD TO LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS GAINS.
IN SOME CASES, MANAGED COMMODITY ACCOUNTS ARE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL CHARGES FOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISORY FEES. IT MAY BE NECESSARY FOR THOSE ACCOUNTS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES TO MAKE SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS TO AVOID DEPLETION OR EXHAUSTION OF THEIR ASSETS. THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT CONTAINS, AT PAGE (insert page number), A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF EACH FEE TO BE CHARGED TO YOUR ACCOUNT BY THE COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR.
THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS OF THE COMMODITY INTEREST MARKETS. YOU SHOULD THEREFORE CAREFULLY STUDY THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT AND COMMODITY INTEREST TRADING BEFORE YOU TRADE, INCLUDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS OF THIS INVESTMENT, AT PAGE (insert page number).
(2)(i) If the commodity trading advisor may trade foreign futures or options contracts pursuant to the offered trading program, the Risk Disclosure Statement must further state the following:
YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR MAY ENGAGE IN TRADING FOREIGN FUTURES OR OPTIONS CONTRACTS. TRANSACTIONS ON MARKETS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING MARKETS FORMALLY LINKED TO A UNITED STATES MARKET MAY BE SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS WHICH OFFER DIFFERENT OR DIMINISHED PROTECTION. FURTHER, UNITED STATES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES MAY BE UNABLE TO COMPEL THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES OF REGULATORY AUTHORITIES OR MARKETS IN NON-UNITED STATES JURISDICTIONS WHERE YOUR TRANSACTIONS MAY BE EFFECTED. BEFORE YOU TRADE YOU SHOULD INQUIRE ABOUT ANY RULES RELEVANT TO YOUR PARTICULAR CONTEMPLATED TRANSACTIONS AND ASK THE FIRM WITH WHICH YOU INTEND TO TRADE FOR DETAILS ABOUT THE TYPES OF REDRESS AVAILABLE IN BOTH YOUR LOCAL AND OTHER RELEVANT JURISDICTIONS.
(ii) If the commodity trading advisor may engage in retail forex transactions pursuant to the offered trading program, the Risk Disclosure Statement must further state the following:
YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR MAY ENGAGE IN OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRADING. SUCH TRADING IS NOT CONDUCTED IN THE INTERBANK MARKET. THE FUNDS DEPOSITED WITH A COUNTERPARTY FOR SUCH TRANSACTIONS WILL NOT RECEIVE THE SAME PROTECTIONS AS FUNDS USED TO MARGIN OR GUARANTEE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUTURES AND OPTION CONTRACTS. IF THE COUNTERPARTY BECOMES INSOLVENT AND YOU HAVE A CLAIM FOR AMOUNTS DEPOSITED OR PROFITS EARNED ON TRANSACTIONS WITH THE COUNTERPARTY, YOUR CLAIM MAY NOT BE TREATED AS A COMMODITY CUSTOMER CLAIM FOR PURPOSES OF SUBCHAPTER IV OF CHAPTER 7 OF THE BANKRUPTCY CODE AND REGULATIONS THEREUNDER. YOU MAY BE A GENERAL CREDITOR AND YOUR CLAIM MAY BE PAID, ALONG WITH THE CLAIMS OF OTHER GENERAL CREDITORS, FROM ANY MONIES STILL AVAILABLE AFTER PRIORITY CLAIMS ARE PAID. EVEN FUNDS THAT THE COUNTERPARTY KEEPS SEPARATE FROM ITS OWN FUNDS MAY NOT BE SAFE FROM THE CLAIMS OF PRIORITY AND OTHER GENERAL CREDITORS.
FURTHER, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY REVIEW THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE RISK DISCLOSURE STATEMENT OF THE FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANT OR RETAIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEALER THAT YOU SELECT TO CARRY YOUR ACCOUNT.
(3) If the commodity trading advisor is not also a registered futures commission merchant or a registered retail foreign exchange dealer, the trading advisor must make the additional following statement in the Risk Disclosure Statement, to be included as the last paragraph thereof:
THIS COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR IS PROHIBITED BY LAW FROM ACCEPTING FUNDS IN THE TRADING ADVISOR’S NAME FROM A CLIENT FOR TRADING COMMODITY INTERESTS. YOU MUST PLACE ALL FUNDS FOR TRADING IN THIS TRADING PROGRAM DIRECTLY WITH A FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANT OR RETAIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEALER, AS APPLICABLE.
(4) If the commodity trading advisor may engage in swaps, the Risk Disclosure Statement must further state:
SWAPS TRANSACTIONS, LIKE OTHER FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, INVOLVE A VARIETY OF SIGNIFICANT RISKS. THE SPECIFIC RISKS PRESENTED BY A PARTICULAR SWAP TRANSACTION NECESSARILY DEPEND UPON THE TERMS OF THE TRANSACTION AND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, ALL SWAPS TRANSACTIONS INVOLVE SOME COMBINATION OF MARKET RISK, CREDIT RISK, FUNDING RISK, AND OPERATIONAL RISK.
HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED SWAPS TRANSACTIONS IN PARTICULAR MAY INCREASE LIQUIDITY RISK, WHICH MAY RESULT IN YOUR ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR FUNDS BEING LIMITED. HIGHLY LEVERAGED TRANSACTIONS MAY EXPERIENCE SUBSTANTIAL GAINS OR LOSSES IN VALUE AS A RESULT OF RELATIVELY SMALL CHANGES IN THE VALUE OR LEVEL OF AN UNDERLYING OR RELATED MARKET FACTOR.
IN EVALUATING THE RISKS AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTICULAR SWAP TRANSACTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THAT A SWAP TRANSACTION MAY BE MODIFIED OR TERMINATED ONLY BY MUTUAL CONSENT OF THE ORIGINAL PARTIES AND SUBJECT TO AGREEMENT ON INDIVIDUALLY NEGOTIATED TERMS. THEREFORE, IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO MODIFY, TERMINATE, OR OFFSET YOUR OBLIGATIONS OR YOUR EXPOSURE TO THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH A TRANSACTION PRIOR TO ITS SCHEDULED TERMINATION DATE.
(c) Table of contents. A table of contents showing, by subject matter, the location of the disclosures made in the Disclosure Document, must appear immediately following the Risk Disclosure Statement.
(d) Information required in the forepart of the Disclosure Document. (1) The name, address of the main business office, main business telephone number and form of organization of the commodity trading advisor. If the mailing address of the main business office is a post office box number or is not within the United States, its territories or possessions, the trading advisor must state where its books and records will be kept and made available for inspection; and
(2) The date when the commodity trading advisor first intends to use the Disclosure Document.
(e) Persons to be identified. The names of the following persons:
(1) Each principal of the trading advisor;
(2) The futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer with which the commodity trading advisor will require the client to maintain its account or, if the client is free to choose the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer with which it will maintain its account, the trading advisor must make a statement to that effect; and
(3) The introducing broker through which the commodity trading advisor will require the client to introduce its account or, if the client is free to choose the introducing broker through which it will introduce its account, the trading advisor must make a statement to that effect.
(f) Business background. (1) The business background, for the five years preceding the date of the Disclosure Document, of:
(i) The commodity trading advisor; and
(ii) Each principal of the trading advisor who participates in making trading or operational decisions for the trading advisor or supervises persons so engaged.
(2) The trading advisor must include in the description of the business background of each person identified in § 4.34(f)(1) the name and main business of that person’s employers, business associations or business ventures and the nature of the duties performed by such person for such employers or in connection with such business associations or business ventures. The location in the Disclosure Document of any required past performance disclosure for such person must be indicated.
(g) Principal risk factors. A discussion of the principal risk factors of this trading program. This discussion must include, without limitation, risks due to volatility, leverage, liquidity, and counterparty creditworthiness, as applicable to the trading program and the types of transactions and investment activity expected to be engaged in pursuant to such program (including retail forex and swap transactions, if any).
(h) Trading program. A description of the trading program, which must include the method chosen by the commodity trading advisor concerning how futures commission merchants and/or retail foreign exchange dealers carrying accounts it manages shall treat offsetting positions pursuant to § 1.46 of this chapter, if the method is other than to close out all offsetting positions or to close out offsetting positions on other than a first-in, first-out basis, and the types of commodity interests and other interests the commodity trading advisor intends to trade, with a description of any restrictions or limitations on such trading established by the trading advisor or otherwise.
(i) Fees. A complete description of each fee which the commodity trading advisor will charge the client.
(1) Wherever possible, the trading advisor must specify the dollar amount of each such fee.
(2) Where any fee is determined by reference to a base amount including, but not limited to, “net assets,” “gross profits,” “net profits,” “net gains,” “pips” or “bid-asked spread,” the trading advisor must explain how such base amount will be calculated. Where any fee is based on the difference between bid and asked prices on retail forex or swap transactions, the trading advisor must explain how such fee will be calculated;
(3) Where any fee is based on an increase in the value of the client’s commodity interest account, the trading advisor must specify how that increase is calculated, the period of time during which the increase is calculated, the fee to be charged at the end of that period and the value of the account at which payment of the fee commences.
(j) Conflicts of interest. (1) A full description of any actual or potential conflicts of interest regarding any aspect of the trading program on the part of:
(i) The commodity trading advisor;
(ii) Any futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer with which the client will be required to maintain its commodity interest account;
(iii) Any introducing broker through which the client will be required to introduce its account to a futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer; and
(iv) Any principal of the foregoing.
(2) Any other material conflict involving any aspect of the offered trading program.
(3) Included in the description of any such conflict must be any arrangement whereby the trading advisor or any principal thereof may benefit, directly or indirectly, from the maintenance of the client’s commodity interest account with a futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer, and/or from the maintenance of the client’s swap positions with a swap dealer or from the introduction of such account through an introducing broker (such as payment for order flow or soft dollar arrangements).
(k) Litigation. (1) Subject to the provisions of § 4.34(k)(2), any material administrative, civil or criminal action, whether pending or concluded, within five years preceding the date of the Document, against any of the following persons; Provided, however, that a concluded action that resulted in an adjudication on the merits in favor of such person need not be disclosed:
(i) The commodity trading advisor and any principal thereof:
(ii) Any futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer with which the client will be required to maintain its commodity interest account; and
(iii) Any introducing broker through which the client will be required to introduce its account to the futures commission merchant and/or retail foreign exchange dealer and/or swap dealer.
(2) With respect to a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, swap dealer or introducing broker, an action will be considered material if:
(i) The action would be required to be disclosed in the notes to the futures commission merchant’s, retail foreign exchange dealer’s, swap dealer’s or introducing broker’s financial statements prepared pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles;
(ii) The action was brought by the Commission; Provided, however, that a concluded action that did not result in civil monetary penalties exceeding $50,000 need not be disclosed unless it involved allegations of fraud or other willful misconduct; or
(iii) The action was brought by any other federal or state regulatory agency, a non-United States regulatory agency or a self-regulatory organization and involved allegations of fraud or other willful misconduct.
(l) Trading for own account. If the commodity trading advisor or any principal thereof trades or intends to trade commodity interests for its own account, the trading advisor must disclose whether clients will be permitted to inspect the records of such person’s trading and any written policies related to such trading.
(m) Performance disclosures. Past performance must be disclosed as set forth in § 4.35.
(n) Supplemental information. If any information, other than that required by Commission rules, the antifraud provisions of the Act, other federal or state laws and regulations, any rules of a self-regulatory agency or laws of a non-United States jurisdiction, is provided, such information:
(1) May not be misleading in content or presentation or inconsistent with the required disclosures;
(2) Is subject to the antifraud provisions of the Act and Commission rules, and to rules regarding the use of promotional material promulgated by a registered futures association pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act; and
(3) Must be placed as follows, unless otherwise specified by Commission rules:
(i) Supplemental performance information (not including proprietary trading results as defined in § 4.35(a)(7), or hypothetical, extracted, pro forma or simulated trading results) must be placed after all required performance information;
(ii) Supplemental non-performance information relating to a required disclosure may be included with the related required disclosure; and
(iii) Other supplemental information may be included after all required disclosures; Provided, however, That any proprietary trading results as defined in § 4.35(a)(7), and any hypothetical, extracted, pro forma or simulated trading results included in the Disclosure Document must appear as the last disclosure therein following all required and non-required disclosures.
(o) Material information. Nothing set forth in § 4.31, § 4.34, § 4.35 or § 4.36 shall relieve a commodity trading advisor from any obligation under the Act or the regulations thereunder, including the obligation to disclose all material information to existing or prospective clients even if the information is not specifically required by such sections.
§ 4.35 Performance disclosures.
(a) General principles—(1) Capsule performance information. Unless otherwise specified, disclosure of the past performance of an account or trading program required under this § 4.35 must include the following information:
(i) The name of the commodity trading advisor or other person trading the account and the name of the trading program;
(ii) The date on which the commodity trading advisor or other person trading the account began trading client accounts and the date when client funds began being traded pursuant to the trading program;
(iii) The number of accounts directed by the trading advisor or other person trading the account pursuant to the trading program specified, as of the date of the Disclosure Document;
(iv)(A) The total assets under the management of the trading advisor or other person trading the account, as of the date of the Disclosure Document; and
(B) The total assets traded pursuant to the trading program specified, as of the date of the Disclosure Document;
(v) The largest monthly draw-down for the account or trading program specified during the most recent five calendar year and year-to-date expressed as a percentage of client funds and indicating the month and year of the draw-down (the capsule must include a definition of “draw-down” that is consistent with § 4.10(k));
(vi) The worst peak-to-valley draw-down for the trading program specified during the most recent five calendar year and year-to-date, expressed as a percentage of net asset value and indicating the months and year of the draw-down;
(vii) Subject to § 4.35(a)(2) for the offered trading program, the annual and year-to-date rate-of-return for the program specified for the five most recent calendar years and year-to-date, computed on a compounded monthly basis; Provided, however, That performance of the offered trading program must include monthly rates of return for such period; and
(viii) In the case of the offered trading program:
(A)(1) The number of accounts traded pursuant to the offered trading program that were opened and closed during the period specified in § 4.35(a)(5) with a positive net lifetime rate of return as of the date the account was closed; and
(2) A measure of the variability of returns for accounts that were both opened and closed during the period specified in § 4.35(a)(5) and closed with positive net lifetime rates of return; and
(B)(1) The number of accounts traded pursuant to the offered trading program that were opened and closed during the period specified in § 4.35(a)(5) with negative net lifetime rates of return as of the date the account was closed; and
(2) A measure of the variability of returns for accounts that were both opened and closed during the period specified in § 4.35(a)(5) and closed with negative net lifetime rates of return.
(C) The measure of variability required by §§ 4.35(a)(1)(viii)(A)(2) and (B)(2) may be provided as a range of both positive and negative net lifetime returns, or by any other form of disclosure that meets the objective of disclosure of the variability of returns experienced by clients in the trading program whose accounts were opened and closed during the period specified in § 4.35(a)(5). The net lifetime rate of return shall be calculated as the compounded product of the monthly rates of return for each month the account is open.
(2) Additional requirements with respect to the offered trading program. (i) The performance of the offered trading program must be identified as such and separately presented first;
(ii) The rate of return of the offered trading program must be presented on a monthly basis for the period specified in § 4.35(a)(5), either in a numerical table or in a bar graph;
(iii) A bar graph used to present monthly rates of return for the offered trading program:
(A) Must show percentage rate of return on the vertical axis and one-month increments on the horizontal axis;
(B) Must be scaled in such a way as to clearly show month-to-month differences in rates of return; and
(C) Must separately display numerical percentage annual rates of return for the period covered by the bar graph; and
(iv) The commodity trading advisor must make available to prospective and existing clients upon request a table showing at least quarterly the information required to be calculated pursuant to § 4.35(a)(6).
(3) Composite presentation. (i) Unless such presentation would be misleading, the performance of accounts traded pursuant to the same trading program may be presented in composite form on a program-by-program basis, using the format set forth in § 4.35(a)(1).
(ii) Accounts that differ materially with respect to rates of return may not be presented in the same composite.
(iii) The commodity trading advisor must discuss all material differences among the accounts included in a composite.
(4) Current information. All performance information presented in the Disclosure Document must be current as of a date not more than three months preceding the date of the Document.
(5) Time period for required performance. All required performance information must be presented for the most recent five calendar years and year-to-date or for the life of the trading program or account, if less than five years.
(6) Calculation of, and recordkeeping concerning, performance information. (i) All performance information presented in a Disclosure Document, including performance information contained in any capsule and performance information not specifically required by Commission rules, must be current as of a date not more than three months preceding the date of the Document, and must be supported by the following amounts, calculated on an accrual basis of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as specified below or by a method otherwise approved by the Commission.
(A) The beginning net asset value for the period, which shall represent the previous period’s ending net asset value;
(B) All additions, whether voluntary or involuntary, during the period;
(C) All withdrawals and redemptions, whether voluntary or involuntary, during the period;
(D) The net performance for the period, which shall represent the change in the net asset value net of additions, withdrawals, redemptions, fees and expenses;
(E) The ending net asset value for the period, which shall represent the beginning net asset value plus or minus additions, withdrawals and redemptions, and net performance; and
(F) The rate of return for the period, computed on a compounded monthly basis, which shall be calculated by dividing the net performance by the beginning net asset value.
(ii) All supporting documents necessary to substantiate the computation of such amounts must be maintained in accordance with § 1.31.
(7) Performance of partially-funded accounts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a commodity trading advisor will be deemed in compliance with this § 4.35(a) concerning the performance of partially-funded accounts if the commodity trading advisor presents the performance of such accounts in a manner that is balanced and is not in violation of the antifraud provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act or the Commission’s regulations thereunder.
(8) Proprietary trading results. (i) Proprietary trading results shall not be included in a Disclosure Document unless such performance is prominently labeled as proprietary and is set forth separately after all disclosures in accordance with § 4.34(n), together with a discussion of any differences between such performance and the performance of the offered trading program, including, but not limited to, differences in costs, leverage and trading.
(ii) For the purposes of § 4.34(n) and this § 4.35(a), proprietary trading results means the performance of any account in which fifty percent or more of the beneficial interest is owned or controlled by:
(A) The commodity trading advisor or any of its principals;
(B) An affiliate or family member of the commodity trading advisor; or
(C) Any person providing services to the account.
(9) Required legend. Any past performance presentation, whether or not required by Commission rules, must be preceded with the following statement, prominently displayed:
(b) Performance to be disclosed. Except as provided in § 4.35(a)(7), the commodity trading advisor must disclose the actual performance of all accounts directed by the commodity trading advisor and by each of its trading principals; Provided, however, that if the trading advisor or its trading principals previously have not directed any accounts, the trading advisor must prominently disclose this fact with one of the following statements, as applicable:
(1) THIS TRADING ADVISOR PREVIOUSLY HAS NOT DIRECTED ANY ACCOUNTS; or
(2) NONE OF THE TRADING PRINCIPALS OF THIS TRADING ADVISOR HAS PREVIOUSLY DIRECTED ANY ACCOUNTS; or
(3) NEITHER THIS TRADING ADVISOR NOR ANY OF ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS HAVE PREVIOUSLY DIRECTED ANY ACCOUNTS.
§ 4.36 Use, amendment and filing of Disclosure Document.
(a) Subject to paragraph (c) of this section, all information contained in the Disclosure Document must be current as of the date of the Document; Provided, however, that performance information must be current as of a date not more than three months preceding the date of the Document.
(b) No commodity trading advisor may use a Disclosure Document dated more than twelve months prior to the date of its use.
(c)(1) If the commodity trading advisor knows or should know that the Disclosure Document is materially inaccurate or incomplete in any respect, it must correct that defect and must distribute the correction to:
(i) All existing clients in the trading program within 21 calendar days of the date upon which the trading advisor first knows or has reason to know of the defect; and
(ii) Each previously solicited prospective client for the trading program prior to entering into an agreement to direct or to guide such prospective client’s commodity interest account pursuant to the program. The trading advisor may furnish the correction by way of an amended Disclosure Document, a sticker on the Document, or other similar means.
(2) The trading advisor may not use the Disclosure Document until such correction is made.
(d)(1) The commodity trading advisor must electronically file with the National Futures Association, pursuant to the electronic filing procedures of the National Futures Association, the Disclosure Document for each trading program that it offers or that it intends to offer not less than 21 calendar days prior to the date the trading advisor first intends to deliver the Document to a prospective client in the trading program; and
(2) The commodity trading advisor must electronically file with the National Futures Association, pursuant to the electronic filing procedures of the National Futures Association, the subsequent amendments to the Disclosure Document for each trading program that it offers or that it intends to offer within 21 calendar days of the date upon which the trading advisor first knows or has reason to know of the defect requiring the amendment.
Subpart D—Advertising
§ 4.40 [Reserved]
§ 4.41 Advertising by commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, and the principals thereof.
(a) No commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or any principal thereof, may advertise in a manner which:
(1) Employs any device, scheme or artifice to defraud any participant or client or prospective participant or client;
(2) Involves any transaction, practice or course of business which operates as a fraud or deceit upon any participant or client or any prospective participant or client; or
(3) Refers to any testimonial, unless the advertisement or sales literature providing the testimonial prominently discloses:
(i) That the testimonial may not be representative of the experience of other clients;
(ii) That the testimonial is no guarantee of future performance or success; and
(iii) If, more than a nominal sum is paid, the fact that it is a paid testimonial.
(b)(1) No person may present the performance of any simulated or hypothetical commodity interest account, transaction in a commodity interest or series of transactions in a commodity interest of a commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or any principal thereof, unless such performance is accompanied by one of the following:
(i) The following statement: “These results are based on simulated or hypothetical performance results that have certain inherent limitations. Unlike the results shown in an actual performance record, these results do not represent actual trading. Also, because these trades have not actually been executed, these results may have under-or over-compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated or hypothetical trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to these being shown.” ; or
(ii) A statement prescribed pursuant to rules promulgated by a registered futures association pursuant to section 17(j) of the Act.
(2) If the presentation of such simulated or hypothetical performance is other than oral, the prescribed statement must be prominently disclosed and in immediate proximity to the simulated or hypothetical performance being presented.
(c) The provisions of this section shall apply:
(1) To any publication, distribution or broadcast of any report, letter, circular, memorandum, publication, writing, advertisement or other literature or advice, whether by electronic media or otherwise, including information provided via internet or e-mail, the texts of standardized oral presentations and of radio, television, seminar or similar mass media presentations; and
(2) Regardless of whether the commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor is exempt from registration under the Act.
Appendix A to Part 4—Form CPO-PQR
Appendix B to Part 4—Adjustments for Additions and Withdrawals in the Computation of Rate of Return
This appendix provides guidance concerning alternate methods by which commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors may calculate the rate of return information required by Rules 4.25(a)(7)(i)(F) and 4.35(a)(6)(i)(F). The methods described herein are illustrative of calculation methods the Commission has reviewed and determined may be appropriate to address potential material distortions in the computation of rate of return due to additions and withdrawals that occur during a performance reporting period. A commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor may present to the Commission proposals regarding any alternative method of addressing the effect of additions and withdrawals on the rate of return computation, including documentation supporting the rationale for use of that alternate method.
Rate of return for a period may be calculated by computing the net performance divided by the beginning net asset value for each trading day in the period and compounding each daily rate of return to determine the rate of return for the period. If daily compounding is not practicable, the rate of return may be compounded on the basis of each sub-period within which an addition or withdrawal occurs during a month. For example:
| Account value | Change in value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start of month | $10,000 | +10% ($1,000 profit). |
| End of 1st acct. period | 11,000 | $4,000 addition. |
| Start of 2nd acct. period | 15,000 | −20% ($3,000 loss). |
| End of 2nd acct. period | 12,000 | $2,000 withdrawal. |
| Start of 3rd acct. period | 10,000 | +25% ($2,500 profit). |
| End of month | 12,500 |
Compounded ROR = [(1 + .1)(1 − .2)(1 + .25)] − 1 = 10%.
Time-weighting allows for adjustment to the denominator of the rate of return calculation for additions and withdrawals, weighted for the amount of time such funds were available during the period. Several methods exist for time-weighting, all of which will have the same arithmetic result. These methods include: dividing the net performance by the average weighted account sizes for the month; dividing the net performance by the arithmetic mean of the account sizes for each trading day during the period; and taking the number of days funds were available for trading divided by the total number of days in the period.
Appendix C to Part 4—Form CTA-PR
PART 5—OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS
§ 5.1 Definitions.
(a) Affiliated person of a futures commission merchant means a person described in section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)(cc)(BB) of the Act;
(b) Aggregate retail forex assets means an amount of liquid assets held in accordance with § 5.8 of this part;
(c) Associated person of an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant means any natural person associated with an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant as a partner, officer or employee (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:
(1) The solicitation or acceptance of retail forex customers’ orders (other than in a clerical capacity); or
(2) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(d)(1) Commodity pool operator, for purposes of this part, means any person who operates or solicits funds, securities, or property for a pooled investment vehicle that is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, and that engages in retail forex transactions;
(2) Associated person of a commodity pool operator, for purposes of this part, means any natural person associated with a commodity pool operator as defined in paragraph (d)(1) of this section as a partner, officer, employee, consultant or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:
(i) The solicitation of funds, securities, or property for a participation in a pooled investment vehicle; or
(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(e)(1) Commodity trading advisor, for purposes of this part, means any person who exercises discretionary trading authority or obtains written authorization to exercise discretionary trading authority over any account for or on behalf of any person that is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, in connection with retail forex transactions;
(2) Associated person of a commodity trading advisor, for purposes of this part, means any natural person associated with a commodity trading advisor as defined in paragraph (e)(1) of this section as a partner, officer, employee, consultant or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:
(i) The solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account; or
(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(f)(1) Introducing broker, for purposes of this part, means any person who solicits or accepts orders from a customer that is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, in connection with retail forex transactions;
(2) Associated person of an introducing broker, for purposes of this part, means any natural person associated with an introducing broker as defined in paragraph (g)(1) of this section as a partner, officer, employee, or agent (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:
(i) The solicitation or acceptance of retail forex customers’ orders (other than in a clerical capacity); or
(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(g) Primarily or substantially means, when used to describe the extent of a futures commission merchant’s engagement in the activities described in section 1a(28)(A)(i)(I)(aa)(AA) of the Act and section 1a(28)(A)(i)(II) of the Act insofar as that section references the activities described in section 1a(28)(A)(i)(I)(aa)(AA), that:
(1) Such activities account for more than fifty percent of the futures commission merchant’s gross revenues, computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, on an annual basis;
(2) The futures commission merchant receives gross revenues, computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, from such activities in excess of $500,000 in any twelve month period; or
(3) The futures commission merchant is a clearing member of a registered derivatives clearing organization.
(h)(1) Retail foreign exchange dealer means any person that is, or that offers to be, the counterparty to a retail forex transaction, except for a person described in item (aa), (bb), (cc)(AA) or (dd) of section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II) of the Act;
(2) Associated person of a retail foreign exchange dealer means any natural person associated with a retail foreign exchange dealer as defined in paragraph (i)(1) of this section as a partner, officer or employee (or any natural person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), in any capacity which involves:
(i) The solicitation or acceptance of retail forex customers’ orders (other than in a clerical capacity); or
(ii) The supervision of any person or persons so engaged;
(i) Retail forex account means the account of a person who is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, established with a retail foreign exchange dealer or a futures commission merchant, in which account retail forex transactions (including options on contracts for the purchase or sale of foreign currency) with such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant as counterparty are undertaken, or which account is established in order to enter into such transactions.
(j) Retail forex account agreement means the contractual agreement between a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer and any person who is not an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, which agreement contains the terms governing the person’s retail forex account with such futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer.
(k) Retail forex customer means a person, other than an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, acting on its own behalf and trading in any account, agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(B) or 2(c)(2)(C) of the Act.
(l) Retail forex obligation means the net credit balance at a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant that would be obtained by combining all money, securities and property deposited by a retail forex customer into a retail forex account or accounts, adjusted for the realized and unrealized net profit or loss, if any, accruing on the open trades, contracts or transactions in the retail forex account or accounts, without including any retail forex customers’ accounts that contain negative net liquidating balances.
(m) Retail forex transaction means any account, agreement, contract or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(B) or 2(c)(2)(C) of the Act. A retail forex transaction does not include an account, agreement, contract or transaction in foreign currency that is a contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery (or an option thereon) that is executed, traded on or otherwise subject to the rules of a contract market designated pursuant to section 5(a) of the Act.
§ 5.2 Prohibited transactions.
(a) Scope. The provisions of this section shall be applicable to any retail forex transaction.
(b) Fraudulent conduct prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person, by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, directly or indirectly, in or in connection with any retail forex transaction:
(1) To cheat or defraud or attempt to cheat or defraud any person;
(2) Willfully to make or cause to be made to any person any false report or statement or cause to be entered for any person any false record; or
(3) Willfully to deceive or attempt to deceive any person by any means whatsoever.
(c) Acting as counterparty and exercising discretion prohibited. (1) No person who acts as the counterparty for any retail forex transaction may do so for an account for which the person or any affiliate of the person is authorized (by contract, power of attorney or otherwise) to cause transactions to be effected without the client’s specific authorization.
(2) For purposes of this paragraph (c), an “affiliate” of a person means a person controlling, controlled by or under common control with, the first person.
§ 5.3 Registration of persons engaged in retail forex transactions.
(a) Subject to paragraph (b) of this section, each of the following is subject to the registration provisions under the Act and to part 3 of this chapter:
(1)(i) Any affiliated person of a futures commission merchant, as defined in § 5.1(a) of this part, which affiliated person:
(A) Solicits or accepts orders from any person that is not an eligible contract participant in connection with any retail forex transaction; or
(B) Accepts money, securities, or property (or extends credit in lieu thereof) in connection with such solicitation or acceptance of orders in order to engage in any retail forex transaction, is required to register as a retail foreign exchange dealer; and
(ii) Any associated person of an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant, as defined in § 5.1(c) of this part, is required to register as an associated person of an affiliated person of a futures commission merchant.
(2)(i) Any commodity pool operator, as defined in § 5.1(d)(1) of this part, is required to register as a commodity pool operator;
(ii) Any associated person of a commodity pool operator, as defined in § 5.1(d)(2) of this part, is required to register as an associated person of a commodity pool operator;
(3)(i) Any commodity trading advisor, as defined in § 5.1(e)(1) of this part, is required to register as a commodity trading advisor;
(ii) Any associated person of a commodity trading advisor, as defined in § 5.1(e)(2) of this part, is required to register as an associated person of a commodity trading advisor;
(4)(i) Any person registered as a futures commission merchant:
(A) That is not primarily or substantially engaged in the business activities described in section 1a(28)(A)(i)(I)(aa)(AA) of the Act and section 1a(28)(A)(i)(II) of the Act insofar as that section references the activities described in section 1a(28)(A)(i)(I)(aa)(AA);
(B) That solicits or accepts orders from any person that is not an eligible contract participant in connection with any retail forex transaction; and
(C) That accepts money, securities, or property (or extends credit in lieu thereof) in connection with such solicitation or acceptance of orders in order to engage in retail forex transactions, is required to register as a retail foreign exchange dealer;
(ii) Any associated person of a futures commission merchant described in paragraph (a)(4)(i) of this section is required to register as an associated person of a futures commission merchant;
(5)(i) Any introducing broker, as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this part, is required to register as an introducing broker;
(ii) Any associated person of an introducing broker, as defined in § 5.1(f)(2) of this part, is required to register as an associated person of an introducing broker;
(6)(i) Any retail foreign exchange dealer, as defined in § 5.1(h)(1) of this part is required to register as a retail foreign exchange dealer;
(ii) Any associated person of a retail foreign exchange dealer, as defined in § 5.1(h)(2) of this part, is required to register as an associated person of a retail foreign exchange dealer;
(b) Any person described in paragraph (a) of this section that is already registered in the required capacity specified in paragraph (a) is not required under this section to register twice in the same capacity; Provided, however, that a person already registered as an associated person of one class of registrant may also be required to register as an associated person of another class of registrant in order to comply with this section.
§ 5.4 Applicability of part 4 of this chapter to commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors.
Part 4 of this chapter applies to any person required pursuant to the provisions of this part 5 to register as a commodity pool operator or as a commodity trading advisor. Failure by any such person to comply with the requirements of part 4 will constitute a violation of this section and the relevant section of part 4.
§ 5.5 Distribution of “Risk Disclosure Statement” by retail foreign exchange dealers, futures commission merchants and introducing brokers regarding retail forex transactions.
(a) Except as provided in § 5.23 of this part, no retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant, or in the case of an introduced account no introducing broker, may open an account that will engage in retail forex transactions for a retail forex customer, unless the retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker first:
(1)(i) In the case of a retail foreign exchange dealer or a person required to register as an introducing broker solely by reason of this part, furnishes the retail forex customer with a separate written disclosure statement containing only the language set forth in paragraph (b) of this section and the disclosure required by paragraph (e) of this section;
(ii) In the case of a futures commission merchant or a person required to register as an introducing broker because it engages in the activities described in § 1.3 of this chapter, furnishes the retail forex customer with a separate written disclosure statement containing only the language set forth in paragraph (b) of this section and the disclosure required by paragraph (e) of this section; Provided, however, that the disclosure statement may be attached to other documents as the initial page(s) of such documents and as the only material on such page(s); and
(2) Receives from the retail forex customer an acknowledgment signed and dated by the retail forex customer that he received and understood the disclosure statement.
(b) The language set forth in the written disclosure statement required by paragraph (a) of this section shall be as follows:
OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVE THE LEVERAGED TRADING OF CONTRACTS DENOMINATED IN FOREIGN CURRENCY CONDUCTED WITH A FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANT OR A RETAIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEALER AS YOUR COUNTERPARTY. BECAUSE OF THE LEVERAGE AND THE OTHER RISKS DISCLOSED HERE, YOU CAN RAPIDLY LOSE ALL OF THE FUNDS YOU DEPOSIT FOR SUCH TRADING AND YOU MAY LOSE MORE THAN YOU DEPOSIT.
YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING POINTS BEFORE DETERMINING WHETHER SUCH TRADING IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOU.
(1) TRADING IS NOT ON A REGULATED MARKET OR EXCHANGE—YOUR DEALER IS YOUR TRADING PARTNER WHICH IS A DIRECT CONFLICT OF INTEREST. BEFORE YOU ENGAGE IN ANY RETAIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRADING, YOU SHOULD CONFIRM THE REGISTRATION STATUS OF YOUR COUNTERPARTY.
The off-exchange foreign currency trading you are entering into is not conducted on an interbank market, nor is it conducted on a futures exchange subject to regulation as a designated contract market by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The foreign currency trades you transact are trades with the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer as your counterparty. WHEN YOU SELL, THE DEALER IS THE BUYER. WHEN YOU BUY, THE DEALER IS THE SELLER. As a result, when you lose money trading, your dealer is making money on such trades, in addition to any fees, commissions, or spreads the dealer may charge.
(2) AN ELECTRONIC TRADING PLATFORM FOR RETAIL FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS IS NOT AN EXCHANGE. IT IS AN ELECTRONIC CONNECTION FOR ACCESSING YOUR DEALER. THE TERMS OF AVAILABILITY OF SUCH A PLATFORM ARE GOVERNED ONLY BY YOUR CONTRACT WITH YOUR DEALER.
Any trading platform that you may use to enter off-exchange foreign currency transactions is only connected to your futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer. You are accessing that trading platform only to transact with your dealer. You are not trading with any other entities or customers of the dealer by accessing such platform. The availability and operation of any such platform, including the consequences of the unavailability of the trading platform for any reason, is governed only by the terms of your account agreement with the dealer.
(3) YOUR DEPOSITS WITH THE DEALER HAVE NO REGULATORY PROTECTIONS.
All of your rights associated with your retail forex trading, including the manner and denomination of any payments made to you, are governed by the contract terms established in your account agreement with the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer. Funds deposited by you with a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer for trading off-exchange foreign currency transactions are not subject to the customer funds protections provided to customers trading on a contract market that is designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Your dealer may commingle your funds with its own operating funds or use them for other purposes. In the event your dealer becomes bankrupt, any funds the dealer is holding for you in addition to any amounts owed to you resulting from trading, whether or not any assets are maintained in separate deposit accounts by the dealer, may be treated as an unsecured creditor’s claim.
(4) YOU ARE LIMITED TO YOUR DEALER TO OFFSET OR LIQUIDATE ANY TRADING POSITIONS SINCE THE TRANSACTIONS ARE NOT MADE ON AN EXCHANGE OR MARKET, AND YOUR DEALER MAY SET ITS OWN PRICES.
Your ability to close your transactions or offset positions is limited to what your dealer will offer to you, as there is no other market for these transactions. Your dealer may offer any prices it wishes, and it may offer prices derived from outside sources or not in its discretion. Your dealer may establish its prices by offering spreads from third party prices, but it is under no obligation to do so or to continue to do so. Your dealer may offer different prices to different customers at any point in time on its own terms. The terms of your account agreement alone govern the obligations your dealer has to you to offer prices and offer offset or liquidating transactions in your account and make any payments to you. The prices offered by your dealer may or may not reflect prices available elsewhere at any exchange, interbank, or other market for foreign currency.
(5) PAID SOLICITORS MAY HAVE UNDISCLOSED CONFLICTS
The futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer may compensate introducing brokers for introducing your account in ways which are not disclosed to you. Such paid solicitors are not required to have, and may not have, any special expertise in trading, and may have conflicts of interest based on the method by which they are compensated. Solicitors working on behalf of futures commission merchants and retail foreign exchange dealers are required to register. You should confirm that they are, in fact registered. You should thoroughly investigate the manner in which all such solicitors are compensated and be very cautious in granting any person or entity authority to trade on your behalf. You should always consider obtaining dated written confirmation of any information you are relying on from your dealer or a solicitor in making any trading or account decisions.
FINALLY, YOU SHOULD THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE ANY STATEMENTS BY ANY DEALERS OR SALES REPRESENTATIVES WHICH MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF, OR CONTRADICT, ANY OF THE TERMS OF THIS RISK DISCLOSURE. SUCH STATEMENTS MAY INDICATE POTENTIAL SALES FRAUD.
THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT, OF COURSE, DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF TRADING OFF-EXCHANGE FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS WITH A FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANT OR RETAIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEALER.
I hereby acknowledge that I have received and understood this risk disclosure statement.
(c) The acknowledgment required by paragraph (a) of this section must be retained by the retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(d) This section does not relieve a retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker from any other disclosure obligation it may have under applicable law.
(e)(1) Immediately following the language set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, the statement required by paragraph (a) of this section shall include, for each of the most recent four calendar quarters during which the counterparty maintained retail forex customer accounts:
(i) The total number of non discretionary retail forex customer accounts maintained by the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant;
(ii) The percentage of such accounts that were profitable during the quarter; and
(iii) The percentage of such accounts that were not profitable during the quarter.
(2) Identification of retail forex customer accounts for the purpose of this disclosure and the calculation in determining whether each such account was profitable or not profitable must be made in accordance with § 5.18(i) of this part. Such statement of profitable trades shall include the following legend: PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. Each retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant shall provide, upon request, to any retail forex customer or prospective retail forex customer the total number of non discretionary retail forex accounts maintained by such foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant, the percentage of such accounts that were profitable and the percentage of such accounts that were not profitable, calculated in accordance with § 5.18(i) of this part, for each calendar quarter during the most recent five year period during which such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant maintained non discretionary retail forex customer accounts.
§ 5.6 Maintenance of minimum financial requirements by retail foreign exchange dealers and futures commission merchants offering or engaging in retail forex transactions.
(a) Each futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions or who files an application for registration as a futures commission merchant that will offer or engage in retail forex transactions and each person registered as a retail foreign exchange dealer or who files an application for registration as a retail foreign exchange dealer, who knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital at any time is less than the minimum required by § 5.7 of this part or by the capital rule of a registered futures association of which it is a member, must:
(1) Give telephonic notice, to be confirmed in writing by facsimile notice, that the applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital is less than that required by § 5.7 of this part. The notice must be given immediately after the applicant or registrant knows or should know that its adjusted net capital is less than that required by any of the aforesaid rules to which the applicant or registrant is subject; and
(2) Provide together with such notice documentation in such form as necessary to adequately reflect the applicant’s or registrant’s capital condition as of any date such person’s adjusted net capital is less than the minimum required. The applicant or registrant must provide similar documentation for other days as the Commission may request.
(b) Each applicant or registrant, who knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital at any time is less than the greatest of:
(1) $22,000,000;
(2) 110 percent of the amount required by § 5.7(a)(1)(i)(B) of this part; or
(3) 110 percent of the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer is a member, must file written notice to that effect within 24 hours of such event.
(c) If an applicant or registrant at any time fails to make or keep current the books and records required by these regulations, such applicant or registrant must, on the same day such event occurs, provide facsimile notice of such fact, specifying the books and records which have not been made or which are not current, and within 48 hours after giving such notice file a written report stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the situation.
(d) Whenever any applicant or registrant discovers or is notified by an independent public accountant, pursuant to § 1.16(e)(2) of this chapter, of the existence of any material inadequacy, as specified in § 1.16(d)(2) of this chapter, such applicant or registrant must give facsimile notice of such material inadequacy within 24 hours, and within 48 hours after giving such notice file a written report stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the material inadequacy.
(e) Whenever any self-regulatory organization learns that a member registrant has failed to file a notice or written report as required by § 5.6 of this part, that self-regulatory organization must immediately report this failure by telephone, confirmed in writing immediately by facsimile notice, as provided in paragraph (h) of this section.
(f) A retail foreign exchange dealer or a futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions shall provide written notice of a substantial reduction in capital as compared to that last reported in a financial report filed with the Commission pursuant to § 5.12 of this part. This notice shall be provided as follows:
(1) If any event or series of events, including any withdrawal, advance, loan or loss cause, on a net basis, a reduction in net capital of 20 percent or more, notice must be provided within two business days of the event or series of events causing the reduction; and
(2) If the equity capital of the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions or the equity capital of a subsidiary or affiliate of the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions consolidated pursuant to § 1.17(f) of this chapter would be withdrawn by action of a stockholder or a partner or a limited liability company member or by redemption or repurchase of shares of stock by any of the consolidated entities or through the payment of dividends or any similar distribution, or an unsecured advance or loan would be made to a stockholder, partner, sole proprietor, limited liability company member, employee or affiliate, such that the withdrawal, advance or loan would cause, on a net basis, a reduction in excess adjusted net capital of 30 percent or more, notice must be provided at least two business days prior to the withdrawal, advance or loan that would cause the reduction: Provided, however, That the provisions of paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this section do not apply to any retail foreign exchange transaction in the ordinary course of business between a retail foreign exchange dealer and any affiliate where the retail foreign exchange dealer makes payment to or on behalf of such affiliate for such transaction and then receives payment from such affiliate for such transaction within two business days from the date of the transaction.
(3) Upon receipt of such notice from a futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions or a retail foreign exchange dealer, the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the Director’s designee may require that the futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions or retail foreign exchange dealer provide or cause a Material Affiliated Person (as that term is defined in § 5.10(a)(2) of this part) to provide, within three business days from the date of the request or such shorter period as the Director or designee may specify, such other information as the Director or designee determines to be necessary based upon market conditions, reports provided by the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions, or other available information.
(g) Whenever a person registered as a futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions or a retail foreign exchange dealer knows or should know that the total amount of its retail forex obligation exceeds the amount of the aggregate retail forex assets the registrant maintains in accordance with the provisions of § 5.8 of this chapter, the registrant must report such deficiency immediately by telephone notice, confirmed immediately in writing by facsimile notice.
(h) Every notice and written report required to be given or filed with the Commission by this section by an applicant must be filed with the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the applicant’s principal place of business is located, and with the National Futures Association. Every notice and written report required to be given or filed with the Commission by this section by a registrant or self-regulatory organization must be filed with the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the registrant’s principal place of business is located, and with the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization. In addition, every notice and written report required to be given by this section must also be filed with the Chief Accountant of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight at the Commission’s principal office in Washington, DC.
(i) In lieu of filing paper copies with the Commission, all filings or other notices prepared by a futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer pursuant to this section may be submitted to the Commission in electronic form using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission, if the futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer or a designated self-regulatory organization has provided the Commission with the means necessary to read and to process the information contained in such report. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant or applicant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer.
§ 5.7 Minimum financial requirements for retail foreign exchange dealers and futures commission merchants offering or engaging in retail forex transactions.
(a)(1)(i) Each futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions and each retail foreign exchange dealer must maintain adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of the greatest of:
(A) $20,000,000;
(B) $20,000,000 plus five percent of the futures commission merchant’s or retail foreign exchange dealer’s total retail forex obligation in excess of $10,000,000;
(C) any amount required under § 1.17 of this chapter, as applicable; or
(D) the amount of adjusted net capital required by a registered futures association of which the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer is a member.
(ii) Section 1.17 of this chapter shall apply to retail foreign exchange dealers as if such retail foreign exchange dealers were futures commission merchants, or as applicable, applicants or registrants, as stated in § 1.17 for the purpose of determining the adjusted net capital under this section. For the purpose of applying this section, “applicant” or “registrant” shall include retail foreign exchange dealers and futures commission merchants offering or engaging in retail forex transactions and applicants therefore.
(2) No person applying for registration as a retail foreign exchange dealer or a futures commission merchant that will engage in retail forex transactions shall be so registered unless such person affirmatively demonstrates to the satisfaction of a registered futures association that it complies with the financial requirements of this section.
(3) Each registrant must be in compliance with this section at all times and must be able to demonstrate such compliance to the satisfaction of the Commission or the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization.
(4) A registrant who is not in compliance with this section, or is unable to demonstrate such compliance as required by paragraph (a)(3) of this section, shall, as directed by and under the supervision of the Commission or the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization, either liquidate or transfer all retail forex accounts (including the novation of retail forex contracts) and refund or transfer all funds associated with such retail forex accounts and immediately cease offering or engaging in retail forex transactions until such time as the firm is able to demonstrate to the Commission or the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization such compliance: Provided, however, That if such registrant immediately demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission or the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization the ability to achieve compliance, the Commission or the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization may in its discretion allow such registrant up to a maximum of 10 business days, or such additional time as determined by the Commission, in which to achieve compliance without having to liquidate positions or transfer accounts and cease doing business as required above. Nothing in this paragraph (a)(4) shall be construed as preventing the Commission or the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization from taking action against a registrant for non-compliance with any of the provisions of this section.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) Where the applicant or registrant has an asset or liability which is defined in Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c3-1 (§ 240.15c3-1 of this title) the inclusion or exclusion of all or part of such asset or liability for the computation of adjusted net capital shall be in accordance with § 240.15c3-1 of this title, unless specifically stated otherwise in this section or in § 1.17 of this chapter.
(2) The adjusted net capital of an applicant or registrant for the purpose of this section shall be determined by the application of § 1.17 pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section, with the following additions:
(i) All positions in retail forex accounts and other financial positions and instruments of the applicant or registrant must be marked to market and adjusted daily by referencing to current market prices or rates of exchange.
(ii) Current assets must exclude any retail forex account which liquidates to a deficit or contains a debit ledger balance only and is not secured in accordance with § 1.17(c)(3).
(iii) Current assets must exclude any unsecured receivable accrued from any over-the-counter transaction in foreign currency, options on foreign currency or options on contracts for the purchase or sale of foreign currency, or arising from the deposit of collateral or compensating balances with respect to such transactions, unless such unsecured receivable is from a person who is an eligible contract participant that also is:
(A) A bank or trust company regulated by a United States banking regulator;
(B) A broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority;
(C) A futures commission merchant registered with the Commission and a member of the National Futures Association;
(D) A retail foreign exchange dealer registered with the Commission and a member of the National Futures Association;
(E) An entity regulated as a foreign equivalent of any of the persons listed in paragraphs (b)(2)(iii)(A) through (D) of this section, if such person is regulated in a money center country as defined in § 1.49 of this chapter and recognized by the futures commission merchant’s or retail foreign exchange dealer’s designated self-regulatory organization as a foreign equivalent;
(F) Any other entity approved by the futures commission merchant’s or retail foreign exchange dealer’s designated self-regulatory organization.
(iv) The value attributed to any retail forex transaction that is an option shall be the difference between the option’s exercise value or striking value and the market value of the underlying. In the case of a call, if the market value of the underlying is less than the exercise value or striking value of such call, it shall be given no value; and, in the case of a put, if the market value of the underlying is more than the exercise value or striking value of the put, it shall be given no value.
(v)(A) In computing adjusted net capital, the capital deductions set forth in § 1.17(c)(5)(ii) of this chapter shall apply to retail forex transactions other than options. The capital deductions which apply are six percent for net positions in Euros, British pounds, Canadian dollars, Japanese yen, or Swiss francs and 20 percent for net positions in all other foreign currencies, Provided, however, That there shall be no capital deductions for retail forex transactions covered (as defined in § 1.17(j) of this chapter) by the applicant or registrant by open futures contracts to the extent such futures contracts are not otherwise designated as cover for any other net capital purposes. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(2)(v)(A), such retail forex transactions shall be treated as if they were inventory and cover were therefore applicable. A retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant may not use an affiliate (unless approved by the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization) or any person that is considered unregulated under the rules of the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization to cover its currency positions for purposes of this section.
(B) In computing adjusted net capital, the capital deductions set forth in § 1.17(c)(5)(vi) of this chapter shall apply to all retail forex transactions that are options.
(C) For the purpose of applying capital deductions on open proprietary futures positions under § 1.17(c)(5)(x) of this chapter, net or individual positions in retail forex transactions shall not constitute cover under § 1.17(j) for the purpose of applying such charges.
(c) An applicant or registrant must prepare, and keep current, ledgers or other similar records which show or summarize, with appropriate references to supporting documents, each transaction affecting the applicant’s or registrant’s asset, liability, income, expense and capital accounts, and in which (except as otherwise permitted in writing by the Commission) all the applicant’s or registrant’s asset, liability and capital accounts are classified into the account classification subdivisions specified on Form 1-FR-FCM. Each applicant or registrant shall prepare and keep current such records.
(d) An applicant or registrant must make and keep as a record in accordance with § 5.14 of this part formal computations of its adjusted net capital and of its minimum financial requirements pursuant to this section as of the close of business each month and on other such dates called for by the Commission, the National Futures Association, or another self-regulatory organization of which the firm is a member. Such computations must be completed and made available for inspection by any representative of the Commission, the National Futures Association, a self-regulatory organization of which the firm is a member, or the United States Department of Justice commencing the first month-end after the date the application for registration is filed.
§ 5.8 Aggregate retail forex assets.
(a) Each retail foreign exchange dealer and futures commission merchant offering or engaging in retail forex transactions shall calculate its total retail forex obligation and shall at all times hold assets solely of the type permissible under § 1.25 of this chapter equal to or in excess of the total retail forex obligation at one or more qualifying institutions in the United States or money center countries as defined in § 1.49 of this chapter.
(b) For assets held in the United States, a qualifying institution is:
(1) A bank or trust company regulated by a United States banking regulator;
(2) A broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; or
(3) A futures commission merchant registered with the Commission and a member of the National Futures Association.
(c) For assets held in a money center country, a qualifying institution is:
(1) A bank or trust company regulated in a money center country, Provided that the bank or trust company has regulatory capital in excess of $1 billion;
(2) An entity regulated in a money center country as an equivalent of a broker-dealer or futures commission merchant as determined by the retail foreign exchange dealer’s or futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization, Provided that the entity maintains regulatory capital in excess of $100 million; or
(3) A futures commission merchant registered with the Commission and a member of the National Futures Association.
(d) Assets held in a money center country are not eligible to meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section unless the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant has entered into an agreement that is acceptable to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization and that authorizes the qualifying institution to provide account information to the Commission and the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization.
(e) In computing its adjusted net capital pursuant to § 5.7 of this part, a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant may not include aggregate retail forex assets as current assets or otherwise record any property received from retail forex customers as an asset without recording a corresponding liability to the retail forex customers.
§ 5.9 Security deposits for retail forex transactions.
(a) Each futures commission merchant engaging, or offering to engage, in retail forex transactions and each retail foreign exchange dealer must collect from each retail forex customer a minimum security deposit for each retail forex transaction equal to the applicable percentage as set by the registered futures association of which they are a member; Provided, that the registered futures association’s security deposit requirement cannot be less than:
(1) 2% of the notional value of the retail forex transaction for major currency pairs and 5% of the notional value of the retail forex transaction for all other currency pairs;
(2) For short options, 2% for major currency pairs and 5% for all other currency pairs of the notional value of the retail forex transaction, plus the premium received by the retail forex customer; or
(3) For long options, the full premium charged and received by the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer from the retail forex customer.
(b) Security deposits must be made in the form of cash or other financial instruments that comply with the requirements specified in § 1.25 of this chapter.
(c) A futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer is required to collect additional security deposits from a retail forex customer, or liquidate the retail forex customer’s positions, if the amount of the retail forex customer’s security deposits maintained with the futures commission merchant or retail foreign exchange dealer are not sufficient to meet the requirements of this section.
(d) A major currency pair security deposit percentage is only applicable when both sides of a retail over-the-counter foreign exchange transaction involve major currencies.
(e) Any registered futures association whose members serve as counterparties to retail forex transaction shall designate which currencies are “major currencies”, and shall review, no less frequently than annually, major currency designations and security deposit requirements, and shall adjust the designations and requirements as necessary.
§ 5.10 Risk assessment recordkeeping requirements for retail foreign exchange dealers.
(a) Requirement to maintain and preserve information. (1) Each retail foreign exchange dealer registered with the Commission pursuant to section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)(ff) of the Act shall prepare, maintain and preserve the following information:
(i) An organizational chart which includes the retail foreign exchange dealer and each of its affiliated persons. Included in the organizational chart shall be a designation of which affiliated persons are “Material Affiliated Persons” as that term is used in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, which Material Affiliated Persons file routine financial or risk exposure reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a federal banking agency, an insurance commissioner or other similar official or agency of a state, or a foreign regulatory authority, and which Material Affiliated Persons are dealers in financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk and, if a Material Affiliated Person is such a dealer, whether it is also an end-user of such instruments;
(ii) Written policies, procedures, or systems concerning the retail foreign exchange dealer’s:
(A) Method(s) for monitoring and controlling financial and operational risks to it resulting from the activities of any of its affiliated persons;
(B) Financing and capital adequacy, including information regarding sources of funding, together with a narrative discussion by management of the liquidity of the material assets of the retail foreign exchange dealer, the structure of debt capital, and sources of alternative funding;
(C) Establishing and maintaining internal controls with respect to market risk, credit risk, and other risks created by the retail foreign exchange dealer’s trading activities, including systems and policies for supervising, monitoring, reporting and reviewing trading activities in forex transactions, securities, futures contracts, commodity options, forward contracts and financial instruments; policies for hedging or managing risks created by trading activities or supervising accounts carried for affiliates, including a description of the types of reviews conducted to monitor positions; and policies relating to restrictions or limitations on trading activities: Provided, however, that if the retail foreign exchange dealer has no such written policies, procedures or systems, it must so state in writing;
(iii) Fiscal year-end consolidated and consolidating balance sheets for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the retail foreign exchange dealer’s organizational structure, which shall include the retail foreign exchange dealer and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated balance sheets shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating balance sheets may be those prepared by the retail foreign exchange dealer’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process. Any additional information required to be filed under § 5.11(a)(2)(iii) of this part shall also be maintained and preserved; and
(iv) Fiscal year-end consolidated and consolidating income statements and consolidated cash flow statements for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the retail foreign exchange dealer’s organizational structure, which shall include the retail foreign exchange dealer and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated statements shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating statements may be those prepared by the retail foreign exchange dealer’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process. Any additional information required to be filed under § 5.11(a)(2)(iii) shall also be maintained and preserved.
(2) The determination of whether an affiliated person of a retail foreign exchange dealer is a Material Affiliated Person shall involve consideration of all aspects of the activities of, and the relationship between, both entities, including without limitation, the following factors:
(i) The legal relationship between the retail foreign exchange dealer and the affiliated person;
(ii) The overall financing requirements of the retail foreign exchange dealer and the affiliated person, and the degree, if any, to which the retail foreign exchange dealer and the affiliated person are financially dependent on each other;
(iii) The degree to which the retail foreign exchange dealer and the affiliated person directly or indirectly engage in over-the-counter transactions with each other;
(iv) The degree, if any, to which the retail foreign exchange dealer or its customers rely on the affiliated person for operational support or services in connection with the retail foreign exchange dealer’s business;
(v) The level of market, credit or other risk present in the activities of the affiliated person; and
(vi) The extent to which the affiliated person has the authority or the ability to cause a withdrawal of capital from the retail foreign exchange dealer.
(3) For purposes of this section and § 5.11 of this part, the term Material Affiliated Person does not include a natural person.
(4) The information, reports and records required by this section shall be maintained and preserved, and made readily available for inspection, in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31 of this chapter.
(b) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of certain domestic regulators. A retail foreign exchange dealer shall be deemed to be in compliance with the recordkeeping requirements of paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (iii) and (iv) of this section with respect to a Material Affiliated Person if:
(1) The Material Affiliated Person is required to maintain and preserve information pursuant to § 240.17h-1T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt, and the retail foreign exchange dealer maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of the records and reports maintained and filed on Form 17-H (or such other forms or reports as may be required) by the Material Affiliated Person with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to §§ 240.17h-1T and 240.17h-2T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt;
(2) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person (including a foreign banking organization) that is subject to examination by, or the reporting requirements of, a Federal banking agency, the retail foreign exchange dealer or such Material Affiliated Person maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of all reports submitted by such Material Associated Person to the Federal banking agency pursuant to section 5211 of the Revised Statutes, section 9 of the Federal Reserve Act, section 7(a) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, section 10(b) of the Home Owners’ Loan Act, or section 5 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; or
(3) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to the supervision of an insurance commissioner or other similar official or agency of a state, the retail foreign exchange dealer or such Material Affiliated Person maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of the annual statements with schedules and exhibits prepared by the Material Affiliated Person on forms prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or by a state insurance commissioner.
(c)(1) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of a Foreign Regulatory Authority. A retail foreign exchange dealer shall be deemed to be in compliance with the recordkeeping requirements of paragraphs (a)(1)(iii) and (iv) of this section with respect to a Material Affiliated Person if such retail foreign exchange dealer maintains and makes available, or causes such Material Affiliated Person to make available, for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of any financial or risk exposure reports filed by such Material Affiliated Person with a foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, provided that:
(i) The retail foreign exchange dealer agrees to use its best efforts to obtain from the Material Affiliated Person and to cause the Material Affiliated Person to provide, directly or through its foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, any supplemental information the Commission may request and there is no statute or other bar in the foreign jurisdiction that would preclude the retail foreign exchange dealer, the Material Affiliated Person, the foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority from providing such information to the Commission; or
(ii) The foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority with whom the Material Affiliated Person files such reports has entered into an information-sharing agreement with the Commission which is in effect as of the retail foreign exchange dealer’s fiscal year-end and which will allow the Commission to obtain the type of information required herein.
(2) The retail foreign exchange dealer shall maintain a copy of the original report and a copy translated into the English language. For the purposes of this section, the term “Foreign Futures Authority” shall have the meaning set forth in section 1a(26) of the Act.
(d) Exemptions. The Commission may exempt any retail foreign exchange dealer from any provision of this section if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provisions from which the exemption is sought. The Commission may grant the exemption subject to such terms and conditions as it may find appropriate.
(e) Location of records. A retail foreign exchange dealer required to maintain records concerning Material Affiliated Persons pursuant to this section may maintain those records either at the principal office of the Material Affiliated Person or at a records storage facility, provided that, except as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section, the records are located within the boundaries of the United States and the records are kept and available for inspection in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter. If such records are maintained at a place other than the retail foreign exchange dealer’s principal place of business, the Material Affiliated Person or other entity maintaining the records shall file with the Commission a written undertaking, in a form acceptable to the Commission, signed by a duly authorized person, to the effect that the records will be treated as if the retail foreign exchange dealer were maintaining the records pursuant to this section and that the entity maintaining the records will permit examination of such records at any time, or from time to time during business hours, by representatives or designees of the Commission and promptly furnish the Commission representative or its designee true, correct, complete and current hard copy of all or any part of such records. The election to maintain records at the principal place of business of the Material Affiliated Person or at a records storage facility pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph shall not relieve the retail foreign exchange dealer required to maintain and preserve such records from any of its responsibilities under this section or § 5.11 of this part.
(f) Confidentiality. All information obtained by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of this section from a retail foreign exchange dealer concerning a Material Affiliated Person shall be deemed confidential information for the purposes of section 8 of the Act.
(g) Implementation schedule. Each retail foreign exchange dealer who is subject to the requirements of this section shall maintain and preserve the information required by paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section commencing 60 calendar days after registration becomes effective and the information required by paragraphs (a)(1)(iii) and (iv) of this section commencing 105 calendar days following the first fiscal year-end occurring after registration becomes effective.
§ 5.11 Risk assessment reporting requirements for retail foreign exchange dealers.
(a) Reporting requirements with respect to information required to be maintained by § 5.10 of this part. (1) Each retail foreign exchange dealer registered with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)(ff) of the Act shall file the following with the regional office of the Commission with which it files periodic financial reports within 60 calendar days after the effective date of such registration:
(i) A copy of the organizational chart maintained by the retail foreign exchange dealer pursuant to § 5.10(a)(l)(i) of this part. Where there is a material change in information provided, an updated organizational chart shall be filed within sixty calendar days after the end of the fiscal quarter in which the change has occurred; and
(ii) Copies of the financial, operational, and risk management policies, procedures and systems maintained by the retail foreign exchange dealer pursuant to § 5.10(a)(l)(ii) of this part. If the retail foreign exchange dealer has no such written policies, procedures or systems, it must file a statement so indicating. Where there is a material change in information provided, such change shall be reported within sixty calendar days after the end of the fiscal quarter in which the change has occurred.
(2) Each retail foreign exchange dealer registered with the Commission pursuant to section 2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II)(ff) of the Act shall file the following with the regional office with which it files periodic financial reports within 105 calendar days after the end of each fiscal year or, if a filing is made pursuant to a written notice issued under paragraph (a)(2)(iii) of this section, within the time period specified in the written notice:
(i) Fiscal year-end consolidated and consolidating balance sheets for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the retail foreign exchange dealer’s organizational structure, which shall include the retail foreign exchange dealer and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated balance sheets shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which consolidated balance sheets shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating balance sheets may be those prepared by the retail foreign exchange dealer’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process;
(ii) Fiscal year-end annual consolidated and consolidating income statements and consolidated cash flow statements for the highest level Material Affiliated Person within the retail foreign exchange dealer’s organizational structure, which shall include the retail foreign exchange dealer and its other Material Affiliated Persons, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, which consolidated statements shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant if an annual audit is performed in the ordinary course of business, but which otherwise may be unaudited, and which consolidated statements shall include appropriate explanatory notes. The consolidating statements may be those prepared by the retail foreign exchange dealer’s highest level Material Affiliated Person as part of its internal financial reporting process; and
(iii) Upon receiving written notice from any representative of the Commission and within the time period specified in the written notice, such additional information which the Commission determines is necessary for a complete understanding of a particular affiliate’s financial impact on the retail foreign exchange dealer’s organizational structure.
(3) For the purposes of this section, the term Material Affiliated Person shall have the meaning used in § 5.10 of this part.
(4) The reports required to be filed pursuant to paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section shall be considered filed when received by the regional office of the Commission with whom the retail foreign exchange dealer files financial reports pursuant to § 5.12 of this part.
(b) Exemptions. The Commission may exempt any retail foreign exchange dealer from any provision of this section if it finds that the exemption is not contrary to the public interest and the purposes of the provisions from which the exemption is sought. The Commission may grant the exemption subject to such terms and conditions as it may find appropriate.
(c) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of certain domestic regulators. (1) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person that is required to maintain and preserve information pursuant to § 240.17h-1T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt, the retail foreign exchange dealer shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to such Material Affiliated Person if the retail foreign exchange dealer maintains and makes available for inspection by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this section copies of the records and reports maintained and filed on Form 17-H (or such other forms or reports as may be required) by the Material Affiliated Person with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to §§ 240.17h-1T and 240.17h-2T of this title, or such other risk assessment regulations as the Securities and Exchange Commission may adopt;
(2) In the case of a Material Affiliated Person (including a foreign banking organization) that is subject to examination by, or the reporting requirements of, a Federal banking agency, the retail foreign exchange dealer shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to such Material Affiliated Person if the retail foreign exchange dealer or such Material Affiliated Person maintains in accordance with § 5.10 of this part copies of all reports filed by the Material Affiliated Person with the Federal banking agency pursuant to section 5211 of the Revised Statutes, section 9 of the Federal Reserve Act, section 7(a) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, section 10(b) of the Home Owners’ Loan Act, or section 5 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956.
(3) In the case of a retail foreign exchange dealer that has a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to the supervision of an insurance commissioner or other similar official or agency of a state, such retail foreign exchange dealer shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to the Material Affiliated Person if:
(i) With respect to a Material Affiliated Person organized as a mutual insurance company or a non-public stock company, the retail foreign exchange dealer or such Material Affiliated Person maintains in accordance with § 5.14 of this part copies of the annual statements with schedules and exhibits prepared by the Material Affiliated Person on forms prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or by a state insurance commissioner; and
(ii) With respect to a Material Affiliated Person organized as a public stock company, the retail foreign exchange dealer or such Material Affiliated Person maintains, in addition to the annual statements with schedules and exhibits required to be maintained pursuant to § 1.14 of this chapter, copies of the filings made by the Material Affiliated Person pursuant to sections 13 or 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(4) No retail foreign exchange dealer shall be required to furnish to the Commission any examination report of any Federal banking agency or any supervisory recommendations or analyses contained therein with respect to a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to the regulation of a Federal banking agency. All information received by the Commission pursuant to this section concerning a Material Affiliated Person that is subject to examination by or the reporting requirements of a Federal banking agency shall be deemed confidential for the purposes of section 8 of the Act.
(5) The furnishing of any information or documents by a retail foreign exchange dealer pursuant to this section shall not constitute an admission for any purpose that a Material Affiliated Person is otherwise subject to the Act.
(d) Special provisions with respect to Material Affiliated Persons subject to the supervision of a Foreign Regulatory Authority. A retail foreign exchange dealer shall be deemed to be in compliance with the reporting requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to a Material Affiliated Person if such retail foreign exchange dealer furnishes, or causes such Material Affiliated Person to make available, in accordance with the provisions of this section, copies of any financial or risk exposure reports filed by such Material Affiliated Person with a foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, provided that:
(1) The retail foreign exchange dealer agrees to use its best efforts to obtain from the Material Affiliated Person and to cause the Material Affiliated Person to provide, directly or through its foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority, any supplemental information the Commission may request and there is no statute or other bar in the foreign jurisdiction that would preclude the retail foreign exchange dealer, the Material Affiliated Person, the foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority from providing such information to the Commission; or
(2) The foreign futures authority or other foreign regulatory authority with whom the Material Affiliated Person files such reports has entered into an information sharing agreement with the Commission which is in effect as of the retail foreign exchange dealer’s fiscal year-end and which will allow the Commission to obtain the type of information required herein. The retail foreign exchange dealer shall file a copy of the original report and a copy translated into the English language. For the purposes of this section, the term “Foreign Futures Authority” shall have the meaning set forth in section 1a(26) of the Act.
(e) Confidentiality. All information obtained by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of this section from a retail foreign exchange dealer concerning a Material Associated Person shall be deemed confidential information for the purposes of section 8 of the Act.
(f) Implementation schedule. Each retail foreign exchange dealer who is subject to the requirements of this section shall file the information required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section within 60 calendar days after registration is granted, and the information required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section within 105 calendar days after registration is granted.
§ 5.12 Financial reports of retail foreign exchange dealers.
(a)(1) Each person who files an application for registration as a retail foreign exchange dealer with the National Futures Association shall submit, concurrently with the filing of such application, either:
(i) A Form 1-FR-FCM certified by an independent public accountant as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which such report is filed; or
(ii) A Form 1-FR-FCM as of a date not more than 17 business days prior to the date on which such report is filed and a Form 1-FR-FCM certified by an independent public accountant as of a date not more than one year prior to the date on which such report is filed.
(2) Each such person must include with such financial report a statement describing the source of his current assets and representing that his capital has been contributed for the purpose of operating his business and will continue to be used for such purpose.
(3) The provisions of paragraph (a)(1) of this section do not apply to any person succeeding to and continuing the business of another retail foreign exchange dealer.
(b)(1) Each person registered as a retail foreign exchange dealer must file a Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of business each month. Each Form 1-FR must be filed no later than 17 business days after the date for which the report is made.
(2) In addition to the monthly financial reports required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section, each person registered as a retail foreign exchange dealer must file a Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of its fiscal year, which must be certified by an independent public accountant and must be filed no later than 90 days after the close of the retail foreign exchange dealer’s fiscal year.
(3) A Form 1-FR-FCM required to be certified by an independent public accountant which is filed by a retail foreign exchange dealer must be filed in paper form and may not be filed electronically with the Commission. A Form 1-FR-FCM required to be certified by an independent public accountant which is filed by an applicant for registration as a retail foreign exchange dealer with the National Futures Association must be filed electronically in accordance with electronic filing procedures established by the National Futures Association, however a paper copy of any such filing with the original manually signed certification must be maintained by the applicant for registration as a retail foreign exchange dealer in accordance with § 1.31.
(c) Each Form 1-FR-FCM required by the provisions of paragraphs (a)(1) and (b)(2) of this section to be certified by an independent public accountant must be certified in accordance with § 1.16 of this chapter, and must be accompanied by the accountant’s report on material inadequacies in accordance with the provisions of § 1.16(c)(5) of this chapter. In all other respects, the independent public accountant shall act in accordance with the provisions of § 1.16 (except paragraph (f)) of this chapter: Provided, however, that the term “§ 5.7” shall be substituted for the term “§ 1.17,” and the term “retail foreign exchange dealer” shall be substituted for the term “futures commission merchant.”
(d) Upon receiving written notice from any representative of the Commission, National Futures Association, or any self-regulatory organization of which the firm is a member, a retail foreign exchange dealer or applicant for such registration, must, monthly or at such times as specified, furnish the Commission, National Futures Association, or self-regulatory organization a Form 1-FR-FCM or such other financial information requested in the written notice. Each such Form 1-FR-FCM or such other information must be furnished within the time period specified in the written notice, and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (i) of this section.
(e)(1) Each Form 1-FR-FCM filed pursuant to this § 5.12 which is not required to be certified by an independent public accountant must be completed in accordance with the instructions to the form and contain:
(i) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(ii) A statement of income (loss) for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(iii) A statement of changes in ownership equity for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(iv) A statement of changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(v) A statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 5.7 of this part as of the date for which the report is made; and
(vi) In addition to the information expressly required, such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements and schedules not misleading.
(2) Each Form 1-FR-FCM filed pursuant to this § 5.12 which is required to be certified by an independent public accountant must be completed in accordance with the instructions to the form and contain:
(i) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(ii) Statements of income (loss), cash flows, changes in ownership equity, and changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors, for the period between the date of the most recent certified statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made: Provided, That for an applicant filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section the period must be the year ending as of the date of the statement of financial condition;
(iii) A statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 5.7 of this part as of the date for which the report is made;
(iv) Appropriate footnote disclosures;
(v) A reconciliation, including appropriate explanations, of the statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 5.7 of this part, in the certified Form 1-FR-FCM with the applicant’s or registrant’s corresponding uncertified most recent Form 1-FR-FCM filing when material differences exist or, if no material differences exist, a statement so indicating; and
(vi) In addition to the information expressly required, such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading.
(3) The statements required by paragraphs (e)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section may be presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the certified reports filed as of the close of the registrant’s fiscal year pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section or accompanying the application for registration pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section, rather than in the format specifically prescribed by these regulations: Provided, the statement of financial condition is presented in a format as consistent as possible with the Form 1-FR-FCM and a reconciliation is provided reconciling such statement of financial condition to the statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 5.7 of this part. Such reconciliation must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 of this chapter.
(4) Attached to each Form 1-FR-FCM filed pursuant to this section must be an oath or affirmation that to the best knowledge and belief of the individual making such oath or affirmation the information contained in the Form 1-FR-FCM is true and correct. The individual making such oath or affirmation must be: If the registrant or applicant is a sole proprietorship, the proprietor; if a partnership, any general partner; if a corporation, the chief executive officer or chief financial officer; and, if a limited liability company or limited liability partnership, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the manager, the managing member, or those members vested with the management authority for the limited liability company or limited liability partnership.
(f) Election of fiscal year. (1) An applicant wishing to establish a fiscal year other than the calendar year may do so by notifying the National Futures Association of its election of such fiscal year, in writing, concurrently with the filing of the Form 1-FR-FCM pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section, but in no event may such fiscal year end more than one year from the date of the Form 1-FR-FCM filed pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section. An applicant that does not so notify the National Futures Association will be deemed to have elected the calendar year as its fiscal year.
(2)(i) A registrant must continue to use its elected fiscal year, calendar or otherwise, unless a change in such fiscal year has been approved pursuant to this paragraph (f)(2).
(ii) A registrant may file with its designated self-regulatory organization an application to change its fiscal year, a copy of which the registrant must file with the Commission. The application shall be approved or denied in writing by the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization. The registrant must file immediately with the Commission a copy of any notice it receives from its designated self-regulatory organization to approve or deny the registrant’s application to change its fiscal year. A written notice of approval shall become effective upon the filing by the registrant of a copy with the Commission, and a written notice of denial shall be effective as of the date of the notice.
(g) In the event a retail foreign exchange dealer or applicant for registration as a retail foreign exchange dealer finds that it cannot file its Form 1-FR-FCM for any period within the time specified in paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section without substantial undue hardship, it may request approval for an extension of time by filing an application for an extension of time with, in the case of a registrant, its designated self-regulatory organization, or, in the case of an applicant, the National Futures Association. The registrant or applicant also must file a copy of its application for an extension of time with the Commission. The application shall be approved or denied in writing by the National Futures Association or designated self-regulatory organization, as applicable. The registrant or applicant must file immediately with the Commission a copy of any notice it receives approving or denying the request for extension of time. A written notice of approval shall become effective upon the filing by the registrant or applicant of a copy with the Commission, and a written notice of denial shall be effective as of the date of the notice.
(h) Public availability of reports. (1) Forms 1-FR-FCM filed pursuant to this section will be treated as exempt from mandatory public disclosure for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act and parts 145 and 147 of this chapter, except for the information described in paragraph (i)(2) of this section.
(2) The following information in Forms 1-FR-FCM will be publicly available:
(i) The amount of the applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital; the amount of its minimum net capital requirement under § 5.7 of this chapter; the amount of its adjusted net capital in excess of its minimum net capital requirement; and the amount of the retail forex obligation owed to its retail forex customers; and
(ii) The Statement of Financial Condition and the opinion of the independent public accountant in the certified annual financial reports of retail foreign exchange dealers.
(3) All information that is exempt from mandatory public disclosure under paragraph (h)(1) of this section will, however, be available for official use by any official or employee of the United States or any State, by the National Futures Association or any other self-regulatory organization of which the person filing such report is a member, and by any other person to whom the Commission believes disclosure of such information is in the public interest. Nothing in this paragraph (h) will limit the authority of any self-regulatory organization to request or receive any information relative to its members’ financial condition.
(i)(1) In the case of an applicant, all filings or other notices provided for in this section will be considered filed when received by the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the applicant’s principal place of business is located and by the National Futures Association. In the case of a registrant, all filings or other notices provided for in this section will be considered filed when received by the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the registrant’s principal place of business is located and by the registrant’s designated self-regulatory organization. Any copy that under paragraph (f)(2) or (g) of this section is required to be filed with the Commission shall be filed with the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state in which the registrant’s principal place of business is located.
(2) All filings or other notices filed pursuant to this section which need not be certified in accordance with § 1.16 may be submitted to the Commission in electronic form using a a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission, if the retail foreign exchange dealer or a designated self-regulatory organization has provided the Commission with the means necessary to read and to process the information contained in such report. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant or applicant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer. In the case of a Form 1-FR filed via electronic transmission in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, such transmission must be accompanied by the user authentication assigned to the authorized signer under such procedures, and the use of such user authentication will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer for the purpose of making the oath or affirmation referred to in paragraph (e)(4) of this section.
§ 5.13 Reporting to customers of retail foreign exchange dealers and futures commission merchants; monthly and confirmation statements.
(a) Monthly statements. Each retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant must promptly furnish in writing to each retail forex customer, as of the close of the last business day of each month or as of any regular monthly date selected, except for accounts in which there are neither open positions at the end of the statement period nor any changes to the account balance since the prior statement period, but in any event not less frequently than once every three months, a statement which clearly shows:
(1) For each retail forex customer:
(i) The open retail forex transactions with prices at which acquired;
(ii) The net unrealized profits or losses in all open retail forex transactions marked to the market; and
(iii) Any money, securities or other property carried with the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant; and
(iv) A detailed accounting of all financial charges and credits to such retail forex accounts during the monthly reporting period, including money, securities or property received from or disbursed to such customer and realized profits and losses; and
(2) For each retail forex customer engaging in forex options transactions:
(i) All forex options purchased, sold, exercised, or expired during the monthly reporting period, identified by underlying retail forex transaction or underlying currency, strike price, transaction date, and expiration date;
(ii) The open forex option positions carried for such customer as of the end of the monthly reporting period, identified by underlying retail forex transaction or underlying currency, strike price, transaction date, and expiration date;
(iii) All open forex option positions marked to the market and the amount each position is in the money, if any;
(iv) Any money, securities or other property carried with the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant; and
(v) A detailed accounting of all financial charges and credits to such retail forex account(s) during the monthly reporting period, including money, securities and property received from or disbursed to such customer, premiums charged and received, and realized profits and losses.
(b) Confirmation statement. Each retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant must, not later than the next business day after any retail forex or forex option transaction, furnish:
(1) To each retail forex customer, a written confirmation of each retail forex transaction caused to be executed by it for the customer, including offsetting transactions executed during the same business day and the rollover of an open retail forex transaction to the next business day.
(2) To each retail forex customer engaging in forex option transactions, a written confirmation of each forex option transaction, containing at least the following information:
(i) The retail forex customer’s account identification number;
(ii) A separate listing of the actual amount of the premium, as well as each mark-up thereon, if applicable, and all other commissions, costs, fees and other charges incurred in connection with the forex option transaction;
(iii) The strike price;
(iv) The underlying retail forex transaction or underlying currency;
(v) The final exercise date of the forex option purchased or sold; and
(vi) The date the forex option transaction was executed.
(3) To each retail forex customer engaging in forex option transactions, upon the expiration or exercise of any forex option, a written confirmation statement thereof, which statement shall include the date of such occurrence, a description of the forex option involved, and, in the case of exercise, the details of the retail forex or physical currency position which resulted therefrom including, if applicable, the final trading date of the retail forex transaction underlying the option.
(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section, a retail forex transaction or forex option transaction that is caused to be executed for a pooled investment vehicle that engages in retail forex transactions need be confirmed only to the operator of such pooled investment vehicle.
(c) Controlled accounts. With respect to any account controlled by any person other than the retail forex customer or forex option customer for whom such account is carried, each retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant shall promptly furnish in writing to such other person the information required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.
(d) Recordkeeping. Each retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant shall retain, in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter, a copy of each monthly statement and confirmation required by this section.
(e) Introduced accounts. Each statement provided pursuant to the provisions of this section must, if applicable, show that the account for which the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant is providing the statement was introduced by an introducing broker and the names of the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant and introducing broker.
(f) Electronic transmission of statements. (1) The statements required by this section may be furnished to a retail forex customer by means of electronic media if the retail forex customer so consents, Provided, however, that a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant must, prior to the transmission of any statement by means of electronic media, disclose the electronic medium or source through which statements will be delivered, the duration, whether indefinite or not, of the period during which consent will be effective, any charges for such service, the information that will be delivered by such means, and that consent to electronic delivery may be revoked at any time, and provided, further, that a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant must obtain the retail forex customer’s signed consent acknowledging such disclosure prior to the transmission of any statement by means of electronic media.
(2) Any statement required to be furnished to a person other than a retail forex customer in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section may be furnished by electronic media.
(3) A retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant who furnishes statements to a retail forex customer by means of electronic media must retain a daily confirmation statement for such retail forex customer as of the end of the trading session, reflecting all transactions made during that session for the customer, in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(g) Combination with other statements. Any futures commission merchant required to deliver statements to retail forex customers in accordance with § 1.33 of this chapter may combine into one monthly statement or confirmation statement, as the case may be, the information required by this section and the information required by § 1.33, provided that retail forex account information is separately identified from any other trading or account activity of the retail forex customer.
§ 5.14 Records to be kept by retail foreign exchange dealers and futures commission merchants.
(a) No person shall be registered as a retail foreign exchange dealer under the Act unless, commencing on the date his application for such registration is filed, he prepares and keeps current ledgers or other similar records which show or summarize, with appropriate references to supporting documents, each transaction affecting his asset, liability, income, expense and capital accounts, and in which (except as otherwise permitted in writing by the Commission) all his asset, liability and capital accounts are classified into either the account classification subdivisions specified on Form 1-FR-FCM or categories that are in accord with generally accepted accounting principles as applicable. Each person so registered shall prepare and keep current such records.
(b) Each applicant or registrant must make and keep as a record in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter formal computations of its adjusted net capital and of its minimum financial requirements pursuant to § 1.17 or § 5.7 of this chapter, or the requirements of the designated self-regulatory organization to which it is subject, as applicable, as of the close of business each month. Such computations must be completed and made available for inspection by any representative of the National Futures Association, in the case of an applicant, or of the Commission or designated self-regulatory organization, if any, in the case of a registrant, within 17 business days after the date for which the computations are made, commencing the first month end after the date the application for registration is filed.
§ 5.15 Unlawful representations.
It shall be unlawful for any person registered pursuant to the requirements of this part to represent or imply in any manner whatsoever that such person has been sponsored, recommended or approved, or that its abilities or qualifications have been reviewed or evaluated, by the Commission, the Federal government or any agency thereof.
§ 5.16 Prohibition of guarantees against loss.
(a) No retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker may in any way represent that it will, with respect to any retail foreign exchange transaction in any account carried by a retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant for or on behalf of any person:
(1) Guarantee such person against loss;
(2) Limit the loss of such person; or
(3) Not call for or attempt to collect security deposits, margin, or other deposits as established for retail forex customers.
(b) No person may in any way represent that a retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker will engage in any of the acts or practices described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) This section shall not be construed to prevent a retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker from assuming or sharing in the losses resulting from an error or mishandling of an order.
(d) This section shall not affect any guarantee entered into prior to October 18, 2010, but this section shall apply to any extension, modification or renewal thereof entered into after such date.
§ 5.17 Authorization to trade.
No retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant, introducing broker or any of their associated persons may directly or indirectly effect a retail forex transaction for the account of any customer unless before the transaction the customer, or person designated by the customer to control the account specifically authorized the retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant, introducing broker or any of their associated persons to effect the transaction. A transaction is “specifically authorized” if the customer or person designated by the customer to control the account specifies:
(a) The precise retail forex transaction to be effected;
(b) The exact amount of the foreign currency to be purchased or sold; and
(c) In the case of an option, the identity of the foreign currency or contract that underlies the option.
§ 5.18 Trading and operational standards.
(a) For purposes of this section:
(1) The term retail forex counterparty includes, as appropriate:
(i) A retail foreign exchange dealer as defined in § 5.1 of this part;
(ii) A futures commission merchant as defined in section 1a(28) of the Act; and
(iii) An affiliated person of a futures commission merchant as defined in § 5.1 of this part.
(2) The term related person when used in reference to a retail forex counterparty means any general partner, officer, director, owner of more than ten percent of the equity interest, associated person or employee of the retail forex counterparty, and any relative or spouse of any of the foregoing persons, or any relative of such spouse, who shares the same home as any of the foregoing persons.
(b) Prior to engaging in a retail forex transaction, each retail forex counterparty shall, at a minimum, establish and enforce internal rules, procedures and controls to:
(1) Ensure, to the extent possible, that each order received from a retail forex customer which order is executable at or near the price that the retail forex counterparty has quoted to the customer is entered for execution before any order in any retail forex transaction for any proprietary account, any other account in which a related person of the retail forex counterparty has an interest, or any account for which such a related person may originate orders without the prior specific consent of the account owner (if such related person has gained knowledge of the retail forex customer’s order prior to the transmission of an order for a proprietary account), an account in which such a related person has an interest, or an account in which such a related person may originate orders without the prior specific consent of the account owner; and
(2) Prevent related persons of forex counterparties from placing orders, directly or indirectly, with another person in a manner designed to circumvent the provisions of paragraph (b)(1) of this section;
(3) Fairly and objectively establish settlement prices for retail forex transactions; and
(4) Record and maintain essential information regarding customer orders and account activity, and to provide such information to customers upon request. Such information shall include:
(i) Transaction records for the customer’s account, including:
(A) The date and time each order is received by the retail forex counterparty;
(B) The price at which each order is placed, or, in the case of an option, the premium paid
(C) If the transaction was entered into by means of a trading platform, the price quoted on the trading platform when the order was placed, or, in the case of an option, the premium quoted;
(D) The customer account identification information;
(E) The currency pair;
(F) The size of the transaction;
(G) Whether the order was a buy or sell order;
(H) The type of order, if the order was not a market order;
(I) If a trading platform is used, the date and time the order is transmitted to the trading platform;
(J) If a trading platform is used, the date and time the order is executed;
(K) The size and price at which the order is executed, or in the case of an option, the amount of the premium paid for each option purchased, or the amount credited for each option sold; and
(L) For options, whether the option is a put or call, the strike price, and expiration date.
(ii) Account records that contain the following information:
(A) The funds in the account, net of any commissions and fees;
(B) The net profits and losses on open trades; and
(C) The funds in the account plus or minus the net profits and losses on open trades. (In the case of open option positions, the account balance should be adjusted for the net option value);
(iii) If a trading platform is used, daily logs showing each price change on the platform, the time of the change to the nearest second, and the trading volume at that time and price; and
(iv) Any method or algorithm used to determine the bid or asked price for any retail forex transaction or the prices at which customer orders are executed, including, but not limited to, any markups, fees, commissions or other items which affect the profitability or risk of loss of a retail forex customer’s transaction.
(c) No retail forex counterparty shall disclose that an order of another person is being held by the retail forex counterparty, unless such disclosure is necessary to the effective execution of such order or is made at the request of an authorized representative of the Commission, or a futures association registered with the Commission pursuant to section 17 of the Act.
(d) No retail forex counterparty shall knowingly handle the account of any related person of another retail forex counterparty unless it:
(1) Receives written authorization from a person designated by such other retail forex counterparty with responsibility for the surveillance over such account pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section;
(2) Prepares immediately upon receipt of an order for such account a written record of such order, including the account identification and order number, and records thereon to the nearest minute, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time the order is received; and
(3) Transmits on a regular basis to such other retail forex counterparty copies of all statements for such account and of all written records prepared upon the receipt of orders for such account pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(e) No related person of a retail forex counterparty shall have an account, directly or indirectly, with another retail forex counterparty unless:
(1) It receives written authorization to maintain such an account from a person designated by the retail forex counterparty of which it is a related person with responsibility for the surveillance over such account pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section; and
(2) Copies of all statements for such account and of all written records prepared by such other retail forex counterparty upon receipt of orders for such account pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section are transmitted on a regular basis to the retail forex counterparty of which it is a related person.
(f) No retail forex counterparty shall:
(1) Enter into a retail forex transaction, to be executed pursuant to a market or limit order at a price that is not at or near the price at which other retail forex customers, during that same time period, have executed retail forex transactions with the retail forex counterparty; Provided, however, that this paragraph (f)(1) shall not prohibit such practice if done in accordance with the rules of a registered futures association, and of which such retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or affiliated person of a futures commission merchant is a member;
(2) Adjust or alter prices for a retail forex transaction after the transaction has been confirmed to the retail forex customer; Provided, however, that this paragraph (f)(2) shall not prohibit such practice if in accordance with the rules of a registered futures association, and of which such retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or affiliated person of a futures commission merchant is a member;
(3)(i) Provide a retail forex customer a new bid price for a retail forex transaction that is higher than its previous bid without providing a new asked price that is also higher than its previous asked price by a similar amount;
(ii) Provide a retail forex customer a new bid price for a retail forex transaction that is lower than its previous bid without providing a new asked price that is also lower than its previous asked price by a similar amount; or
(4) Establish a new position for a retail forex customer (except one that offsets an existing position for that retail forex customer) where the retail forex counterparty holds outstanding orders of other retail forex customers for the same currency pair at a comparable price.
(g)(1) Each retail forex counterparty and each CPO, CTA and IB subject to this part 5 shall maintain a record of all communications received by such person concerning facts giving rise to possible violations of the Act, rules, regulations or orders thereunder, related to their retail forex business. The record shall contain the name of the complainant, if provided, the date of the communication, the agreement, contract or transaction, the substance of the communication, and the name of the person who received the communication.
(2) Each retail forex counterparty and each CPO, CTA and IB subject to this part 5 shall provide to the Division of Enforcement of the Commission, electronically, a copy of the record of each communication received pursuant to paragraph (g)(1) of this section. Such copy shall be provided to the Division of Enforcement of the Commission no later than 30 calendar days after the communication is received: Provided, however, that in the case of a communication concerning facts giving rise to possible fraud under the Act or Commission regulations, such copy shall be provided to the Division of Enforcement of the Commission within three business days after the communication is received.
(h) An introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this part, applicant for registration as an introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this part, or person succeeding to and continuing the business of another introducing broker as defined in § 5.1(f)(1) of this part must comply with all provisions applicable to an introducing broker under this chapter; Provided, however, that an introducing broker operating pursuant to, or an applicant for registration as an introducing broker who has filed concurrently with its application for registration, a guarantee agreement meeting the requirements of § 1.10(j) of this chapter is not subject to the minimum capital and related financial reporting requirements of §§ 1.10, 1.12 and 1.17 of this chapter.
(i)(1) Each retail forex counterparty shall prepare and maintain on a quarterly basis (calendar quarter) a calculation of the percentage of nondiscretionary retail forex customer accounts open for any period of time during the quarter that were profitable, and the percentage of such accounts that were not profitable. In calculating whether a retail forex account was profitable or not profitable during the quarter, the FCM or RFED must compute the realized and unrealized gains and/or losses on all retail forex transactions carried in the retail forex account at any time during the quarter, and subtract all fees, commissions, and any other charges posted to the retail forex account during the quarter, and add any interest income and other income or rebates credited to the retail forex account during the quarter. All deposits and/or withdrawals of funds made by a retail forex customer during the quarter must be excluded from the computation of whether the retail forex account was profitable or not profitable during the quarter. Computations that result in a zero or negative number shall be considered a retail forex account that was not profitable. Computations that result in a positive number shall be considered a retail forex account that was profitable. RFEDs and FCMs shall maintain such calculations along with data supporting such calculations for five years in accordance with § 1.31.
(2) In calculating its percentages of nondiscretionary retail forex customer accounts that were profitable or not profitable, the retail forex counterparty may only use those retail forex accounts, as defined in § 5.1(i) of this part, that are nondiscretionary accounts; provided, that the retail forex account is not a proprietary account, as defined in paragraph (i)(3) of this section.
(3) Proprietary account for this section means a retail forex account carried on the books of a retail foreign exchange dealer or a futures commission merchant for one of the following persons, or of which ten percent or more is owned by one of the following persons, or of which an aggregate of ten percent or more of which is owned by more than one of the following persons:
(i) Such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant itself;
(ii) If the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant is a partnership, a general partner in such partnership;
(iii) If the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant is a limited partnership, a limited or special partner in such partnership whose duties include:
(A) The management of the partnership business or any part thereof,
(B) The handling of retail forex transactions of such partnership,
(C) The keeping of records pertaining to retail forex transactions, or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such partnership;
(iv) If the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant is a corporation or association, an officer, director or owner of ten percent or more of the capital stock, of such organization;
(v) An employee of such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant whose duties include:
(A) The management of the business of such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant or any part thereof,
(B) The handling of retail forex transactions of such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant,
(C) The keeping of records pertaining to retail forex transactions of such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant, or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant;
(vi) A spouse or minor dependent living in the same household of any of the foregoing persons;
(vii) A business affiliate that directly or indirectly controls such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant; or
(viii) A business affiliate that, directly or indirectly is controlled by or is under common control with, such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant.
(j) Each retail forex counterparty shall designate one or more principals to serve as a chief compliance officer(s). The chief compliance officer(s) shall certify to the Commission and a registered national futures association annually that the retail forex counterparty has in place processes to establish, maintain, review, modify and test policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the Act, rules, regulations and orders thereunder. The certification shall include a statement that the counterparty has in place compliance processes, and that the chief compliance officer(s) has apprised the chief executive officer of the compliance efforts to date and identify and address significant compliance problems and plans to address those problems.
§ 5.19 Pending legal proceedings.
(a) Every retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant and each CPO, CTA or IB subject to this part 5 shall submit to the Commission copies of any dispositive or partially dispositive decision for which a notice of appeal has been filed, the notice of appeal and such further documents as the Commission may thereafter request filed in any material legal proceeding to which the retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant, CPO, CTA or IB is a party or to which its property or assets is subject with respect to retail forex transactions.
(b) Every retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant and each CPO, CTA or IB subject to this part 5 shall submit to the Commission copies of any dispositive or partially dispositive decision concerning which a notice of appeal has been filed, the notice of appeal, and such further documents as the Commission may thereafter request filed in any material legal proceeding instituted against any person who is a principal of the retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant CPO, CTA or IB (as the term “principal” is defined in § 3.1(a) of this chapter) arising from conduct in such person’s capacity as a principal of the retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant, CPO, CTA or IB and alleging violations, with regard to retail forex transactions, of:
(1) The Act or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder; or
(2) Provisions of state law relating to a duty or obligation owed by such a principal.
(c) All documents required by this section to be submitted to the Commission shall be mailed via first-class or submitted by other more expeditious means to the Commission’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, Attention: Director, Division of Enforcement. All documents required by this section to be submitted to the Commission as to matters pending on October 18, 2010 shall be mailed to the Commission within 45 days of that effective date. Thereafter, all decisions and notices of appeal required to be submitted by retail foreign exchange dealers, futures commission merchants, CPOs, CTAs or IBs shall be mailed within 10 days of the filing or receipt by the retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant of the relevant notice of appeal. For purposes of paragraph (a) and (b) of this section, a “material legal proceeding” includes but is not limited to actions involving alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act or the Commission’s regulations. However, a legal proceeding is not “material” for the purposes of this rule if the proceeding is not in a federal or state court or if the Commission is a party.
§ 5.20 Special calls for account and transaction information.
(a) Preparation and transmission of information upon special call. All information required upon special call shall be prepared in such form and manner and in accordance with such instructions, and shall be transmitted at such time and to such office of the Commission, as may be specified in the call.
(b) Special calls for information on controlled accounts from retail foreign exchange dealers, futures commission merchants and introducing brokers. Upon call by the Commission, each retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant and introducing broker shall file with the Commission the names and addresses of all persons who, by power of attorney or otherwise, exercise trading control over any customer’s account in retail forex transactions.
(c) Special calls for information on open transactions in accounts carried or introduced by retail foreign exchange dealers, futures commission merchants, and introducing brokers. Upon special call by the Commission for information relating to retail forex transactions held or introduced on the dates specified in the call, each retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant, or introducing broker shall furnish to the Commission the following information concerning accounts of traders owning or controlling such retail forex transaction positions, as may be specified in the call:
(1) The name, address, and telephone number of the person for whom each account is carried;
(2) The principal business or occupation of the person for whom each account is introduced or carried, as specified in the call;
(3) The name, address and principal business or occupation of any person who controls the trading of each account;
(4) The name and address of any person having a financial interest of ten percent or more in each account;
(5) The number of open retail forex transaction positions introduced or carried in each account, as specified in the call; and
(6) The total number of retail forex transactions against which delivery has been made.
(d) Delegation of authority to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and the Director of the Division of Enforcement. The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or to the respective Director’s designees, the authority set forth in this section to make special calls for information on controlled accounts from retail foreign exchange dealers, futures commission merchants and from introducing brokers, and to make special calls for information on open contracts in accounts carried or introduced by futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, and foreign brokers. Either Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated pursuant to this section. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section to the Directors.
§ 5.21 Supervision.
Each Commission registrant subject to this part 5, except an associated person who has no supervisory duties, must diligently supervise the handling by its partners, officers, employees and agents (or persons occupying a similar status or performing a similar function) of all retail forex accounts carried, operated, advised or introduced by the registrant and all other activities of its partners, officers, employees and agents (or persons occupying a similar status or performing a similar function) relating to its business as a Commission registrant.
§ 5.22 Registered futures association membership.
(a) Each person registered as a retail foreign exchange dealer must become and remain a member of at least one futures association that is registered under section 17 of the Act and that provides for the membership therein of such retail foreign exchange dealer.
(b) Each person required to register as:
(1) An introducing broker, because the person solicits or accepts orders for retail forex transactions;
(2) A commodity pool operator because the person operates, or solicits funds, securities, or property for, a pooled investment vehicle that engages in retail forex transactions; or
(3) A commodity trading advisor because the person exercises discretionary trading authority, or obtains written authorization to exercise discretionary trading authority over, an account in connection with retail forex transactions, must become and remain a member of at least one futures association that is registered under section 17 of the Act and that provides for the membership therein of such person.
§ 5.23 Notice of bulk transfers and bulk liquidations.
(a) Notice and disclosure to retail forex customers of a bulk transfer. (1) A retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker must obtain the written prior and specific consent of its retail forex customer to the assignment of any position or transfer of any account of the retail forex customer to another retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker, unless made at the retail forex customer’s request.
(2) Absent a request of the retail forex customer or the consent described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, assignments of positions and transfers of accounts of retail forex customers may be permitted under rules of the retail forex dealer’s, futures commission merchant’s, or introducing broker’s designated self-regulatory organization that establish notice and other requirements with respect to the assignment of positions and transfers of accounts of retail forex customers. If such rules permit implied consent as a result of the failure of the retail forex customer to object after having received notice of the proposed assignment or transfer, such rules must provide that the notice must include a statement that the retail forex customer is not required to accept the proposed assignment or transfer and may direct the transferor firm to liquidate the positions of the retail forex customer or transfer the account to a firm of the retail forex customer’s selection.
(3) For assignments and transfers made under this section, other than at the retail forex customer’s request, the transferee retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker must provide to the retail forex customer the risk disclosure statements and forms of acknowledgment required by part 5 of this chapter and receive the required signed acknowledgments within sixty days of such assignments or transfers. This requirement shall not apply:
(i) If the transferee retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker has clear written evidence that the retail forex customer has received and acknowledged receipt of the required disclosure statements; or
(ii) If the transfer of accounts is made from one introducing broker to another introducing broker guaranteed by the same retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant pursuant to a guarantee agreement in accordance with the requirements of § 1.10(j) of this chapter and such retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant maintains the relevant acknowledgments required by part 5 of this chapter.
(b) Notice to the Commission. Each retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker shall file with the Commission prior notice of any transfer of accounts of any retail forex customer that is not initiated at the request of the customer, where the transfer involves 50 percent or more of the transferor’s total number of retail forex customer accounts.
(c) Contents of notice to the Commission. The notice required by paragraph (b) of this section shall include:
(1) The name, principal business address and telephone number of the transferor futures retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker;
(2) The name, principal business address and telephone number of each transferee retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker;
(3) The designated self-regulatory organization for the transferor and transferee firms;
(4) A brief statement as to the reasons for the transfer;
(5) A copy of any notices to customers regarding the transfers; and
(6) A statement of the number of accounts to be transferred.
(d) Notice of the bulk liquidation of retail forex transactions. A retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant may not initiate the bulk liquidation of properly margined retail forex transactions unless such liquidation complies with the rules and procedures of the retail forex dealer’s or futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization and the retail forex dealer or futures commission merchant provides the Commission with prior written notice of the liquidation.
(e) Contents of notice of bulk liquidation. The notice required by paragraph (d) of this section shall include:
(1) The name, principal business address and telephone number of the initiating retail foreign exchange dealer or futures commission merchant;
(2) A brief statement of the reasons for the liquidation;
(3) A copy of any notices to customers regarding the liquidation; and
(4) A statement of the number of accounts to be liquidated.
(f) Filing of notices. The notice required by paragraph (b) and (d) of this section shall be filed five business days prior to the transfer or liquidation of the retail forex transaction with the Deputy Director, Compliance and Registration Section, Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581; the National Futures Association Attn: Vice President-Compliance; and the designated self-regulatory organization for the transferor firm.
(g) No effect on other obligations. The requirements of this section shall not affect the obligations of a retail foreign exchange dealer, futures commission merchant or introducing broker under the rules of a self-regulatory organization or applicable customer account agreement with respect to assignments of positions or transfers of accounts or liquidation of positions.
(h) Corrective notice. If a proposed transfer is not completed in accordance with the notice required to be filed by paragraph (b) of this section, a corrective notice shall be filed within five business days of the date such proposed transfer was to occur explaining why the proposed transfer was not completed.
§ 5.24 Applicability of other parts of this chapter
Insofar as it is consistent with the requirements of this part, all other provisions of this chapter that apply to a person shall apply to such person as though such provisions were expressly set forth in this part.
§ 5.25 Applicability of the Act.
Except as otherwise specified in this part and unless the context otherwise requires, the provisions of Sections 4b, 4c(b), 4f, 4g, 4k, 4m, 4n, 4o, 6(c)-(e), 6b, 6c, 8(a)-(e), 8a and 12(f) of the Act shall apply to retail forex transactions that are subject to the requirements of this part as though such provisions were set forth herein and included specific references to retail forex transactions and the persons defined in § 5.1 of this part.
PART 7—REGISTERED ENTITY RULES ALTERED OR SUPPLEMENTED BY THE COMMISSION
Subpart A—General Provisions
§ 7.1 Scope of rules.
This part sets forth registered entity rules altered or supplemented by the Commission pursuant to section 8a(7) of the Act.
Subparts B-C [Reserved]
PART 8 [RESERVED]
PART 9—RULES RELATING TO REVIEW OF EXCHANGE DISCIPLINARY, ACCESS DENIAL OR OTHER ADVERSE ACTIONS
Subpart A—General Provisions
§ 9.1 Scope of rules.
(a) Matters included. This part governs the review by the Commission, pursuant to section 8c of the Act, as amended, of any suspension, expulsion, disciplinary or access denial action, or other adverse action by an exchange.
(b) Matters excluded. This part does not apply to and the Commission will not accept notices of appeal, or petitions for stay pending review, of:
(1) Any arbitration proceeding, regardless of whether the proceeding involved a controversy between members of an exchange;
(2) Except as provided in §§ 9.11(a), (b)(3)(i) through (v), and (c), and 9.12(a) and 9.13 (concerning the notice, effective date and publication of a disciplinary or access denial action), any summary action permitted under the provisions of part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(13) of this chapter or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(6) of this chapter imposing a minor penalty for the violation of exchange rules relating to decorum or attire, or relating to the timely submission of accurate records required for clearing or verifying each day’s transactions or other similar activities; and
(3) Any exchange action arising from a claim, grievance, or dispute involving cash market transactions which are not a part of, or directly connected with, any transaction for the purchase, sale, delivery or exercise of a commodity for future delivery, a commodity option, or a swap.
(4) The Commission will, upon its own motion or upon motion filed pursuant to § 9.21(b), promptly notify the appellant and the exchange that it will not accept the notice of appeal or petition for stay of matters specified in this paragraph. The determination to decline to accept a notice of appeal will be without prejudice to the appellant’s right to seek alternate forms of relief that may be available in any other forum.
(c) Applicability of these part 9 rules. Unless otherwise ordered, these rules will apply in their entirety to all appeals, and matters relating thereto.
§ 9.2 Definitions.
For purposes of this part:
(a) Access denial action means any proceeding other than a disciplinary action by an exchange that denies or limits the privileges of membership, but excludes any exchange action that solely limits the ability of a member of an exchange to participate in the internal corporate affairs of the exchange.
(b) Disciplinary action means any suspension, expulsion or other penalty imposed on a person by an exchange for violations of rules of the exchange, including summary actions.
(c) Exchange means a swap execution facility or any board of trade which has been designated as a contract market.
(d) Exchange proceeding means any formal or informal proceeding by an exchange which results in a disciplinary action, access denial action or other adverse action.
(e) Mail means properly addressed and postpaid first class mail, and includes overnight delivery service.
(f) Member of an exchange means:
(1) Any person who is admitted to membership or has been granted membership privileges on an exchange; any employee, officer, partner, director or affiliate of such member or person with membership privileges including any associated person; and any other person under the supervision or control of such member or person with membership privileges; or
(2) Any person who has trading privileges on an exchange.
(g) Other adverse action and adverse action include any exchange action, other than an access denial action or disciplinary action, that adversely affects any person, whether or not a member of the exchange, but exclude any exchange action that solely involves the internal corporate affairs of the exchange.
(h) Party includes the person filing a notice of appeal or petition for stay who has been the subject of a disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action by an exchange; that exchange; any person participating in a proceeding under this part pursuant to § 9.25; and the Division of Market Oversight and/or the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and Division of Clearing and Risk when participating in a proceeding under this part pursuant to § 9.26.
(i) Record of the exchange proceeding means all testimony, exhibits, papers and records produced at or filed in an exchange disciplinary or access denial proceeding or served on a party to that proceeding; all documents, minutes or other exchange records serving as a basis for or reflecting the findings, rationale and conclusions concerning the adverse action taken by an exchange; a transcript of any proceeding before any body of the exchange in connection with the exchange proceeding; and a copy of all exchange rules which form the basis for the exchange proceeding.
(j) Rules of the exchange means any constitutional provision, article of incorporation, bylaw, rule, regulation, resolution, or written and publicly available interpretation or stated policy of the exchange, or instrument corresponding thereto.
(k) Summary action means a disciplinary action resulting in the imposition of a penalty on a person for violation of rules of the exchange permitted under the provisions of part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(10)(vi) of this chapter or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(4) of this chapter (penalty for impeding progress of hearing); part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(14) of this chapter or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(7) of this chapter (emergency disciplinary actions); part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(13) of this chapter (summary fines for violations of rules regarding timely submission of records); or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(6) of this chapter (summary fines for violations of rules regarding timely submission of records, decorum, or other similar activities).
§ 9.3 Provisions referenced.
Except as otherwise provided in this part, the following provisions of the Commission’s rules relating to reparations contained in part 12 of this chapter apply to this part: § 12.3 (Business address; hours); § 12.5 (Computation of time); § 12.6 (Extensions of time; adjournments; postponements); § 12.7 (Ex parte communications in reparation proceedings); and § 12.12 (Signature).
§ 9.4 Filing and service; official docket.
(a) Filing with the Proceedings Clerk; proof of filing; proof of service. Any document that is required by this part to be filed with the Proceedings Clerk must be filed by delivering it in person or by mail to: Proceedings Clerk, Office of Proceedings, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20581. To be timely filed under this part, a document must be delivered or mailed to the Proceedings Clerk within the time prescribed for filing. A party must use a means of filing which is at least as expeditious as that used in serving that document upon the other parties. Proof of filing must be made by attaching to the document for filing a statement of service as provided in § 10.12(a)(6) of this chapter.
(b) Formalities of filing—(1) Number of copies. Unless otherwise specifically provided, an original and one conformed copy of all documents filed with the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this part must be filed with the Proceedings Clerk.
(2) Title page. All documents filed with the Proceedings Clerk must include at the head thereof, or on a title page, the name of the Commission, the title of the proceeding, the docket number (if one has been assigned by the Proceedings Clerk), the subject of the particular document and the name of the person on whose behalf the document is being filed.
(3) Paper, spacing, type. All documents filed with the Proceedings Clerk must be typewritten, must be on one grade of good white paper no less than 8 or more than 8
(4) Signature. The original copy of all papers must be signed in ink by the person filing the same or by his or her duly authorized agent or attorney.
(c) Service—(1) General requirements. All documents filed with the Proceedings Clerk must, at or before the time of filing, be served upon all parties. A party must use a means of service which is at least as expeditious as that used in filing that document with the Proceedings Clerk. One copy of all motions, petitions or applications made in the course of the proceeding, all notices of appeal, all briefs, and letters to the Commission or an employee thereof must be served by a party upon all other parties.
(2) Manner of service. Service may be either personal or by mail. Service by mail is complete upon deposit of the document in the mail. Where service is effected by mail, the time within which the person served may respond thereto will be increased by three days.
(3) Designation of person to receive service. The first document filed in a proceeding by or on behalf of any party must state on the first page the name and postal address of the person who is authorized to receive service for the party of all documents filed in the proceeding. Thereafter, service of documents must be made upon the person authorized unless service on a different authorized person or on the party himself or herself is ordered by the Commission, or unless pursuant to § 9.8 the person authorized is changed by the party upon due notice to all other parties. Parties must file and serve notification of any changes in the information provided pursuant to this subparagraph as soon as practicable after the change occurs.
(d) Official docket. Upon receipt of a notice of appeal filed in accordance with § 9.20, or a petition for stay pending review filed in accordance with § 9.24, the Proceedings Clerk will establish and thereafter maintain the official docket of that proceeding and will assign a docket number to the proceeding.
§ 9.5 Motions.
(a) In general. An application for a form of relief not otherwise specifically provided for in this part must be made by a written motion, filed with the Proceedings Clerk. The motion must state the relief sought and the basis for the relief and may set forth the authority relied upon.
(b) Answer to motions. Any party may serve and file a written response to a motion within ten days after service of the motion, or within such longer or shorter period as established by these rules, or as the Commission may direct.
(c) Motions for procedural orders. Motions for procedural orders, including motions for extensions of time, may be acted on at any time, without awaiting a response thereto. Any party adversely affected by such action may request reconsideration, vacation or modification of the action.
(d) Dilatory motions. Frivolous or repetitive motions dealing with the same subject matter will not be permitted and such motions will summarily be denied.
§ 9.6 Sanctions for noncompliance.
In the event that any party fails to file any document or make any appearance which is required under this part, the Commission may, in its discretion, and upon its own motion or upon the motion of any party to the proceeding, dismiss the proceeding before it, or, based on the record before it, affirm, modify, set aside, or remand for further proceedings, in whole or in part, the decision of the exchange.
§ 9.7 Settlement.
At any time before there has been a final determination by the Commission with respect to any notice of appeal filed in accordance with § 9.20, the parties may file a stipulation for dismissal based on a settlement agreement. Thereupon, the Commission may issue an order terminating the proceeding before the Commission as to the parties to the settlement agreement. The entry of such an order does not affect the Commission’s authority under the Act.
§ 9.8 Practice before the Commission.
(a) Practice—(1) By non-attorneys. An individual may appear pro se (on his or her own behalf); a general partner may represent the partnership; a bona fide officer of a corporation, trust or association may represent the corporation, trust or association.
(2) By attorneys. An attorney-at-law who is admitted to practice before the highest Court in any State or territory, or of the District of Columbia, who has not been suspended or disbarred from appearance and practice before the Commission in accordance with provisions of part 14 of this chapter may represent parties as an attorney in proceedings before the Commission.
(b) Debarment of counsel or representative during the course of a proceeding. Whenever, while a proceeding is pending before the Commission, the Commission finds that a person acting as counsel or representative for any party to the proceeding is guilty of contemptuous conduct, the Commission may order that such person be precluded from further acting as counsel or representative in the proceeding. The proceeding will not be delayed or suspended pending disposition of the appeal; Provided, That the Commission may suspend the proceedings for a reasonable time for the purpose of enabling the party to obtain other counsel or representative.
(c) Withdrawal of representation. Withdrawal from representation of a party will be only by leave of the Commission. Such leave to withdraw may be conditioned on the attorney’s (or representative’s) submission of an affidavit averring that the party represented has actual knowledge of the withdrawal, and such affidavit must include the name and address of a successor counsel (or representative) or a statement that the represented party has determined to proceed pro se, in which case, the statement must include the address where that party can thereafter be served.
(a) Standards for waiver; notice to parties. To prevent undue hardship on any party or for other good cause shown the Commission may waive any rule in this part in a particular case and may order proceedings in accordance with its direction upon a determination that no party will be prejudiced thereby and that the ends of justice will be served. Reasonable notice will be given to all parties of any action taken pursuant to this paragraph.
(b) Delegation of authority. (1) The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, to the General Counsel, or to any employee under the General Counsel’s supervision as the General Counsel may designate, the authority:
(i) To waive or modify any of the requirements of §§ 9.20-9.25 and to waive or modify the requirements of the Commission’s rules relating to reparations incorporated by § 9.3 insofar as such requirements pertain to changes in time permitted for filing, and to the form, execution, service and filing of documents;
(ii) To enter orders under §§ 9.5, 9.6 and 9.7;
(iii) To decline to accept any notice of appeal, or petition for stay pending review, of matters excluded from this part by §§ 9.1(b), 9.2(a) and 9.2(b), and to so notify the appellant and the exchange;
(iv) To stay the effective date of a disciplinary action for a period of time, not to exceed four days, to enable the Commission to rule on a petition for stay filed under § 9.24;
(v) To decline to accept any document which has not been timely filed or perfected, as specified in these rules;
(vi) To order the filing of the record of the exchange proceeding notwithstanding the submission of a motion under § 9.21(b) that the Commission not accept a notice of appeal; and
(vii) To enter any order which will facilitate or expedite Commission review.
(2) Within seven days after service of a ruling issued pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a party may file with the Proceedings Clerk a petition for Commission reconsideration of the ruling. Unless the Commission orders otherwise, the filing of a petition for reconsideration will not operate to stay the effective date of such ruling.
(3) The General Counsel, or his or her designee, may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(4) Nothing in this section will be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated to the General Counsel, or his or her designee, under this section.
Subpart B—Notice and Effective Date of Disciplinary Action or Access Denial Action
§ 9.10 [Reserved]
§ 9.11 Form, contents and delivery of notice of disciplinary or access denial action.
(a) When required. Whenever an exchange decision pursuant to which a disciplinary action or access denial action is to be imposed has become final, the exchange must, within thirty days thereafter, provide written notice of such action to the person against whom the action was taken and notice to the National Futures Association (“NFA”) through the NFA’s Background Affiliation Status Information Center (“BASIC”) system: Provided, That a designated contract market is not required to notify the NFA of any summary action, as permitted under the provisions of part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(6) of this chapter, which results in the imposition of minor penalties for the violation of exchange rules relating to decorum or attire. No final disciplinary or access denial action may be made effective by the exchange except as provided in § 9.12.
(b) Contents of notice. For purposes of this part:
(1) The written notice of a disciplinary action or access denial action provided to the person against whom the action was taken by a designated contract market must be a copy of a written decision which accords with:
(i) Part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(3) of this chapter in the case of settlement offers;
(ii) Section 38.708 of this chapter in the case of decisions; or
(iii) Part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(5)(iv) of this chapter in the case of appeal decisions (including copies of any materials incorporated by reference) or other written notice which must include items listed in paragraphs (b)(3)(i)—(vi) of this section.
(2) The written notice of a disciplinary action or access denial action provided to the person against whom the action was taken by a swap execution facility must be a copy of a written decision which accords with:
(i) Part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(9) of this chapter in the case of settlement offers;
(ii) Section 37.206(d) of this chapter in the case of decisions; or
(iii) Part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(11)(iv) of this chapter in the case of appeal decisions (including copies of any materials incorporated by reference) or other written notice which must include items listed in paragraphs (b)(3)(i) through (vi) of this section.
(3) The notice of a disciplinary action or access denial action provided to the NFA must include only the items listed in the following paragraphs (b)(3)(i) through (v):
(i) The name of the person against whom the disciplinary action or access denial action was taken;
(ii) A statement of the reasons for the disciplinary action or access denial action, detailing the exchange product which was involved, as applicable, and whether the violation that resulted in the action also resulted in financial harm to any customers together with a listing of any rules which the person who was the subject of the disciplinary action or access denial action was charged with having violated or which otherwise serve as the basis of the exchange action;
(iii) A statement of the conclusions and findings made by the exchange with regard to each rule violation charged or, in the event of settlement, a statement specifying those rule violations which the exchange has reason to believe were committed;
(iv) The terms of the disciplinary action or access denial action;
(v) The date on which the action was taken and the date the exchange intends to make the disciplinary or access denial action effective; and
(vi) Except as otherwise provided in § 9.1(b), a statement informing the party subject to the disciplinary action or access denial action of the availability of Commission review of the exchange action pursuant to section 8c of the Act and this part.
(c) Delivery and filing of the notice. Delivery of the notice must be made personally to the person who was the subject of the disciplinary action or access denial action, by mail to such person at that person’s last known address, or by email to the person’s last known email address. Filing of the notice with the NFA is accomplished when an authorized exchange employee verifies the accuracy of the information entered into BASIC.
(d) Effect of delivery by mail or email. Delivery by mail to the person disciplined or denied access will be complete upon deposit in the mail of a properly addressed and postpaid document. Where delivery to the person disciplined or denied access is effected by such mail, the time within which a notice of appeal or petition for stay may be filed will be increased by three days. Delivery by email will be complete upon transmission of the email.
(e) Certification. Copies of the notice and the submission of any additional information provided pursuant to this section must be certified as true and correct by a duly authorized officer, agent or employee of the exchange. Notice filed with the NFA is deemed certified when an authorized exchange employee verifies the accuracy of the information entered into BASIC.
§ 9.12 Effective date of disciplinary or access denial action.
(a) Effective date. Any disciplinary or access denial action taken by an exchange will not become effective until at least fifteen days after the written notice prescribed by § 9.11 is delivered to the person disciplined or denied access; Provided, however, That the exchange may cause a disciplinary action to become effective prior to that time if:
(1) As permitted by part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(14) of this chapter or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(7) of this chapter (emergency disciplinary actions), the exchange reasonably believes, and so states in its written decision, that immediate action is necessary to protect the best interests of the marketplace; or
(2) As permitted by part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(10)(vi) of this chapter or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(4) of this chapter (hearings), the exchange determines, and so states in its written decision, that the actions of a person who is within the exchange’s jurisdiction has impeded the progress of a disciplinary hearing; or
(3) As permitted by part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(13) of this chapter (summary fines for violations of rules regarding timely submission of records) or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(6) of this chapter (summary fines for violations of rules regarding timely submission of records, decorum, or other similar activities), the exchange determines that a person has violated exchange rules relating to decorum or attire, or timely submission of accurate records required for clearing or verifying each day’s transactions or other similar activities; or
(4) The person against whom the action is taken has consented to the penalty to be imposed and to the timing of its effectiveness.
(b) Notice of early effective date. If the exchange determines in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section that a disciplinary action will become effective prior to the expiration of fifteen days after written notice thereof, it must notify the person disciplined in writing, either personally or by email to the person’s last known email address, stating the reasons for the determination. The exchange must also immediately notify the Commission by email to [email protected]. Where notice is delivered by email, the time within which the person so notified may file a petition for stay pursuant to § 9.24(a)(2) will be increased by one day.
§ 9.13 Publication of notice.
Whenever an exchange suspends, expels or otherwise disciplines, or denies any person access to the exchange, it must make public its findings by disclosing at least the information contained in the notice required by § 9.11(b). An exchange must make such findings public as soon as the disciplinary action or access denial action becomes effective in accordance with the provisions of § 9.12 by posting a notice on its website to which its members and the public regularly have access. Such notice must be maintained and readily available on the exchange’s website.
§§ 9.14-9.19 [Reserved]
Subpart C—Initial Procedure With Respect to Appeals
§ 9.20 Notice of appeal.
(a) Time to file. Except as provided in § 9.1(b), any person who is the subject of disciplinary or access denial action by an exchange or any person who is otherwise adversely affected by any other action of an exchange may, at any time within thirty days after notice of the disciplinary or access denial action has been delivered to the person disciplined or denied access in accordance with § 9.11, or within thirty days after notice of another adverse action, file a notice of appeal of such disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action. The Commission may dismiss any appeal for which a notice of appeal is not timely filed.
(b) Contents. The notice of appeal need consist only of a brief statement indicating that the party is requesting Commission review of the exchange action, and must include:
(1) The name and address of the appellant, and any duly authorized agent or officer of the appellant;
(2) The name and docket number of the exchange proceeding;
(3) The date on which the disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action was imposed by the exchange or the date on which the final exchange decision was rendered, and the dates upon which the exchange action has or will become final and effective;
(4) A copy of the notice provided to the appellant by the exchange in accordance with the provisions of § 9.11, in the case of a disciplinary or access denial action, or otherwise, in the case of any other adverse exchange action;
(5) The relief sought from the action of the exchange;
(6) The appellant’s request for a copy of the record of the exchange proceeding, or portions of the record not in the appellant’s possession, and a representation that the appellant agrees to pay the exchange reasonable fees, as provided in the rules of the exchange, for printing that copy; and
(7) A nonrefundable filing fee of $100 remitted by check, bank draft or money order, payable to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
§ 9.21 Record of exchange proceeding.
(a) Filing of record. Within thirty days after service of the notice of appeal, the exchange must file two copies of the record of the exchange proceeding (as defined in § 9.2(i)) with the Proceedings Clerk, and serve a copy on the appellant and any other party to the proceeding, provided that such person has agreed to pay the exchange reasonable fees, as provided in the rules of the exchange, for printing the copy. The record must be bound as a unit, must be chronologically indexed and tabbed, must be certified as correct by a duly authorized official, agent or employee of the exchange, and must contain a certificate of service on the appellant or any other party to the proceeding (or waiver of service for failure to pay costs pursuant to this rule).
(b) Motion that the Commission not accept notice of appeal. Within fifteen days after service of the notice of appeal, the exchange may file a motion that the Commission not accept a notice of appeal of any matter that the exchange contends is excluded from this part by §§ 9.1(b), 9.2(a) and 9.2(g). Such motion must be accompanied by an affidavit averring facts in support of the motion. The filing of such motion will operate to stay the filing of the record and subsequent submissions pending the Commission’s ruling on such motion. The appellant may serve and file a written response to such motion within ten days after service of the motion.
§ 9.22 Appeal brief.
(a) Time to file. Any person who has filed a notice of appeal in accordance with the provisions of § 9.20 must perfect the appeal by filing an appeal brief with the Proceedings Clerk within thirty days after service of the record of the exchange proceeding. The Commission may dismiss any appeal for which an appeal brief is not timely filed.
(b) Contents. Each appeal brief submitted to the Commission pursuant to this section must include, in the order indicated:
(1) A statement of the issues presented for review;
(2) A statement of the case. The statement must first indicate briefly the nature of the case and include a full description of the disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action. There must follow a clear and concise statement of all facts relevant to the consideration of the appeal, including, if known, each alleged act or omission forming the basis of the exchange action, with appropriate references to the record of the exchange proceeding;
(3) An argument. The argument may be preceded by a summary. The argument must contain the contentions of the appellant with respect to the issues presented, and the reasons therefor, and citations to relevant authorities and to parts of the record of the exchange proceeding; and
(4) A conclusion stating the precise relief sought.
(c) Length of appeal brief. Without prior leave of the Commission, the appeal brief may not exceed thirty-five pages, exclusive of any table of contents, table of cases, index and appendix containing transcripts of testimony, exhibits, statutes, rules, regulations or similar materials.
§ 9.23 Answering brief.
(a) Time for filing answering brief. Within thirty days after service of the appeal brief, the exchange must file with the Commission an answering brief.
(b) Contents of answering brief. The answering brief generally must follow the same style as prescribed for the appeal brief but may omit a statement of the issues or of the case if the exchange does not dispute the issues or the statement of the case contained in the appeal brief.
(c) Length of answering brief. Without prior leave of the Commission, the answering brief may not exceed thirty-five pages, exclusive of any table of contents, table of cases, index and appendix containing transcripts of testimony, exhibits, statutes, rules, regulations or similar materials.
§ 9.24 Petition for stay pending review.
(a) Time to file. (1) Within ten days after the notice of the disciplinary or access denial action has been delivered in accordance with § 9.11 to a person disciplined or denied access, that person may petition the Commission to stay the disciplinary or access denial action pending consideration by the Commission of the notice of appeal and, if granted, the appeal underlying the notice of appeal. The petition for stay must be accompanied by the notice of appeal.
(2) Within ten days after a notice of summary action has been delivered in accordance with § 9.12(b) to a person who is the subject of a summary action permitted by part 37, appendix B, Core Principle 2, paragraph (a)(14) of this chapter or part 38, appendix B, Core Principle 13, paragraph (a)(7) of this chapter (emergency disciplinary actions), that person may petition the Commission to stay the effectiveness of the summary action pending completion of the exchange proceeding.
(3) The Commission may deny any petition for stay which is not timely filed or which is not otherwise in accord with these rules.
(b) Contents of petition for stay. A petition filed under this section must state the reasons that the stay is requested and the facts relied upon, as specified in § 9.20. Averments of the petition must be supported by affidavits, other sworn statements or copies thereof, or a stipulation as to those facts which are not in dispute. Based upon the petition, the Commission, in its discretion, may order a stay of the disciplinary action or access denial action.
(c) Response to petition. The exchange may serve and file a written response to any petition for a stay within five days after service of the petition.
(d) Standards for granting petition for stay. The Commission will promptly determine whether to grant or deny a petition for stay and may act upon a petition at any time, without waiting for a response thereto. In determining whether to grant or deny the petition for stay, the Commission will consider, among other things, whether the petitioner has established:
(1) Petitioner’s likelihood of success on the merits; and
(2) That denial of the stay would cause irreparable harm to the petitioner; and
(3) That granting the stay would not endanger orderly trading or otherwise cause substantial harm to the exchange or market participants; and
(4) That granting the stay would not be contrary to the Act, and the rules, regulations and orders of the Commission thereunder or otherwise contrary to the public interest.
(e) Ex parte stays. The Commission may act upon a petition for stay, without waiting for the exchange’s response thereto only where petitioner:
(1) Expressly requests an ex parte stay;
(2) Files a proof of service; and
(3) Clearly establishes by affidavit that immediate and irreparable injury, loss or damage will result to the petitioner before the exchange can be heard in opposition.
§ 9.25 Limited participation of interested persons.
On its own motion or upon motion of any person asserting a direct and substantial interest in the outcome of a proceeding conducted under this part, the Commission, in its discretion, may permit the limited participation by such interested person in the proceeding. A motion for leave to participate in the proceeding must identify the interest of that person and must state the reasons why participation in the proceeding by that person is desirable, and must state whether that person requests a copy of the record of the exchange proceeding to the extent permitted by section 8c(a)(2) of the Act and that such person agrees to pay the exchange reasonable fees, as provided in the rules of the exchange, for printing the copy.
§ 9.26 Participation of Commission staff.
Within twenty days after receipt of the answering brief, the Division of Market Oversight and/or the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight and Division of Clearing and Risk may file with the Proceedings Clerk a notice of intention to participate in the proceedings as amicus curiae. Within thirty days after filing the notice of intention to participate, the Division may file a brief as amicus curiae. Without prior leave of the Commission, the brief may not exceed thirty-five pages. The brief must be filed and served on the appellant, exchange and any other parties to the proceeding in the manner specified by these rules. Within ten days after service of the Division’s brief, any party may file a reply to the Division’s brief. After the filing of the notice of intent to participate, no employee of the Division(s) filing the notice may thereafter make any communication relating to the proceeding, other than on the record of the proceeding before the Commission, to any Commissioner or Commission decisional employee.
§§ 9.27-9.29 [Reserved]
Subpart D—Commission Review of Disciplinary, Access Denial or Other Adverse Action
§ 9.30 Scope of review.
On review, the Commission may, in its discretion, consider sua sponte any issues arising from the record before it and may base its determination thereon, or limit the issues to those presented in the statement of issues in the briefs, treating those issues not raised as waived. If the Commission determines to consider any issue not raised by the parties, it may issue an order that notifies the parties of such determination and provides an opportunity for the parties to address any issue considered sua sponte by the Commission.
§ 9.31 Commission review of disciplinary or access denial action on its own motion.
(a) Request for additional information. Where a person disciplined or denied access has not appealed the exchange decision to the Commission, upon review of the notice specified in § 9.11, the Division of Market Oversight or the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight may request that the exchange file with the Division the record of the exchange proceeding, or designated portions of the record, a brief statement of the evidence and testimony adduced to support the exchange’s findings that a rule or rules of the exchange were violated and such recordings, transcripts and other documents applicable to the particular exchange proceeding as the Division may specify. The exchange must promptly advise the person who is the subject of the disciplinary or access denial action of the Division’s request. Within thirty days after service of the Division’s request, the exchange must file the information requested with the Division in the manner requested by the Division and, upon request, deliver that information to the person who is the subject of the disciplinary or access denial action. Delivery to the person who is the subject of the disciplinary or access denial action must be in the manner prescribed by § 9.11(c). A person subject to the disciplinary action or access denial action requesting a copy of the information furnished to the Division must, if the exchange rules so provide, agree to pay the exchange reasonable fees for printing the copy.
(b) Review on motion of the Commission. The Commission may institute review of an exchange disciplinary or access denial action on its own motion. Other than in extraordinary circumstances, such review will be initiated within 180 days after the NFA has received the notice of exchange action provided for in § 9.11. If the Commission should institute review on its own motion, it will issue an order permitting the person who is the subject of the disciplinary or access denial action an opportunity to file an appropriate submission, and the exchange an opportunity to file a reply thereto.
§ 9.32 Oral argument.
(a) On motion of Commission. On its own motion, the Commission may, in its discretion, hear oral argument by the parties any time before the decision of the Commission is filed with the Proceedings Clerk.
(b) On request of party. Any party may file with the Proceedings Clerk a request in writing for the opportunity to present oral argument before the Commission, which the Commission may, in its discretion, grant or deny. A request under this paragraph must be filed concurrently with the party’s brief.
(c) Reporting and transcription. Oral argument before the Commission will be recorded and transcribed unless the Commission directs otherwise. In the event the Commission affords the parties the opportunity to present oral argument before the Commission, the oral argument will proceed in accordance with the provisions of § 10.103 (b) and (d) of this chapter.
§ 9.33 Final decision by the Commission.
(a) Opinion and order. Upon review, the Commission may affirm, modify, set aside, or remand for further proceedings, in whole or in part, the decision of the exchange. The Commission’s decision will be contained in its opinion and order which will be based upon the record before it, including the record of the exchange proceeding, and any oral argument made in accordance with § 9.32. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the opinion and order will constitute the final decision of the Commission, effective upon service on the parties. In the event the Commission is equally divided as to its decision, the Commission will affirm without opinion the decision of the exchange, which will constitute the Commission’s final decision.
(b) Order of summary affirmance. If the Commission finds that the result reached in the decision of the exchange is substantially correct and that none of the arguments on appeal made by the appellant raise important questions of law or policy, the Commission may, by appropriate order, summarily affirm the decision of the exchange without opinion, which will constitute the Commission’s final decision. Unless the Commission expressly indicates otherwise in its order, an order of summary affirmance does not reflect a Commission determination to adopt the exchange final decision, including any rationale contained therein, as its opinion and order, and neither the exchange’s final decision nor the Commission’s order of summary affirmance will serve as a Commission precedent in other proceedings.
(c) Standards of review. In reviewing an exchange disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action, the Commission will consider whether:
(1) The exchange disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action was taken in accordance with the rules of the exchange;
(2) Fundamental fairness was observed in the conduct of the proceeding resulting in the disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action;
(3)(i) In the case of a disciplinary action, the record contains substantial evidence of a violation of the rules of the exchange, or (ii) in the case of an access denial or other adverse action, the record contains substantial evidence supporting the exchange action; and
(4) The disciplinary, access denial or other adverse action otherwise accords with the Act and the rules, regulations and orders of the Commission thereunder.
PART 10—RULES OF PRACTICE
Subpart A—General Provisions
§ 10.1 Scope and applicability of rules of practice.
These rules of practice are generally applicable to adjudicatory proceedings before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act. These include proceedings for:
(a) Denial, suspension, revocation, conditioning, restricting or modifying of registration as a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, or associated person, floor broker, floor trader, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor or leverage transaction merchant pursuant to sections 6(c), 8a(2), 8a(3), 8a(4) and 8a(11) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 9 and 15, 12a(2), 12a(3), 12a(4) and 12(a)(11), or denial, suspension, or revocation of designation as a contract market pursuant to sections 6(a) and 6(b) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 8;
(b) The issuance of cease and desist orders pursuant to sections 6b and 6(d) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 13a and 13b;
(c) Denial of trading privileges pursuant to section 6(c) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 9 and 15;
(d) The assessment of civil penalties pursuant to sections 6(c) and 6b of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 9 and 15 and 13a;
(e) The issuance of restitution orders pursuant to section 6(c) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 9; and
(f) Any other proceedings where the Commission declares them to be applicable.
(g) Investigations conducted pursuant to sections 8 and 16(a) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 12 and 20(a), except as specifically made applicable by the Rules Relating to Investigations set forth in part 11 of this chapter;
(h) Reparation proceedings under section 14 of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 18, except as specifically made applicable by the Rules Relating to Reparation Proceedings set forth in part 12 of this chapter;
(i) Public rulemaking, except as specifically made applicable by the Rules Relating to Public Rulemaking Procedures sets forth in part 13 of this title.
§ 10.2 Definitions.
For purposes of this part:
(a) Act means the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 1, et seq.;
(b) Adjudicatory proceeding means a judicial-type proceeding leading to the formulation of a final order;
(c) Administrative Law Judge means an administrative law judge appointed pursuant to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 3105 (provisions of the rules in this part which refer to Administrative Law Judges may be applicable to other Presiding Officers as well, as set forth in § 10.8);
(d) Administrative Procedure Act means those provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, as codified, which are contained in 5 U.S.C. 551 through 559;
(e) Commission means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission;
(f) Complaint means any document initiating an adjudicatory proceeding, whether designated a complaint or an order for proceeding or otherwise;
(g) Division of Enforcement means that office in the Commission that prosecutes a complaint issued by the Commission;
(h) Hearing means that part of a proceeding which involves the submission of evidence, either by oral presentation or written submission;
(i) Proceedings Clerk means that member of the Commission’s staff designated as such in the Commission’s Office of Proceedings.
(j) Order means the whole or any part of a final procedural or substantive disposition of a matter by the Commission or by the Presiding Officer in a matter other than rulemaking;
(k) Party includes a person or agency named or admitted as a party to a proceeding;
(l) Person includes an individual, partnership, corporation, association, exchange or other entity or organization;
(m) Pleading means the complaint, the answer to the complaint, any supplement or amendment thereto, and any reply that may be permitted to any answer, supplement or amendment;
(n) Presiding Officer means a member of the Commission, and Administrative Law Judge, or a hearing officer designated by the Commission to conduct a hearing on a specific matter, or the Commission itself, if it is to preside at or accept the introduction of evidence in a particular proceeding (provisions of the rules in this part which refer to Administrative Law Judges may be applicable to other Presiding Officers as well, as set forth in § 10.8);
(o) Respondent means a party to an adjudicatory proceeding against whom findings may be made or relief or remedial action may be taken.
§ 10.3 Suspension, amendment, revocation and waiver of rules.
(a) These rules may, from time to time, be suspended, amended or revoked in whole or in part. Notice of such action will be published in the
(b) In the interest of expediting decision or to prevent undue hardship on any party or for other good cause the Commission may order the adoption of expedited procedures and may waive any rule in subparts A through H of this part in a particular case and may order proceedings in accordance with its direction upon a determination that no party will be prejudiced and that the ends of justice will be served. Reasonable notice shall be given to all parties of any action taken pursuant to this provision.
(c) The Presiding Officer, to expedite decision or to prevent undue hardship on any party, may waive any rule in subparts A through G of this part when neither party is prejudiced thereby. Reasonable notice shall be given to all parties of any action taken pursuant to this provision.
(d) Notwithstanding any provision of this part, the Commission may in any proceeding commenced pursuant to section 6(c) of the Act require a respondent to show cause why an order should not be entered against the respondent and may specify a day and place for the hearing not less than three days after service upon the respondent of the Commission’s complaint and notice of hearing in such proceeding.
§ 10.4 Business address; hours.
The Office of Proceedings is located at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581. Faxes must be sent to (202) 418-5532, and emails must be sent to [email protected]. The office is open from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except on federal holidays.
§ 10.5 Computation of time.
In computing any period of time prescribed by these rules or allowed by the Commission or the Presiding Officer, the day of the act, event, or default from which the designated period of time begins to run shall not be included. The last day of the period so computed is to be included unless it is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday; in which event the period runs until the end of the next day which is not a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday. Intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded from the computation only when the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than seven days.
§ 10.6 Changes in time permitted for filing.
Except as otherwise provided by law or by these rules, for good cause shown the Commission or the Presiding Officer before whom a matter is then pending, on their own motion or the motion of a party, at any time may extend or shorten the time limit prescribed by the rules for filing any document. In any instance in which a time limit is not prescribed for an action to be taken in a proceeding, the Commission or the Presiding Officer may set a time limit for that action.
§ 10.7 Date of entry of orders.
In computing any period of time involving the date of the entry of an order the date of entry shall be the date the order is served by the Proceedings Clerk.
§ 10.8 Presiding officers.
Unless otherwise determined by the Commission, all proceedings within the scope of this part shall be assigned to an Administrative Law Judge for hearing. If the Commission determines that a proceeding within the scope of this part shall be conducted before a Presiding Officer who is not an Administrative Law Judge, all provisions of this part or of part 3 of this chapter that refer to and grant authority to or impose obligations upon an Administrative Law Judge shall be read as referring to and granting authority to and imposing obligations upon the designated Presiding Officer.
(a) Functions and responsibilities of Administrative Law Judge. The Administrative Law Judge shall be responsible for the fair and orderly conduct of the proceeding and shall have the authority to:
(1) Administer oaths and affirmations;
(2) Issue subpoenas;
(3) Rule on offers of proof;
(4) Receive relevant evidence;
(5) Examine witnesses;
(6) Regulate the course of the hearing;
(7) Hold prehearing conferences;
(8) Consider and rule upon all motions;
(9) Make decisions in accordance with § 10.84 of these rules;
(10) Certify interlocutory matters to the Commission for its determination in accordance with § 10.101 of these rules;
(11) Take such action as is just or appropriate, if a party or agent of a party fails to comply with an order issued by the Administrative Law Judge;
(12) Take any other action required to give effect to these Rules of Practice, including but not limited to requesting the parties to file briefs and statements of position with respect to any issue in the proceeding.
(b) Disqualification of Administrative Law Judge—(1) At his own request. An Administrative Law Judge may withdraw from any proceeding when he considers himself to be disqualified. In such event he immediately shall notify the Commission and each of the parties of his withdrawal and of his reason for such action.
(2) Upon the request of a party. Any party or person who has been granted leave to be heard pursuant to these rules may request an Administrative Law Judge to disqualify himself on the grounds of personal bias, conflict or similar bases. Interlocutory review of an adverse ruling by the Administrative Law Judge may be sought without certification of the matter by the Administrative Law Judge, in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 10.101.
§ 10.9 Separation of functions.
(a) An Administrative Law Judge will not be responsible to or subject to the supervision or direction of any officer, employee, or agent of the Commission engaged in the performance of investigative or prosecutorial functions for the Commission.
(b) No officer, employee or agent of the Commission who is engaged in the performance of investigative or prosecuting functions in connection with any proceeding shall, in that proceeding or any factually related proceeding, participate or advise in the decision of the Administrative Law Judge or the Commission except as witness or counsel in the proceeding, without the express written consent of the respondents in the proceeding. This provision shall not apply to the members of the Commission.
§ 10.10 Ex parte communications.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) Commission decisional employee means employees of the Commission who are or may reasonably be expected to be involved in the decisionmaking process in any proceeding, including, but not limited to:
(i) Members of the personal staffs of the Commissioners;
(ii) Members of the staffs of the Administrative Law Judges;
(iii) The Deputy General Counsel for Opinions and Review and staff of the Office of General Counsel.
(iv) Members of the staff of the Office of Proceedings; and
(v) Other Commission employees who may be assigned to hear or to participate in the decision of a particular matter;
(2) Ex parte communication means an oral or written communication not on the public record with respect to which reasonable prior notice to all parties is not given, but does not include requests for status reports on any matter or proceeding covered by this part;
(3) Interested person includes parties and other persons who might be adversely affected or aggrieved by the outcome of a proceeding; their officers, agents, employees, associates, affiliates, attorneys, accountants or other representatives; and any other person having a direct or indirect pecuniary or other interest in the outcome of a proceeding;
(4) Party includes a person or agency named or admitted as a party, or properly seeking and entitled as of right to be admitted as a party, to a proceeding, and a person or agency permitted limited participation or to state views in a proceeding by the Commission.
(b) Prohibitions against ex parte communications. (1) No interested person outside the Commission shall make or knowingly cause to be made to any Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge or Commission decisional employee an ex parte communication relevant to the merits of a proceeding.
(2) No Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge or Commission decisional employee shall make or knowingly cause to be made to any interested person outside the Commission an ex parte communication relevant to the merits of a proceeding.
(c) Procedures for handling ex parte communications. A Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge or Commission decisional employee who receives, or who makes or knowingly causes to be made, an ex parte communication prohibited by paragraph (b) of this section shall:
(1) Place on the public record of the proceeding:
(i) All such written communications;
(ii) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral communications; and
(iii) All written responses, and memoranda stating the substance of all oral responses, to the materials described in paragraphs (c) (1)(i) and (1)(ii) of this section; and
(2) Promptly give written notice of such communication and responses thereto to all parties to the proceedings to which the communication or responses relate.
(d) Sanctions. (1) Upon receipt of an ex parte communication knowingly made or knowingly caused to be made by a party in violation of the prohibition contained in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the Commission, Administrative Law Judge or other Commission employee presiding at the hearing may, to the extent consistent with the interests of justice and the policy of the Act, require the party to show cause why his claim or interest in the proceeding should not be dismissed, denied, disregarded, or otherwise adversely affected on account of such violation.
(2) Any attorney or accountant who knowingly makes or knowingly causes to be made, or who knowingly solicits or knowingly causes the solicitation of, an ex parte communication which violates the prohibitions contained in paragraph (b) of this section may, on that basis alone, be deemed to have engaged in unprofessional conduct of the type proscribed by 17 CFR 14.8(c).
(3) Any Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge or Commission decisional employee who knowingly makes or knowingly cause to be made, or who knowingly solicits or knowingly causes the solicitation of, an ex parte communication which violates the prohibitions contained in paragraph (b) of this section may, on that basis alone, be deemed to have engaged in conduct of the type proscribed by 17 CFR 140.735-3(b)(3).
(e) Applicability of prohibitions and sanctions against ex parte communications. (1) The prohibitions of this section against ex parte communications shall apply:
(i) To any person who has actual knowledge that a proceeding has been or will be commenced by order of the Commission; and
(ii) To all persons after public notice has been given that a proceeding has been or will be commenced by order of the Commission.
(2) The prohibitions of this section shall remain in effect until a final order has been entered in the proceeding which is no longer subject to review or reconsideration by the Commission or to review by any court.
(3) Nothing in this section shall constitute authority to withhold information from Congress.
§ 10.11 Appearance in adjudicatory proceedings.
(a) Appearance—(1) By non-attorneys. An individual may appear pro se (in his own behalf), a member of a partnership may represent the partnership, a bona fide officer of a corporation, trust or association may represent the corporation, trust or association, an officer or employee of a State Commission or of a department or political subdivision of a State may represent the State Commission or the department or political subdivision of the State in any proceeding.
(2) By attorneys. An attorney-at-law who is admitted to practice before the highest Court in any State or territory, or of the District of Columbia, who has not been suspended or disbarred from appearance and practice before the Commission in accordance with the provisions of part 14 of this title, may represent parties in proceedings before the Commission.
(b) Debarment of counsel or representative by administrative law judge during the course of a proceeding. (1) Whenever, while a proceeding is pending before him, the Administrative Law Judge finds that a person acting as counsel or representative for any party to the proceeding is guilty of contemptuous conduct, the Administrative Law Judge may order that such person be precluded from further acting as counsel or representative in such proceeding. An immediate appeal to the Commission may be sought from any such order, pursuant to the terms of § 10.101, but the proceeding shall not be delayed or suspended pending disposition of the appeal: Provided, That the Administrative Law Judge may suspend the proceedings for a reasonable time for the purpose of enabling the party to obtain other counsel or representative.
(2) Whenever the Administrative Law Judge has issued an order precluding a person from further acting as counsel for representative in the proceeding, the Administrative Law Judge within a reasonable time thereafter, shall submit to the Commission a report of the facts and circumstances surrounding the issuance of the order and shall recommend what action the Commission should take respecting the appearance of such person as counsel or representative in other proceedings before the Commission.
§ 10.12 Service and filing of documents; form and execution.
(a) Service by a party or other participant in a proceeding. (1) When one party serves another with documents under these rules, a copy must be served on all other parties as well as filed with the Proceedings Clerk. Similarly, when a person files a document with the Office of Proceedings, the person must serve a copy of the document on all other parties.
(2) How service is made. Service shall be made by:
(i) Personal service;
(ii) First-class or a more expeditious form of United States mail or an overnight or similar commercial delivery service;
(iii) Facsimile (“fax”); or
(iv) Electronic mail (“email”).
(v) Service shall be complete at the time of personal service; upon deposit in the mail or with a similar commercial package delivery service of a properly addressed document for which all postage or delivery service fees have been paid; or upon transmission by fax or email. Where a party effects service by mail or similar package delivery service (but not by fax or email), the time within which the party being served may respond shall be extended by five (5) days. Service by fax or email shall be permitted at the discretion of the Presiding Officer, with the parties’ consent. Signed documents that are served by email must be in PDF or other non-alterable form.
(3) Service by email or fax shall be permitted at the discretion of the Presiding Officer, with the parties’ consent. The consent of a party must specify the email address or fax number to be used. Signed documents that are served by email must be in PDF or other non-alterable form.
(4) Service will be complete at the time of personal service; upon deposit in the mail or with an overnight or similar commercial delivery service of a properly addressed document for which all postage or delivery service fees have been paid; or upon transmission by fax or email. Service by email or by fax will not be effective if the party making service learns that the attempted service did not reach the person to be served.
(5) Where service is effected by mail or a commercial delivery service (but not by fax or email), the time within which the person being served may respond shall be extended by five (5) days.
(6) Statement of service. A statement of service shall be made by filing with the Proceedings Clerk, simultaneously with the filing of the document, a statement signed by the party making service or by his attorney or representative that:
(i) Confirms that service has been made,
(ii) Identifies each person served,
(iii) Sets forth the date of service, and
(iv) Recites the manner of service.
(b) Service of decisions and orders. A copy of all rulings, opinions and orders shall be served by the Proceedings Clerk on each of the parties.
(c) Designation of person to receive service. The first page of the first document filed in a proceeding by a party or participant must include the name and contact information of a person authorized to receive service on the party or participant’s behalf. Contact information must include a post office address and daytime telephone number, and should also include the person’s fax or email. Thereafter service of documents shall be made upon the person authorized unless service on the party himself is ordered by the Administrative Law Judge or the Commission, or unless no person authorized to receive service can be found, or unless the person authorized to receive service is changed by the party upon due notice to all other parties.
(d) Filing of documents with the Proceedings Clerk. (1) All documents which are required to be served upon a party shall be filed concurrently with the Proceedings Clerk. A document shall be filed by delivering it in person or by first-class mail or a more expeditious form of United States mail or by overnight or similar commercial delivery service to Proceedings Clerk, Office of Proceedings, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581; or faxing the document to (202) 418-5532; or emailing it to [email protected] in accordance with the conditions set forth in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(2) To be timely filed under this part, a document must be delivered in person; mailed by first-class or a more expeditious form of United States mail or by an overnight or similar commercial delivery service; or faxed or emailed to the Proceedings Clerk within the time prescribed for filing.
(e) Formalities of filing. (1) An original of all documents shall be filed with the Proceedings Clerk. If a party files a document with the Proceedings Clerk by fax or email, they should not also send paper copies.
(2) First page. The first page of all documents filed with the Proceedings Clerk must include the Commission’s name, the docket number, the title of proceeding, the subject of the document, and the name of the person on whose behalf the document is being filed. In subsequent filings, the case title may be abbreviated by listing the name of the first respondent, followed by “et al.” In the complaint, the title of the action shall include the names of all the respondents, but in documents subsequently filed it is sufficient to state the name of the first respondent named in the complaint with an appropriate indication of other parties.
(3) Format. Documents must be legible and printed on normal white paper of eight and one half by eleven inches. The typeface, margins, and spacing of all documents presented for filing must meet the following requirements: all text must be 12-point type or larger, except for text in footnotes which may be 10-point type; all documents must have at least one-inch margins on all sides; all text must be double-spaced, except for headings, text in footnotes, or block quotations, which may be single-spaced. Emailed documents must be in PDF or other non-alterable form.
(4) Signatures. (i) The original of all documents must be signed by the person filing the same or by his duly authorized agent or attorney.
(ii) Effect. The signature on any document of any person acting either for himself or as attorney or agent for another constitutes certification by him that:
(A) He has read the document and knows the contents thereof;
(B) If executed in any representative capacity, it was done with full power and authority to do so;
(C) To the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, every statement contained in the document is true and not misleading; and
(D) The document is not being interposed for delay.
(5) Length and form of briefs. All briefs of more than fifteen pages shall include an index and a table of cases and other authorities cited. No brief shall exceed 50 pages in length without prior permission of the Presiding Officer or the Commission.
(f) Official docket. The Proceedings Clerk will maintain the official docket for each proceeding. The official docket is available for public inspection in the Commission’s Office of Proceedings.
Subpart B—Institution of Adjudica- tory Proceedings; Pleadings; Motions
§ 10.21 Commencement of the proceeding.
An adjudicatory proceeding is commenced when a complaint and notice of hearing is filed with the Office of Proceedings.
§ 10.22 Complaint and notice of hearing.
(a) Content. The complaint and notice of hearing shall include:
(1) The legal authority and jurisdiction under which the hearing is held;
(2) The matters of fact and law to be considered and determined.
(b) Service. The Proceedings Clerk shall give appropriate notice to each respondent by serving them with a copy of the complaint and notice of hearing. Service may be made in person, by confirmed telegraphic notice, or by registered mail or certified mail, addressed to the last known business or residence address of the person to be served or the address of his duly authorized agent for service. If a respondent is not found at his last known business or residence address and no forwarding address is available, additional service may be made, at the discretion of the Commission, as follows:
(1) By publishing a notice of the filing of the proceeding and a summary of the complaint, approved by the Commission or the Administrative Law Judge, once a week for three consecutive weeks in one or more newspapers having a general circulation where the respondent’s last known business or residence address was located and, if ascertainable, where the respondent is believed to reside or be doing business currently; and
(2) By continuously displaying the complaint on the Commission’s Internet web site during the period referred to in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
§ 10.23 Answer.
(a) When required. Following service of a complaint and notice of hearing as set forth in § 10.22 of these rules, unless otherwise specified in the notice of hearing, each respondent shall file an answer with the Proceedings Clerk within 20 days.
(b) Content of answer. The answer shall include:
(1) A statement that the respondent admits, denies, or does not have and is unable to obtain sufficient information to admit or deny each allegation; a statement of a lack of information shall have the effect of a denial; any allegation not expressly denied shall be deemed to be admitted;
(2) A statement of the facts supporting each affirmative defense.
(c) Effect of failure to file answer. A party who fails to file an answer within 20 days shall be in default and, pursuant to procedures set forth in § 10.93 of these rules, the proceeding may be determined against him by the Administrative Law Judge upon his consideration of the complaint, the allegations of which shall then be deemed to be true.
(d) Admission of all allegations of fact. If a respondent’s answer admits the truth of all the material allegations of fact contained in the complaint, it shall constitute a waiver of hearing on those allegations. However, the Administrative Law Judge may conduct a hearing, if so requested, by any of the parties. Following waiver, the parties may submit proposed findings and conclusions and briefs, as provided in § 10.82 and may appeal any initial decision to the Commission as provided in § 10.102 of these rules.
(e) Motion for more definite statement. Where a reasonable showing is made by a respondent that he cannot frame a responsive answer based on the allegations in the complaint, he may move for a more definite statement of the charges against him before filing an answer. A motion for a more definite statement shall be filed within ten days after service of the complaint and shall specify the defects complained of and the particular allegation as to which a more definite statement is sought.
§ 10.24 Amendments and supplemental pleadings.
(a) Complaint and notice of hearing. The Commission may, at any time, amend the complaint and notice of hearing in any proceeding. If the Commission so amends the complaint and notice of hearing, the Administrative Law Judge shall adjust the scheduling of the proceeding to the extent necessary to avoid any prejudice to any of the parties to the proceeding. Upon motion to the Administrative Law Judge and with notice to all other parties and the Commission, the Division of Enforcement may amend a complaint to correct typographical and clerical errors or to make other technical, non-substantive revisions within the scope of the original complaint.
(b) Other pleadings. Except for the complaint and notice of hearing, a party may amend any pleading once as a matter of course at any time before a responsive pleading is served or, if the pleading is one to which no responsive pleading is permitted, he may amend it within 20 days after it is served. Otherwise a party may amend a pleading only by leave of the Administrative Law Judge, which shall be freely given when justice so requires.
(c) Response to amended pleadings. Any party may file a response to any amendment to any pleading, including the complaint, within ten days after the date of service upon him of the amendment or within the time provided to respond to the original pleading, whichever is later.
(d) Pleadings to conform to the evidence. When issues not raised by the pleadings but reasonably within the scope of a proceeding initiated by the complaint are tried with the express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings.
§ 10.25 Form of pleadings.
All averments of claim and defense shall be made in consecutively numbered paragraphs. The contents of each paragraph shall be limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances.
§ 10.26 Motions and other papers.
(a) Presentation. An application for a form of relief not otherwise specifically provided for in these rules shall be made by motion, filed with the Proceedings Clerk, which shall be in writing unless made on the record during a hearing. The motion shall state: (1) The relief sought; (2) the basis for relief; and (3) the authority relied upon. If a motion is supported by briefs, affidavits or other papers, they shall be served and filed with the motion. All motions and applications, unless otherwise provided in these rules, shall be directed to the Administrative Law Judge prior to the filing of an initial decision in a proceeding, and to the Commission after the initial decision has been filed.
(b) Answers to motions. Any party may serve and file a written response to a motion within ten days after service of the motion upon him or within such longer or shorter period as established by these rules or as the Administrative Law Judge or the Commission may direct. The absence of a response to a motion may be considered by the Administrative Law Judge or the Commission in deciding whether to grant the requested relief.
(c) Motions for procedural orders. Motions for procedural orders, including motions for extension of time, may be acted on at any time, without awaiting a response thereto. Any party adversely affected by such order may request reconsideration, vacation or modification of the order.
(d) Dilatory motions. Repetitive or numerous motions dealing with the same subject matter shall not be permitted.
(e) Review by the Commission. Interloctory review by the Commission of a ruling on a motion by an Administrative Law Judge may be sought in accordance with the procedures and under the circumstances set forth in § 10.101 of these rules.
Subpart C—Parties and Limited Participation
§ 10.31 Parties.
The parties to an adjudicatory proceeding shall include the Division of Enforcement, each respondent named in the complaint and each person permitted to intervene pursuant to § 10.33 of these rules. A respondent shall cease to be a party or purposes of a pending proceeding when (a) a default order is entered against him pursuant to § 10.93; or (b) the Commission accepts an offer of settlement pursuant to § 10.108 of these rules.
§ 10.32 Substitution of parties.
Upon motion and for good cause shown the Administrative Law Judge may order a substitution of parties.
§ 10.33 Intervention as a party.
(a) Petition for Leave to Intervene. Any person whose interests may be affected substantially by the matters to be considered in a proceeding may petition the Administrative Law Judge for leave to intervene as a party in the proceeding any time after the institution of a proceeding and before such proceeding has been submitted for final consideration. Petitions for leave to intervene shall be in writing and shall set forth with specificity the nature of the petitioner’s interest in the proceeding and the manner in which his interests may be affected substantially. The Administrative Law Judge may direct a petitioner requesting intervention to submit himself for examination as to his interest in the proceeding.
(b) Response to petition. A petition for leave to intervene shall be served by the petitioner upon all parties to the proceeding, who may support or oppose the petition in a document filed within ten days after service of the petition upon them or within such other period as the Administrative Law Judge may direct in a particular case.
(c) Leave to intervene—when granted. No person shall be admitted as a party to a proceeding by intervention unless the Administrative Law Judge is satisfied that (1) a substantial interest of the person seeking to intervene may be adversely affected by the matter to be considered in the proceeding; (2) that his intervention will not materially prejudice the rights of any party, through delay or otherwise; (3) that his participation as a party will otherwise be consistent with the public interest; and (4) that leave to be heard pursuant to § 10.34 would be inadequate for the protection of his interests. The burden shall be upon the petitioner to satisfy the Administrative Law Judge on these issues.
(d) Rights of intervenor. A person who has been granted leave to intervene shall from that time forward have all the rights and responsibilities of a party to the proceeding.
§ 10.34 Limited participation.
(a) Petitions for leave to be heard. Any person may, in the discretion of the Administrative Law Judge, be given leave to be heard in any proceeding as to any matter affecting his interests. Petitions for leave to be heard shall be in writing, shall set forth (1) the nature and extent of the applicant’s interest in the proceeding; (2) the issues on which he wishes to participate; and (3) in what manner he wishes to participate. The Administrative Law Judge may direct any person requesting leave to be heard to submit himself to examination as to his interest in the proceeding.
(b) Rights of a participant. Leave to be heard pursuant to § 10.34(a) may include such rights of a party as the Administrative Law Judge may deem appropriate, except that oral argument before the Commission may be permitted only by the Commission.
§ 10.35 Permission to state views.
Any person may, in the discretion of the Administrative Law Judge be permitted to file a memorandum or make an oral statement of his views, and the Administrative Law Judge may, in his discretion, accept for the record written communications received from any person.
§ 10.36 Commission review of rulings.
Interlocutory review by the Commission of a ruling as to matters within the scope of § 10.33, § 10.34 or § 10.35 may be sought in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 10.101 of these rules without certification by the Administrative Law Judge.
Subpart D—Prehearing Procedures; Prehearing Conferences; Discovery; Depositions
§ 10.41 Prehearing conferences; procedural matters.
In any proceeding the Administrative Law Judge may direct that one or more conferences be held for the purpose of:
(a) Clarifying issues;
(b) Examining the possibility of obtaining stipulations, admissions of fact and of authenticity or contents of documents;
(c) Determining matters of which official notice may be taken;
(d) Discussing amendments to pleadings;
(e) Limiting the number of witnesses;
(f) Considering objections to the introduction of documentary evidence and the testimony of witnesses identified in prehearing materials filed or otherwise furnished by the parties pursuant to § 10.42;
(g) Discussing adoption of shortened procedures pursuant to § 10.92;
(h) Promoting a fair and expeditious hearing.
§ 10.42 Discovery.
(a) Prehearing materials—(1) In general. Unless otherwise ordered by an Administrative Law Judge, the parties to a proceeding shall furnish to all other parties to the proceeding on or before a date set by the Administrative Law Judge in the form of a prehearing memorandum or otherwise:
(i) An outline of its case or defense;
(ii) The legal theories upon which it will rely;
(iii) The identity, and the city and state of residence, of each witness, other than an expert witness, who is expected to testify on its behalf, along with a brief summary of the matters to be covered by the witness’s expected testimony;
(iv) A list of documents which it intends to introduce at the hearing, along with copies of any such documents which the other parties do not already have in their possession and to which they do not have reasonably ready access.
(2) Expert witnesses. Unless otherwise ordered by the Administrative Law Judge, in addition to the information described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, any party who intends to call an expert witness shall also furnish to all other parties to the proceeding on or before a date set by the Administrative Law Judge:
(i) A statement identifying the witness and setting forth his or her qualifications;
(ii) A list of any publications authored by the witness within the preceding ten years;
(iii) A list of all cases in which the witness has testified as an expert, at trial or in deposition, within the preceding four years;
(iv) A complete statement of all opinions to be expressed by the witness and the basis or reasons for those opinions; and
(v) A list of any documents, data or other written information which were considered by the witness in forming his or her opinions, along with copies of any such documents, data or information which the other parties do not already have in their possession and to which they do not have reasonably ready access.
(3) The foregoing procedures shall not be deemed applicable to rebuttal evidence submitted by any party at the hearing.
(4) In any action where a party fails to comply with the requirements of this paragraph (a), the Administrative Law Judge may make such orders in regard to the failure as are just, taking into account all of the relevant facts and circumstances of the failure to comply.
(b) Investigatory materials—(1) In general. Unless otherwise ordered by the Commission or the Administrative Law Judge, the Division of Enforcement shall make available for inspection and copying by the respondents, prior to the scheduled hearing date, any of the following documents that were obtained by the Division prior to the institution of proceedings in connection with the investigation that led to the complaint and notice of hearing:
(i) All documents that were produced pursuant to subpoenas issued by the Division or otherwise obtained from persons not employed by the Commission, together with each subpoena or written request, or relevant portion thereof, that resulted in the furnishing of such documents to the Division; and
(ii) All transcripts of investigative testimony and all exhibits to those transcripts.
(2) Documents that may be withheld. The Division of Enforcement may withhold any document that would disclose:
(i) The identity of a confidential source;
(ii) Confidential investigatory techniques or procedures;
(iii) Separately the market positions, business transactions, trade secrets or names of customers of any persons other than the respondents, unless such information is relevant to the resolution of the proceeding;
(iv) Information relating to, or obtained with regard to, another matter of continuing investigatory interest to the Commission or another domestic or foreign governmental entity, unless such information is relevant to the resolution of the proceeding; or
(v) Information obtained from a domestic or foreign governmental entity or from a foreign futures authority that either is not relevant to the resolution of the proceeding or was provided on condition that the information not be disclosed or that it only be disclosed by the Commission or a representative of the Commission as evidence in an enforcement or other proceeding.
(3) Nothing in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section shall limit the ability of the Division of Enforcement to withhold documents or other information on the grounds of privilege, the work product doctrine or other protection from disclosure under applicable law. When the investigation by the Division of Enforcement that led to the pending proceeding encompasses transactions, conduct or persons other than those involved in the proceeding, the requirements of (b)(1) of this section shall apply only to the particular transaction, conduct and persons involved in the proceeding.
(4) Index of withheld documents. When documents are made available for inspection and copying pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the Division of Enforcement shall furnish the respondents with an index of all documents that are withheld pursuant to paragraphs (b)(2) or (b)(3) of this section, except for any documents that are being withheld because they disclose information obtained from a domestic or foreign governmental entity or from a foreign futures authority on condition that the information not be disclosed or that it only be disclosed by the Commission or a representative of the Commission as evidence in an enforcement or other proceeding, in which case the Division shall inform the other parties of the fact that such documents are being withheld at the time it furnishes its index under this paragraph, but no further disclosures regarding those documents shall be required. This index shall describe the nature of the withheld documents in a manner that, to the extent practicable without revealing any information that itself is privileged or protected from disclosure by law or these rules, will enable the other parties to assess the applicability of the privilege or protection claimed.
(5) Arrangements for inspection and copying. Upon request by the respondents, all documents subject to inspection and copying pursuant to this paragraph (b) shall be made available to the respondents at the Commission office nearest the location where the respondents or their counsel live or work. Otherwise, the documents shall be made available at the Commission office where they are ordinarily maintained or at any other location agreed upon by the parties in writing. Upon payment of the appropriate fees set forth in appendix B to part 145 of this chapter, any respondent may obtain a photocopy of any document made available for inspection. Without the prior written consent of the Division of Enforcement, no respondent shall have the right to take custody of any documents that are made available for inspection and copying, or to remove them from Commission premises.
(6) Failure to make documents available. In the event that the Division of Enforcement fails to make available documents subject to inspection and copying pursuant to this paragraph (b), no rehearing or reconsideration of a matter already heard or decided shall be required, unless the respondent demonstrates prejudice caused by the failure to make the documents available.
(7) Requests for confidential treatment; protective orders. If a person has requested confidential treatment of information submitted by him or her, either pursuant to rules adopted by the Commission under the Freedom of Information Act (part 145 of this chapter) or under the Commission’s Rules Relating to Investigations (part 11 of this chapter), the Division of Enforcement shall notify him or her, if possible, that the information is to be disclosed to parties to the proceeding and he or she may apply to the Administrative Law Judge for an order protecting the information from disclosure, consideration of which shall be governed by § 10.68(c)(2).
(c) Witness statements—(1) In general. Each party to an adjudicatory proceeding shall make available to the other parties any statement of any person whom the party calls, or expects to call, as a witness that relates to the anticipated testimony of the witness and is in the party’s possession. Such statements shall include the following:
(i) Transcripts of investigative, deposition, trial or similar testimony given by the witness,
(ii) Written statements signed by the witness, and
(iii) Substantially verbatim notes of interviews with the witness, and all exhibits to such transcripts, statements and notes. For purposes of this paragraph (c), “substantially verbatim notes” means notes that fairly record the exact words of the witness, subject to minor, inconsequential deviations. Such statements shall include memoranda and other writings authored by the witness that contain information relating to his anticipated testimony. The Division of Enforcement shall produce witness statements pursuant to this paragraph prior to the scheduled hearing date, at a time to be designated by the Administrative Law Judge. Respondents shall produce witness statements pursuant to this paragraph at the close of the Division’s case in chief during the hearing. If necessary, the Administrative Law Judge shall, upon request, grant the Division a continuance of the hearing in order to review and analyze any witness statements produced by the respondents.
(2) Nothing in paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall limit the ability of a party to withhold documents or other information on the grounds of privilege, the work product doctrine or other protection from disclosure under applicable law.
(3) Index of withheld documents. When a party makes witness statements available pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section, he or she shall furnish each of the other parties with an index of all documents that the party is withholding on the grounds of privilege or work product. This index shall describe the nature of the withheld documents in a manner that, to the extent practicable without revealing information that itself is privileged or protected from disclosure by law or these rules, will enable the other parties to assess the applicability of the privilege or protection claimed.
(4) Failure to produce witness statements. In the event that a party fails to make available witness statements subject to production pursuant to this section, no rehearing or reconsideration of a matter already heard or decided shall be required, unless another party demonstrates prejudice caused by the failure to make the witness statements available.
(d) Modification of production requirements. The Administrative Law Judge shall modify any of the requirements of paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section that any party can show is unduly burdensome or is otherwise inappropriate under all the circumstances.
(e) Admissions—(1) Request for admissions. Any party may serve upon any other party, with a copy to the Proceedings Clerk, a written request for admission of the truth of any facts relevant to the pending proceeding set forth in the request. Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be separately set forth. Unless prior written approval is obtained from the Administrative Law Judge, the number of requests shall not exceed 50 in number including all discrete parts and subparts.
(2) Response. A matter shall be considered to be admitted unless, within 15 days after service of the request, or within such other time as the Administrative Law Judge may allow, the party upon whom the request is directed serves upon the requesting party a sworn written answer or objection to the matter. If objection is made, the reasons therefor shall be stated. The response shall specifically deny the matter or set forth in detail the reasons why the answering party cannot truthfully admit or deny the matter. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the requested admission and when good faith requires that a party qualify his answer and deny only a part of the matter, he shall specify so much of it as is true and qualify or deny the remainder. An answering party may not give a lack of information or knowledge as a reason for failure to admit or deny unless he states that he has made reasonable inquiry and that the information known or reasonably available to him is insufficient to enable him to admit or deny. A party who considers that a matter of which an admission has been requested presents a genuine issue for trial may not, on that ground alone, object to the request; he may deny the matter or set forth reasons why he cannot admit or deny it.
(3) Determining sufficiency of answers or objections. The party who has requested the admissions may move to determine the sufficiency of the answers or objections. Unless the objecting party sustains his burden of showing that the objection is justified, the Administrative Law Judge shall order that an answer be served. If the Administrative Law Judge determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of this rule, he may order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended answer be served.
(4) Effect of admission. Any matter admitted under this rule is conclusively established and may be used at a hearing as against the party who made the admission. However, the Administrative Law Judge may permit withdrawal or amendment when the presentation on the merits of the proceeding will be served thereby and the party who obtains the admission fails to satisfy the Administrative Law Judge that withdrawal or amendment will prejudice him in maintaining his action or defense on the merits.
(f) Objections to authenticity or admissibility of documents—(1) Identification of documents. The Administrative Law Judge, acting on his or her own initiative or upon motion by any party, may direct each party to serve upon the other parties, with a copy to the Proceedings Clerk, a list identifying the documents that it intends to introduce at the hearing and requesting the other parties to file and serve a response disclosing any objection, together with the factual or legal grounds therefor, to the authenticity or admissibility of each document identified on the list. A copy of each document identified on the list shall be served with the request, unless the party being served already has the document in his possession or has reasonably ready access to it.
(2) Objections to authenticity or admissibility. Within 20 days after service or at such other time as may be designated by the Administrative Law Judge, each party upon whom the list described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section was served shall file a response disclosing any objection, together with the factual or legal grounds therefor, to the authenticity or admissibility of each document identified on the list. Except for relevance, waste of time or needless presentation of cumulative evidence, all objections not raised may be deemed waived.
(3) Rulings on objections. In his or her discretion, the Administrative Law Judge may treat as a motion in limine any list served by a party pursuant to paragraph (f)(1) of this section, where any other party has filed a response objecting to the authenticity or the admissibility on any item listed. In that event, after affording the parties an opportunity to file briefs containing arguments on the motion to the degree necessary for a decision, the ALJ may rule on any objection to the authenticity or admissibility of any document identified on the list in advance of trial, to the extent appropriate.
§ 10.43 Stipulations.
The parties may by stipulation in writing at any stage of the proceeding, or orally made at hearing, agree upon any pertinent facts in the proceeding. It is desirable that the facts be thus agreed upon so far as and whenever practicable. Stipulations may be received in evidence at a hearing and when received in evidence shall be binding on the parties thereto.
§ 10.44 Depositions and interrogatories.
(a) When permitted. If it appears that:
(1) A prospective witness will be unable to attend or testify at a hearing on the basis of age, illness, infirmity, imprisonment or on the basis that he is or will be outside of the United States at the time of the hearing (unless it appears that the absence of the witness was procured by the party seeking to take the deposition),
(2) His testimony is material,
(3) It is necessary to take his deposition in the interest of Justice, the Administrative Law Judge may by order direct that his deposition be taken either orally or in the form of written interrogatories, and may issue a subpoena to compel the attendance of the witness for deposition.
(b) Application for deposition. Any party desiring to take the deposition of a witness shall make application in writing to the Administrative Law Judge for an order to take deposition. In addition to the showing required in § 10.44(a), the application shall include:
(1) The name and post office address of the witness;
(2) The specific matters concerning which the witness is expected to testify and their relevance;
(3) The reasons why the deposition should be taken, supported by affidavits and a physician’s certificate, where appropriate;
(4) The time when, the place where, and the name and address of the person before whom the deposition is to be taken;
(5) A specification of the documents and materials which the deponent is requested to produce;
(6) Application for any subpoenas.
(c) Service and reply. A copy of the application to take deposition shall be served upon every other party to the proceeding and upon the person sought to be deposed. Any party or the deponent may serve and file an opposition to the application within seven days after the application is filed.
(d) Time when, place where, and officer before whom deposition is taken—(1) Where the deposition is taken. Unless otherwise ordered or agreed to by stipulation, depositions shall be taken in the city or municipality where the deponent is located.
(2) Officer before whom taken. (i) Within the United States or a territory of the United States, depositions shall be taken before an officer authorized to administer oaths by the laws of the United States or of the place where the examination is held.
(ii) Within a foreign country, depositions may be taken before an officer or person designated by the Administrative Law Judge or agreed upon by the parties by a stipulation in writing to be filed with the Proceedings Clerk.
(e) Procedures for taking oral depositions. (1) Oral examination and crossexamination of witnesses shall be conducted in a manner similar to that permitted at a formal hearing. All questions and testimony shall be recorded verbatim, except to the extent that all parties present or represented may agree that a matter shall be off the record.
(2) All objections made at the time of the examination to the qualifications of the officer taking the deposition, or to the manner of taking it, or to the evidence presented, or to the conduct of any party, or any other objection to the proceeding shall be noted by the officer upon the deposition, and shall subsequently be determined by the Administrative Law Judge. Evidence objected to shall be taken subject to the objections. However, the parties may stipulate that, except as to objections to the form of questions, all objections to the matters testified to in a deposition are preserved for the hearing, whether or not raised at the time of deposition.
(3) During the taking of a deposition a party or deponent may request and obtain an adjournment to permit an application to be made to the Administrative Law Judge for an order suspending the deposition on grounds of bad faith in the conduct of the examination, annoyance, embarrassment, oppression of a deponent or party, or improper questions. An attorney who requests and obtains an adjournment for this purpose but fails, without good cause, promptly to apply for relief to the Administrative Law Judge may be found guilty of contemptuous conduct in accordance with § 10.11(b) of these rules.
(f) Procedures for use of interrogatories. (1) If depositions are to be taken and submitted on written interrogatories, the interrogatories shall be filed in triplicate with the application for deposition and served on the parties. Within ten days after service, any party may file, in triplicate, with the Proceedings Clerk, his objections, if any, to such interrogatories and may file such cross-interrogatories as he desires to submit. Other parties shall have ten days to file their objections to cross-interrogatories. Objections shall be settled by the Administrative Law Judge.
(2) When a deposition is taken upon written interrogatories and cross-interrogatories, no party shall be present or represented and no person other than the witness, a stenographic reporter, and the officer shall be present. The officer shall propound the interrogatories and cross-interrogatories to the witness, and the interrogatories and responses thereto shall be transcribed and reduced to writing.
(g) Use of depositions at hearing. (1) Any part or all of a deposition, to the extent admissible under rules of evidence applied as though the witness were then present and testifying at the hearing, may be used against any party who had reasonable notice of the taking of the deposition, if the Administrative Law Judge finds that:
(i) The witness is dead;
(ii) The witness is unable to attend or testify because of age, illness, infirmity, or imprisonment;
(iii) The witness is out of the United States at the time of the hearing, unless it appears that the absence of the witness was procured by the party offering the deposition.
(2) If only part of a deposition is offered in evidence by a party, an adverse party may require him to introduce any other part which ought in fairness to be considered with the part introduced, and any party may introduce any other parts.
(3) Objection may be made at a hearing to receiving in evidence any deposition or part thereof for any reason which would require the exclusion of the evidence if the witness were then present and testifying.
Subpart E—Hearings
§ 10.61 Time and place of hearing.
(a) Notice. All parties shall be notified of the time and place of hearing, which shall be fixed with due regard for the public interest and the convenience and necessity of the parties and their representatives.
(b) Requests for change. A request for postponement of a hearing or for a change in the place assigned for hearing will be granted by the Administrative Law Judge only for good cause shown.
§ 10.62 Appearances.
(a) Who may appear. The parties may appear in person, by counsel or by other representatives of their choosing, subject to the provisions of § 10.11 of these rules and part 14 of this chapter, dealing with appearance and practice before the Commission.
(b) Effect of failure to appear. (1) If any party to the proceeding, after filing an answer fails to appear at the hearing or any part thereof, he shall to that extent be deemed to have waived the right to an oral hearing in the proceeding. In the event that a party appears at the hearing and no party appears for the opposing side, the party who is present may present his evidence, in whole or in part, in the form of affidavits or by oral testimony, before the Administrative Law Judge.
(2) A failure to appear at a hearing shall not constitute a waiver of a party’s right to propose findings of fact based on the record in the proceeding, to propose conclusions of law or to submit briefs, in the manner provided in § 10.82, if the non-appearing party submits prior to the scheduled hearing or within three days thereafter, a notice of appearance indicating his intent to continue to participate in the proceeding. Otherwise, his failure to appear will constitute a default, and a default order may be sought in accordance with procedures set forth in § 10.93 of these rules.
§ 10.63 Consolidation; separate hearings.
(a) Consolidation. Two or more proceedings involving a common question of law or fact may be joined for hearing of any or all the matters in issue or may be consolidated by order of the Administrative Law Judge. The Administrative Law Judge may make such rulings concerning the conduct of such proceedings as may tend to avoid unnecessary costs or delay.
(b) Separate Hearings. The Administrative Law Judge, for the convenience of the parties, to avoid prejudice, or to expedite final resolution of the issues, may order a separate hearing of any claim or issue, or grant a separate hearing to any respondent.
§ 10.64 Public hearings.
All hearings shall be public, except that upon application of a respondent or affected witness the Administrative Law Judge may direct that specific documents or testimony be received and retained non-publicly in order to prevent unwarranted disclosure of trade secrets or sensitive commercial or financial information or an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
§ 10.65 Record of hearing.
(a) Reporting and transcription. Hearings for the purpose of taking evidence shall be recorded and transcribed in written form under the supervision of the Administrative Law Judge by a reporter employed by the Commission for that purpose. The original transcript shall be a part of the record and shall be the sole official transcript. Copies of transcripts, except those portions granted non-public treatment, shall be available from the reporter at rates not to exceed the maximum rates fixed by the contract between the Commission and the reporter.
(b) Corrections. Any party may submit a timely request to the Administrative Law Judge to correct the transcript. Corrections may be submitted to the Administrative Law Judge by stipulation of the parties, or by motion by any party, and upon notice to all parties to the proceeding, the Administrative Law Judge may specify corrections of the transcript. A copy of such specification shall be furnished to all parties and made a part of the record. Corrections shall be made by the official reporter, who shall furnish substitute pages of the transcript, under the usual certificate of the reporter, for insertion in the official record. The original uncorrected pages shall be retained in the files of the Proceedings Clerk.
§ 10.66 Conduct of the hearing.
(a) Expedition. Hearings shall proceed expeditiously and insofar as practicable hearings shall be held at one place and shall continue, without suspension, until concluded.
(b) Rights of parties. Every party shall be entitled to due notice of hearings, the right to be represented by counsel, and the right to cross-examine witnesses, present oral and documentary evidence, submit rebuttal evidence, raise objections, make arguments and move for appropriate relief. Nothing in this paragraph limits the authority of the Commission or the Administrative Law Judge to exercise authority under other provisions of the Commission’s rules, to enforce the requirement that evidence presented be relevant to the proceeding or to limit cross-examination to the subject matter of the direct examination and matters affecting the credibility of the witness.
(c) Examination of witnesses. All witnesses at a hearing for the purpose of taking evidence shall testify under oath or affirmation, which shall be administered by the Administrative Law Judge. A witness may be cross-examined by each adverse party and, in the discretion of the Administrative Law Judge, may be cross-examined, without regard to the scope of direct examination, as to any matter which is relevant to the issues in the proceeding.
(d) Expert witnesses. The Administrative Law Judge, at his discretion, may order that direct testimony of expert witnesses be made by verified written statement rather than presented orally at the hearing. Any expert witness whose testimony is presented in this manner shall be available for oral cross-examination, and may be examined orally upon re-direct following cross-examination.
(e) Exhibits. The original of each exhibit introduced in evidence or marked for identification shall be filed and retained in the docket of the proceeding, unless the Administrative Law Judge permits the substitution of copies for the original documents. A copy of each exhibit introduced by a party or marked for identification at his request shall be supplied by him to the Administrative Law Judge and to each other party to the proceeding.
§ 10.67 Evidence.
(a) Admissibility. Relevant, material and reliable evidence shall be admitted. Irrelevant, immaterial, unreliable and unduly repetitious evidence shall be excluded.
(b) Official notice. (1) Official notice may be taken of
(i) Any material fact which might be judicially noticed by a district court of the United States; or
(ii) Any matter in the public official records of the Commission.
(2) If official notice is requested or taken of a material fact, any party, upon timely request, shall be afforded an opportunity to establish the contrary.
(c) Objections. A party shall timely and briefly state the grounds relied upon for any objection made to the introduction of evidence. If a party has had no opportunity to object to a ruling at the time it is made, he shall not thereafter be prejudiced by the absence of an objection.
(d) Exceptions. Formal exception to an adverse ruling is not required. It shall be sufficient that a party, at the time the ruling is sought or entered, makes known to the Administrative Law Judge the action he wishes the Administrative Law Judge to take or his objection to the action being taken and his grounds therefor.
(e) Excluded evidence. When an objection to a question propounded to a witness is sustained, the examining attorney may make a specific offer of what he expects to prove by the answer of the witness, or the Administrative Law Judge may, in his discretion, receive the evidence in full. Rejected exhibits, adequately marked for identification, shall be retained in the record so as to be available for consideration by any reviewing authority.
(f) Affidavits. Affidavits may be admitted by the Administrative Law Judge only if the evidence is otherwise admissible and the parties agree that affidavits may be used.
(g) Official government records. An official government record or any entry therein, when admissible for any purpose, may be evidenced by an official publication thereof or by a copy attested by the officer having legal custody of the record or by his deputy, accompanied by a certificate that such officer has custody. If the office in which the record is kept is within the United States the certificate may be made by a judge of a court of record in the district or political subdivision in which the record is kept, authenticated by the seal of his office. If the office in which the record is kept is in a foreign state or country, the certificate may be made by any officer in the Foreign Service of the United States stationed in the foreign state or country in which the record is kept and authenticated by the seal of his office. A written statement signed by an officer having custody of an official record or by his deputy, that after diligent search, no record or entry dealing with a specific matter is found to exist, accompanied by a certificate as provided above, is admissible as evidence that the records of his office contain no such record or entry.
(h) Entries in the regular course of business. Any writing or record, whether in the form of an entry in a book or otherwise, made as a memorandum or record of any act, transaction, occurrence, or event, will be admissible as evidence thereof if it shall appear that it was made in the regular course of business by a person who had a duty to report or record it.
§ 10.68 Subpoenas.
(a) Application for and issuance of subpoenas—(1) Application for and issuance of subpoena ad testificandum. Any party may apply to the Administrative Law Judge for the issuance of a subpoena requiring a person to appear and testify (subpoena ad testificandum) at the hearing. All requests for the issuance of a subpoena ad testificandum shall be submitted in duplicate and in writing and shall be served upon all other parties to the proceeding, unless the request is made on the record at the hearing or the requesting party can demonstrate why, in the interest of fairness or justice, the requirement of a written submission or service on one or more of the other parties is not appropriate. A subpoena ad testificandum shall be issued upon a showing by the requesting party of the general relevance of the testimony being sought and the tender of an original and two copies of the subpoena being requested, except in those situations described in paragraph (b) of this section, where additional requirements are set forth.
(2) Application for subpoena duces tecum. An application for a subpoena requiring a person to produce specified documentary or tangible evidence (subpoena duces tecum) at any designated time or place may be made by any party to the Administrative Law Judge. All requests for the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum shall be submitted in duplicate and in writing and shall be served upon all other parties to the proceeding, unless the request is made on the record at the hearing or the requesting party can demonstrate why, in the interest of fairness or justice, the requirement of a written submission or service on one or more of the other parties is not appropriate. Except in those situations described in paragraph (b) of this section, where additional requirements are set forth, each application for the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum shall contain a statement or showing of general relevance and reasonable scope of the evidence being sought and be accompanied by an original and two copies of the subpoena being requested, which shall describe the documentary or tangible evidence to be subpoenaed with as much particularity as is feasible.
(3) Standards for issuance of subpoena duces tecum. The Administrative Law Judge considering any application for a subpoena duces tecum shall issue the subpoena requested if he is satisfied the application complies with this section and the request is not unreasonable, oppressive, excessive in scope or unduly burdensome. No attempt shall be made to determine the admissibility of evidence in passing upon an application for a subpoena duces tecum and no detailed or burdensome showing shall be required as a condition to the issuance of any subpoena.
(4) Denial of application. In the event the Administrative Law Judge determines that a requested subpoena or any of its terms are unreasonable, oppressive, excessive in scope, or unduly burdensome, he may refuse to issue the subpoena, or may issue it only upon such conditions as he determines fairness requires.
(b) Special requirements relating to application for and issuance of subpoenas for commission records and for the appearance of commission employees or employees of other agencies—(1) Form. An application for the issuance of subpoena shall be made in the form of a written motion served upon all other parties, if the subpoena would require
(i) The production of documents, papers, books, physical exhibits, or other material in the records of the Commission;
(ii) The appearance of a Commissioner or an official or employee of the Commission;
(iii) The appearance of a Commissioner or an official or employee of any other state or federal agency in his official capacity.
(2) Content. The motion shall specifically describe the material to be produced, the information to be disclosed, or the testimony to be elicited from the witness, and shall show
(i) The relevance of the material, information, or testimony to the matters at issue in the proceeding;
(ii) The reasonableness of the scope of the proposed subpoena; and
(iii) That such material, information, or testimony is not available from other sources.
(3) Rulings. The motion shall be decided by the Administrative Law Judge and shall provide such terms or conditions for the production of the material, the disclosure of the information or the appearance of the witness as may appear necessary and appropriate for the protection of the public interest.
(4) Commission review of rulings. Interlocutory review by the Commission of a ruling made under this section may be sought in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 10.101 without certification by the Administrative Law Judge.
(c) Motions to quash subpoenas; protective orders—(1) Application. Within 10 days after a subpoena has been served or at any time prior to the return date thereof, a motion to quash or modify the subpoena or for a protective order limiting the use or disclosure of any information, documents or testimony covered by the subpoena may be filed with the Administrative Law Judge who issued it. At the same time, a copy of the motion shall be served on the party who requested the subpoena and all other parties to the proceeding. The motion shall include a brief statement setting forth the basis for the requested relief. If the Administrative Law Judge to whom the motion has been directed has not acted upon the motion by the return date, the subpoena shall be stayed pending his or her final action.
(2) Disposition. After due notice to the person upon whose request the subpoena was issued, and after opportunity for response by that person, the Administrative Law Judge may (i) quash or modify the subpoena, or (ii) condition denial of the application to quash or modify the subpoena upon just and reasonable terms, including, in the case of a subpoena duces tecum, a requirement that the person in whose behalf the subpoena was issued shall advance the reasonable cost of producing documentary or other tangible evidence. The Administrative Law Judge may issue a protective order sought under paragraph (c)(1) of this section or under any other section of these rules upon a showing of good cause. In considering whether good cause exists to issue a protective order, the Administrative Law Judge shall weigh the harm resulting from disclosure against the benefits of disclosure. Good cause shall only be established upon a showing that the person seeking the protective order will suffer a clearly defined and serious injury if the order is not issued, provided, however, that any such injury shall be balanced against the public’s right of access to judicial records. No protective order shall be granted that will prevent the Division of Enforcement or any respondent from adequate presenting its case.
(d) Attendance and mileage fees. Persons summoned to testify either by deposition or at a hearing under requirement of subpoena are entitled to the same fees and mileage as are paid to witnesses in the courts of the United States. Fees and mileage are paid by the party at whose instance the persons are called.
(e) Service of subpoenas—(1) How effected. Service of a subpoena upon a party shall be made in accordance with § 10.12(a) of these rules except that only one copy of a subpoena need be served. Service of a subpoena upon any other person shall be made by delivering a copy of the subpoena to him as provided in paragraphs (e)(2) or (e)(3) of this section, as applicable, and by tendering to him or her the fees for one day’s attendance and mileage as specified in paragraph (d) of this section. When the subpoena is issued at the instance of the Commission, fees and mileage need not be tendered at the time of service.
(2) Service upon a natural person. Delivery of a copy of a subpoena and tender of the fees to a natural person may be effected by
(i) Handing them to the person;
(ii) Leaving them at his office with the person in charge thereof or, if there is no one in charge, by leaving them in a conspicuous place therein;
(iii) Leaving them at his dwelling place or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein;
(iv) Mailing them by registered or certified mail to him at his last known address; or
(v) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to him and the fees and mileage are timely made available.
(3) Service upon other persons. When the person to be served is not a natural person, delivery of a copy of the subpoena and tender of the fees and mileage may be effected by
(i) Handing them to a registered agent for service, or to any officer, director, or agent in charge of any office of such person;
(ii) Mailing them by registered or certified mail to any such representative at his last known address; or
(iii) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to any such representative and the fees and mileage are timely made available.
(f) Enforcement of subpoenas. Upon failure of any person to comply with a subpoena issued at the request of a party, that party may petition the Commission in its discretion to institute an action in an appropriate U.S. District Court for enforcement of that subpoena. When instituting an action to enforce a subpoena requested by the Division of Enforcement, the Commission, in its discretion, may delegate to the Director of the Division or any Commission employee designated by the Director and acting under his or her direction, or to any other employee of the Commission, authority to serve as the Commission’s counsel in such subpoena enforcement action.
§ 10.69 Reopening hearings.
Any party may petition the Administrative Law Judge to reopen a hearing to adduce additional evidence at any time prior to issuance of the initial decision. The petition shall show that the evidence sought to be adduced is relevant and material and that there were reasonable grounds for failure to adduce such evidence at the time of the original hearing.
Subpart F—Post Hearing Procedures; Initial Decisions
§ 10.81 Filing the transcript of evidence.
As soon as practicable after the close of the hearing, the reporter shall transmit to the Proceedings Clerk the transcript of the testimony and the exhibits introduced in evidence at the hearing, except such portions of the transcript and exhibits as shall have been delivered to the Administrative Law Judge.
§ 10.82 Proposed findings and conclusions; briefs.
In any proceeding involving a hearing or an opportunity for hearing, the parties may file written proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. Briefs may be filed in support of proposed findings and conclusions either as part of the same document or in a separate document. Any proposed finding or conclusion not briefed may be regarded as waived.
(a) Proposed findings and briefs; time for filing. Where the parties file proposed findings and briefs, the following schedule shall apply, unless otherwise determined by the Administrative Law Judge:
(1) Initial submission. Proposed findings, conclusions and an initial brief shall be served and filed by the Division of Enforcement and intervenors on the side of the Division of Enforcement within 45 days of the close of the hearing;
(2) Answering submission. Proposed findings, conclusions, and an answering brief shall be served and filed by the respondents and intervenors on the side of the respondents within 30 days after service of the initial findings, conclusions and briefs upon the respondents;
(3) Reply. A reply brief may be filed by the Division of Enforcement and intervenors on the side of the Division of Enforcement within 15 days after filing of the answering submission;
(4) Submissions by limited participants. Submissions by a person admitted as a limited participant pursuant to § 10.34 of these rules, are permitted under such terms as determined by the Administrative Law Judge.
(b) Alternative procedures for submissions. In his discretion the Administrative Law Judge may lengthen or shorten the periods for the filing of submissions, may direct simultaneous filings, may direct that respondents make the first filing, or may otherwise modify the procedures set forth in paragraph (a) of this section for purposes of a particular proceeding.
(c) Briefs. (1) The initial brief should include:
(i) A short, clear and concise statement of the case;
(ii) Specification of the questions to be resolved; and
(iii) The argument, presenting clearly the points of fact and law relied upon in support of the position taken on each question.
(2) The answering brief shall generally follow the same style as prescribed for the initial brief but may omit a statement of the case if the party does not dispute the statement of the case contained in the initial brief;
(3) Reply briefs should be limited to rebuttal of matters in the prior briefs.
(d) Content and form of proposed findings and conclusions. (1) The findings of fact shall be confined to the material issues of fact presented on the record, with exact citations to the transcripts of record and exhibits in support of each proposed finding.
(2) The proposed findings and conclusions of the party filing initially shall be set forth in consecutively numbered paragraphs and all counter-statement of proposed findings and conclusions shall, in addition to any other matter, indicate which paragraphs of initial proposals are not disputed.
§ 10.83 Oral arguments.
In his discretion the Administrative Law Judge may hear oral arguments by the parties any time before he files his initial decision with the Proceedings Clerk. The argument shall be recorded and transcribed in written form.
§ 10.84 Initial decision.
(a) When initial decision is required. The Administrative Law Judge shall make an initial decision in any proceeding in which a hearing is required to be conducted in conformity with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, as codified, 5 U.S.C. 557. He shall make an initial decision in other proceedings in which the Commission directs him to make such a decision.
(b) Filing of initial decision. After the parties have been afforded an opportunity to file their proposed findings of fact, proposed conclusions of law and supporting briefs pursuant to § 10.82, the Administrative Law Judge shall prepare upon the basis of the record in the proceeding and shall file with the Proceedings Clerk his or her decision, a copy of which shall be served by the Proceedings Clerk upon each of the parties.
(c) Effect of initial decision. The initial decision shall become the decision of the Commission 30 days after service thereof, except:
(1) The decision shall not become final as to any party who shall have filed a notice of appeal pursuant to § 10.102 of these rules; and
(2) The decision shall not become final as to any party to the proceeding if, within 30 days after the initial decision and order, the Commission itself shall have placed the case on its own docket for review or stayed the effective date of the decision.
Subpart G—Disposition Without Full Hearing
§ 10.91 Summary disposition.
(a) Filing of motions, answers. Any party who believes that there is no genuine issue of material fact to be determined and that he is entitled to a decision as a matter of law may move for a summary disposition in his favor of all or any part of the proceeding. Such motion shall be filed at or before the first prehearing conference or at such later time as may be allowed by the Administrative Law Judge. Any adverse party within 20 days after service of the motion, may serve opposing papers or may countermove for summary disposition.
(b) Supporting papers. A motion for summary judgment shall include a statement of material facts as to which the moving party contends there is no genuine issue, supported by the pleadings, and by affidavits, other verified statements, including investigative transcripts, admissions, stipulations, and depositions. The motion may also be supported by briefs containing points and authorities in support of the contention of the party making the motion. When a motion is made and supported as provided in this section, an adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations, but shall serve and file in response a statement setting forth those material facts as to which he contends a genuine issue exists, supported by affidavits or otherwise. He may also submit a brief of points and authorities.
(c) Form of affidavits. Supporting and opposing affidavits shall be made upon personal knowledge, shall set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and shall show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify on the matters stated therein. Sworn or certified copies of all papers or parts thereof referred to in an affidavit shall be attached thereto or served therewith.
(d) Oral argument. Oral argument may be granted at the discretion of the Administrative Law Judge.
(e) Ruling on motion. The Administrative Law Judge shall grant a motion for summary disposition if the undisputed pleaded facts, affidavits, other verified statements, admissions, stipulations, and depositions, and matters of official notice show that (1) there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, (2) there is no necessity that further facts be developed in the record, and (3) such party is entitled to a decision as a matter of law.
(f) Review of ruling; appeal. An order denying a motion for summary disposition is subject to interlocutory review under the provisions of § 10.101 on the same terms as a ruling on any other motion. An order granting a motion for summary disposition is reviewable by the Commission in accordance with the provisions of § 10.102 relating to appeals of initial decisions.
§ 10.92 Shortened procedure.
(a) How initiated. With the consent of the parties, in lieu of a full oral hearing, the Administrative Law Judge may order a shortened procedure as to the submission of direct evidence may be ordered in a proceeding. An order for shortened procedure shall list the names and addresses of all persons who are parties to the proceeding and shall direct compliance with the procedures established in this section. The order shall be served by the Proceedings Clerk upon all parties.
(b) Filing of statements—(1) Opening statement. Within 20 days after receipt of notice that the shortened procedure will be used, the Division of Enforcement shall serve upon all other parties and file with the Proceedings Clerk, in triplicate, an opening statement, in support of the complaint;
(2) Answering statement. Within 20 days after receipt of the opening statement of the Division, each respondent may serve upon all other parties and file with the Proceedings Clerk, in triplicate, in support of his answer, an answering statement.
(3) Statement in reply. Within ten days after receipt of all answering statements, or within ten days after the expiration of the period within which answering statements may be served, the Division of Enforcement may serve upon all other parties and file with the Proceedings Clerk, in triplicate, a statement in reply, which shall be confined strictly to replying to the facts and arguments set forth in the answering statements.
(c) Joint statements. Parties having a common interest may serve and file joint statements.
(d) Failure to file statement. Any party who, without the express permission of the Administrative Law Judge, should fail to file a statement within the time prescribed by this section after service upon him of an order for shortened procedures shall be in default and shall be deemed to have waived any further hearing.
(e) Content of statements. As used in this section, the term “statement” includes
(1) Statements of fact signed and sworn to by persons having knowledge of those facts;
(2) Documents filed as part of the proof of the alleged facts (which shall be duly authenticated under oath or otherwise in a manner that would render them admissible in evidence at an oral hearing under the rules in this part); and
(3) Briefs containing argument to sustain the contentions of the party submitting the statement.
(f) Verification. The facts asserted in any statement filed under shortened procedure must be sworn to by persons having knowledge thereof and, except under unusual circumstances, the persons should be those who would appear as witnesses to substantiate the facts asserted should a full oral hearing become necessary.
(g) Hearings—(1) Request for cross-examination or other hearings. If cross-examination is desired of any witness whose affidavit or other verified statement has been submitted, the name of the witness and the subject matter of the desired cross-examination shall be stated at the end of the answering statement or statement in reply as the case may be. Oral hearings under other circumstances may also be requested but will be granted only under exceptional circumstances. Any request filed under this subparagraph shall include a justification of the need for oral hearing.
(2) Hearings issues limited. The order setting the proceeding for oral hearing, if hearing is found necessary, will specify the matters upon which the parties are not in agreement and concerning which oral evidence is to be introduced. Unless material facts are in dispute, oral hearing will not be held.
(h) Subsequent procedure. Post-hearing procedures shall be the same as those in proceedings in which the shortened procedures have not been followed.
§ 10.93 Obtaining default order.
When a respondent has failed to (a) file an answer as provided in § 10.23 of these rules or (b) failed to appear or file a notice of appearance as provided in § 10.62 of these rules or (c) failed to file a statement under the shortened procedures as provided in § 10.92 of these rules, the Division of Enforcement may move the Administrative Law Judge to enter findings and conclusions and a default order against that respondent based upon the matters set forth in the complaint, which shall be deemed to be true for purposes of this determination.
§ 10.94 Setting aside of default.
In order to prevent injustice and on such conditions as may be appropriate, (a) the Commission may at any time set aside a default order obtained under § 10.93; and (b) the Administrative Law Judge may set aside a default order obtained under § 10.93 at any time prior to filing of his initial decision in a proceeding in which there are remaining respondents. Any motion to set aside a default shall be made within a reasonable time, and shall state the reasons for the failure to file or appear and specify the nature of the proposed defense in the proceeding.
Subpart H—Appeals to the Commission; Settlements
§ 10.101 Interlocutory appeals.
Interlocutory review by the Commission of a ruling on a motion by an Administrative Law Judge may be sought in accordance with the following procedures:
(a) Scope of review. The Commission will not review a ruling of the Administrative Law Judge prior to the Commission’s consideration of the entire proceeding in the absence of extraordinary circumstances. An interlocutory appeal may be permitted, in the discretion of the Commission, under the following circumstances:
(1) Appeal from an adverse ruling pursuant to § 10.8(b) on a motion to disqualify an Administrative Law Judge;
(2) Appeal from a ruling pursuant to § 10.11(b) suspending an attorney from participation in a particular proceeding.
(3) Appeal from a ruling pursuant to §§ 10.33 and 10.34 denying intervention or limited participation;
(4) Appeal from a ruling pursuant to § 10.68(b) requiring the appearance of an officer or employee of the Commission or another government agency or the production of Commission records;
(5) Upon a determination by the Administrative Law Judge, certified to the Commission either in writing or on the record, that
(i) A ruling sought to be appealed involves a controlling question of law or policy;
(ii) An immediate appeal may materially advance the ultimate resolution of the issues in the proceeding; and
(iii) Subsequent reversal of the ruling would cause unnecessary delay or expense to the parties.
(b) Procedure to obtain interlocutory review—(1) In general. An application for interlocutory review may be filed within five days after notice of the Administrative Law Judge’s ruling on a matter described in paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3) or (a)(4) of this section, except if a request for certification under paragraph (a)(5) of this section has been filed with the Administrative Law Judge within five days after notice of the Administrative Law Judge’s ruling on the matter. If a request for certification has been filed, an Application for interlocutory review under paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section may be filed within five days after notification of the Administrative Law Judge’s ruling on such request.
(2) An application for review shall:
(i) Designate the ruling or part thereof from which appeal is being taken;
(ii) Present the points of fact and law relied upon in support of the position taken; and
(iii) Not exceed 15 pages.
(3) Any party that opposes the application may file a response, not to exceed 15 pages, within five days after service of the application.
(4) The Commission will determine whether to grant a review based upon the application for review and the response thereto, without oral argument or further written presentation, unless the Commission shall otherwise direct.
(c) Proceedings not stayed. The filing of an application for review and the grant of review shall not stay proceedings before an Administrative Law Judge unless the Administrative Law Judge or the Commission shall so order. The Commission will not consider a motion for a stay unless the motion shall have first been made to the Administrative Law Judge and denied.
§ 10.102 Review of initial decisions.
(a) Notice of appeal—(1) In general. Any party to a proceeding may appeal to the Commission an initial decision or a dismissal or other final disposition of the proceeding by the Administrative Law Judge as to any party. The appeal shall be initiated by serving and filing with the Proceedings Clerk a notice of appeal within 15 days after service of the initial decision or other order terminating the proceeding; where service of the initial decision or other order terminating the proceeding is effected by mail or commercial carrier, the time within which the party served may file a notice of appeal shall be increased by 3 days.
(2) Cross appeals. If a timely notice of appeal is filed by one party, any other party may file a notice of appeal within 15 days after service of the first notice or within 15 days after service of the initial decision or other order terminating the proceeding, whichever is later.
(3) Confirmation of filing. The Proceedings Clerk shall confirm the filing of a notice of appeal by mailing a copy thereof to each other party.
(b) Briefs: Time for filing. The appeal shall be perfected through the filing of an appeal brief.
(1) Appeal brief. The appeal brief shall be filed within 30 days after filing of the notice of appeal.
(2) Answering brief. Within 30 days after service of the appeal brief upon any other party that party may file an answering brief.
(3) Reply brief. Within 14 days after service of an answering brief, the party that filed the first brief may file a reply brief.
(4) No further briefs shall be permitted, unless so ordered by the Commission on its own motion.
(5) Cross appeals. In the event that any party files a notice of cross appeal pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the Commission shall, to the extent practicable, adjust the briefing schedule and any page limitations otherwise applicable under this section so as to accommodate consolidated briefing by the parties.
(c) Briefs. An original of all briefs submitted under this section shall be filed with the Proceedings Clerk.
(d) Briefs: Content and form. (1) The appeal brief should include, in the order indicated:
(i) A statement of the issues presented for review.
(ii) A statement of the case. The statement shall first indicate briefly the nature of the case. There shall follow a statement of the facts relevant to the issues presented for review, with appropriate references to the record.
(iii) An argument. The argument may be preceded by a summary. The argument shall contain the contentions of the party to the appeal with respect to the issues presented, and the reasons therefor, and citations to supporting authorities, statutes and parts of the record.
(iv) A conclusion stating the precise relief sought.
(2) The answering brief generally shall follow the same style as prescribed for the appeal brief but may omit a statement of the issues or of the case if the party does not dispute the issues and statement of the case contained in the appeal brief. Any reply brief shall be confined to matters raised in the answering brief and shall be limited to 15 pages in length.
(3) Any matter not briefed shall be deemed waived, and may not be argued before the Commission.
(e) Appendix to briefs—(1) Designation of contents of appendix. At the time an appellant serves and files its appeal brief, it shall also serve and file a designation of those specific parts of the record to which it wishes to direct the particular attention of the Commission and that it wishes to have included in the appendix, including, but not necessarily limited to, particular pages of the transcript and portions of exhibits filed in the proceeding. The designation shall be set forth in a document wholly separate and apart from the brief, shall enumerate those specific parts of the record that the appellant wishes to have included in the appendix and shall not incorporate by reference citations to the record contained in its brief or in any other document. If an appellee deems it necessary to direct the particular attention of the Commission to specific parts of the record not designated by any appellant, it shall serve and file with its answering brief a designation of additional portions of the record for inclusion in the appendix. Any reply brief filed by the appellant may, if necessary, supplement the appellant’s previous designation. In designating parts of the record for inclusion in the appendix, the principal parts of the record relied upon should be designated, but the parties shall have regard to the fact that the entire record is always available to the Commission for reference and examinations and shall not engage in unnecessary designation. The fact that a part of the record is not included in an appendix shall not prevent any party or the Commission from relying thereon.
(2) Preparation of the appendix. Within 15 days after the last answering brief or reply brief of a party was due to be filed, the Office of Proceedings shall prepare an appendix to the briefs which will contain a list of the relevant docket entries filed in the proceedings before the Administrative Law Judge, the initial decision and order of the Administrative Law Judge, the pleadings filed on behalf of the parties who are participating in the appeal and such other parts of the record designated by the parties to the appeal in accordance with the procedures set forth in paragraph (e)(1) of this section. The Proceedings Clerk shall cause one copy of the appendix to be served on each of the parties to the appeal and shall cause ten copies of the appendix to be placed in the docket of the proceeding for the use of the Commission.
(3) Objections to appendix. Any party who believes that an error or omission has been made in the preparation of the appendix or that the appendix is misleading, prejudicial or otherwise inadequate may on that basis file a motion with the Commission to amend or supplement the appendix within 30 days of the date of the mailing of the appendix.
(f) Effect of failure to file an appeal. Timely appeal to the Commission for review of an initial decision is mandatory as a prerequisite to seeking judicial review of a final decision entered pursuant to these Rules of Practice.
§ 10.103 Oral argument before the Commission.
(a) Request. Any party may file with the Proceedings Clerk a request in writing for the opportunity to present oral argument before the Commission, which the Commission may in its discretion grant or deny. A request for oral argument must be made within the time provided for filing the initial briefs.
(b) Time allowed. Unless otherwise directed by the Commission, not more than one-half hour will be allowed for oral argument by any participant. Where the same or similar interests are represented by more than one participant, an aggregate of not more than one-half hour will be allowed the interests so represented irrespective of the number of participants, the time to be divided equally among such participants or as they may agree among themselves. In appropriate cases the Commission may, in its discretion, extend, shorten or reallocate the time prescribed herein.
(c) Reporting and transcription. Oral arguments before the Commission shall be reported and transcribed in written form unless the Commission shall direct otherwise.
(d) Commissioners not present at oral argument. A member of the Commission who was not present at the oral argument may participate in the decision of the proceeding. Any Commissioner participating in the decision who was not present at the argument will review the transcript of argument.
§ 10.104 Scope of review; Commission decision.
(a) Scope of review. The Commission will ordinarily consider the whole record on review, and base its determination thereon. However, it may limit the issues to those presented in the statement of issues in the brief.
(b) Decision on review. On review, the Commission may affirm, reverse, modify, set aside or remand for further proceedings, in whole or in part, the initial decision by the Administrative Law Judge and make any findings or conclusions which in its judgment are proper based on the record in the proceeding. The Commission’s decision shall be contained in its opinion and order. In the event the Commission is equally divided as to its decision the initial decision will be affirmed, without opinion.
(c) Contents of record. The record of the proceeding before the Commission for final decision shall include:
(1) The complaint, notice of hearing, answers and any amendments thereto;
(2) Any application, motion or objection made during the course of the proceeding, briefs in support thereof, rulings thereon and exceptions thereto;
(3) Any admission or stipulations between the parties, and documents or papers filed in connection with prehearing conferences; and the record of prehearing conferences, if recorded;
(4) The transcript of testimony taken at the hearing, together with exhibits received at the hearing;
(5) Any statements filed under the shortened procedure;
(6) Portions of the official public records of the Commission specified in any of the above;
(7) Any proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law and briefs in support thereof, which were filed in connection with the hearing;
(8) Any written communication accepted by the Administrative Law Judge pursuant to §§ 10.34 and 10.35 relating to limited participation;
(9) The initial decision and the petition for review;
(10) Any other documents which appear on the docket of the proceeding.
§ 10.105 Review by Commission on its own initiative.
The Commission may on its own initiative, within 30 days after the initial decision has been served on all parties, direct review of any initial decision of an Administrative Law Judge. The Commission shall determine the scope of the review and the issues which will be considered and make provisions for the filing of briefs and oral argument, if deemed appropriate by the Commission. Notice that the Commission has directed review on its own initiative shall be served on all parties by the Proceedings Clerk.
§ 10.106 Reconsideration; stay pending judicial review.
(a) Reconsideration. Within 15 days after service of a Commission opinion and order any party may file with the Commission a petition for reconsideration of the opinion and order, setting forth the relief desired and the grounds in support thereof. Any petition filed under this section must be confined to new questions raised by the opinion or order and concerning which the petitioner had no opportunity to argue before the Commission. The filing of a petition for reconsideration shall not operate to stay the effective date of the Commission’s order.
(b) Stay pending judicial appeal—(1) Application for stay. Within 15 days after service of a Commission opinion and order imposing upon any party any of the sanctions listed in §§ 10.1(a) through 10.1(e), that party may file an application with the Commission requesting that the effective date of the order be stayed pending judicial review. The application shall state the reasons why a stay is warranted and the facts relied upon in support of the stay. Any averments contained in the application must be supported by affidavits or other sworn statements or verified statements made under penalty of perjury in accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. 1746.
(2) Standards for issuance of stay. The Commission may grant an application for a stay pending judicial appeal upon a showing that:
(i) The applicant is likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal;
(ii) Denial of the stay would cause irreparable harm to the applicant; and
(iii) Neither the public interest nor the interest of any other party will be adversely affected if the stay is granted.
(3) Civil monetary penalties and restitution. Nothwithstanding the requirements set forth in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the Commission shall grant any application to stay the imposition of a civil monetary penalty or an order to pay a specific sum as restitution if the applicant has filed with the Proceedings Clerk a surety bond guaranteeing full payment of the penalty or restitution plus interest in the event that the Commission’s opinion and order is sustained or the applicant’s appeal is not perfected or is dismissed for any reason and the Commission has determined that neither the public interest nor the interest of any other party will be affected by granting the application. The required surety bond shall be in the form of an undertaking by a surety company on the approved list of sureties issued by the Treasury Department of the United States, and the amount of interest shall be calculated in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 1961(a) and (b), beginning on the date 30 days after the Commission’s opinion and order was served on the applicant. In the event the Commission denies the applicant’s motion for a stay, the Proceedings Clerk shall return the surety bond to the applicant.
(c) Response. Unless otherwise requested by the Commission, no response to a petition for reconsideration pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section or an application for a stay pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section shall be filed. The Commission shall set the time for filing any response at the time it asks for a response. the Commission shall not grant any such petition or application without providing other parties to the proceeding with an opportunity to respond.
§ 10.107 Leave to adduce additional evidence.
Any time prior to issuance of the final decision the Commission may, upon its own motion or upon application in writing by any party, after notice to the parties and an opportunity for them to be heard, reopen the hearing for the reception of further evidence. The application shall show to the satisfaction of the Commission that the additional evidence is material, and that there were reasonable grounds for failure to adduce such evidence at the hearing. The Commission may hear the additional evidence or may refer the proceeding to the Administrative Law Judge for the taking of the additional evidence.
§ 10.108 Settlements.
(a) When offers may be made. Parties may at any time during the course of the proceeding propose offers of settlement. All offers of settlement shall be in writing.
(b) Content of offer of settlement. Each offer of settlement made by a respondent shall:
(1) Acknowledge service of the Complaint;
(2) Admit the jurisdiction of the Commission with respect to the matters set forth in the Complaint;
(3) Include a waiver of:
(i) A hearing,
(ii) All post-hearing procedures,
(iii) Judicial review, and
(iv) Any objection to the staff’s participation in the Commission’s consideration of the offer;
(4) Stipulate the record basis on which an order may be entered, which may consist solely of the complaint and the findings contained in the offer of settlement; and
(5) Consent to the entry of an order reflecting the terms of settlement agreed upon, including, where appropriate:
(i) Findings by the Commission that the respondent has violated specified provisions of the Act, and
(ii) The imposition of sanctions.
(c) Submission of offer of settlement. Offers of settlement made by a respondent shall be submitted in writing to the Division of Enforcement, which shall present them to the Commission with the Division’s recommendation. The respondent will be informed if the recommendation will be unfavorable, in which event the offer shall not be presented to the Commission unless the respondent so requests. Any offer of settlement not presented to the Commission shall be null and void with respect to any acknowledgement, admission, waiver, stipulation or consent contained in the offer and shall not be used in any manner in the proceeding by any party thereto.
(d) Acceptance of offer by the Commission. The Commission will accept an offer of settlement only by issuing its opinion and order based on the offer. Upon issuance of the opinion and order, the proceeding shall be terminated as to the respondent involved and so noted on the docket by the Proceedings Clerk.
(e) Rejection of offer of settlement; effect of rejection. When the Commission rejects an offer of settlement, the party making the offer shall be notified of the Commission’s action and the offer of settlement shall be deemed withdrawn. A rejected offer of settlement and any documents relating thereto shall not constitute a part of the record in the proceeding; and the offer will be null and void with respect to any acknowledgment, admission, waiver, stipulation or consent contained in the offer and shall not be used in any manner in the proceeding by any party thereto.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission hereby delegates, until such time as it orders otherwise, the following function to the General Counsel, to be performed by him or by such person or persons under his direction as he may designate from time to time:
(a) With respect to proceedings conducted pursuant to the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq., and subject to the Commission’s Rules of Practice as set forth in part 10 of this chapter, to:
(1) Consider and decide miscellaneous motions for procedural orders that may be directed to the Commission pursuant to part 10 of these rules after the initial decision or other order disposing of the entire proceeding has been filed; such motions may be acted upon at anytime, without awaiting a response;
(2) Remand, with or without specific instructions, initial decisions or other orders disposing of the entire proceeding to the appropriate officer in the following situations:
(i) Where a default order has been made pursuant to § 10.93 of these rules and a motion to vacate the default or equivalent request has been directed to the Commission under § 10.94 without the benefit of a prior ruling by the Administrative Law Judge;
(ii) Where, in his judgment, clarification or supplementation of the initial decision or other order disposing of the entire proceeding prior to Commission review is appropriate; however, the General Counsel or his designee may not direct that the record be reopened;
(iii) Where, in his judgment, a ministerial act necessary to the proper conduct of the proceeding has not been performed;
(3) Deny applications for interlocutory Commission review of a ruling of the Administrative Law Judge in cases in which the Administrative Law Judge has not certified the ruling to the Commission in the manner prescribed by § 10.101(a) of the rules; and the ruling does not concern the disqualification of, or a motion to disqualify, an Administrative Law Judge; and the ruling does not concern the suspension of, or failure to suspend, an attorney from participation in a particular proceeding, or the denial of intervention or limited participation;
(4) Deny any application for interlocutory review in a proceeding if it is not filed in accordance with § 10.101(b) of these rules;
(5) Dismiss any appeal from an initial decision or other disposition of the entire proceeding by an Administrative Law Judge, where such appeal is not filed and perfected in accordance with § 10.102 of these rules;
(6) Strike any filing that does not meet the requirements of, or is not perfected in accordance with, part 10 of these rules;
(7) Stay, for a limited period of time not to exceed ten working days, any order of the Commission entered in a proceeding subject to these rules;
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, in any case in which the General Counsel or his designee believes it appropriate, he may submit the matter to the Commission for its consideration;
(c) Within seven (7) days after service of a ruling issued pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, a party may file with the Proceedings Clerk a petition for Commission reconsideration of the ruling. Unless the Commission orders otherwise, the filing of a petition for reconsideration shall not operate to stay the effective date of such ruling.
Subpart I—Restitution Orders
§ 10.110 Basis for issuance of restitution orders.
(a) Appropriateness of restitution as a remedy. In any proceeding in which an order requiring restitution may be entered, the Administrative Law Judge shall, as part of his or her initial decision, determine whether restitution is appropriate. In deciding whether restitution is appropriate, the Administrative Law Judge, in his or her discretion, may consider the degree of complexity likely to be involved in establishing claims, the likelihood that claimants can obtain compensation through their own efforts, the ability of the respondent to pay claimants damages that his or her violations have caused, the availability of resources to administer restitution and any other matters that justice may require.
(b) Restitution order. If the Administrative Law Judge determines that restitution is an appropriate remedy in a proceeding, he or she shall issue an order specifying the following:
(1) All violations that form the basis for restitution;
(2) The particular persons, or class or classes of persons, who suffered damages proximately caused by each such violation;
(3) The method of calculating the amount of damages to be paid as restitution; and
(4) If then determinable, the amount of restitution the respondent shall be required to pay.
§ 10.111 Recommendation of procedure for implementing restitution.
Except as provided by § 10.114, after such time as any order requiring restitution becomes effective (i.e., becomes final and is not stayed), the Division of Enforcement shall petition the Commission for an order directing the Division to recommend to the Commission or, in the Commission’s discretion, the Administrative Law Judge a procedure for implementing restitution. Each party that has been ordered to pay restitution shall be afforded an opportunity to review the Division of Enforcement’s recommendations and be heard.
§ 10.112 Administration of restitution.
Based on the recommendations submitted pursuant to § 10.111, the Commission or the Administrative Law Judge, as applicable, shall establish in writing a procedure for identifying and notifying individual persons who may be entitled to restitution, receiving and evaluating claims, obtaining funds to be paid as restitution from the party and distributing such funds to qualified claimants. As necessary or appropriate, the Commission or the Administrative Law Judge may appoint any person, including an employee of the Commission, to administer, or assist in administering, such restitution procedure. Unless otherwise ordered by the Commission, all costs incurred in administering an order of restitution shall be paid from the restitution funds obtained from the party who was so sanctioned; provided, however, that if the administrator is a Commission employee, no fee shall be charged for his or her services or for services performed by any other Commission employee working under his or her direction.
§ 10.113 Right to challenge distribution of funds to customers.
Any order of an Administrative Law Judge directing or authorizing the distribution of funds paid as restitution to individual customers shall be considered a final order for appeal purposes to be subject to Commission review pursuant to § 10.102.
§ 10.114 Acceleration of establishment of restitution procedure.
The procedures provided for by §§ 10.111 through 10.113 may be initiated prior to the issuance of the initial decision of the Administrative Law Judge and may be combined with the hearing in the proceeding, either upon motion by the Division of Enforcement or if the Administrative Law Judge, acting on his own initiative or upon motion by a respondent, concludes that the presentation, consideration and resolution of the issues relating to the restitution procedure will not materially delay the conclusion of the hearing or the issuance of the initial decision.
Appendix A to Part 10—Commission Policy Relating to the Acceptance of Settlements in Administrative and Civil Proceedings
It is the policy of the Commission not to accept any offer of settlement submitted by any respondent or defendant in an administrative or civil proceeding, if the settling respondent or defendant wishes to continue to deny the allegations of the complaint or the findings of fact or conclusions of law to be made in the settlement order entered by the Commission or a court. In accepting a settlement and entering an order finding violations of the Act and/or regulations promulgated under the Act, the Commission makes uncontested findings of fact and conclusions of law. Similarly, in settling a civil proceeding with a defendant the Commission invites the federal court to make conclusions of law and, in some instances, findings of fact. The Commission does not believe it would be appropriate for it to be making or inviting a court to make such uncontested findings of violations if the party against whom the findings and conclusions are to be entered is continuing to deny the alleged misconduct.
The refusal of a settling respondent or defendant to admit the allegations in a Commission-instituted complaint or the findings of fact or conclusions of law in the settlement order entered by the Commission or a court shall be treated as a denial, unless the party states that he or she neither admits nor denies the allegations or the findings and conclusions. In that event, the proposed offer of settlement, consent or consent order must include a provision stating that, by neither admitting nor denying the allegations, findings or conclusions, the settling respondent or defendant agrees that neither he or she nor any of his or her agents or employees under his authority or control shall take any action or make any public statement denying, directly or indirectly, any allegation in the complaint or findings or conclusions in the order, or creating, or tending to create, the impression that the complaint or the order is without a factual basis; provided, however, that nothing in this provision shall affect the settling respondent’s or defendant’s—
i. Testimonial obligation, or
ii. Right to take legal positions in other proceedings to which the Commission is not a party.
PART 11—RULES RELATING TO INVESTIGATIONS
§ 11.1 Scope and applicability of rules.
The rules of this part apply to investigatory proceedings conducted by the Commission or its staff pursuant to sections 6(c) and 8 and 12(f) of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 9 and 15 and 12 and 16(f) (Supp. IV, 1974), to determine whether there have been violations of that Act, or the rules, regulations or orders adopted thereunder, or, in accordance with the provisions of section 12(f) of the Act, whether there have been violations of the laws, rules or regulations relating to futures or options matters administered or enforced by a foreign futures authority, or whether an application for designation or registration under the Act should be denied. Except as otherwise specified herein, the rules will apply to the conduct of investigation whether or not the Commission has authorized the use of subpoenas in the particular matter to compel the production of evidence.
§ 11.2 Authority to conduct investigations.
(a) The Director of the Division of Enforcement and members of the Commission staff acting pursuant to his authority and under his direction may conduct such investigations as he deems appropriate to determine whether any persons have violated, are violating, or are about to violate the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, or the rules, regulations or orders adopted by the Commission pursuant to that Act, or, in accordance with the provisions of section 12(f) of the Act, whether any persons have violated, are violating or are about to violate the laws, rules or regulations relating to futures or options matters administered or enforced by a foreign futures authority, or whether an applicant for registration or designation meets the requisite statutory criteria. For this purpose, the Director may obtain evidence through voluntary statements and submissions, through exercise of inspection powers over boards of trade, reporting traders, and persons required by law to register with the Commission, or when authorized by order of the Commission, through the issuance of subpoenas. The Director shall report to the Commission the results of his investigations and recommend to the Commission such enforcement action as he deems appropriate.
(b) The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, to its Regional Directors and to the Director, the Deputy Directors, the Program Coordinator, the Chief Counsel, the Associate Directors, and the Regional Counsel of the Division of Enforcement the authority to grant to any employee of the Division of Enforcement all or a portion of the authority which the Commission, by order, has authorized specified employees of the Commission to perform in connection with a Commission investigation conducted by the Division of Enforcement. With the approval of the Executive Director, the Director of the Division of Enforcement may also grant such authority to any Commission employee under the direction of the Executive Director.
§ 11.3 Confidentiality of investigations.
All information and documents obtained during the course of an investigation, whether or not obtained pursuant to subpoena, and all investigative proceedings shall be treated as non-public by the Commission and its staff except to the extent that (a) the Commission directs or authorizes the public disclosure of the investigation; (b) the information or documents are made a matter of public record during the course of an adjudicatory proceeding; or (c) disclosure is required by the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and the rules adopted by the Commission thereunder, 17 CFR part 145. Procedures by which persons submitting information to the Commission during the course of an investigation may specifically seek confidential treatment of information for purposes of Freedom of Information Act disclosure are set forth in 17 CFR 145.9. A request for confidential treatment of information for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act shall not, however, prevent disclosure for law enforcement purposes or when disclosure is otherwise found appropriate in the public interest and permitted by law.
§ 11.4 Subpoenas.
(a) Issuance of subpoenas. The Commission or any member of the Commission or of its staff who, by order of the Commission, has been authorized to issue subpoenas in the course of a particular investigation may issue a subpoena directing the person named therein to appear before a designated person at a specified time and place to testify or to produce documentary evidence, or both, relating to any matter under investigation.
(b) Authorization to issue subpoenas. An order of the Commission authorizing one or more members of the Commission or of its staff to issue subpoenas in the course of a particular investigation shall include:
(1) A general description of the scope of the investigation;
(2) The authority under which the investigation is being conducted; and
(3) A designation of the members of the Commission or of its staff authorized by the Commission to issue subpoenas.
(c) Service. Service of subpoenas issued for investigative purposes shall be effected in the following manner:
(1) Service upon a natural person. Delivery of a copy of a subpoena to a natural person may be effected by
(i) Handing it to the person;
(ii) Leaving it at his office with the person in charge thereof or, if there is no one in charge, by leaving it in a conspicuous place therein;
(iii) Leaving it at his dwelling place or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein;
(iv) Mailing it by registered or certified mail to him at his last known address; or
(v) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to him.
(2) Service upon other persons. When the person to be served is not a natural person, delivery of a copy of the subpoena may be effected by (i) handing it to a registered agent for service, or to any officer, director, or agent in charge of any office of such person; (ii) mailing it by registered or certified mail to any such representative at his last known address; or (iii) any other method whereby actual notice is given to any such representative.
(d) Witness fees and mileage. Witnesses appearing pursuant to subpoena shall be paid the same fees and mileage that are paid to witnesses in the courts of the United States.
(e) Pursuant to the authority granted under Sections 2(a)(11) and 8a(5) of the Act, the Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Enforcement, with the concurrence of the General Counsel or General Counsel’s delegee, and until such time as the Commission orders otherwise, the authority to invoke, in case of contumacy by, or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to, any person, the aid of any court of the United States within the jurisdiction in which the investigation or proceeding is conducted, or where such person resides or transacts business, in requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books, papers, correspondence, memoranda and other records pursuant to subpoenas issued in accordance with section 6(c) of the Act for the purpose of securing effective enforcement of the provisions of this Act, for the purpose of any investigation or proceeding under this Act, and for the purpose of any action taken under section 12(f) of the Act.
(f) Notwithstanding the delegation of authority to the Director set forth in paragraph (e) of this section, in any case in which the Director believes it appropriate the matter may be submitted to the Commission for its consideration. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Commission from exercising the authority delegated in paragraph (e) of this section.
§ 11.5 Transcripts.
Transcripts of testimony taken in the course of an investigative proceeding shall be recorded solely by an official reporter or other person or by other means authorized by the Commission or by a member of the Commission or its staff conducting the investigation for the Commission.
§ 11.6 Oath; false statements.
(a) Oath. At the discretion of the member of the Commission or staff member conducting the investigation, testimony of a witness may be taken under oath.
(b) Penalties for false statements and other false information. Any person making false statements under oath during the course of a Commission investigation is subject to the criminal penalties for perjury in 18 U.S.C. 1621. Any person who knowingly and willfully makes false or fraudulent statements, whether under oath or otherwise, or who falsifies, conceals or covers up a material fact, or submits any false writing or document, knowing it to contain false, fictitious or fraudulent information, is subject to the criminal penalties set forth in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
§ 11.7 Rights of witnesses.
(a) Orders authorizing issuance of subpoenas. Any person upon whom a subpoena has been served compelling him to furnish documentary evidence or testimony in an investigation shall, upon his request, be permitted to examine a copy of the Commission’s order pursuant to which the subpoena has been issued. However, a copy of the order shall not be furnished for his retention except with the express approval of either the Director, a Deputy Director, the Program Coordinator, the Chief Counsel, an Associate Director, or a Regional Counsel of the Division of Enforcement, or a Regional Director of the Commission; approval shall not be given unless it has been shown by the person seeking to retain a copy that his retention of a copy would be consistent both with the protection of privacy of persons involved in the investigation and with the unimpeded conduct of the investigation.
(b) Copies of testimony or data. A person compelled to submit data or evidence in the course of an investigatory proceeding shall be entitled to retain or, upon payment of appropriate fees as set forth in the Schedule of Fees for records services, 17 CFR part 145b, procure a copy or transcript thereof, except that the witness may for good cause be limited to inspection of the official transcript of his testimony.
(c) Right to counsel. A person compelled to appear, or who appears in person by request or permission of the Commission or its staff during an investigation, may be accompanied, represented, and advised by counsel. Subject to the provisions of § 11.8(b) of this part, he may be represented by any attorney-at-law who is admitted to practice before the highest court in any State or territory or the District of Columbia, who has not been suspended or disbarred from appearance and practice before the Commission in accordance with the provisions of part 14 of this title, and who has not been excluded from further participation in the particular investigatory proceeding for good cause established in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
(1) The right to be accompanied, represented and advised by counsel shall mean the right of a person testifying to have an attorney present with him during any aspect of an investigative proceeding and to have this attorney advise his client before, during and after the conclusion of such examination. At the conclusion of the examination, counsel may request the person presiding to permit the witness to clarify any of his answers which may need clarification in order that his answers not be left equivocal or incomplete on the record. For his use in protecting the interests of his client with respect to that examination counsel may make summary notes during the examination.
(2) With due regard for the rights of a witness, the Commission may for good cause exclude a particular attorney from further participation in any investigation in which the Commission has found the attorney to have engaged in dilatory, obstructionist or contumacious conduct. The person conducting an investigation may report to the Commission instances of apparently dilatory, obstructionist or contumacious conduct on the part of an attorney. After due notice to the attorney, the Commission may take such action as the circumstances warrant based upon a written transcript evidencing the conduct of the attorney in that investigation or such other or additional written or oral presentation as the Commission may permit or direct.
(d) Self-Incrimination; immunity—(1) Self-Incrimination. Except as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, a witness testifying or otherwise giving information in an investigation may refuse to answer questions on the basis of the right against self-incrimination granted by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
(2) Immunity.
§ 11.8 Sequestration.
(a) Sequestration of witnesses. All witnesses and potential witnesses shall be sequestered and prohibited from being present during the examination of any other witness unless otherwise permitted in the discretion of the person conducting the investigation.
(b) Sequestration of counsel. When a reasonable basis exists to believe that an investigation may be obstructed or impeded, directly or indirectly, by an attorney’s representation of more than one witness during the course of an investigation, the member of the Commission or of the Commission’s staff conducting the investigation may prohibit that attorney from being present during the testimony of any witness other than the witness in whose behalf counsel first appeared in the investigatory proceeding. To the extent practicable, consistent with the integrity of the investigation, the attorney will be advised of the reasons for his having been sequestered.
Appendix A to Part 11—Informal Procedure Relating to the Recommendation of Enforcement Proceedings
The Division of Enforcement (“Division”), in its discretion, may inform persons who may be named in a proposed enforcement proceeding of the nature of the allegations pertaining to them. The Division, in its discretion, may advise such persons that they may submit a written statement prior to the consideration by the Commission of any staff recommendation for the commencement of such proceeding. Unless otherwise provided for by either the Director, a Deputy Director, the Program Coordinator, the Chief Counsel, an Associate Director, or a Regional Counsel of the Division, or a Regional Director of the Commission, such written statements shall be submitted within 14 days after persons are informed by the Division of Enforcement of the nature of the proposed allegations pertaining to them and shall be no more than 20 pages, double spaced on 8
PART 12—RULES RELATING TO REPARATIONS
Subpart A—General Information and Preliminary Consideration of Pleadings
§ 12.1 Scope and applicability of rules of practice relating to reparations.
(a) Part 12 Reparation Rules. These rules of practice are applicable to reparation applications filed pursuant to section 14 of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. section 18. The rules in this part shall be construed liberally so as to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of the issues presented with full protection for the rights of all parties.
(b) Other rules of practice. Unless specifically made applicable, other Rules of Practice promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, shall not apply to reparation matters.
(c) Applicability of these part 12 Reparation Rules. These rules shall apply in their entirety to all reparation complaints and matters relating thereto.
§ 12.2 Definitions.
For purposes of this part:
Act means the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 1, et seq.
Administrative Judge means an employee of the Commission who is authorized to conduct all reparations proceedings. In appropriate circumstances, the functions of an Administrative Judge may be performed by an Administrative Law Judge.
Administrative Law Judge means an administrative law judge appointed pursuant to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 3105.
Commission means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Commission decisional employee means an employee or employees of the Commission who are or may reasonably be expected to be involved in the decisionmaking process in any proceeding, including, but not limited to: An Administrative Judge; members of the personal staffs of the Commissioners, but not the Commissioners themselves; members of the staffs of the Administrative Law Judges, but not an Administrative Law Judge; members of the staffs of the Administrative Judges; members of the Office of the General Counsel; members of the staff of the Office of Proceedings; and other Commission employees who may be assigned to hear or to participate in the decision of a particular matter.
Complainant means a person who, individually or jointly with others, has applied to the Commission for a reparation award pursuant to section 14(a) of the Act, but shall not include a cross claimant or any other type of third-party claimant. The term “complainant” under this part applies equally to two or more persons who have applied jointly for a reparation award.
Complaint means any document which constitutes an application for a reparation award pursuant to section 14(a) of the Act, regardless of whether it is denominated as such.
Counterclaim means an application for a reparation award by a respondent against a complainant which satisfies the requirements of § 12.19. A counterclaim does not mean a cross claim or other type of third party claim.
Director of the Office of Proceedings means an employee of the Commission who serves as the administrative head of that Office, with responsibility and authority to assure that the rules in this part are administered in a manner which will effectuate the purposes of section 14(b) of the Act. The Director is authorized to convene meetings of all personnel in the Office of Proceedings, including Administrative Judges, Administrative Law Judges, and the Judges’ personally assigned law clerks. The Director shall have the authority to delegate their duties to administer §§ 12.15, 12.24, 12.26, and 12.27, and, shall have the authority to assign and, if necessary, reassign the duties of, and set reasonable standards for performance for, all personnel in the Office, including the Administrative Judges, but not including Administrative Law Judges and their personally assigned law clerks.
Ex parte communication means an oral or written communication not on the public record with respect to which reasonable prior notice to all parties is not given, but does not include:
(1) A discussion, after consent has been obtained from all of the named parties, between a party and an Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge, or the staffs of the foregoing, pertaining solely to the possibility of settling the case without the need for a decision;
(2) Requests for status reports, including questions relating to service of the complaint, and the registration status of any persons, on any matter or proceeding covered by this part; or
(3) Requests made to the Office of Proceedings or the Office of the General Counsel for interpretation of this part.
Formal decisional procedure means, where the amount of total damages claimed exceeds $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs, a procedure elected by the complainant or a respondent where the parties may be granted an oral hearing. A formal decisional proceeding is governed by subpart E of this part.
Hearing means that part of a proceeding which involves the submission of proof, either by oral presentation or written submission.
Interested person means any party, and includes any person or agency permitted limited participation or to state views in a reparation proceeding, or other person who might be adversely affected or aggrieved by the outcome of a proceeding (including the officers, agents, employees, associates, affiliates, attorneys, accountants or other representatives of such persons), and any other person having a direct or indirect pecuniary or other interest in the outcome of a proceeding.
Office of the General Counsel refers to the members of the Commission’s staff who provide assistance to the Commission in its direct review of any proceeding conducted pursuant to this part.
Office of Proceedings means that Office within the Commission comprised of the Administrative Law Judges, Administrative Judges, the Director of that Office, the Proceedings Clerk, and members of the staffs of the foregoing, which administers the rules in this part, other than the rules in this part authorizing direct review by the Commission.
Order means the whole or any part of a final procedural or substantive disposition of a reparation proceeding by the Commission, an Administrative Law Judge, an Administrative Judge, or the Proceedings Clerk.
Party means a complainant, respondent or any other person or agency named or admitted as a party in a reparation matter.
Person means any individual, association, partnership, corporation or trust.
Pleading means the complaint, the answer to the complaint, any supplement or amendment thereto, and any reply to the foregoing.
Proceeding means a case in which the pleadings have been forwarded and in which a procedure has been commenced pursuant to § 12.26.
Proceedings Clerk means that member of the Commission’s staff in the Office of Proceedings who shall maintain the Commission’s reparation docket, assign reparation cases to an appropriate decisionmaking official, and act as custodian of the records of proceedings.
Punitive damages means damages awarded (no more than two times the amount of actual damages) in the case of any action arising from a willful and intentional violation in the execution of an order on the floor of a contract market. An order does not have to be actually executed to render a violation subject to punitive damages. As a prerequisite to an award of punitive damages, a complainant must claim actual and punitive damages, prove actual damages, and demonstrate that punitive damages are appropriate.
Registrant means any person who—
(1) Was registered under the Act at the time of the alleged violation;
(2) Is subject to reparation proceedings by virtue of section 4m of the Commodity Exchange Act, regardless of whether such person was ever registered under the Act; or
(3) Is otherwise subject to reparation proceedings under the Act.
Reparation award means the amount of monetary damages a party may be ordered to pay.
Respondent means any person or persons against whom a complainant seeks a reparation award pursuant to section 14(a) of the Act.
Summary decisional procedure means, where the amount of total damages claimed does not exceed $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs, a procedure elected by the complainant or the respondent wherein an oral hearing need not be held and proof in support of each party’s case may be supplied in the form and manner prescribed by § 12.208. A summary decisional proceeding is governed by subpart D of this part.
Voluntary decisional procedure means, regardless of the amount of damages claimed, a procedure which the complainant and the respondent have chosen voluntarily to submit their claims and counterclaims, allowable under this part, for an expeditious resolution by an Administrative Judge. By electing the voluntary decisional procedure, parties agree that a decision issued by an Administrative Judge shall be without accompanying findings of fact and shall be final without right of Commission review or judicial review. A voluntary decisional proceeding is governed by subpart C of this part.
§ 12.3 Business address; hours.
The Office of Proceedings is located at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581. Faxes must be sent to (202) 418-5532, and emails must be sent to [email protected]. The office is open from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday except on federal holidays.
§ 12.4 Suspension, amendment, revocation and waiver of rules.
(a) Suspension or change of rules. These rules may, from time to time, be suspended, amended or revoked in whole or in part. Notice of such action will be published in the
(b) Commission waiver of procedures. In the interest of expediting decision or to prevent undue hardship on any party or for other good cause the Commission may order the adoption of expedited procedures, may waive any rule in this part in a particular case, and may order proceedings in accordance with its direction upon a determination that no party will be prejudiced thereby, and that the ends of justice will be served. Reasonable notice shall be given to all parties of any action taken pursuant to this provision.
§ 12.5 Computation of time.
(a) In general. In computing any period of time prescribed by the rules in this part or allowed by the Commission, the Director of the Office of Proceedings, an Administrative Judge, or an Administrative Law Judge, the day of the act, event, or default from which the designated period of time begins to run is not to be included. The last day of the period so computed is to be included unless it is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday, in which event the period runs until the end of the next day which is not a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday. Intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded from the computation only when the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than seven (7) days.
(b) Date of service of orders. In computing any period of time involving the date of service of an order, the date of service shall be the date the order is served by the Proceedings Clerk, which, unless otherwise indicated, shall be the date stamped on the order by the Proceedings Clerk.
§ 12.6 Extensions of time; adjournments; postponements.
(a) In general. Except as otherwise provided by law or by the rules in this part, for good cause shown, the Commission, or an Administrative Judge, Administrative Law Judge, or the Director of the Office of Proceedings, before whom a matter is then pending, on their own motion or the motion of a party, may at any time extend or shorten the time limit prescribed by the rules in this part for filing any document. In any instance in which a time limit is not prescribed for an action to be taken concerning any matter, the Commission or one of the other officials mentioned above may set a time limit for that action.
(b) Motions for extension of time. Absent extraordinary circumstances, in any instance in which a time limit that has been prescribed for an action to be taken concerning any matter exceeds seven days from the date of the order establishing the time limit, requests for extension of time shall be filed at least five (5) days prior to the expiration of the time limit and shall explain why an extension of time is necessary.
§ 12.7 Ex parte communications in reparation proceedings.
(a) Prohibitions against ex parte communications. (1) No interested person outside the Commission shall make or knowingly cause to be made to any Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge, or Commission decisional employee an ex parte communication relevant to the merits of a proceeding.
(2) No Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge, or Commission decisional employee shall make or knowingly cause to be made to any interested person outside the Commission an ex parte communication relevant to the merits of a proceeding.
(b) Procedures for handling ex parte communications. A Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge or Commission decisional employee who receives, or who makes or knowingly causes to be made, an ex parte communication prohibited by paragraph (a) of this section shall:
(1) Place on the public record of the proceeding:
(i) All such written communications;
(ii) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral communications; and
(iii) All written responses, and memoranda stating the substance of all oral responses, to the materials described in paragraphs (b)(1) (i) and (ii) of this section; and
(2) Promptly give written notice of such communication and responses thereto to all parties to the proceedings to which the communication or responses relate.
(c) Sanctions. (1) Upon receipt of an ex parte communication knowingly made or knowingly caused to be made by a party in violation of the prohibition contained in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the Commission, Administrative Law Judge, or an Administrative Judge may, to the extent consistent with the interests of justice and the policy of the Act, require the parties to show cause why their claims or interest in the proceeding should not be dismissed, denied, disregarded, or otherwise adversely affected on account of such violation.
(2) Any attorney or accountant who knowingly makes or knowingly causes to be made, or who knowingly solicits or knowingly causes the solicitation of, an ex parte communication which violates the prohibitions contained in paragraph (a) of this section may be deemed to have engaged in unprofessional conduct of the type proscribed by 17 CFR 14.8(c).
(3) Any Commissioner, Administrative Law Judge, or Commission decisional employee who knowingly makes or knowingly causes to be made, or who knowingly solicits or knowingly causes the solicitation of, an ex parte communication which violates the prohibitions contained in paragraph (a) of this section may be deemed to have engaged in conduct of the type proscribed by 5 CFR 2635.101(b).
(d) Applicability of prohibitions and sanctions against ex parte communications. (1) The prohibitions of this section against ex parte communications shall apply:
(i) To any person who has actual knowledge that a proceeding has been or will be commenced by order of the Commission; and
(ii) To all persons after public notice has been given that a proceeding has been or will be commenced by order of the Commission.
(2) The prohibitions of this section shall remain in effect until a final order has been entered in the proceeding which is no longer subject to review by the Commission or to appellate review by a court.
§ 12.8 Separation of functions.
(a) An Administrative Judge, or Administrative Law Judge, will not be responsible to or subject to the supervision or direction of any officer, employee, or agent of the Commission engaged in the performance of investigative or prosecutorial functions for the Commission.
(b) No officer, employee, or agent of the Federal Government engaged in the performance of investigative or prosecutorial functions in connection with any proceeding shall, in that proceeding or a factually related proceeding, participate or advise in the decision of an Administrative Judge, or Administrative Law Judge, except as a witness in the proceeding, without the express written consent of the parties to the proceeding. This paragraph (b) shall not apply to the Commissioners.
§ 12.9 Practice before the Commission.
(a) Practice—(1) By non-attorneys. Individuals may appear pro se (on their own behalf); a general partner may represent the partnership; a bona fide officer of a corporation, trust, or association may represent the corporation, trust, or association.
(2) By attorneys. An attorney-at-law who is admitted to practice before the highest Court in any State or territory, or of the District of Columbia, who has not been suspended or disbarred from appearance and practice before the Commission in accordance with provisions of part 14 of this chapter may represent parties as an attorney in proceedings before the Commission.
(b) Debarment of counsel or representative during the course of a proceeding. (1) Whenever, while a proceeding is pending before them, an Administrative Judge or an Administrative Law Judge finds that a person acting as counsel or representative for any party to the proceeding is guilty of contemptuous conduct, such official may order that such person be precluded from further acting as counsel or representative in the proceeding. An immediate appeal to the Commission may be taken from any such order, pursuant to the provisions of § 12.309, but the proceeding shall not be delayed or suspended pending disposition of the appeal; Provided, that the official may suspend the proceedings for a reasonable time for the purpose of enabling the party to obtain other counsel or representative.
(2) Whenever the Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge has issued an order precluding a person from further acting as counsel or representative in a proceeding, such official, within a reasonable time thereafter, shall submit to the Commission a report of the facts and circumstances surrounding the issuance of the order and shall recommend what action the Commission should take respecting the appearance of such person as counsel or representative in other proceedings before the Commission.
(c) Withdrawal of representation. Withdrawal from representation of a party shall be only by leave of the decisionmaking official (or the Commission) before whom the proceeding is then pending. Such leave to withdraw may be conditioned on the attorney’s (or representative’s) submission of an affidavit averring that the party represented has actual knowledge of the withdrawal, and such affidavit shall include the name and address of a successor counsel (or representative) or a statement that the represented party has determined to proceed pro se, in which case, the statement shall include the address where that party can thereafter be served.
§ 12.10 Service.
(a) General requirements—(1) When service is required; number of copies. When one party serves another with documents under these rules, a copy must be served on all other parties as well as filed with the Proceedings Clerk. Similarly, when a person files a document with the Office of Proceedings, the person must serve a copy of the document on all other parties. This rule does not apply to a complaint filed pursuant to § 12.13 of these rules, which shall only be filed with the Commission.
(2) How service is made. Service shall be made by:
(i) Personal service;
(ii) First-class or a more expeditious form of United States mail or an overnight or similar commercial delivery service;
(iii) Facsimile (“fax”); or
(iv) Electronic mail (“email”).
(3) Service by fax or email shall be permitted at the discretion of the Presiding Officer, with the parties’ consent. The consent of a party must specify the email address or fax number to be used. Signed documents that are served by email attachment must be in PDF or other non-alterable form.
(4) Service will be complete at the time of personal service; upon deposit in the mail or with an overnight or similar commercial delivery service of a properly addressed document for which all postage or delivery service fees have been paid; or upon transmission by fax or email. Service by email or by fax will not be effective if the party making service learns that the attempted service did not reach the person to be served.
(5) Where service is effected by mail or commercial delivery service (but not by fax or email), the time within which the person served may respond thereto shall be extended by five (5) days.
(6) Statement of Service. A statement of service shall be made by filing with the Proceedings Clerk, simultaneously with the filing of the document, a statement signed by the party making service or by his attorney or representative that:
(i) Confirms that service has been made;
(ii) Identifies each person served;
(iii) Sets forth the date of service; and
(iv) Recites the manner of service.
(b) Service of orders and decisions. A copy of all notices, rulings, opinions, and orders of the Proceedings Clerk, the Director of the Office of Proceedings, an Administrative Judge, an Administrative Law Judge, the General Counsel or any employee under the General Counsel’s supervision as the General Counsel may designate, or the Commission shall be served by the Proceedings Clerk on each of the parties. The Commission, in its discretion and with due consideration for the convenience of the parties, may serve the aforementioned documents to the parties by electronic means.
(c) Designation of person to receive service. The first page of the first document filed in a proceeding by a party or participant shall include the contact information of a person authorized to receive service on their behalf. Thereafter, service of documents shall be made upon the person authorized unless service on the party is ordered by an Administrative Judge, an Administrative Law Judge or the Commission, or unless no person authorized to receive service can be found, or unless the person authorized to receive service is changed by the party upon due notice to all other parties.
§ 12.11 Formalities of filing of documents with the Proceedings Clerk.
(a) If a party files by personal delivery or mail, an original of all documents shall be filed with the Proceedings Clerk. If a party files a document by fax or email in accordance with § 12.10(a)(2), they should not also send paper copies.
(b) First page. The first page of all documents filed with the Proceedings Clerk must include the Commission’s name, the docket number, the title of the proceeding, the subject of the document and the name of the person on whose behalf the document is being filed. In the complaint, the title of the proceeding shall include the names of all the complainants and respondents, but in documents subsequently filed it is sufficient to state the name of the first complainant and first respondent named in the complaint.
(c) Format. Documents must be legible and printed on normal white paper of eight and one half by eleven inches. Documents emailed in accordance with the requirements of § 12.10(a)(2) must be in PDF or other non-alterable form. The typeface, margins, and spacing of all typed documents presented for filing should meet the following requirements: all text should be 12-point type or larger, except for text in footnotes which may be 10-point type; all documents should have at least one-inch margins on all sides; all text must be double-spaced, except for headings, text in footnotes, or block quotations, which may be single-spaced.
(d) Signature—(1) Manner. The original of all papers must be signed in ink by persons filing the same or by their duly authorized agents or attorneys.
(2) Effect. The signature on any document of persons acting either for themselves or as attorney or agent for another constitutes certification by them that:
(i) They have read the document and know the contents thereof;
(ii) If executed in any representative capacity, it was done with full power and authority to do so;
(iii) To the best of their knowledge, information and belief, every statement contained in the document is true and not misleading; and
(iv) The document has been filed in good faith and has not been filed to cause delay.
(e) Length and form of briefs. All briefs filed containing more than 15 pages shall include an index and a table of cases and other authorities cited. No brief shall exceed 25 pages in length without prior permission of the Presiding Officer.
(f) All documents which are required to be served upon a party shall be filed concurrently with the Proceedings Clerk. A document shall be filed by delivering it in person or by first-class mail or a more expeditious form of United States mail or by overnight or similar commercial delivery service to Proceedings Clerk, Office of Proceedings, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581; or faxing the document to (202) 418-5532; or emailing it to [email protected] in accordance with the conditions set forth in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(g) To be timely filed under this part, a document must be delivered in person; mailed by first-class or a more expeditious form of United States mail or by an overnight or similar commercial delivery service; or faxed or emailed to the Proceedings Clerk within the time prescribed for filing.
§ 12.12 Signature.
(a) By whom. All documents filed with the Commission shall be signed personally:
(1) By the person or persons on whose behalf they are tendered for filing;
(2) By a general partner, officer or director of a partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity; or
(3) By an attorney-at-law having authority with respect thereto.
(b) Effect. The signature on any document of any persons acting either for themselves or as attorney or agent for another constitutes certification by them that:
(1) They have read the document subscribed and know the contents thereof;
(2) If executed in any representative capacity, it was done with full power and authority to do so;
(3) To the best of their knowledge, information, and belief, every statement contained in the document is true and not misleading; and
(4) The document is not being interposed for delay.
§ 12.13 Complaint; election of procedure.
(a) In general. Any person complaining of a violation of any provision of the Act or a rule, regulation or order of the Commission thereunder by any person who is a registrant (as defined in § 12.2) may, at any time within two years after the cause of action accrues, apply to the Commission for a reparation award by filing a written complaint which satisfies the requirements of this rule.
(b) Form of complaint. The form of each complaint filed under paragraph (a) of this section shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Content. Each complaint shall include:
(i) The name, residence address, and telephone number (during business hours) of the complainant;
(ii) The name, address, and telephone number, if known, of each person alleged in the complaint to have violated the Act or any rule, regulation or order thereunder;
(iii) If known, the specific provisions of the Act, rule, regulation, or order claimed to have been violated;
(iv) A complete description of complainant’s case, including, but not limited to:
(A) A description of all relevant facts concerning each and every act or omission which it is claimed constitutes a violation of the Act; and
(B) A description of all facts which show or tend to show the manner in which it is claimed that the complainant was injured by the alleged violations;
(v) The amount of damages the complainant claims to have suffered and the method by which those damages have been computed, the amount of punitive damages (no more than two times the amount of such actual damages) the complainant claims, if any, and how complainant plans to demonstrate that punitive damages are appropriate;
(vi) A statement indicating whether an arbitration proceeding or civil court litigation, based on the same set of facts set forth and involving any party named as a respondent in the complaint, has been instituted, and whether such a proceeding has reached a final disposition or is presently pending;
(vii) A statement indicating whether any of the respondents is the subject of receivership or bankruptcy proceedings that are presently pending;
(viii) An election of a decisional procedure pursuant to subpart C, D, or E. (A procedure pursuant to subpart D may be elected only if the total amount of damages claimed, exclusive of interest and costs, does not exceed $30,000. A procedure pursuant to subpart E may be elected only if the total amount claimed as damages, exclusive of interest and costs, exceeds $30,000); and
(ix) A filing fee in the amount prescribed by § 12.25 of these rules shall be submitted with the complaint at the time of its filing.
(2) Subscription and verification of the complaint. Each complaint shall be signed personally by an individual complainant or by a duly authorized officer or agent of a complainant who is not a natural person. Complainant’s signature shall be given under oath or affirmation under penalty of law attesting either that complainant knows the facts set forth in the complaint to be true, or believes the facts set forth to be true, in which event the information upon which complainant formed that belief shall be set forth with particularity.
(3) Time and place of filing of complaint. A complaint shall be filed by delivering a copy thereof, in proper form, to the Commission at its principal offices in Washington, DC, addressed to the Office of Proceedings, attention of the Proceedings Clerk. The complaint may be filed in person, during normal business hours, or by certified mail, or registered mail with return receipt requested. If filing is by mail, it shall be addressed to the Proceedings Clerk, Office of Proceedings, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581. The complaint shall not be served on any person or party named therein. Upon the filing of the complaint and the appropriate filing fee, the Proceedings Clerk shall assign a docket number to the matter and shall maintain the official docket.
(4) Bond required if complainant is nonresident; filing date of nonresident’s complaint. (i) If a complaint in reparations is filed by a nonresident of the United States, the complaint shall not be considered duly filed in proper form unless it is accompanied by:
(A) A bond in double the amount of the claim either with a surety company approved by the Treasury Department of the United States or two personal sureties, each of whom shall be a citizen of the United States and shall qualify as financially responsible for the entire amount of the bond, which bond shall run to the respondent and be conditioned upon the payment of costs (including reasonable attorney’s fees, for the respondent if the respondent shall prevail) and any reparation award that may be issued by the Commission against the complainant on any counterclaim asserted by respondent; or
(B) A written request that the bond requirement be waived in accordance with section 14(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act, accompanied by sufficient proof that the country of which the complainant is a resident permits the filing of a complaint by a resident of the United States against a citizen of that country without the furnishing of a bond.
(ii) The provisions of paragraphs (b)(4)(i)(A) or (b)(4)(i)(B) of this section must be satisfied within two years after the complainant’s cause of action accrues.
(iii) When mailed from a foreign country, a nonresident’s complaint shall be deemed filed on the date that it is received in proper form by the Commission’s Proceedings Clerk, not on the date of mailing from the country of origin.
§ 12.14 Withdrawal of complaint.
At any time prior to service of notification to the complainant pursuant to § 12.15(a) of the Director of the Office of Proceedings’ determination to forward the complaint to a registrant, complainant may file a written notice of withdrawal of the complaint which shall terminate the Commission’s consideration of the complaint without prejudice to complainant’s right to re-file a reparations complaint based upon the same set of facts within two years after the cause of action accrues. If the complainant has previously filed a notice of withdrawal of a complaint based upon the same set of facts, the notice of withdrawal of complaint shall terminate the case with prejudice to complainant’s rights to re-file a complaint in reparations based on the same set of facts, but such termination shall be regarded by the Commission as without prejudice to complainant’s right to seek redress in such alternative forums as may be available for adjudication of the claims.
§ 12.15 Notification of complaint.
(a) Forwarding of complaint to registrant. If, in the opinion of the Director of the Office of Proceedings, the facts set forth in a complaint warrant such action as to any of the registrants, a copy of the complaint, together with any attachments thereto, shall be forwarded by serving by registered mail or certified mail any such registrant named therein at an address previously designated with the Commission by the registrant for receipt of reparation complaints, as provided in Commission Regulation 17 CFR 3.30, or, if no such designation has been filed with the Commission, at such address as will accomplish actual notice to the respondent. Should the Director determine to forward the complaint, the complainant shall be notified of this determination at the time the complaint is forwarded.
(b) Determination not to forward complaint. The Director may, in their discretion, refuse to forward a complaint as to a particular respondent if it appears that the matters alleged therein are not cognizable in reparations, or that grounds exist pursuant to § 12.24(c) or (d) for refusing to forward the complaint. If the Director of the Office of Proceedings should determine not to forward the complaint to all registrants named in the complaint in accordance with this section, no proceeding shall be held thereon and the complainant shall be notified to that effect. If the Director determines to forward the complaint as to less than all of the registrants, the complainant shall be so notified. A termination of the complaint as to any registrant shall be regarded by the Commission as without prejudice to the right of the complainant to seek such alternative forms of relief as may be available.
§ 12.16 Response to complaint.
Within 25 days after the complaint has been served by the Office of Proceedings on the registrant, or within such additional time (not to exceed 10 days absent extraordinary circumstances) as the Director of the Office of Proceedings, or his/her delegee may grant, for good cause shown, each registrant shall either—
(a) Satisfy the complaint in accordance with § 12.17 of these rules; or
(b) Answer the complaint in the manner prescribed by § 12.18 of these rules.
§ 12.17 Satisfaction of complaint.
A respondent may satisfy the complaint:
(a) By paying to the complainant either the amount to which the complainant claims to be entitled as set forth in the complaint or such other amount as the complainant will accept in satisfaction of the claim; and
(b) By submitting to the Commission notice of satisfaction and withdrawal of the complaint, duly executed by the complainant and the respondent.
§ 12.18 Answer; election of procedure.
An answer filed pursuant to § 12.16 of these rules shall meet the following requirements:
(a) Content. Each answer shall contain:
(1) The full name, current address and telephone number (during business hours) of each respondent on whose behalf the answer is filed;
(2) A complete description of each registrant’s case, including but not limited to, a precise and detailed statement of the facts which constitute each registrant’s ground for defense;
(3) Admissions, if any, as to the registrant’s liability for the amount (or any portion thereof) claimed as damages;
(4) A statement indicating whether the registrant is (and if the answer is filed on behalf of two or more registrants, which if any of them are) in receivership or subject to bankruptcy proceedings;
(5) A statement indicating whether an arbitration or civil court litigation, based on the same set of facts set forth in the complaint (involving any or all of the parties named therein), is pending;
(6) A counterclaim which the registrant wishes to pursue under § 12.19 of these rules;
(7) An election of an alternative decisional procedure pursuant to subparts C, D, or E of these rules. (A proceeding pursuant to subpart D may be elected only if the amount of actual damages claimed in the complaint or as counterclaims, exclusive of interest, costs, and punitive damages, does not exceed $30,000. A procedure pursuant to subpart E may be elected only if the amount of actual damages claimed in the complaint or as counterclaims, exclusive of interest, costs, and punitive damages exceeds $30,000;
(8) If appropriate, a filing fee in the amount prescribed by § 12.25 shall be submitted with an answer at the time of its filing.
(b) Motion for reconsideration of determination to forward the complaint. An answer may include a motion for reconsideration of the determination to forward the complaint, specifying the grounds therefor, which the Director of the Office of Proceedings, in their discretion, may grant by terminating the case pursuant to § 12.27, or deny by forwarding the pleadings and matters of record for an elected decisional proceeding pursuant to § 12.26. The inclusion in an answer of a motion for reconsideration shall not preclude a respondent, if the motion is denied, from moving for dismissal at a later stage of the proceeding for the same reasons cited in a motion for reconsideration pursuant to this paragraph (b).
(c) Subscription and verification of the answer. An answer shall be signed personally by each registrant on behalf of whom it is filed or by a duly authorized officer or agent of any such registrant who is not a natural person. Each registrant’s signature shall be given under oath, or by affirmation under penalty of law, attesting that the signer has read the answer; that to the best of the signer’s knowledge all of the statements in the answer, the counterclaim (if any), and the materials required by this part to be appended thereto, are accurate and true, and that the answer (and counterclaim, if any) has not been interposed for delay.
(d) Affidavit of service. The registrant shall file with the answer an affidavit showing that a true copy of the answer has been served upon the complainant, either personally or by first-class mail addressed to the complainant at the address set forth in the complaint.
(e) Time and place of filing an answer. An answer shall be filed by mailing or delivering a copy thereof, in proper form, to the Commission at its principal office in Washington, DC, addressed to the Office of Proceedings, Attention of the Proceedings Clerk. The answer may be filed in person, during normal business hours, or by certified mail, or registered mail with return receipt requested. If filing is by mail, it shall be addressed to the Proceedings Clerk, Office of Proceedings, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.
§ 12.19 Counterclaim.
A registrant may, at the time of filing an answer to a complaint, set forth as a counterclaim: (a) Facts alleging a violation and a request for a reparation award that would be a proper subject for a complaint under § 12.13 of these rules; or
(b) Any claim which at the time the complaint is served the registrant has against the complainant if it arises out of the transaction or occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences set forth in the complaint.
§ 12.20 Response to counterclaim; reply; election of procedure.
(a) Response to counterclaim. If an answer asserts a counterclaim, the complainant shall, within thirty (30) days after service of the answer by the respondent:
(1) Satisfy the counterclaim as if it were a complaint, in the manner prescribed by § 12.17; or
(2) File a reply to the counterclaim with the Commission.
(b) Form and content of reply. Should the complainant, under this paragraph, elect to file a reply to a counterclaim, the reply shall be strictly confined to the matters alleged in the counterclaim and shall conform to the form and content and other requirements set forth in § 12.18 of these rules.
(c) Election of decisional procedure. If neither the complainant nor the respondent, in the complaint or answer respectively, has previously made an election of the summary decisional procedure or the formal decisional procedure, the complainant may make such an election in the reply.
§ 12.21 Voluntary dismissal.
(a) At any time after the Director of the Office of Proceedings has served notification to the parties pursuant to § 12.15 of the Director’s determination to forward the complaint to the respondent for a response, either the complainant or the respondent may obtain dismissal of the complaint (or the proceeding, if one has commenced) by filing a stipulation of dismissal, duly executed by all of the complainants and each respondent against whom the complaint has been forwarded (or added as a party in the course of a proceeding); provided however, that if the stipulation is filed after any respondent has filed an answer, the terms of the stipulation shall include a dismissal of any counterclaims in the answer.
(b) A dismissal of a complaint pursuant to this paragraph shall be with prejudice to complainant’s right to re-file a claim in reparations based upon the same set of facts as alleged in the dismissed complaint. Unless otherwise stated in the stipulation, a dismissal ordered pursuant to this paragraph shall be regarded by the Commission as without prejudice to the parties’ right to seek redress in such alternative forums as may be available for adjudication of their claims.
(c) Upon receiving a written stipulation of dismissal which satisfies the requirements of this rule, the official before whom the matter or proceeding is pending shall issue an order of dismissal, and serve a copy thereof upon each of the parties.
(d) This rule shall be applicable at all stages of a reparation proceeding.
§ 12.22 Default proceedings.
(a) Institution of a default proceeding. Failure timely to respond to a complaint or a counterclaim, as required by §§ 12.16 and 12.20 of these rules, or, if applicable, to pay a filing fee required by § 12.25(b) or (c), shall be treated as an admission of the allegations of the complaint or counterclaim by the non-responding party, shall constitute a waiver by such party of any decisional procedure afforded by these Rules on the facts set forth in the complaint or counterclaim, and shall result in the institution of a default proceeding.
(b) Default procedure. Upon a party’s failure to respond timely to a complaint or counterclaim as prescribed in §§ 12.16 and 12.20, or timely to comply with § 12.25(b) or (c), the Director of the Office of Proceedings shall forward the pleadings, and other materials then of record, to an Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge who may thereafter enter findings and conclusions concerning the questions of violations and damages and, if warranted, enter a reparation award against the non-responding party. If the facts which are treated as admitted are considered insufficient to support a violation or the amount of reparations sought, the Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge may order production of supplementary evidence from the party not in default and may enter a default order and an award based thereon.
(c) Finality. A default order issued pursuant to this rule, or pursuant to any other provisions of these part 12 Reparation Rules, shall become the final decision and order of the Commission thirty (30) days after service thereof, unless the order is set aside pursuant to § 12.23(a) of these rules, or unless the Commission takes review of such order on its own motion on or before the thirtieth day.
§ 12.23 Setting aside of default.
(a) Default order not final. In order to prevent injustice or for good cause shown, and on such conditions as may be appropriate, a non-final default order (including any award therein) may be set aside by the official who issued the order.
(1) Procedure for setting aside non-final default order. Any party or person who is the subject of a default order issued pursuant to these rules may, at any time before the order becomes final pursuant to § 12.22(c), file and serve a motion to set aside the default, which shall set forth reasons why the act or omission for which the party was defaulted was not willful, why there is a reasonable likelihood of success for the party’s claim or defense if heard on the merits, and why no prejudice will be sustained by other parties if the default is set aside. A motion to set aside a default order filed pursuant to this paragraph (a)(1) shall be decided, in the first instance, by the official who issued the default order.
(2) Review. A denial of a motion to set aside a non-final default order by the official who issued the order shall be treated as an initial decision, which may be appealed to the Commission in accordance with the requirements of § 12.401 of these rules. A grant of a motion to set aside a non-final default order may be appealed only in accordance with the requirements of § 12.309 of these rules.
(b) Default order final. A default order that has become final pursuant to § 12.22(c) shall not be set aside except upon a motion filed and served by the defaulted party showing that the defaulted party should be relieved from the default order because of fraud perpetrated on a decisionmaking official or the Commission, mistake, excusable neglect, or because the order is void for want of jurisdiction. Such a motion shall also show that, if the default order were set aside, there would be a reasonable likelihood of success for the defaulted party’s claim or defense on the merits and that no party would be prejudiced thereby. Motions to set aside a final default order for fraud, mistake, or excusable neglect shall be filed within one year after the order was issued. All motions to set aside default orders shall be decided, in the first instance, by the official who issued the order. A denial of a motion to set aside a default order that has become final shall be treated as an initial decision, which may be appealed to the Commission in accordance with the requirements of § 12.401. A grant of a motion to set aside a final default order shall be treated as a nonfinal order which may be appealed only in accordance with the requirements of § 12.309.
§ 12.24 Parallel proceedings.
(a) Definition. For purposes of this section, a parallel proceeding shall include:
(1) An arbitration proceeding or civil court proceeding, involving one or more of the respondents as a party, which is pending at the time the reparation complaint is filed and involves claims or counterclaims that are based on the same set of facts which serve as a basis for all of the claims in the reparations complaint, and which either:
(i) Was commenced at the instance of the complainant in reparations; or
(ii) Involves counterclaims by the complainant in reparations alleging violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, or any regulation or order issued thereunder; or
(iii) Is governed by a compulsory counterclaim rule of Federal court procedure which required the complainant in reparations to assert all of complainant’s claims (including those based on alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, and any regulation or order issued thereunder) as counterclaims in that proceeding;
(2) The appointment by a court of a receivership over the assets, property or proceeds of a respondent named in a reparation complaint where the responsibility of the receivership includes the resolution of claims made by customers; or
(3) A petition filed under any chapter of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. 101 et seq., as amended, commenced pursuant to 11 U.S.C. 301 or 302 by a respondent in a reparation proceeding, or the issuance by a bankruptcy court of an order for relief after the filing against a respondent in a reparation proceeding of an involuntary petition in bankruptcy pursuant to 11 U.S.C. 303.
(b) Notice. At the time a complaint in reparations is filed pursuant to these rules, or at any time thereafter, any party, receiver or trustee, or counsel to any of the foregoing with knowledge of a parallel proceeding shall promptly notify the Commission, by first-class mail addressed to the Office of Proceedings, attention of the Proceedings Clerk, and serve notice on all other parties, including the receiver or trustee. The notice shall include the following information:
(1) The caption of the parallel proceeding;
(2) The name of the court or the arbitration tribunal (including address and phone number, if known);
(3) The docket number or numbers;
(4) The date the parallel proceeding was filed (and the current status if known); and
(5) If a proceeding in bankruptcy or receivership is pending, the date of the appointment and name and address of the receiver or trustee.
(c) Effect of pending arbitration or civil court litigation. (1) The Director of the Office of Proceedings shall refuse to institute an elected decisional procedure concerning a reparation complaint filed under this part in which there is a parallel proceeding described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section and shall return the complaint to the complaining person. The effective date of the Director’s termination of the complaint without prejudice shall be fifteen (15) days from the date of service of notice of the action taken pursuant to this paragraph.
(2) If notice of a parallel proceeding described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is received before the initial decision is filed (or before a final decision under § 12.106 of the rules is entered), a proceeding in which a decisional procedure has been commenced shall be dismissed, without prejudice. The effective date of the order of dismissal shall be fifteen (15) days from the date of service of the order by the Proceedings Clerk.
(d) Effect of receivership or bankruptcy proceedings. (1) The Director of the Office of Proceedings shall refuse to institute an elected decisional procedure as to a respondent in any reparation complaint filed pursuant to this part who is the subject of a parallel proceeding described in paragraph (a)(2) or (a)(3) of this section, and shall notify all parties, including the receiver or trustee, that as to that respondent a reparation proceeding shall not be instituted. The effective date of the Director’s action shall be fifteen (15) days from the date of service of the notice thereof.
(2) A proceeding in which an elected decisional procedure has been commenced shall be ordered dismissed, without prejudice, as to any respondent who becomes the subject of a parallel proceeding described in paragraph (a)(2) or (a)(3) of this section if notice pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section is received before the filing of an initial decision (or before a final decision is issued pursuant to § 12.106) as to that respondent. The Proceedings Clerk shall notify all parties, including the receiver or trustee, of the order. The effective date of the order shall be fifteen (15) days from the date of the service of the order by the Proceedings Clerk.
(e) Exceptions. At the time notice of a parallel proceeding is filed pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, or any time thereafter, any party, or the receiver or trustee, may file and serve upon other parties a statement in support of or in opposition to any action taken or to be taken pursuant to paragraph (c) or (d) of this section. This statement shall be addressed to the Office of Proceedings, attention of the Proceedings Clerk. Upon receipt of any such statement, the Proceedings Clerk shall immediately forward the statement to the official with responsibility over the case. The notice and the statements filed by the parties shall be reviewed by that official who, on or before the effective date of action taken pursuant to paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) and (d)(1) and (2) of this section, may take such actions as, in the official’s opinion, are necessary to ensure that the parties to the matter or proceedings are not unduly prejudiced.
(f) No right of appeal to the Commission. Any action taken, or order issued, pursuant to paragraphs (c)(1), (c)(2), (d)(1), or (d)(2), of this section that has become effective shall be deemed a final order which is not subject to appeal pursuant to subpart F of these rules.
§ 12.25 Filing fees.
(a) Fees payable upon filing a complaint. (1) A complainant who, in the complaint, has elected the voluntary decisional procedure shall, at the time of filing the complaint, pay a filing fee of $50.00;
(2) A complainant who, in the complaint wherein the amount of damages claimed does not exceed $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs, has not elected the voluntary decisional procedure shall, at the time of filing the complaint, pay a filing fee of $125.00.
(3) A complainant who, in the complaint wherein the amount of damages claimed exceeds $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs, has not elected the voluntary decisional procedure shall, at the time of filing the complaint, pay a filing fee of $250.00.
(b) Fees payable upon filing an answer. (1) If a complainant, in the complaint, has elected the voluntary decisional procedure, a respondent who, in the answer, elects the summary decisional procedure (available only where the amount of damages claimed in the complaint or as counterclaims does not exceed $30,000) shall, at the time of filing the answer, pay a filing fee of $75.00.
(2) If a complainant, in the complaint, has elected the voluntary decisional procedure, a respondent who, in the answer, elects the formal decisional procedure (available only where the amount of damages claimed in the complaint or as counterclaims exceeds $30,000) shall, at the time of filing the answer, pay a filing fee of $200.00.
(c) Fees payable upon filing a reply. In any case in which a counterclaim has been made, unless a complainant in the complaint, or the respondent in an answer, has elected the summary decisional procedure or the formal decisional procedure a complainant, who in the reply elects either of these procedures, shall, at the time of filing the reply, pay a filing fee of $75.00 or $200.00, respectively, depending whether the procedure elected by complainant is pursuant to subpart D or E of this part.
§ 12.26 Commencement of a reparation proceeding.
(a) Commencement of voluntary decisional proceeding. Where complainant and respondent in the complaint and answer have elected the voluntary decisional procedure pursuant to subpart C of this part and the complainant has paid the filing fee required by § 12.25, the Director of the Office of Proceedings shall, if in the Director’s opinion the facts warrant taking such action, forward the pleadings and all materials of record to the Proceedings Clerk for a proceeding to be conducted in accordance with subpart C of this part. The Proceedings Clerk shall forthwith notify the parties of such action. Such notification shall be accompanied by an order issued by the Proceedings Clerk requiring the parties to complete all discovery, as provided in subpart B of this part, within 50 days thereafter. A voluntary decisional proceeding commences upon service of such notification and order. As soon as practicable after service of such notification, the Proceedings Clerk shall assign the case to an Administrative Judge for a final decision.
(b) Commencement of summary decisional proceeding. Where the amount claimed as damages, exclusive of interest and costs, in the complaint or in counterclaim does not exceed $30,000, and either a complainant or a respondent in the complaint, answer, or reply, has elected the summary decisional procedure pursuant to subpart D of this part, and has paid the filing fee required by § 12.25, the Director of the Office of Proceedings shall, if in the Director’s opinion the facts warrant taking such action, forward the pleadings and all materials of record to the Proceedings Clerk for a proceeding to be conducted in accordance with subpart D of this part. The Proceedings Clerk shall forthwith notify the parties of such action. Such notification shall be accompanied by an order issued by the Proceedings Clerk requiring the parties to complete all discovery, as provided in subpart B of this part, within 50 days thereafter. A summary decisional proceeding commences upon service of such notification. As soon as practicable after service of such notification, the Proceedings Clerk shall assign the case to an Administrative Judge for disposition.
(c) Commencement of formal decisional proceeding. Where the amount claimed as damages in the complaint or as counterclaims exceeds $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs, and either a complainant or a respondent in the complaint, answer or reply, has elected the formal decisional procedure pursuant to subpart E of this part, and has paid the filing fee required by § 12.25, the Director of the Office of Proceedings shall, if in the Director’s opinion the facts warrant taking such action, forward the pleadings and the materials of record to the Proceedings Clerk for a proceeding to be conducted in accordance with subpart E of this part. The Proceedings Clerk shall forthwith notify the parties of such action. Such notification shall be accompanied by an order issued by the Proceedings Clerk requiring the parties to complete all discovery, as provided in subpart B of this part, within 50 days thereafter. A formal decisional proceeding commences upon service of such notification and order. As soon as practicable after service of such notification, the Proceedings Clerk shall assign the case to an Administrative Judge. All provisions of this part that refer to and grant authority to or impose obligations upon an Administrative Law Judge shall be read as referring to and granting authority to and imposing obligations upon the Administrative Judge.
§ 12.27 Termination of consideration of pleadings.
If the Director of the Office of Proceedings should determine not to proceed in a manner set forth in § 12.26 (a), (b), or (c), consideration of the complaint and the answer (and reply, if any) shall terminate, and no proceeding shall be held on the allegations in any such pleadings. Such termination shall be regarded by the Commission as without prejudice to the right of the parties to seek such alternative forms of relief as may be available to them. If the consideration of the pleadings should be terminated, the Proceedings Clerk shall immediately notify the parties to that effect by registered or certified mail. A determination by the Director not to proceed in the manner set forth in § 12.26 (a), (b), or (c) of these rules is not subject to appeal pursuant to subpart F of these rules.
Subpart B—Discovery
§ 12.30 Methods of discovery.
(a) In general. Parties may obtain discovery by the following methods in accordance with the procedures and limitations set forth in the section indicated:
(1) Production of documents or other items (§ 12.31);
(2) Deposition on written interrogatories (§ 12.32);
(3) Admissions (§ 12.33).
(b) Scope of discovery. The scope of discovery is as follows:
(1) Relevancy. Except as provided below, discovery may be obtained regarding any matter not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter in the pending proceeding, including the existence, description, nature, custody, condition and location of any books, documents, or other tangible items, and the identity and location of persons having knowledge of any discoverable matters. Tax returns and personal bank account records shall not be discoverable, except upon motion by the party seeking discovery showing the need for disclosure of information contained therein, and that the same information could not be obtained through other means.
(2) Protective orders. Upon motion by a party or the person from whom discovery is sought, filed within twenty days after the objectionable discovery notice or request is served, and for good cause shown, the official presiding over discovery may issue any order to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense, or to prevent the raising of issues untimely or inappropriate to the proceeding, or the inappropriate disclosure of trade secrets or sensitive commercial or financial information. Relief through a protective order may include one or more of the following:
(i) That discovery not be had;
(ii) That discovery may be had only on specified terms and conditions;
(iii) That certain matters not be inquired into, or that the scope of the discovery be limited to certain matters;
(iv) That a trade secret or other confidential commercial information not be disclosed or be disclosed only in a designated way; and
(v) That the parties simultaniously file specified documents or information in sealed envelopes to be opened only as directed by the decisionmaking official.
(3) Motions for order compelling discovery. It shall be the duty of a party to obtain an order compelling discovery from another party if the latter party fails to comply with a discovery notice, by filing a motion therefor within twenty days after the time allowed by these rules for compliance with the notice has expired.
(c) Sanctions for abuse of discovery. If an Administrative Law Judge or an Administrative Judge finds that any party, without substantial justification, has necessitated the filing of a motion for a protective order or for an order compelling discovery, or any other discovery-related motions, that party shall, if the motion is granted, be ordered to pay, at the termination of the proceeding, the reasonable expenses of the moving party incurred in filing the motion, unless the decisionmaking official finds that circumstances exist which would make an award of such expenses unjust. If a decisionmaking official finds that any party, without substantial justification, has filed a motion for a protective order or for an order compelling discovery, or any discovery-related motions, that party shall, if the motion is denied, be ordered to pay, at the termination of the proceeding, the reasonable expenses of an adverse party incurred in opposing the motion, unless the decisionmaker finds that circumstances exist which would make an award of such expenses unjust.
(d) Time limit. Absent an extension of time, all discovery notices or requests shall be served within (30) days (and all discovery shall be completed within (50) days) after the notification and the order required by § 12.26 (a), (b), or (c) has been served on the parties. Upon motion by a party and for good cause shown, the time allowed for discovery may be enlarged for one additional period not to exceed thirty (30) days.
§ 12.31 Production of documents and tangible items.
(a) By a party. Any party, within the time prescribed in § 12.30(d) and subject to the limitations in § 12.30(a), may serve on any other party, a notice to produce copies of specifically designated categories of documents, papers, books, accounts, letters, photographs, objects, or tangible things which are in the party’s possession, custody or control. A copy of the notice shall be served on all other parties to the proceeding. All documents requested in the notice to produce shall be served on the party seeking the discovery within twenty (20) days after service of the notice to produce.
(b) By a non-party. Any party may, by filing an appropriate motion showing the need for the materials and an application for a subpoena in accordance with the procedure precribed in § 12.313 and within the time prescribed by § 12.30(d) of these rules, seek leave to serve upon a non-party a notice to produce copies of any specifically designated categories of materials as are described in paragraph (a) of this section. After an appropriate order and subpoena has been issued, such party may serve upon a non-party a notice to produce such materials. All materials requested in the notice to produce, and, if applicable, a detailed explanation of why any of the specified materials cannot be produced, shall be served on the party seeking discovery within such time (not to exceed thirty (30) days) as the subpoena shall specify. Enforcement of the order and subpoena may be sought in accordance with § 12.313.
§ 12.32 Depositions on written interrogatories.
(a) Notice. Any party, within the time prescribed by § 12.30(d), may serve on any other party or any officer or agent of a party a notice of the taking of a deposition on written interrogatories.
(b) Number. The number of written interrogatories served upon any one party shall not exceed thirty. For the purpose of this rule, each sub-interrogatory or divisible part of an interrogatory shall be regarded as one interrogatory. Leave to serve additional interrogatories shall not be granted absent extraordinary circumstances.
(c) Reply. (1) Each interrogatory served shall be answered by the party served or if the party is a corporation, partnership, association, or government agency, by any officer or agent thereof selected by the responding party.
(2) Each interrogatory shall be answered separately and fully in writing, unless objected to, in which event the reasons for objection shall be stated in lieu of an answer. For the purposes of this rule, an evasive or incomplete answer shall be treated as a failure to answer. The answers are to be signed and verified by the person making them. The person upon whom a notice to take a deposition on written interrogatories has been served shall serve a copy of the answers and objections within twenty (20) days after service of the interrogatories.
(d) Deposition of a non-party. The deposition on written interrogatories of a non-party may be taken only within the time prescribed by § 12.30(d), and only pursuant to an order entered and subpoena issued in accordance with the provisions of § 12.313 of these rules; provided however, that the deposition on written interrogatories of a Commission member or employee may only be taken upon a showing that the Commission member or employee has personal knowledge of the matters sought to be discovered (i.e., not obtained pursuant to a Commission investigation), that the information sought to be discovered is material and that the information sought to be discovered is not available from other sources.
(e) Filing of depositions on written interrogatories in a voluntary or summary decisional proceeding. In proceedings commenced pursuant to § 12.26 (a) and (b) of these rules, copies of all depositions on written interrogatories shall be filed by the party on whose behalf the discovery was obtained.
§ 12.33 Admissions.
(a) Request for admissions. Any party may, within the time permitted by § 12.30(d) of these rules, serve upon any other party a written request for admissions of the truth of any matters set forth in the request that relate to statements or opinions of fact or of the application of law to fact, including the genuineness of any document described in the request. Copies of documents shall be served with the request unless they have been or are otherwise furnished or made available for inspection and copying. A copy of the request shall be filed with the Proceedings Clerk.
(b) Reply. Each matter of which an admission is requested shall be separately set forth. The matter is admitted unless within twenty (20) days after service of the request, the party upon whom the request is directed files and serves upon the party requesting a verified written answer or objection to the matter. If objection is made, the reasons therefor shall be stated. The answer shall specifically deny the matter or set forth in detail the reasons why the answering party cannot truthfully admit or deny the matter. A denial shall fairly meet the substance of the requested admission and when good faith requires that an answering party qualify the answer and deny only a part of the matter of which an admission is requested, the answering party shall specify so much of it as is true and qualify or deny the remainder. Answering parties may not give a lack of information or knowledge as a reason for failure to admit or deny unless they state that they have made reasonable inquiry and that the information known or reasonably available to them is insufficient to enable them to admit or deny. Parties who consider that a matter of which an admission has been requested presents a genuine issue for trial may not, on that ground alone, object to the request; they may deny the matter or set forth reasons why they cannot admit or deny it.
(c) Determining sufficiency of answers or objections. The party who has requested the admissions may move to determine the sufficiency of the answers or objections. Unless the objecting party sustains the burden of showing that the objection is justified, the official presiding over discovery shall order that an answer be served. If such official determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of this section, that official may order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended answer be served.
(d) Effect of admission. Any matter admitted under this section is conclusively established and may be used as proof against the party who made the admission. However, the discovery or decisionmaking official may permit withdrawal or amendment when the presentation of the merits of the proceeding will be served thereby and the party who obtains the admission fails to satisfy such official that withdrawal or amendments will prejudice them in maintaining an action or defense on the merits.
§ 12.34 Discovery by a decisionmaking official.
(a) Applicability. The provisions of this section shall apply to all decisional proceedings commenced pursuant to § 12.26. For the purposes of this section, the term “decisionmaking official” shall mean an Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge assigned to render a decision in the proceeding.
(b) Production of documents and tangible things—(1) Order for production. A decisionmaking official may, upon the official’s own motion, order a party or non-party to produce copies of specifically designated documents, papers, books, accounts, or tangible things (or categories of any of the foregoing) which are in the possession, custody or control of the party, non-party or agent thereof, against whom the order is directed. Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, a party or nonparty ordered to produce documents or any of the items under this paragraph (b)(1) shall file and serve the documents and items listed in the order within twenty (20) days from the date of service of the order, or within such period of time as the decisionmaking official may direct. The decisionmaking official may issue subpoenas to compel the production by parties or non-parties of such documents and tangible things as are described in this section.
(2) Trade secrets, commercially sensitive or confidential information. If any party or person against whom an order to produce has been directed acting in good faith has reason to believe that any documents or other tangible thing ordered to be produced contains a trade secret, or commercially sensitive or other confidential information, the party or person may, in lieu of serving any such document, in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section, file and serve a written request for confidential treatment of such documents. Any such request for confidential treatment shall be accompanied by a verified statement identifying with particularity the information on those documents considered to be trade secrets, commercially sensitive or confidential information, with reasons therefor, and indicating which portions, if any, of those documents may be served on other parties without disclosure of such information. Upon considering a request for confidential treatment in accordance with this paragraph (b)(2), the decisionmaking official may, if upon a finding that the information identified in the request warrants confidential treatment and is not probative of any material fact in controversy, make copies of the documents produced, delete such information from the copies, and serve the copies as modified upon the other parties, with or without an appropriate protective order limiting dissemination to the parties and their counsel, if any.
(3) Inability to produce. Any party or person who cannot produce documents or other tangible things called for in an order for production, because those documents or things are not in their possession, custody, or control, shall file and serve within the time provided in paragraph (b)(1) of this section a verified statement identifying the documents which cannot be produced and setting forth with particularity the reasons for non-production.
(c) Order for written testimony. The decisionmaking official may, upon the official’s own motion, order a party or non-party witness to submit verified statements or written responses to interrogatories, or both, as to all relevant matters within the party’s personal knowledge which are required in response to the order. A party or person ordered to file affidavits and/or verified written responses to interrogatories shall file and serve the documents within such period of time as the decisionmaking official may direct. The official may issue subpoenas to compel the filing by parties or non-parties of such verified statements and written responses as are described in this paragraph (c).
§ 12.35 Consequences of a party’s failure to comply with a discovery order.
If a party fails to comply with an order compelling discovery, or an order issued pursuant to § 12.34, the official assigned to render the decision in the case may, upon motion by a party or on the official’s own motion, take such action in regard thereto as is just, including but not limited to the following:
(a) Infer that the documents or things not produced would have been adverse to the party;
(b) Rule that for the purposes of the proceeding the information in or contents of the documents or things not produced be taken as established adversely to the party;
(c) Rule that the party may not be heard to object to introduction and use of secondary evidence to show what the withheld documents or other evidence would have shown;
(d) Rule that a pleading, or part of a pleading, or a motion or other submission by the party, to which the order for production related, be stricken;
(e) Dismiss the entire proceeding with prejudice to matters alleged in the complaint, but without prejudice to counterclaims; and
(f) Issue a default order and render a decision against the party, whose rights shall thereafter be determined by §§ 12.22 and 12.23 of these rules.
§ 12.36 Subpoenas to compel discovery.
An application for a subpoena requiring a party or non-party to comply with a discovery order issued pursuant to §§ 12.31 and 12.32, may be made, in writing, by any party without notice to other parties, and may be filed simultaneously with the motion for the discovery order. The standards for issuance or denial of such an application, the service requirement, and the method for enforcing such subpoenas shall be determined by the provisions of § 12.313 of these rules.
Subpart C—Rules Applicable to Voluntary Decisional Proceedings
§ 12.100 Scope and applicability of rules.
(a) In general. The rules set forth in this subpart are applicable only to proceedings forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(a) of the Reparation Rules. The rules of subpart B permitting discovery are applicable in a voluntary decisional proceeding. Unless specifically made applicable, the rules prescribed in subparts D, E, and F shall not apply in a voluntary decisional proceeding.
(b) Waiver by electing the voluntary decisional procedure. By electing the voluntary decisional procedure, parties waive the opportunity for an oral hearing and whatever rights they may have otherwise had: to receive a written statement of the findings of fact upon which the final decision is based; to prejudgment interest in connection with a reparation award; to appeal to the Commission the final decision; and to appeal the final decision to a U.S. Court of Appeals pursuant to section 14(e) of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 18(e).
§ 12.101 Functions and responsibilities of the Administrative Judge.
The Administrative Judge shall be responsible for the fair and orderly conduct of the proceeding and shall have the authority:
(a) To rule upon discovery-related motions, and to take such action pursuant to § 12.35 as is appropriate if a party fails to comply with a discovery order;
(b) To issue orders for the production of documents and tangible things and orders for written testimony, as provided in § 12.34;
(c) To issue subpoenas pursuant to § 12.34 and § 12.36;
(d) To issue orders of default for good cause shown against any party who fails to participate in the proceeding, or to comply with any provisions of these rules;
(e) To receive submissions of proof;
(f) Make the final decision in accordance with § 12.106 of these rules; and
(g) Issue such orders as are necessary and appropriate to effectuate the orderly conduct of the proceeding.
§ 12.102 Disqualification of Administrative Judge.
(a) At their own request. An Administrative Judge may withdraw from a voluntary decisional proceeding when they consider themselves to be disqualified on the grounds of personal bias, conflict of interest, or similar bases. In such event the Administrative Judge shall immediately notify the Commission and each of the parties of the withdrawal and of the basis for such action.
(b) Upon the request of a party. Any party may request an Administrative Judge to disqualify themselves on the grounds of personal bias, conflict of interest, or similar bases. Interlocutory review of an adverse ruling by the Administrative Judge may be sought without certification of the matter by the Administrative Judge only in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 12.309.
§ 12.103 Filing of documents; subscription; service.
Except as otherwise specifically provided in these rules, all documents filed in a voluntary decisional proceeding, including (but not limited to) amended or supplemental pleadings, motions, discovery requests and responses thereto, and submissions of proof, shall meet the requirements of §§ 12.11 and 12.12 of the Reparation Rules as to form, and shall be filed and served in accordance with § 12.10 of the Reparation Rules.
§ 12.104 Amendments to pleadings; motions.
(a) Amendments and supplemental pleadings. At any time prior to the issuance of the final decision, the parties may, by unanimous express written consent, amend or supplement the pleadings. Supplemental pleadings may set forth transactions or occurrences or events which have happened since the date of the pleadings to be amended or supplemented, and which are relevant to any of the issues involved.
(b) Motions. Except as specifically permitted by rule in this subpart, motions, other than discovery-related motions and motions relating to procedural orders, shall be prohibited. Motions for procedural orders, including motions for extension of time, may be acted upon at any time.
§ 12.105 Submission of proof only in documentary or tangible form.
Proof in support of the complaint and in support of the respondent’s answer (including counterclaims, if any), and any reply thereto, may be found in those verified documents, in verified statements of non-party witnesses, in other verified statements of fact, and in other documents and tangible evidence. No oral testimony by, or examination of, the parties or their witnesses shall be permitted.
§ 12.106 Final decision and order.
(a) When a final decision is required. After all submissions of proof have been received, the Administrative Judge shall make the final decision. Upon its issuance, the final decision shall forthwith be filed with the Proceedings Clerk, and immediately served on the parties. The Proceedings Clerk shall also serve a notice, to accompany the final decision, of the effect of a failure by a party ordered to pay a reparation award to file the documents required by § 12.407(c).
(b) Content of final decision. The final decision shall contain:
(1) A briefly stated conclusion, not accompanied by findings of fact, as to whether the respondent violated any provision of the Act, Commission’s regulations or orders, resulting in damages to the complainant; and
(2) If one or more counterclaims have been permitted in the proceeding, a brief conclusion, not accompanied by findings of fact, as to whether the complainant is liable to the respondent for such counterclaims; and
(3) A determination of the amount of damages, if any, sustained by complainant or respondent in connection with reparation claims or counterclaims, and an order against a party found liable for damages directing that party to pay an award. An award in favor of the complainant shall not exceed the amount of damages in the complaint (including any amendment thereto), and an award in favor of a respondent shall not exceed the amount of damages claimed in a counterclaim (including any amendment thereto).
(c) No assessment of prejudgment interest or costs; assessment of post-judgment interest. A party found liable for damages in a voluntary decisional proceeding shall not be assessed prejudgment interest, attorney’s fees, or costs (other than the filing fee and costs assessed as a sanction for abuse of discovery). Post-judgment interest shall be awarded at a rate determined in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 1961(a).
(d) Effect of final decision and order: No appeal. A party may not appeal to the Commission a final decision issued pursuant to subpart C of these rules. In accordance with the election and waivers described in § 12.100(b), a final decision may not be appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals pursuant to section 14(e) of the Commodity Exchange Act, but a final decision shall be recognized as a final order of the Commission for all other purposes including the judicial enforcement of an award made in connection with the final decision pursuant to section 14(d) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(e) Effective date of final decision. A final decision and order shall become effective thirty (30) days after service, unless the Commission pursuant to § 12.403 takes review of the decision on its own motion on or before the thirtieth day. Any reparation award ordered in a final decision pursuant to this rule shall be satisfied in full within forty-five (45) days after service thereof, unless the Commission pursuant to § 12.403(b) stays the duty of satisfaction. Any party who fails timely to satisfy such an award is subject to the automatic suspension provisions of § 12.407(c).
Subpart D—Rules Applicable to Summary Decisional Proceedings
§ 12.200 Scope and applicability of this subpart.
The rules set forth in this subpart are applicable only to proceedings forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(b). The rules in subpart B of this part permitting discovery are applicable in a summary decisional proceeding. Unless specifically made applicable, the rules prescribed in subparts C and E of this part shall not apply to such proceedings. Parties to a proceeding forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(b) may, by signed agreement filed at any time prior to the issuance of the initial decision, or of any other order disposing of all issues in the proceeding, elect to have all of the issues in the proceeding decided pursuant to the voluntary decisional procedure. Upon receiving a timely filed stipulation signed by all parties evidencing such an election, the Administrative Judge shall conduct the proceeding and render a decision pursuant to subpart C of this part.
§ 12.201 Functions and responsibilities of the Administrative Judge.
The Administrative Judge shall be responsible for the fair and orderly conduct of the proceeding and shall have the authority—
(a) In the Administrative Judge’s discretion, to conduct pre-decision conferences in accordance with § 12.206;
(b) To rule upon all discovery-related motions, and to take such action pursuant to § 12.35 as is appropriate if a party fails to comply with a discovery order;
(c) To issue orders for the production of documents and tangible things and orders for written testimony, as provided in § 12.34 of these rules;
(d) To take such action as is appropriate under § 12.35, if a party fails to comply with an order issued by the Administrative Judge pursuant to § 12.34;
(e) To rule on all motions permitted pursuant to § 12.205;
(f) To issue default orders for good cause against parties who fail to participate in the proceeding or to comply with these rules;
(g) If an oral hearing is ordered, to preside at the hearing, which shall include the authority to receive relevant evidence, to administer oaths and affirmations, to examine witnesses, and to rule on offers of proof;
(h) To issue subpoenas in accordance with the provisions of §§ 12.34, 12.36 and 12.209 of these rules;
(i) To make the initial decision in accordance with § 12.210 of these rules; and
(j) To issue such orders as are necessary and appropriate to effectuate the orderly conduct of the proceeding.
§ 12.202 Disqualification of Administrative Judge.
(a) At their own request. An Administrative Judge may withdraw from a summary decisional proceeding when they consider themselves to be disqualified on the grounds of personal bias, conflict of interest, or similar bases. In such event, the Administrative Judge shall immediately notify the Commission and each of the parties of the withdrawal and of the basis for such action.
(b) Upon the request of a party. Any party may request an Administrative Judge to disqualify themselves on the grounds of personal bias, conflict of interest, or similar bases. Interlocutory review of an order denying such a request may be sought without certification of the matter by the Administrative Judge only in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 12.309.
§ 12.203 Filing of documents; subscription; service.
Except as otherwise specifically provided in these rules, all documents filed in a summary decisional proceeding, including (but not limited to) amended or supplemental pleadings, motions, discovery notices and responses thereto, documents produced or filed pursuant to § 12.34 of these rules, and submissions of proof, shall meet the requirements of §§ 12.11 and 12.12 of these rules as to form, and shall be filed and served in accordance with § 12.10 of the Reparation Rules.
§ 12.204 Amended and supplemental pleadings.
(a) Amendments to pleadings. At any time before the parties have concluded their submission of proof, the Administrative Judge may allow amendments of the pleadings either upon written consent of the parties, or for good cause shown, provided however, that any pleading as amended shall not contain an allegation of damages in excess of $30,000. Any party may file a response to a motion to amend the pleadings within ten (10) days after the date of service upon that party of the motion.
(b) Supplemental pleadings. At any time before the parties have concluded their submissions of proof, and upon such terms as are just, the Administrative Judge may, upon motion by a party, permit a party to serve a supplemental pleading setting forth transactions, occurrences or events which have happened since the date of the pleadings sought to be supplemented and which are relevant to any of the issues in the proceeding: Provided however, that any pleading as supplemented may not contain an allegation of damages in excess of $30,000. Any party may file a response to a motion to supplement the pleadings within ten (10) days after the date of service upon that party of the motion.
(c) Pleadings to conform to the evidence. When issues not raised by the pleadings but reasonably within the scope of a summary decisional proceeding are tried with the express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings.
§ 12.205 Motions.
(a) In general. Motions for relief not otherwise specifically provided for in this subpart (§§ 12.200 through 12.210), other than discovery-related motions and motions for extensions of time and similar procedural orders, shall not be allowed. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this subpart, all motions permitted under the provisions of this subpart shall be directed to the Administrative Judge prior to the filing of the initial decision, and to the Commission after the initial decision has been filed. Motions for extensions of time and similar procedural orders may be acted upon at any time, without awaiting a response thereto. Any party adversely affected by such action may request reconsideration, vacation or modification of such action.
(b) Answer to motions. Any party may serve and file a written response to a motion within ten (10) days after service of the motion, or within such longer or shorter period as is established by the provisions of this part, or as the Administrative Judge or the Commission may direct.
(c) Dismissal—(1) By the Administrative Judge. An Administrative Judge, acting upon their own motion, may:
(i) Dismiss the entire proceeding without prejudice to counterclaims, if the Administrative Judge finds that the matters alleged in the complaint fail to state a claim cognizable in reparations; or
(ii) Order dismissal of any claim, counterclaim, or party from the proceeding if the Administrative Judge finds, after review of the record, that such claim or counterclaim (by itself or as applied to any party) is not cognizable in reparations.
(2) Motion for dismissal by a party. Any party who believes that grounds exist for dismissal of the entire complaint, or of any claim therein, or of any counterclaim or party from the proceeding, may file a motion for dismissal specifying the claims or parties to be dismissed and the reasons therefor. Upon consideration of the whole record, the Administrative Judge may grant or deny such motion, in whole or in part.
(3) Content and effect of order of dismissal. Any order of dismissal entered pursuant to this rule shall contain a brief statement of the findings and conclusions which serve as the basis for the order. An order of dismissal of the entire proceeding pursuant to this rule shall have the effect of an initial decision (see § 12.213(d)), and may be appealed to the Commission in accordance with the requirements of § 12.401 of these rules.
§ 12.206 Pre-decision conferences.
(a) At any time after a summary decisional proceeding has been commenced pursuant to § 12.26(b), the Administrative Judge may, in their discretion, conduct one or more pre-decision conferences to be held in Washington, DC, or by telephone, with all parties, for the purposes of:
(1) Discussing the advisability of electing the voluntary decisional procedure;
(2) Encouraging settlement of the entire case, or any part thereof, (such discussions may be ex parte with the consent of all parties);
(3) Simplifying or clarifying issues;
(4) Obtaining stipulations, admissions of fact and of authenticity of documents;
(5) Discussing amendments or supplements to the pleadings;
(6) Encouraging an early settlement of disputes relating to discovery; and
(7) Discussing any matters of relevance in the proceeding.
(b) At or following the conclusion of such a conference, the Administrative Judge may serve a pre-decision memorandum and order setting forth the agreements, if any, reached by the parties, any procedural determinations made by the Administrative Judge, and the issues for resolution not disposed of by the admissions or agreements by the parties. Such order, when issued, shall control the subsequent course of the proceeding unless modified to prevent injustice.
§ 12.207 Summary disposition.
(a) Filing of motions, answers. Any parties who believe that there is no genuine issue of material fact to be determined and that they are entitled to a decision as a matter of law concerning all issues of liability in the proceeding may file a motion for summary disposition at any time until the parties have concluded their submissions of proof. Any adverse party, within ten (10) days after service of the motion, may file and serve opposing papers or may countermove for summary disposition.
(b) Supporting papers. A motion for summary disposition shall include a statement of the material facts as to which the moving party contends there is no genuine issue, supported by the pleadings, and by affidavits, other verified statements, admissions, stipulations, and interrogatories. The motion may also be supported by briefs containing points and authorities in support of the contention of the party making the motion. When a motion is made and supported as provided in this section, unless otherwise ordered by the Administrative Judge, adverse parties may not rest upon the mere allegations, but shall serve and file in response a statement setting forth those material facts as to which they contend a genuine issue exists, supported by affidavits and other verified material. They may also submit a brief of points and authorities.
(c) Summary disposition upon motion of the Administrative Judge. If the Administrative Judge believes that there may be no genuine issue of material fact to be determined and that one of the parties may be entitled to a decision as a matter of law, the Administrative Judge may direct the parties to submit papers in support of and in opposition to summary disposition, substantially as provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.
(d) Ruling on summary disposition. The Administrative Judge may grant summary disposition if the undisputed pleaded facts, affidavits, other verified statements, admissions, stipulations, and matters of official notice show that:
(1) There is no genuine issue as to any material fact;
(2) There is no necessity that further facts be developed in the record; and
(3) A party is entitled to a decision in that party’s favor as a matter of law.
(e) Review of ruling; appeal. An application for interlocutory review of an order denying a motion for summary disposition shall not be allowed. An order granting summary disposition as to all of the issues and all of the parties in the proceeding shall have the same effect as an initial decision (see § 12.210(d)), and may be appealed to the Commission, in accordance with § 12.401 of these rules.
§ 12.208 Submissions of proof.
(a) Documentary evidence. Each party may file and serve verified statements of fact and affidavits of non-party witnesses with personal knowledge of the facts which they aver to be true. Proof in support of the complaint and in support of the respondent’s answer may be found in those verified documents, in affidavits of non-party witnesses, in other verified statements of fact, and in other documents and tangible exhibits.
(b) Oral testimony and examination. The Administrative Judge may order an oral hearing for the presentation of testimony and examination of the parties and their witnesses when appropriate and necessary for the resolution of factual issues, upon motion by either a party or the Administrative Judge. An oral hearing held under this section will be convened by conference telephone call as provided in § 12.209(b), except that an in-person hearing may be held in Washington, DC, under the circumstances set forth in § 12.209(c).
§ 12.209 Oral testimony.
(a) Generally. When the Administrative Judge determines that an oral hearing is necessary and appropriate, such oral hearing will be held either by telephone or in person in Washington, DC, as set forth in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section. The Administrative Judge, in their discretion with consideration for the convenience of the parties and their witnesses, will determine the time and date of such hearing. During an oral hearing, in their discretion, the Administrative Judge may regulate appropriately the course and sequence of testimony and examination of the parties and their witnesses and limit the issues.
(b) Telephonic hearings. When an Administrative Judge has determined to hold an oral hearing by telephone, an order to that effect will be issued at least 15 days prior to the hearing notifying the parties of the date and time of the hearing. The order will direct the parties to confirm, at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing, that the correct telephone numbers for the parties and their witnesses are on file with the Office of Proceedings, and warn that failure to provide correct telephone numbers may be deemed waiver of that party’s right to participate in the hearing, to present evidence, or to cross-examine other witnesses. If a party is unavailable by telephone at the appointed time, any other party in attendance may present testimony, and the Administrative Judge also may impose any appropriate sanction listed in § 12.35. All telephonic hearings will be recorded electronically but will be transcribed only upon direction of the Administrative Judge (if necessary) or in the event of Commission review. The parties may secure a copy of the recording of the hearing from the Proceedings Clerk upon written request and payment of the cost of the recording.
(c) Washington, DC, hearings. In exceptional circumstances and when an in-person hearing is determined to be necessary in resolving the issues, the Administrative Judge may order an in-person hearing in Washington, DC, upon written request by a party and the agreement of at least one opposing party. The Administrative Judge will issue notice of the time, date, and location of an in-person hearing to the parties at least 30 days in advance of the hearing. Except as otherwise provided in this section, an in-person hearing will be held and recorded in the manner prescribed in § 12.312(c) through (f). A party not agreeing to appear at the hearing in Washington, DC, may be ordered to participate by telephone. Any party not appearing in person or by telephone will be deemed to have waived the right to participate in the hearing, to present evidence, or to cross-examine other witnesses; further, that party may be subject to such action under § 12.35 as the Administrative Judge may find appropriate. The Administrative Judge may order any party who requests or agrees to appear at a hearing in Washington, DC, and fails to appear without good cause, to pay any reasonable costs unnecessarily incurred by parties appearing at such a hearing.
(d) Compulsory process. An application for a subpoena requiring a non-party to participate in a telephonic hearing or to appear at an in-person hearing in Washington, DC, may be made in writing to the Administrative Judge without notice to the other parties. The standards for issuance or denial of an application for a subpoena, the service and travel fee requirements, and the method for enforcing such subpoenas are set forth at § 12.313.
§ 12.210 Initial decision.
(a) In general. Proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law briefs shall not be allowed. As soon as practicable after all submissions of proof have been received, the Administrative Judge shall make the initial decision, which will be filed forthwith with the Proceedings Clerk. Upon filing of an initial decision, the Proceedings Clerk shall immediately serve upon the parties a copy of the initial decision and a notification of the effect of a party’s failure timely to appeal the initial decision to the Commission, as provided in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, as well as the effect of a failure by a party who has been ordered to pay a reparation award timely to file the documents required by § 12.407(c).
(b) Content of initial decision. In the initial decision in a summary decisional proceeding, the Administrative Judge shall:
(1) Include a brief statement of the findings as to the facts, with reference to those portions of the record which support those findings;
(2) Make a determination whether or not the respondent has violated any provision of the Commodity Exchange Act, or rule, regulation or order thereunder;
(3) Make a determination whether the complainant is liable to any respondent who has made a counterclaim in the proceeding;
(4) Determine the amount of damages, if any, that the complainant has sustained as a result of respondent’s violations, the amount of punitive damages, if any, for which respondent is liable to complainant, which shall not exceed $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs; and the amount, if any, for which complainant is liable to respondents based on counterclaims, which, in aggregate, shall not exceed $30,000, exclusive of interest and costs; and
(5) Include an order directing either the respondent or the complainant, depending upon whose liability is greater, to pay an amount based on the difference in the amounts determined pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) of this section, on or before a date fixed in the order.
(c) Costs; prejudgment interest. The Administrative Judge may, in the initial decision, award costs (including the costs of instituting the proceeding, and if appropriate, reasonable attorneys’ fees) and, if warranted as a matter of law under the circumstances of the particular case, prejudgment interest to the party in whose favor a judgment is entered.
(d) Effect of initial decision. The initial decision shall become the final decision and order of the Commission thirty (30) days after service thereof, except:
(1) The initial decision shall not become the final decision as to a party who shall have timely filed and perfected an appeal thereof to the Commission in accordance with § 12.401 of these rules; and
(2) The initial decision shall not become final as to any party to the proceeding if, within thirty (30) days after service of the initial decision, the Commission itself shall have placed the case on its own docket for review or stayed the effective date of the initial decision.
(e) Effect of failure to file and perfect an appeal to the Commission. Unless the Commission takes review on its own motion, the timely filing and perfection of an appeal to the Commission of the initial decision is mandatory as a prerequisite to appellate judicial review of a final decision and order entered pursuant to these rules.
Subpart E—Rules Applicable to Formal Decisional Proceedings
§ 12.300 Scope and applicability of rules.
The rules set forth in this subpart are applicable to proceedings forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(c) of the Reparation Rules. The rules in subpart B permitting discovery are applicable in a formal decisional proceeding, as supplemented by § 12.301. Unless specifically made applicable, the rules prescribed in subparts C and D shall not apply to formal decisional proceedings. Parties to a proceeding forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(c) may, by written agreement filed at any time prior to the issuance of an initial decision, or of any other order disposing of all issues in the proceeding, elect to have all issues in the proceeding decided pursuant to the voluntary decisional procedure. Upon receiving a timely filed stipulation signed by all parties evidencing such an election, the Administrative Law Judge shall conduct the proceeding and render a decision pursuant to subpart C of these rules.
§§ 12.301-12.302 [Reserved]
§ 12.303 Pre-decision conferences.
(a) During the time period permitted for discovery pursuant to § 12.30(d), and thereafter, Administrative Law Judges may, in their discretion, conduct one or more pre-decision conferences to be held in Washington, DC, or by telephone, with all parties for the purposes of:
(1) Discussing the advisability of electing the voluntary decisional procedure;
(2) Encouraging a settlement of the entire case, or any part thereof (such discussions may be ex parte with the consent of all parties);
(3) Simplifying or clarifying issues;
(4) Obtaining stipulations, admissions of fact and of authenticity of documents;
(5) Discussing amendments or supplements to the pleadings;
(6) Encouraging an early settlement of disputes relating to discovery; and
(7) Discussing any matters of relevance in the proceeding.
(b) At or following the conclusion of a pre-decision conference, Administrative Law Judges may serve a pre-decision memorandum and order setting forth the agreements reached by the parties, any procedural determinations made by them, and the issues for resolution not disposed of by admissions or agreements by the parties. Such an order shall control the subsequent course of the proceeding unless modified to prevent injustice.
§ 12.304 Functions and responsibilities of the Administrative Law Judge.
Once an Administrative Law Judge has been assigned the case, the Administrative Law Judge shall be responsible for the fair and orderly conduct of a formal decisional proceeding and shall have the authority:
(a) To issue such orders as are described in § 12.34 of these rules;
(b) To issue subpoenas pursuant to §§ 12.34, 12.36, and 12.313 of these rules;
(c) To take such action as is appropriate pursuant to § 12.35 if a party fails to comply with a discovery order, or an order issued pursuant to § 12.34 of these rules;
(d) [Reserved]
(e) In the Administrative Law Judge’s discretion, to conduct pre-decision conferences, for the purposes prescribed in § 12.303, at any time after a proceeding has commenced pursuant to § 12.26(c);
(f) To issue pre-hearing orders as required by § 12.312(a);
(g) To certify interlocutory matters to the Commission for its determination in accordance with § 12.309;
(h) To issue orders of dismissal pursuant to § 12.308;
(i) To issue default orders for good cause against parties who fail to participate in the proceeding, or to comply with these rules;
(j) If appropriate, to issue orders for summary disposition in the manner prescribed by § 12.310;
(k) If an oral hearing is ordered, to preside at the oral hearing, which shall include the authority to receive relevant evidence, to administer oaths and affirmations, to examine witnesses, and to rule on offers of proof;
(l) To make the initial decision; and
(m) To issue such orders, and take any other actions as are required to give effect to these rules.
§ 12.305 Disqualification of Administrative Law Judge.
(a) At their own request. An Administrative Law Judge may withdraw from a formal decisional proceeding when they consider themselves to be disqualified on the grounds of personal bias, conflict of interest, or similar bases. In such event, they shall immediately notify the Commission and each of the parties of the withdrawal and of the basis for such action.
(b) Upon the request of a party. Any party may request an Administrative Law Judge to disqualify themselves on the grounds of personal bias, conflict of interest, or similar bases. Interlocutory review of an order denying such a request may be sought without certification of the matter by an Administrative Law Judge, only in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 12.309.
§ 12.306 Filing of documents; subscription; service.
Except as otherwise specifically provided in these rules, all documents filed in a formal decisional proceeding including, but not limited to, amended or supplemental pleadings, motions, discovery notices or requests, and responses thereto, documents filed or produced pursuant to § 12.34 of these rules, and submissions of proof, shall meet the requirements of §§ 12.11 and 12.12 of the rules as to form, and shall be filed and served in accordance with § 12.10 of the Reparation Rules.
§ 12.307 Amended and supplemental pleadings.
(a) Amendments to pleadings. At any time before the parties have concluded their submissions of proof, the Administrative Law Judge may allow amendments of the pleadings either upon written consent of the parties or for good cause shown. Any party may file a response to a motion to amend the pleadings within ten (10) days after the date of service upon that party of the motion.
(b) Supplemental pleadings. At any time before the parties have concluded their submissions of proof, and upon such terms as are just, an Administrative Law Judge may, upon motion by a party, permit a party to serve a supplemental pleading setting forth transactions, occurrences or events which have happened since the date of the pleadings sought to be supplemented and which are relevant to the issues in the proceeding. Any party may file a response to a motion to supplement the pleadings within ten (10) days after the date of service upon that party of the motion.
(c) Pleadings to conform to the evidence. When issues not raised by the pleadings but reasonably within the scope of a formal decisional proceeding are tried with the express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings.
§ 12.308 Motions.
(a) In general. An application for a form of relief not otherwise specifically provided for in this subpart E shall be made by a motion, which shall be in writing (unless made on the record during an oral hearing). The motion shall state the relief sought and the basis for the relief and may set forth the authority relied upon. All motions, unless otherwise provided in these rules, shall be directed to the Administrative Law Judge before the initial decision is filed, and to the Commission after the initial decision is filed.
(b) Answer to motions. Any party may serve and file a written response to a motion within ten (10) days after service of the motion upon that party, or within such longer or shorter period as established by this part, or as the Administrative Law Judge or the Commission may direct.
(c) Dismissal—(1) By the Administrative Law Judge. The Administrative Law Judge, acting on their own motion, may, at any time after they have been assigned the case:
(i) Dismiss the entire proceeding, without prejudice to counterclaims, if they find that none of the matters alleged in the complaint state a claim that is cognizable in reparations; or
(ii) Order dismissal of any claim, counterclaim, or party from the proceeding if they find that such claim or counterclaim (by itself, or as applied to a party) is not cognizable in reparations.
(2) Motion for dismissal by a party. Any party who believes that grounds exist for dismissal of the entire complaint, of any claim therein, of any counterclaim, or of a party from the proceeding, may file a motion for dismissal specifying the claims, counterclaims, or parties to be dismissed and the reasons therefor. Upon consideration of the whole record, the Administrative Law Judge may grant or deny such motion, in whole or in part.
(3) Content and effect of order of dismissal. Any order of dismissal entered pursuant to this rule shall contain a brief statement of the findings and conclusions which serve as the basis for the order. An order of dismissal of the entire proceeding pursuant to this rule shall have the effect of an initial decision which may be appealed to the Commission in accordance with the requirements set forth in § 12.401 of these rules.
(d) Motions for procedural orders. Motions for procedural orders, including motions for extensions of time, may be acted on at any time, without awaiting a response thereto. Any party adversely affected by such action may request reconsideration, vacation or modification of such action.
(e) Dilatory motions. Repetitive or numerous motions dealing with the same subject matter shall not be permitted.
§ 12.309 Interlocutory review by the Commission.
Interlocutory review by the Commission of a ruling on a motion by an Administrative Law Judge may be sought only as prescribed in this rule:
(a) When interlocutory appeal may be taken. An interlocutory appeal may be permitted, in the discretion of the Commission, under the following circumstances:
(1) The appeal is from a ruling pursuant to § 12.102, § 12.202, or § 12.305 refusing to grant a motion to disqualify an Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge;
(2) The appeal is from a ruling pursuant to § 12.9 suspending an attorney from participation in a reparation proceeding;
(3) Upon a determination by the Administrative Law Judge certified to the Commission either in writing or on the record, that
(i) A ruling sought to be appealed involves a controlling question of law or policy;
(ii) An immediate appeal may materially advance the ultimate resolution of the issues in the proceeding; and
(iii) Subsequent reversal of the ruling would cause unnecessary delay or expense to the parties; or
(4) The appeal is from a ruling which satisfies the conditions of paragraphs (a)(3) (i)-(iii) of this section, despite the absence of certification, and extraordinary circumstances are shown to exist.
(b) Procedure to obtain interlocutory review. An application for interlocutory review may be served and filed within ten (10) days after service of a ruling described in paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(4) of this section or of notice that a determination has been made pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) of this section. The application for interlocutory review shall contain:
(1) A statement of the facts necessary to an understanding of the controlling questions determined by the Administrative Law Judge, and to an understanding of the extraordinary circumstances warranting interlocutory review by the Commission;
(2) A statement of the question or issue involved in the ruling upon which the application for review is based;
(3) A statement of the reasons why, in the opinion of the party requesting review, the ruling was erroneous and should be reversed or modified; and
(4) A copy of all papers filed by the parties that relate to the subject matter of the ruling at issue, including the order containing the ruling.
(c) Standard for review. In the absence of extraordinary circumstances, the Commission will not review a ruling of an Administrative Law Judge prior to the Commission’s consideration of the proceeding pursuant to subpart F of these rules. A Commission denial of an application for interlocutory review shall be without prejudice to the applying party’s right to raise any argument made in the application as an issue in an appeal taken pursuant to subpart F of these rules.
(d) Proceedings not stayed. The filing of an application for interlocutory review and a grant of review shall not stay proceedings before an Administrative Law Judge (or an Administrative Judge, if applicable) unless that official or the Commission shall so order. The Commission will not consider a motion for a stay unless the motion shall have first been made to the Administrative Law Judge (or, if applicable, the Administrative Judge) and denied.
(e) Interlocutory review by the Commission on its own motion. Nothing in this section should be construed as restricting the Commission from acting on its own motion to review on an interlocutory basis any ruling of an Administrative Law Judge, Proceedings Officer or an Administrative Judge in any proceeding commenced pursuant to § 12.26.
§ 12.310 Summary disposition.
(a) Filing of motions, answers. Any parties who believe that there is no genuine issue of material fact to be determined and that they are entitled to a decision as a matter of law concerning all issues of liability in the proceeding may file a motion for summary disposition at any time before a determination is made by the Administrative Law Judge to order an oral hearing in the proceeding. Any adverse party, within ten (10) days after service of the motion, may file and serve opposing papers or may countermove for summary disposition.
(b) Supporting papers. A motion for summary disposition shall include a statement of all material facts as to which the moving party contends that there is no genuine issue, supported by the pleadings, and by affidavits, other verified statements, admissions, stipulations, and interrogatories. The motion may also be supported by briefs containing points and authorities in support of the contention of the party making the motion. When a motion is made and supported as provided in this section, unless otherwise ordered by the Administrative Law Judge, an adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations, but shall serve and file in response a statement setting forth those material facts as to which the adverse party contends a genuine issue exists, supported by affidavits and other verified material. The adverse party may also submit a brief of points and authorities.
(c) Oral argument. Oral argument may be heard at the discretion of the Administrative Law Judge and shall be heard in Washington, DC, or by telephonic conference call. Such argument shall be recorded, and written transcripts shall be made in the event that a grant or denial of summary disposition is reviewed by the Commission.
(d) Summary disposition upon motion of the Administrative Law Judge. If the Administrative Law Judge believes that there may be no genuine issue of material fact to be determined and that one of the parties may be entitled to a decision as a matter of law, the Administrative Law Judge may direct the parties to submit papers in support of and in opposition to summary disposition, and may hear oral argument, substantially as provided in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section.
(e) Ruling on summary disposition. The Administrative Law Judge shall grant summary disposition if the undisputed pleaded facts, affidavits, other verified statements, admissions, stipulations, and matters of official notice, show that (1) there is no genuine issue as to any material fact; (2) there is no necessity that further facts be developed in the record; and (3) a party is entitled to a decision as a matter of law.
(f) Review of ruling; appeal. An application for interlocutory review of an order denying a motion for summary disposition shall not be allowed. Interlocutory review of an order granting summary disposition which disposes of less than all of the issues in the proceeding may be sought only in accordance with § 12.309 of these rules. An order granting summary disposition which is dispositive of all issues, and as to all parties, in the proceeding may be appealed to the Commission in accordance with the requirements set forth in § 12.401 of these rules.
§ 12.311 Disposing of proceeding or issues without oral hearing.
If the Administrative Law Judge determines that the documentary proof and other tangible forms of proof submitted by the parties are sufficient to permit resolution of some or all of the factual issues in the proceeding without the need for oral testimony, the Administrative Law Judge may order that all proof relating to such issues be submitted in documentary and tangible form, and dispose of such issues without an oral hearing. In such an event, proof in support of the complaint, answer, and reply, may be found in those verified documents, in depositions on written interrogatories, in admissible documents obtained through discovery, in other verified statements of fact, documents, and tangible evidence.
§ 12.312 Oral hearing.
(a) Notification; prehearing order. If and when the proceeding has reached the stage of an oral hearing, the Administrative Law Judge, giving due regard for the convenience of the parties, shall set a time for hearing, as well as a location prescribed by paragraph (b) of this section, and shall file with the Proceedings Clerk, for immediate service upon the parties:
(1) An order requiring the parties to file and serve, within fifteen days after service of the order, a prehearing memorandum setting forth briefly:
(i) A statement of all issues to be tried at the hearing;
(ii) An identification of each witness expected to be called by that party;
(iii) A summary of the testimony each witness is expected to provide; and
(2) A notice stating the time and location of the hearing.
(b) Location of hearing. Unless the Director of the Office of Proceedings for reasons of administrative economy or practical necessity determines otherwise, and except as provided in this paragraph (b), the location of an oral hearing shall be in one of the following cities: Albuquerque, N.M.; Atlanta, Ga.; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbia, S.C.; Denver, Colo.; Houston, Tex.; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles, Cal.; Minneapolis, Minn.; New Orleans, La.; New York, N.Y.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; San Diego, Cal.; San Francisco, Cal.; Seattle, Wash.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Washington, DC. The Administrative Law Judge may, in any case where a party avers, in an affidavit, that none of the foregoing cities is located within 300 miles of the party’s principal residence, waive this paragraph (b) and, upon giving due regard for the convenience of all of the parties, order that the hearing be held in a more convenient locale.
(1) Who may appear. The parties may appear in person, by counsel, or by other representatives of their choosing, subject to the provisions of § 12.9 of these rules concerning practice before the Commission.
(2) Effect of failure to appear. If any party to the proceeding fails to appear at the hearing, or at any part thereof, the non-appearing party shall to that extent be deemed to have waived the opportunity for an oral hearing in the proceeding. The Administrative Law Judge, for just cause, may take such action as is appropriate pursuant to § 12.35 against a party who fails to appear at the hearing. In the event that a party appears at the hearing and no party appears for the opposing side, the party who is present may present evidence, in whole or in part, in the form of affidavits or by oral testimony, before the Administrative Law Judge.
(c) Public hearings. All oral hearings shall be public except that upon application of a party or affected witness the Administrative Law Judge may direct that specific documents or testimony be received and retained non-publicly in order to prevent unwarranted disclosure of trade secrets or sensitive commercial or financial information or an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
(d) Conduct of the hearing. Subject to paragraph (e) of this section, and except as otherwise provided, at an oral hearing every party shall be entitled to:
(1) Conduct direct and cross-examination of parties and witnesses. All witnesses at a hearing for the purpose of taking evidence shall testify under oath or affirmation, which shall be administered by the Administrative Law Judge. Unless otherwise ordered by the Administrative Law Judge, parties shall be entitled to present oral direct testimony and other documentary proof, and to conduct direct examination and cross examine adverse parties and witnesses. To expedite the hearing, the Administrative Law Judge may, in their discretion, order that the direct testimony of the parties and their witnesses be presented in documentary form, by affidavit, interrogatory, and other documents. In any event, the Administrative Law Judge, in their discretion, may permit cross examination, without regard to the scope of direct testimony, as to any matter which is relevant to the issues in the proceeding;
(2) Introduce exhibits. The original of each exhibit introduced in evidence or marked for identification shall be filed unless the Administrative Law Judge permits the substitution of copies for the original documents. A copy of each exhibit introduced by a party or marked for identification shall be supplied by the introducing party to the Administrative Law Judge and to each other party to the proceeding. Exhibits shall be maintained by the reporter who shall serve as custodian of the exhibits until they are transmitted to the Proceedings Clerk pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section;
(3) Make objections. A party shall timely and briefly state the grounds relied upon for any objection made to the introduction of evidence. Formal exception to an adverse ruling shall not be required; and
(4) Make offers of proof. When an objection to a question propounded to a witness is sustained, examiners may make a specific offer of what they expect to prove by the answer of the witness. Rejected exhibits, adequately marked for identification, shall be retained in the record so as to be available for consideration by any reviewing authority.
(e) Admissibility of evidence. Relevant, material and reliable evidence shall be admitted. Irrelevant, immaterial, unreliable and unduly repetitious evidence shall be excluded.
(f) Record of an oral hearing. Oral hearings for the purpose of taking evidence shall be recorded and shall be transcribed in written form under the supervision of the Administrative Law Judge by a reporter employed by the Commission for that purpose. The original transcript shall be a part of the record and shall be the sole official transcript. Copies of transcripts, except those portions granted non-public treatment, shall be available from the reporter at rates not to exceed the maximum rates fixed by the contract between the Commission and the reporter. As soon as practicable after the close of the hearing, the reporter shall transmit to the Proceedings Clerk the transcript of the testimony and the exhibits introduced in evidence at the hearing, except such portions of the transcript and exhibits as shall have already been delivered to the Administrative Law Judge.
(g) Proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law; briefs. An Administrative Law Judge, upon their own motion or upon motion of a party, may permit the filing of post-hearing proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. Absent an order permitting such findings and conclusions, none shall be allowed. Unless otherwise ordered by the Administrative Law Judge and for good cause shown, the proposed findings and conclusions (including briefs in support thereof), shall not exceed twenty-five (25) pages and shall be filed not later than forty-five (45) days after the close of the oral hearing.
§ 12.313 Subpoenas for attendance at an oral hearing.
(a) In general—(1) Application for issuance of subpoenas. An application for a subpoena requiring a party or other person to appear and testify at an oral hearing (subpoena ad testificandum) or to appear and testify and to produce specified documentary or tangible evidence at the hearing (subpoena duces tecum), shall (unless made orally at a hearing) be filed in writing and in duplicate, but need not be served upon other parties. The application shall be accompanied by the original and one copy of the subpoena.
(2) Standards for issuance or denial of subpoenas. The Administrative Law Judge considering any application for a subpoena shall issue the subpoena if they are satisfied the application complies with this section and the request is not unreasonable, oppressive, excessive in scope or unduly burdensome. In the event they determine that a requested subpoena or any of its terms is unreasonable, oppressive, excessive in scope, or unduly burdensome, the Administrative Law Judge may refuse to issue the subpoena, or may issue it only upon such conditions as they determine fairness requires.
(b) Special requirements relating to application for an issuance of subpoenas for the appearance of commission employees—(1) Form. An application for the issuance of a subpoena shall be made in the form of a written motion served upon all other parties, if the subpoena would require the appearance of a Commissioner or an official or employee of the Commission.
(2) Content. The motion shall specifically describe the material to be produced, the information to be disclosed, or the testimony to be elicited from the witness, and shall show
(i) The relevance of the material, information, or testimony to the matters at issue in the proceeding;
(ii) The reasonableness of the scope of the proposed subpoena; and
(iii) That such material, information, or testimony is not available from other sources.
(3) Rulings. The motion shall be decided by the Administrative Law Judge and the order shall provide such terms and conditions for the production of the material, the disclosure of the information, or the appearance of the witnesses as may appear necessary and appropriate for the protection of the public interest.
(c) Service of subpoenas—(1) How effected. Service of a subpoena upon a party shall be made in accordance with § 12.10. Service of a subpoena upon any other person shall be made by delivering a copy of the subpoena to them as provided in paragraph (c)(2) or (3) of this section, and by tendering to them the fees for one day’s attendance and the mileage as specified in paragraph (e) of this section. When the subpoena is issued at the instance of any officer or agency of the United States, fees and mileage need not be tendered at the time of service.
(2) Service upon a natural person. Delivery of a copy of a subpoena and tender of fees and mileage to a natural person may be effected by:
(i) Handing them to the person;
(ii) Leaving them at the person’s office with the person in charge thereof or, if there is no one in charge, by leaving the subpoena in a conspicuous place therein;
(iii) Leaving them at the person’s dwelling place or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein;
(iv) Mailing them by registered or certified mail to them at their last known address; or
(v) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to the person and the fees and mileage are timely made available.
(3) Service upon other persons. When the person to be served is not a natural person, delivery of a copy of the subpoena and tender of the fees and mileage may be effected by
(i) Handing them to a registered agent for service, or to any officer, director, or agent in charge of any office of such person;
(ii) Mailing them by registered or certified mail to any such representative at the person’s last known address; or
(iii) Any other method whereby actual notice is given to any such representative and the fees and mileage are timely made available.
(d) Motion to quash subpoena. At or any time before the time specified in the subpoena for compliance therewith, a person upon whom a subpoena has been served may file a motion to quash or modify the subpoena with the Administrative Law Judge who issued the subpoena, and serve a copy of the motion on the party who requested the subpoena. Such motion shall include a brief statement of the reasons therefor. After due notice to the person upon whose request the subpoena was issued, and an opportunity for that person to respond, the Administrative Law Judge may (1) quash or modify the subpoena, or (2) condition denial of the application to quash or modify the subpoena upon just and reasonable terms, including, on the case of a subpoena duces tecum, a requirement that the person on whose behalf the subpoena was issued shall advance the reasonable cost of producing documentary or other tangible evidence.
(e) Attendance and mileage fees. Persons summoned to testify at a hearing under requirement of subpoenas are entitled to the same fees and mileage as are paid to witnesses in the courts of the United States. Fees and mileage shall be paid by the party at whose instance the persons are subpoenaed or called.
(f) Enforcement of subpoenas. Upon failure of any person to comply with a subpoena issued at the request of a party, that party may petition the Commission, in its discretion, to institute an action in an appropriate U.S. District Court for enforcement of the subpoena.
§ 12.314 Initial decision.
(a) In general. The Administrative Law Judge as soon as practicable after the parties have completed their submissions of proof, or after the conclusion of an oral hearing if one is held, shall render the initial decision, which shall forthwith be filed with the Proceedings Clerk, and a copy of which shall be served immediately by the Proceedings Clerk upon each of the parties. The Proceedings Clerk shall also serve a notice, to accompany the initial decision, of the effect of a party’s failure timely to appeal to the Commission the initial decision, as provided in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, and the effect of a failure of a party who has been ordered to pay a reparation award timely to file the documents required by § 12.407(c).
(b) Content of initial decision. In the initial decision the Administrative Law Judge shall:
(1) Include a brief statement of findings as to the facts, with references to those portions of the record which support those findings;
(2) Make a determination whether or not the respondent has violated any provision of the Commodity Exchange Act, or rule, regulation or order thereunder;
(3) Make a determination whether the complainant is liable to any respondent who has made a counterclaim in the proceeding;
(4) Determine the amount of damages, if any, that the complainant has sustained as a result of respondent’s violations, the amount of punitive damages if warranted, and the amount, if any, for which complainant is liable to a respondent based on a counterclaim; and
(5) Include an order directing either the respondent or the complainant, depending upon whose liability is greater, to pay an amount based on the difference in the amounts determined pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) of this section, on or before a date fixed in the order.
(c) Costs, prejudgment interest. Except as provided in §§ 12.30(c) and 12.315 of these rules, the Administrative Law Judge may, in the initial decision, award costs (including the cost of instituting the proceeding and, if appropriate, reasonable attorney’s fees) and, if warranted as a matter of law under the cirumstances of the particular case, prejudgment interest, to the party in whose favor a judgment is entered.
(d) Effect of initial decision. The initial decision and order shall become the final decision and order of the Commission, without further order by the Commission, thirty (30) days after service thereof, except that:
(1) The initial decision shall not become the final decision as to a party who shall have timely filed and perfected an appeal thereof to the Commission, in accordance with § 12.401 of these rules; and
(2) The initial decision shall not become final as to any party to the proceeding if, within thirty (30) days after service of the initial decision, the Commission itself shall have placed the case on its own docket for review or stayed the effective date of the initial decision.
(e) Effect of failure to file and perfect an appeal to the Commission. Unless the Commission takes review of an initial decision on its own motion, the timely filing and perfection of an appeal to the Commission of the initial decision is mandatory as a prerequisite to appellate judicial review of a final decision and order entered pursuant to these rules.
§ 12.315 Consequences of overstating damages claims not in excess of $30,000.
If a party, who has claimed damages in excess of $30,000, is adjudged to be entitled to recover less than the sum or value of $30,000, computed without regard to a damage award to which an opposing party may be adjudged to be entitled, and exclusive of interest and costs, the Administrative Law Judge may assess such party the cost of the transcript of an oral hearing, if such a hearing is held, and, depending upon whether such party paid any part of the filing fee for the proceeding, deny the party such costs or impose such costs on that party.
Subpart F—Commission Review of Decisions
§ 12.400 Scope and applicability of rules.
The rules set forth in this subpart are applicable to proceedings forwarded pursuant to § 12.26 (b) and (c) of these rules. Except as provided in §§ 12.106(e) and 12.403(b) of these rules, the rules set forth in this subpart are not applicable to proceedings forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(a) of the Reparation Rules.
§ 12.401 Appeal to the Commission.
(a) How effected. Any aggrieved party to a proceeding forwarded pursuant to § 12.26 (b) or (c) of these rules may appeal to the Commission an initial decision or other disposition of the entire proceeding by complying with the requirements of this section. An appealing party shall serve upon all parties and file with the Proceedings Clerk a notice of appeal within fifteen (15) days after service of the initial decision or other order disposing of the entire proceeding. The notice need consist only of a brief statement indicating the filing party’s intent to appeal the initial decision, and shall include the date upon which the initial decision was rendered, the names of all parties, and the docket number of the proceeding. A non-refundable appellate filing fee in the amount of $50 shall be paid at the time of filing a notice of appeal. The failure of a party timely to file and serve a notice of appeal, and to pay the appellate filing fee, in accordance with this paragraph, or to perfect the appeal in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, shall constitute a voluntary waiver of any objection to the initial decision, or other order disposing of the proceeding, and of all further administrative or judicial review under these rules and the Commodity Exchange Act.
(b) Perfecting the appeal; appeal brief. An appeal shall be perfected by the appealing party by timely filing with the Proceedings Clerk an appeal brief which meets the requirements of paragraphs (b) and (d) of this section. An original and one copy of the appeal brief shall be filed within thirty (30) days after filing of the notice of appeal. By motion of the appealing party, the Commission may, for good cause shown, extend the time for filing the appeal brief. If the appeal brief is not filed within the time prescribed in this subparagraph, the Commission may, upon its own motion or upon motion by a party, dismiss the appeal, in which event the initial decision shall become the final decision and order of the Commission, effective upon service of the order of dismissal.
(c) Answering brief. Any party upon whom the appealing party serves a brief may, within thirty (30) days after service of the appeal brief, file an original and one copy of an answering brief, and serve one copy thereof, unless the time limit is extended by the Commission upon motion of the party and for good cause shown.
(d) Briefs. Parties filing an appeal brief or answering brief pursuant to this section shall meet the requirements of § 12.11 of these rules as to form. The content of briefs shall satisfy the requirements of § 10.102(d) of the Commission’s regulations, 17 CFR 10.102(d), except that any party, with leave of the Commission, may file an informal document in lieu of a brief. No brief shall exceed thirty-five (35) pages in length without leave of the Commission.
(e) Oral argument. Any party may request, in writing and within the time provided for filing the initial briefs, the opportunity to present oral argument before the Commission, which the Commission may, in its discretion, grant or deny. In the event the Commission affords the parties the opportunity to present oral argument before the Commission, the oral argument shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of § 10.103 of the Commission’s regulations, 17 CFR 10.103.
(f) Scope of review. On review, the Commission may, in its discretion, consider sua sponte any issues arising from the record and may base its determination thereon, or limit the issues to those presented in the statement of issues in the briefs, treating those issues not raised as waived.
§ 12.402 Appeal of disposition of less than all claims or parties in a proceeding.
(a) In general. Where two or more different claims for relief are presented, or where multiple parties are involved, in a proceeding forwarded pursuant to § 12.26(b) or (c), the Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge, may upon the Judge’s own motion or by motion of a party, direct that an initial decision or other order disposing of one or more, but fewer than all of the claims or parties, shall be final and immediately appealable to the Commission. Such a direction may be made only upon an express determination that there is no just reason for delay. When such a direction is made, a party may appeal the initial decision or order in accordance with the procedure prescribed by § 12.401.
(b) When decision is not appealable. In the absence of such a direction by the Administrative Judge or an Administrative Law Judge, an initial decision or order disposing of fewer than all of the claims or all of the parties shall be subject to revision by the decisionmaker at any time before a disposition is made of all remaining claims or parties, and no appeal may be taken to the Commission pursuant to this section.
§ 12.403 Commission review on its own motion.
(a) In general. The Commission may on its own motion, within 30 days after it has been served on all parties, determine to review an initial decision, or other order disposing of all issues in the proceeding as to all claims and all parties, in a proceeding forwarded pursuant to § 12.26 (b) and (c) of these rules. In such event, the Commission may determine the scope of the issues on review, and make provisions for the filing of briefs or, if deemed appropriate, such other means for the parties to present their views. The parties shall be duly notified thereof by the Proceedings Clerk.
(b) Commission review of a final decision in a voluntary decisional proceeding. If such action is necessary to prevent manifest injustice, the Commission may, upon its own motion, review a final decision issued pursuant to § 12.106 of these rules by appropriate order filed with the Proceedings Clerk within 30 days after service upon the parties of the final decision. In such event, the Commission may determine the scope of the issue on review, make provisions for the filing of briefs (or, if deemed appropriate, such other means for the parties to present their views). The parties shall be duly notified thereof by the Proceedings Clerk.
§ 12.404 The record of proceedings.
The record of proceedings on appeal before the Commission shall include: The pleadings; motions and requests filed, and rulings thereon; the transcript of the testimony taken at an oral hearing, together with the exhibits filed therein; the transcript of testimony taken during an oral examination by telephone; any statements or stipulations filed in any proceeding; any documents or papers filed in connection with prehearing conferences; such proposed findings of fact, conclusions, and orders and briefs as may have been permitted to be filed in connection with an oral hearing; such statements of objections, and briefs in support thereof, as may have been filed in the proceedings; and the initial (or final) decision, or other order disposing of issues in the proceeding.
§ 12.405 Leave to adduce additional evidence.
Any time prior to issuance of its final decision pursuant to § 12.406, the Commission may, after notice to the parties and an opportunity for them to present their views, reopen the hearing to receive further evidence. The application shall show to the satisfaction of the Commission that the additional evidence is material, and that there were reasonable grounds for failure to adduce such evidence at the hearing. The Commission may receive the additional evidence or may remand the proceeding to the Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge to receive the additional evidence.
§ 12.406 Final decision of the Commission.
(a) Opinion and order. Unless the Commission, in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, orders summary affirmance of the initial decision, the Commission’s opinion and order in a proceeding appealed pursuant to § 12.401 of these rules shall constitute the Commission’s final decision, effective upon service. On review, the Commission may affirm, reverse, modify, set aside or remand for further proceedings, in whole or in part, the initial decision and make any findings or conclusions which in its judgment are warranted based on the record in the proceeding.
(b) Order on summary affirmance. If the Commission, in its opinion, finds that the result reached in the initial decision is substantially correct and that none of the arguments on appeal made by the appealing party raise any important question of law or policy, the Commission may, by appropriate order, summarily affirm the initial decision and order without opinion, which shall constitute the Commission’s final decision, effective upon service. Unless the Commission expressly indicates otherwise in its order, an order of summary affirmance does not reflect a Commission determination to adopt the initial decision, including any rationale contained therein, as its opinion and order, and neither initial decision nor the Commission’s order of summary affirmance shall serve as a Commission precedent in other proceedings.
(c) Filing and service of final decision. The Commission shall, upon issuance of a final decision pursuant to this § 12.406, file the final decision with the Proceeding’s Clerk, who shall forthwith serve upon each of the parties a copy of the final decision as well as notice of the effect of a party’s failure to pay a reparation award as provided in § 12.407 of these rules, and of an aggrieved party’s right to obtain judicial review of the final decision pursuant to section 14(e) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 18(e).
(d) Date of the reparation order. For purposes of computing the 30-day period for filing the appeal bond required by section 14(e) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 18(e), “the date of the reparation order” shall be the date that the Commission’s opinion and order (or order of summary affirmance, as the case may be) is filed with the Proceedings Clerk. This date shall be reflected by the date stamp on the first page of the Commission’s order.
§ 12.407 Satisfaction of reparation award; enforcement; sanctions.
(a) Satisfaction of reparation award—(1) Where initial decision has become the final decision. Any reparation award ordered in an initial decision, or similar dispositive order (but not a final decision issued pursuant to § 12.106 of these rules), shall be satisfied in full within forty-five (45) days after service of the initial decision, unless a timely appeal thereof has been perfected pursuant to § 12.401, or unless the Commission, pursuant to § 12.403(a), has stayed the effective date of the initial decision.
(2) Final decision pursuant to § 12.406. Any reparation award ordered in a final decision of the Commission issued pursuant to § 12.406 of these rules shall be satisfied in full within fifteen (15) days after service of the final decision, or such other longer period of time as may be specified in the final decision, unless a petition for review is filed in accordance with section 14(e) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 18(e).
(b) Enforcement of reparation award. If any person against whom a reparation award has been made does not timely comply with paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, the party in whose favor the award is made is entitled to seek enforcement of award in accordance with the procedure prescribed in section 14(d) of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 U.S.C. 18(d).
(c) Automatic suspension. A person required to pay a reparation award shall be prohibited from trading on all contract markets and if such person is registered, the registration shall be suspended automatically, without further notice, unless such person shall, within fifteen (15) days after the time limit for satisfaction of an award (as prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section) expires, file with the Proceedings Clerk and serve on the other parties:
(1) A copy of a certified check or the equivalent showing statisfaction of the award; or
(2) A sworn release executed by each recipient of a reparation award, which has not been satisfied by payment with a certified check or the equivalent; or
(3) A verified statement that a judicial appeal has been filed and perfected in accordance with section 14(e) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. 18(e). (This paragraph is applicable only in proceedings commenced pursuant to § 12.26 (b) or (c), and only if the person has timely filed and perfected an appeal to the Commission as prescribed in § 12.401.)
(d) Reinstatement. The sanctions imposed in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section shall remain in effect until the person required to pay the reparation award demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission that the amount required has been paid in full including prejudgment interest if awarded and post-judgment interest at the prevailing rate computed in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 1961 from the date directed in the final order to the date of payment, compounded annually. In the event an award of post-judgment interest is inadvertently omitted, such interest nevertheless shall run as calculated in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 1961 and the rules in this part.
(e) Automatic suspension after appeal. If on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals the appellee prevails, or if the appeal is dismissed, the automatic prohibition against trading and suspension of registration shall become effective at the expiration of thirty (30) days from the date of judgment on the appeal, but if the judgment is stayed by a court of competent jurisdiction, the suspension shall become effective ten (10) days after the expiration of such stay, unless prior thereto the judgment of the court or the final order of the Commission has been satisfied.
Pursuant to the authority granted under section 2(a)(4) and 2(a)(11) of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 4a(c) and 4a(j), the Commission hereby delegates, until such time as it orders otherwise, the following functions to the General Counsel, to be performed by them, or such person or persons under their direction as they may designate from time to time:
(a) With respect to reparation proceedings conducted pursuant to section 14 of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 18, and subject to the Commission’s Reparation Rules as set forth in part 12 of this chapter, to:
(1) Consider and decide miscellaneous procedural motions that may be directed to the Commission pursuant to part 12 of these rules after the initial decision or other order disposing of the entire proceeding has been filed;
(2) Remand, with or without specific instructions, initial decisions or other orders disposing of the entire proceeding to the appropriate officer (Director of the Office of Proceedings, Administrative Judge, or Administrative Law Judge) in the following situations—
(i) Where a default order or award has been made pursuant to part 12 of these rules and a motion to vacate the default or an equivalent request has been made; or
(ii) Where, in their judgment, clarification or supplementation of an initial decision or other order disposing of the entire proceeding prior to Commission review is appropriate; and
(iii) Where, in their judgment, a ministerial act necessary to the proper conduct of the proceeding has not been performed;
(3) Deny applications for interlocutory review by the Commission of a ruling of an Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge in cases in which the Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge has not certified the ruling to the Commission in the manner prescribed by § 12.309, and the ruling does not concern the disqualification of, or a motion to disqualify, an Administrative Judge or Administrative Law Judge, or the suspension of, or failure to suspend, an attorney from participating in reparation proceedings;
(4) Dismiss any appeal from an initial decision or other disposition of the entire proceeding by an Administrative Law Judge (or Administrative Judge), in a proceeding where such appeal is not filed or perfected in accordance with § 12.401, and deny any application for interlocutory review if it is not filed in accordance with § 12.309;
(5) Strike any filing that does not meet the requirements of, or is not perfected in accordance with, these part 12 rules; and
(6) Enter any order that, in their judgment, will facilitate or expedite Commission review of an initial decision or other order disposing of the entire proceeding.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, in any case in which the General Counsel believes it appropriate, the General Counsel or their designee may submit the matter to the Commission for its consideration.
(c) Within seven (7) days after service of a ruling issued pursuant to this § 12.408, a party may file with the Commission a petition for reconsideration of the ruling. Unless the Commission orders otherwise, the filing of a petition for reconsideration shall not operate to stay the effective date of such ruling.
PART 13—PROCEDURES FOR PETITIONS FOR RULEMAKING
§ 13.1 Petition for issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule.
Any person may file a petition with the Secretariat of the Commission, by mail or electronically through the Commission website, for the issuance, amendment or repeal of a rule of general application. The petition shall be directed to Secretariat, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20581, and shall set forth the text of any final rule or amendment or shall specify the rule the repeal of which is sought. The petition shall further state the nature of the petitioner’s interest and may state arguments in support of the issuance, amendment or repeal of the rule. The Secretariat shall acknowledge receipt of the petition, refer it to the Commission for such action as the Commission deems appropriate, and notify the petitioner of the action taken by the Commission. Except in affirming a prior denial or when the denial is self-explanatory, notice of a denial in whole or in part of a petition shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the grounds of denial.
§ 13.2 [Reserved]
PART 14—RULES RELATING TO SUSPENSION OR DISBARMENT FROM APPEARANCE AND PRACTICE
§ 14.1 Scope.
The rules of this part describe the circumstances under which persons may be denied, either temporarily or permanently, the privilege of appearing or practicing before the Commission as an attorney or accountant. An attorney may also be excluded from further participation in a particular adjudicatory proceeding in accordance with the provisions of § 10.11(b) of this chapter or from further participation in a particular investigatory proceeding in accordance with the provisions of § 11.7(c)(2) of this chapter.
§ 14.2 Definitions of appearance and practice.
(a) Appearance. For the purpose of this part, “appearance” refers to the representation of a person by another who appears in his behalf at any adjudicatory, investigatory or rulemaking proceeding conducted before the Commission, including but not limited to those proceedings encompassed in parts 10 through 13 of the Commission’s rules.
(b) Practice. For the purpose of this part, practicing before the Commission shall include but shall not be limited to:
(1) The preparation of any statement, opinion or other paper by any attorney or accountant filed with or submitted to the Commission on behalf of another person in or in connection with any application, notification, report or other document; and
(2) Transacting any other formal business with the Commission, on behalf of another person, in the capacity of an attorney or accountant.
§ 14.3 Hearings.
Hearings required or permitted to be held under provisions of this part shall be held before an Administrative Law Judge, utilizing the procedures established in the rules of practice (part 10) for adjudicatory proceedings. Any proceeding brought under provisions of this part shall, unless otherwise determined by the Commission, be prosecuted by the General Counsel of the Commission or by such attorneys in his office as he may assign.
§ 14.4 Violation of Commodity Exchange Act.
The Commission may deny, temporarily or permanently, the privilege of appearing or practicing before it in any way to any person who is found by the Commission, after notice of and opportunity for hearing in the matter, to have violated, caused, or aided and abetted any violation of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq., or the rules and regulations adopted thereunder.
§ 14.5 Criminal conviction.
Any person who after licensing or certification to practice his profession by any competent authority has been convicted of any felony or of a misdemeanor involving fraud or involving moral turpitude in matters related to the regulatory responsibilities of the Commission, and whose conviction has not been reversed by an appellate court, may not appear or practice before the Commission. A conviction within the meaning of this section shall be deemed to have occurred when the convicting court enters its judgment or order, regardless of whether an appeal is pending or could be taken, and includes a judgment on a plea of nolo contendere.
Any attorney who has been suspended or disbarred by a Court of the United States or any state or territory or the District of Columbia and any person whose license to practice as an accountant has been revoked or suspended in any state or territory or the District of Columbia may not appear or practice before the Commission during the period when such suspension or revocation is in effect. A suspension or revocation shall be deemed to have occurred when the disbarring, suspending or revoking agency or tribunal enters its order, regardless of whether appeal is pending or could be taken, and includes a judgment or order on a plea of nolo contendere or the procedural equivalent of such a plea. For purposes of this section it shall be irrelevant that any attorney or accountant who has been suspended, disbarred, or otherwise disqualified from practice before a court or in a jurisdiction continues in professional good standing before other courts or in other jurisdictions.
§ 14.7 Finding of violation of Commodity Exchange Act or Federal securities laws in another proceeding.
(a) Temporary suspension. The Commission, with due regard to the public interest, and without preliminary hearing, may by order temporarily suspend from appearing or practicing before it any person who, on or after the effective date of this rule has been by name:
(1) Permanently enjoined by reason of his misconduct by any court of competent jurisdiction (i) whether by consent, default, upon summary judgment or after trial, in any action brought by the Commission based upon violations of any provision of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, or of the rules and regulations adopted thereunder, or (ii) after trial or upon summary judgment in any action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission based upon any violation of the federal securities laws (15 U.S.C. 77a to 80b-20) or of rules and regulations adopted thereunder;
(2) Found by any court of competent jurisdiction (whether by consent, default, upon summary judgment or after trial) in any action brought by the Commission to which he is a party, or found by the Commission (whether by consent, default, upon summary disposition or after hearing) in any administrative proceeding in which the Commission is a complainant and to which he is a party, to have committed, caused, or aided and abetted a violation of any provision of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, or of the rules and regulations promulgated under any of those statutes;
(3) Found upon summary judgment or after trial by any court of competent jurisdiction in any action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to which he is a party, or found by the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon summary disposition or after hearing, in any administrative proceeding in which the Securities and Exchange Commission is a complainant and to which he is a party, to have committed, caused, or aided or abetted a violation of any provision of the federal securities laws (15 U.S.C. 77a to 80b-20) or of the rules and regulations adopted thereunder.
(b) Petition to lift suspension. Any person temporarily suspended from appearing and practicing before the Commission in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section may, within 30 days after service upon him of temporary suspension, petition the Commission to lift the temporary suspension. If no petition has been received by the Commission within 30 days after service of the order by mail the suspension shall become permanent.
(c) Consideration of petition. Within 30 days after the filing of the petition described in paragraph (b) of this section the Commission shall either lift the temporary suspension or set the matter down for hearing or both. After opportunity for hearing, the Commission may censure the petitioner or may disqualify the petitioner from appearing or practicing before the Commission for a period of time or permanently or may determine that no action is appropriate.
(d) Hearing. A showing that the petitioner has been enjoined or has been found to have committed, caused or aided or abetted violations as described in paragraph (a) of this section, without more, may be a basis for censure or disqualification; that showing having been made, the burden shall then be on the petitioner to show why he should not be censured or disqualified. A petitioner will not be heard to contest any findings against him or admissions made by him in the judicial or administrative proceedings upon which the proposed censure or disqualification is based. A petitioner who has consented to the entry of a permanent injunction as described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section without admitting the facts set forth in the complaint shall nevertheless be presumed for all purposes under this section to have been enjoined by reason of the misconduct alleged in the complaint.
§ 14.8 Lack of requisite qualifications, character and integrity.
In addition to those matters specifically referred to in §§ 14.4 through 14.7, the Commission may, after notice and opportunity for hearing in the matter, deny, temporarily or permanently, the privilege of appearing or practicing before it to any person who is found by the Commission by a preponderance of the evidence:
(a) Not to possess the requisite qualifications to represent others; or
(b) To be lacking in character or integrity; or
(c) To have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct either in the course of any adjudicatory, investigative or rulemaking or other proceeding before the Commission or otherwise. With respect to the professional conduct of persons licensed to practice as accountants, “unethical or improper professional conduct” means:
(1) Intentional or knowing conduct, including reckless conduct, that results in a violation of applicable professional principles or standards; or
(2) Either of the following two types of negligent conduct:
(i) A single instance of highly unreasonable conduct that results in a violation of applicable professional principles or standards in circumstances in which an accountant knows, or should know, that heightened scrutiny is warranted.
(ii) Repeated instances of unreasonable conduct, each resulting in a violation of applicable professional principles or standards, which indicate a lack of competence to practice before the Commission.
§ 14.9 Duty to file information concerning adverse judicial or administrative action.
Any person appearing or practicing before the Commission who has been the subject of a conviction, suspension, disbarment, revocation, injunction or finding of the kind described in §§ 14.5 through 14.7, unless based on action instituted by the Commission, shall promptly file a copy of the relevant order, judgment or decree with the Secretariat of the Commission at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581, together with any related opinion or statement of the agency or tribunal involved. Any person who has been the subject of administrative or judicial action of the kind described in §§ 14.5 through 14.7 and who has not filed a copy of the order, judgment or decree within thirty days after its entry shall for that reason alone be disqualified from appearing or practicing before the Commission until such time as the appropriate filing shall be made, but neither the filing of these documents nor the failure of a person to file them shall in any way affect the operations of any other provision of this part.
§ 14.10 Reinstatement.
Any person who is disqualified from appearing or practicing before the Commission under any of the provisions of this part may at any time file an application of reinstatement and the applicant may, in the Commission’s discretion, be afforded a hearing on the application. However, denial of the privilege of appearing or practicing before the Commission shall continue unless and until the applicant has been reinstated by order of the Commission.
PART 15—REPORTS—GENERAL PROVISIONS
§ 15.00 Definitions of terms used in parts 15 to 19, and 21 of this chapter.
As used in parts 15 to 19, and 21 of this chapter:
(a) Cash or Spot, when used in connection with any commodity, means the actual commodity as distinguished from a futures or options contract in such commodity.
(b) Clearing member means any person who is a member of, or enjoys the privilege of clearing trades in his own name through, the clearing organization of a designated contract market, registered derivatives transaction execution facility, or registered entity under section 1a(29) of the Act.
(c) Clearing organization means the person or organization which acts as a medium for clearing transactions in commodities for future delivery or commodity option transactions, or for effecting settlements of contracts for future delivery or commodity option transactions, for and between members of any designated contract market, registered derivatives transaction execution facility or registered entity under section 1a(29) of the Act.
(d) Compatible data processing media means data processing media approved by the Commission or its designee.
(e) Customer means “customer” (as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter) and “options customer” (as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter).
(f) Customer trading program means any system of trading offered, sponsored, promoted, managed or in any other way supported by, or affiliated with, a futures commission merchant, an introducing broker, a commodity trading advisor, a commodity pool operator, or other trader, or any of its officers, partners or employees, and which by agreement, recommendations, advice or otherwise, directly or indirectly controls trading done and positions held by any other person. The term includes, but is not limited to, arrangements where a program participant enters into an expressed or implied agreement not obtained from other customers and makes a minimum deposit in excess of that required of other customers for the purpose of receiving specific advice or recommendations which are not made available to other customers. The term includes any program which is of the character of, or is commonly known to the trade as, a managed account, guided account, discretionary account, commodity pool or partnership account.
(g) Discretionary account means a commodity futures or commodity option trading account for which buying or selling orders can be placed or originated, or for which transactions can be effected, under a general authorization and without the specific consent of the customer, whether the general authorization for such orders or transactions is pursuant to a written agreement, power of attorney, or otherwise.
(h) Exclusively self-cleared contract means a cleared contract for which no persons, other than a reporting market and its clearing organization, are permitted to accept any money, securities, or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trade.
(i) Foreign clearing member means a “clearing member” (as defined by paragraph (b) of this section) who resides or is domiciled outside of the United States, its territories or possessions.
(j) Foreign trader means any trader (as defined in paragraph (s) of this section) who resides or is domiciled outside of the United States, its territories or possessions.
(k) Futures, futures contract, future delivery or contract for future delivery, means any contract for the purchase or sale of any commodity for future delivery that is executed on or subject to the rules of a reporting market, including all agreements, contracts and transactions that are treated by a clearing organization as fungible with such contracts.
(l) Guided account program means any customer trading program which limits trading to the purchase or sale of a particular contract for future delivery of a commodity or a particular commodity option that is advised or recommended to the participant in the program.
(m) Managed account program means a customer trading program which includes two or more discretionary accounts traded pursuant to a common plan, advice or recommendations.
(n) Open contracts means “open contracts” (as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter) and commodity option positions held by any person on or subject to the rules of a board of trade which have not expired, been exercised, or offset.
(o) Option, options, option contract, or options contract, unless specifically provided otherwise, means any contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity option that is executed on or subject to the rules of a reporting market, including all agreements, contracts and transactions that are treated by a clearing organization as fungible with such contracts.
(p) Reportable position means:
(1) For reports specified in parts 17 and 18 and in § 19.00(a) and (b) of this chapter, any open contract position that at the close of the market on any business day equals or exceeds the quantity specified in § 15.03 in either:
(i) Any one futures of any commodity on any one reporting market, excluding futures contracts against which notices of delivery have been stopped by a trader or issued by the clearing organization of the reporting market; or
(ii) Long or short put or call options that exercise into the same futures contract of any commodity, or other long or short put or call commodity options that have identical expirations and exercise into the same commodity, on any one reporting market.
(2) For the purposes of reports specified in § 19.00(a)(1) of this chapter, any combined futures and futures-equivalent option open contract position as defined in part 150 of this chapter in any one month or in all months combined, either net long or net short in any commodity on any one reporting market, excluding futures positions against which notices of delivery have been stopped by a trader or issued by the clearing organization of a reporting market, which at the close of the market on the last business day of the week exceeds the net quantity limit in spot, single or in all-months fixed in § 150.2 of this chapter for the particular commodity and reporting market.
(q) Reporting market means a designated contract market or a registered entity under section 1a(40) of the Act.
(r) Special account means any commodity futures or option account in which there is a reportable position.
(s) Trader means a person who, for his own account or for an account which he controls, makes transactions in commodity futures or options, or has such transactions made.
(t) Control means to actually direct, by power of attorney or otherwise, the trading of a special account or a consolidated account. A special account or a consolidated account may have more than one controller.
(u) Reportable trading volume means contract trading volume that meets or exceeds the level specified in § 15.04.
(v) Omnibus account means any trading account that one futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker carries for another and in which the transactions of multiple individual accounts are combined. The identities of the holders of the individual accounts are not generally known or disclosed to the carrying firm.
(w) Omnibus account originator means any futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker that executes trades for one or more customers via one or more accounts that are part of an omnibus account carried by another futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker.
(x) Volume threshold account means any trading account that carries reportable trading volume on or subject to the rules of a reporting market that is a board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act or a swap execution facility registered under section 5h of the Act.
(y) Omnibus volume threshold account means any trading account that, on an omnibus basis, carries reportable trading volume on or subject to the rules of a reporting market that is a board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act or a swap execution facility registered under section 5h of the Act.
(z) Omnibus reportable sub-account means any trading sub-account of an omnibus volume threshold account, which sub-account executes reportable trading volume on an omnibus basis. Omnibus reportable sub-account also means any trading account that is itself an omnibus account, executes reportable trading volume, and is a sub-account of another omnibus reportable sub-account.
(aa) Reportable sub-account means any trading sub-account of an omnibus volume threshold account or omnibus reportable sub-account, which sub-account executes reportable trading volume.
(bb) Trading account controller means, for reports specified in § 17.01(a) of this chapter, a natural person who by power of attorney or otherwise actually directs the trading of a trading account. A trading account may have more than one controller.
(cc) Volume threshold account controller means a natural person who by power of attorney or otherwise actually directs the trading of a volume threshold account. A volume threshold account may have more than one controller.
(dd) Reportable sub-account controller means a natural person who by power of attorney or otherwise actually directs the trading of a reportable sub-account. A reportable sub-account may have more than one controller.
§ 15.01 Persons required to report.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Act, the following persons shall file reports with the Commission with respect to such commodities, on such forms, at such time, and in accordance with such directions as are hereinafter set forth:
(a) Reporting markets—as specified in parts 16, 17, and 21 of this chapter.
(b) Futures commission merchants, clearing members, foreign brokers, introducing brokers, and traders—as specified in parts 17 and 21 of this chapter.
(c) As specified in part 18 of this chapter:
(1) Traders who own, hold, or control reportable positions;
(2) Volume threshold account controllers;
(3) Persons who own volume threshold accounts;
(4) Reportable sub-account controllers; and
(5) Persons who own reportable sub-accounts.
(d) Persons, as specified in part 19 of this chapter, who:
(1) Are merchants or dealers of cotton holding or controlling positions for future delivery in cotton that equal or exceed the amount set forth in § 15.03; or
(2) Are persons who have received a special call from the Commission or its designee under § 19.00(b) of this chapter.
§ 15.02 Reporting forms.
Forms on which to report may be obtained from any office of the Commission or via https://www.cftc.gov. Listed below are the forms to be used for the filing of reports. To determine who shall file these forms, refer to the Commission rule listed in the column opposite the form number.
§ 15.03 Reporting levels.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
Broad-based security index is a group or index of securities that does not constitute a narrow-based security index.
HedgeStreet products are contracts offered by HedgeStreet, Inc., a designated contract market, that pay up to $10.00 if in the money upon expiration.
Major foreign currency is the currency, and the cross-rates between the currencies, of Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden and the European Monetary Union.
Narrow-based security index has the same meaning as in section 1a(25) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
Security futures product has the same meaning as in section 1a(32) of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(b) The quantities for the purpose of reports filed under parts 17 and 18 of this chapter are as follows:
| Commodity | Number of contracts |
|---|---|
| Agricultural: | |
| Cocoa | 100 |
| Coffee | 50 |
| Corn | 250 |
| Cotton | 100 |
| Feeder Cattle | 50 |
| Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice | 50 |
| Lean Hogs | 100 |
| Live Cattle | 100 |
| Milk, Class III | 50 |
| Oats | 60 |
| Rough Rice | 50 |
| Soybeans | 150 |
| Soybean Meal | 200 |
| Soybean Oil | 200 |
| Sugar No. 11 | 500 |
| Sugar No. 14 | 100 |
| Wheat | 150 |
| Broad-Based Security Indexes: | |
| Municipal Bond Index | 300 |
| S&P 500 Stock Price Index | 1,000 |
| Other Broad-Based Securities Indexes | 200 |
| Financial: | |
| 30-Day Fed Funds | 600 |
| 3-Month (13-Week) U.S. Treasury Bills | 150 |
| 2-Year U.S. Treasury Notes | 1,000 |
| 3-Year U.S. Treasury Notes | 750 |
| 5-Year U.S. Treasury Notes | 2,000 |
| 10-Year U.S. Treasury Notes | 2,000 |
| 30-Year U.S. Treasury Bonds | 1,500 |
| 1-Month LIBOR Rates | 600 |
| 3-Month Eurodollar Time Deposit Rates | 3,000 |
| 3-Month Euroyen | 100 |
| 2-Year German Federal Government Debt | 500 |
| 5-Year German Federal Government Debt | 800 |
| 10-Year German Federal Government Debt | 1,000 |
| Goldman Sachs Commodity Index | 100 |
| Major Foreign Currencies | 400 |
| Other Foreign Currencies | 100 |
| U.S. Dollar Index | 50 |
| Natural Resources: | |
| Copper | 100 |
| Crude Oil, Sweet | 350 |
| Crude Oil, Sweet—No. 2 Heating Oil Crack Spread | 250 |
| Crude Oil, Sweet—Unleaded Gasoline Crack Spread | 150 |
| Gold | 200 |
| Natural Gas | 200 |
| No. 2 Heating Oil | 250 |
| Platinum | 50 |
| Silver Bullion | 150 |
| Unleaded Gasoline | 150 |
| Unleaded Gasoline—No. 2 Heating Oil Spread Swap | 150 |
| Security Futures Products: | |
| Individual Equity Security | 1,000 |
| Narrow-Based Security Index | 200 |
| Hedge Street Products | 1 125,000 |
| TRAKRS | 1 50,000 |
| All Other Commodities | 25 |
1 For purposes of part 17, positions in HedgeStreet Products and TRAKRS should be reported by rounding down to the nearest 1,000 contracts and dividing by 1,000.
§ 15.04 Reportable trading volume level.
The volume quantity for the purpose of reports filed under parts 17 and 18 of this chapter is trading volume of 50 or more contracts, during a single trading day, on a single reporting market that is a board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act or a swap execution facility registered under section 5h of the Act, in all instruments that such reporting market designates with the same product identifier (including purchases and sales, and inclusive of all expiration months).
§ 15.05 Designation of agent for foreign persons.
(a) For purposes of this section, the term “futures contract” means any contract for the purchase or sale of any commodity for future delivery, traded or executed on or subject to the rules of any designated contract market, or for the purposes of paragraph (i) of this section, a reporting market (including all agreements, contracts and transactions that are treated by a clearing organization as fungible with such contracts); the term “option contract” means any contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity option, or as applicable, any other instrument subject to the Act, traded or executed on or subject to the rules of any designated contract market, or for the purposes of paragraph (i) of this section, a reporting market (including all agreements, contracts and transactions that are treated by a clearing organization as fungible with such contracts); the term “customer” means any person for whose benefit a foreign broker makes or causes to be made any futures contract or option contract; and the term “communication” means any summons, complaint, order, subpoena, special call, request for information, or notice, as well as any other written document or correspondence.
(b) Any futures commission merchant who makes or causes to be made any futures contract or option contract for the account of any foreign broker or foreign trader, and any introducing broker who introduces such an account to a futures commission merchant, shall thereupon be deemed to be the agent of the foreign broker or the foreign trader for purposes of accepting delivery and service of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the foreign broker or the foreign trader with respect to any futures or option contracts which are or have been maintained in such accounts carried by the futures commission merchant. In the case of a futures commission merchant who makes or causes to be made any futures or option contract for the account of a foreign broker, the futures commission merchant and the introducing broker, if any, shall also be the agent of the customers of the foreign broker (including any customer who is also a foreign broker and its customers) who have positions in the foreign broker’s futures or option contract account carried by the futures commission merchant for purposes of accepting delivery and service of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the customer with respect to any futures or option contracts which are or have been maintained in such accounts carried by the futures commission merchant. Service or delivery of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to a futures commission merchant or to an introducing broker pursuant to such agency shall constitute valid and effective service or delivery upon the foreign broker, a customer of the foreign broker or the foreign trader. A futures commission merchant or an introducing broker who has been served with, or to whom there has been delivered, a communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to a foreign broker, a customer of the foreign broker or the foreign trader shall transmit the communication promptly and in a manner which is reasonable under the circumstances, or in a manner specified by the Commission in the communication, to the foreign broker, a customer of the foreign broker or the foreign trader.
(c) It shall be unlawful for any futures commission merchant and for any introducing broker to open or cause to be opened a futures or options contract account for, or to effect or cause to be effected transactions in futures contracts or option contracts for an existing account of, a foreign broker or foreign trader unless the futures commission merchant or introducing broker informs the foreign broker or foreign trader prior thereto, in any reasonable manner which the futures commission merchant or introducing broker deems to be appropriate, of the requirements of this section.
(d) The requirements of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section shall not apply to any account carried by a futures commission merchant or introduced by an introducing broker if the foreign broker, customer of a foreign broker, or foreign trader for whose benefit such account is carried or introduced has duly executed and maintains in effect a written agency agreement in compliance with this paragraph with a person domiciled in the United States and has provided a copy of the agreement to the futures commission merchant and to the introducing broker, if any, prior to the opening of an account, or placing orders for transactions in futures contracts or option contracts of an existing account, with the futures commission merchant or introducing broker. This agreement must authorize the person domiciled in the United States to serve as the agent of the foreign broker and customers of the foreign broker or the foreign trader for purposes of accepting delivery and service of all communications issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the foreign broker, customers of the foreign broker, or foreign trader and must provide an address in the United States where the agent will accept delivery and service of communications from the Commission. This agreement must be filed with the Commission by the futures commission merchant or introducing broker prior to the opening of an account for the foreign broker or foreign trader or the effecting of a transaction in futures or option contracts for an existing account of a foreign broker or foreign trader. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission, the agreements required to be filed with the Commission shall be filed with the Secretary of the Commission at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581. A foreign broker, customer of a foreign broker, or foreign trader shall notify the Commission immediately if the written agency agreement is terminated, revoked or is otherwise no longer in effect. If a futures commission merchant carrying, or an introducing broker introducing, an account for a foreign broker or foreign trader knows or should know that the agreement has expired, has been terminated or is otherwise no longer in effect, the futures commission merchant or introducing broker shall notify the Secretary of the Commission immediately. If the written agency agreement expires, terminates or is not in effect, the futures commission merchant, introducing broker, and the foreign broker, customers of the foreign broker, or foreign trader are subject to the provisions of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.
(e) Any designated contract market that permits a foreign broker to intermediate contracts, agreements or transactions, or permits a foreign trader to effect contracts, agreements or transactions on the facility or exchange, shall be deemed to be the agent of the foreign broker and any of its customers for whom the transactions were executed, or the foreign trader, for purposes of accepting delivery and service of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader with respect to any contracts, agreements or transactions executed by the foreign broker or the foreign trader on the designated contract market. Service or delivery of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to a designated contract market shall constitute valid and effective service upon the foreign broker, any of its customers, or the foreign trader. A designated contract market which has been served with, or to which there has been delivered, a communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to a foreign broker, any of its customers, or a foreign trader shall transmit the communication promptly and in a manner which is reasonable under the circumstances, or in a manner specified by the Commission in the communication, to the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader.
(f) It shall be unlawful for any designated contract market to permit a foreign broker, any of its customers or a foreign trader to effect contracts, agreements or transactions on the facility unless the designated contract market prior thereto informs the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader, in any reasonable manner the facility deems to be appropriate, of the requirements of this section.
(g) The requirements of paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section shall not apply to any contracts, transactions or agreements traded on any designated contract market if the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader has duly executed and maintains in effect a written agency agreement in compliance with this paragraph with a person domiciled in the United States and has provided a copy of the agreement to the designated contract market prior to effecting any contract, agreement or transaction on the facility. This agreement must authorize the person domiciled in the United States to serve as the agent of the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader for purposes of accepting delivery and service of all communications issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader and must provide an address in the United States where the agent will accept delivery and service of communications from the Commission. This agreement must be filed with the Commission by the designated contract market prior to permitting the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader to effect any transactions in futures or option contracts. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission, the agreements required to be filed with the Commission shall be filed with the Secretary of the Commission at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581. A foreign broker, any of its customers or a foreign trader shall notify the Commission immediately if the written agency agreement is terminated, revoked, or is otherwise no longer in effect. If the designated contract market knows or should know that the agreement has expired, been terminated, or is no longer in effect, the designated contract market shall notify the Secretary of the Commission immediately. If the written agency agreement expires, terminates, or is not in effect, the designated contract market and the foreign broker, any of its customers or the foreign trader are subject to the provisions of paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
(h) The provisions of paragraphs (e), (f) and (g) of this section shall not apply to a designated contract market on which all transactions of foreign brokers, their customers or foreign traders in futures or option contracts are executed through, or the resulting transactions are maintained in, accounts carried by a registered futures commission merchant or introduced by a registered introducing broker subject to the provisions of paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d) of this section.
(i) Any reporting market that is a registered entity under section 1a(29)(E) of the Act that permits a foreign clearing member or foreign trader to clear or effect contracts, agreements or transactions on the trading facility or its clearing organization, shall be deemed to be the agent of the foreign clearing member or foreign trader with respect to any such contracts, agreements or transactions cleared or executed by the foreign clearing member or the foreign trader. Service or delivery of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the reporting market shall constitute valid and effective service upon the foreign clearing member or foreign trader. The reporting market which has been served with, or to which there has been delivered, a communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission to a foreign clearing member or foreign trader shall transmit the communication promptly and in a manner which is reasonable under the circumstances, or in a manner specified by the Commission in the communication, to the foreign clearing member or foreign trader.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any such reporting market to permit a foreign clearing member or a foreign trader to clear or effect contracts, agreements or transactions on the facility or its clearing organization unless the reporting market prior thereto informs the foreign clearing member or foreign trader of the requirements of this section.
(2) The requirements of paragraphs (i) and (i)(1) of this section shall not apply to any contracts, transactions or agreements if the foreign clearing member or foreign trader has duly executed and maintains in effect a written agency agreement in compliance with this paragraph with a person domiciled in the United States and has provided a copy of the agreement to the reporting market prior to effecting or clearing any contract, agreement or transaction on the trading facility or its clearing organization. This agreement must authorize the person domiciled in the United States to serve as the agent of the foreign clearing member or foreign trader for the purposes of accepting delivery and service of all communications issued by or on behalf of the Commission to the foreign clearing member or the foreign trader and must provide an address in the United States where the agent will accept delivery and service of communications from the Commission. This agreement must be filed with the Commission by the reporting market prior to permitting the foreign clearing member or the foreign trader to clear or effect any transactions in futures or option contracts. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission, the agreements required to be filed with the Commission shall be filed with the Secretary of the Commission at Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581.
(3) A foreign clearing member or a foreign trader shall notify the Commission immediately if the written agency agreement is terminated, revoked, or is otherwise no longer in effect. If the reporting market knows or should know that the agreement has expired, been terminated, or is no longer in effect, the reporting market shall notify the Secretary of the Commission immediately. If the written agency agreement expires, terminates, or is not in effect, the reporting market, the foreign clearing member and the foreign trader shall be subject to the provisions of paragraphs (i) and (i)(1) of this section.
§ 15.06 Delegations.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the authority to approve data processing media, as referenced in § 15.00(d), for data submissions to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by such Director or by such other employee or employees of such Director as designated from time to time by the Director. The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
(b) [Reserved]
PART 16—REPORTS BY CONTRACT MARKETS AND SWAP EXECUTION FACILITIES
§ 16.00 Clearing member reports.
(a) Information to be provided. Each reporting market shall submit to the Commission, in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, a report for each business day, showing for each clearing member, by proprietary and customer account, the following information separately for futures by commodity and by future, and, for options, by underlying futures contract (for options on futures contracts) or by underlying commodity (for other commodity options), and by put, by call, by expiration date and by strike price:
(1) The total of all long open contracts and the total of all short open contracts carried at the end of the day covered by the report, excluding from open futures contracts the number of contracts against which delivery notices have been stopped or against which delivery notices have been issued by the clearing organization of the reporting market;
(2) The quantity of contracts bought and the quantity of contracts sold during the day covered by the report;
(3) [Reserved]
(4) The quantity of purchases of futures for commodities or for derivatives positions and the quantity of sales of futures for commodities or for derivatives positions which are included in the total quantity of contracts bought and sold during the day covered by the report, and the names of the clearing members who made the purchases or sales;
(5) For futures, the quantity of the commodity for which delivery notices have been issued by the clearing organization of the reporting market and the quantity for which notices have been stopped during the day covered by the report.
(b) Form, manner and time of filing reports. Unless otherwise approved by the Commission or its designee, reporting markets shall submit the information required by paragraph (a) of this section as follows:
(1) Using the format, coding structure, and electronic data transmission procedures approved in writing by the Commission or its designee; provided however, the information shall be made available to the Commission or its designee in hard copy upon request; and
(2) When such data is first available but not later than 12:00 p.m. on the business day following the day to which the information pertains. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is eastern time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and central time for information concerning all other markets.
(c) Exclusively self-cleared contracts. Unless determined otherwise by the Commission, paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to transactions involving exclusively self-cleared contracts.
§ 16.01 Publication of market data on futures, swaps and options thereon: trading volume, open contracts, prices, and critical dates.
(a) Trading volume and open contracts. (1) Each reporting market, as defined in part 15 of this chapter, must separately record for each business day the information prescribed in paragraphs (a)(2)(i) through (vi) of this section for each of the following contract categories:
(i) For futures, by commodity and by futures expiration date;
(ii) For options, by underlying futures contracts for options on futures contracts or by underlying commodity for options on commodities, and by put, by call, by expiration date and by strike price;
(iii) For swaps or class of swaps, by product type and by term life of the swap; and
(iv) For options on swaps or classes of options on swaps, by underlying swap contracts for options on swap contracts or by underlying commodity for options on swaps on commodities, and by put, by call, by expiration date and by strike price.
(2) Each reporting market must record for each trading session the following trading volume and open interest summary data:
(i) The option delta, where a delta system is used;
(ii) The total gross open contracts for futures, excluding those contracts against which delivery notices have been stopped;
(iii) For futures products that specify delivery, open contracts against which delivery notices have been issued on that business day;
(iv) The total volume of trading, excluding transfer trades or office trades:
(A) For swaps and options on swaps, trading volume shall be reported in terms of the number of contracts traded for standard-sized contracts (i.e., contracts with a set contract size for all transactions) or in terms of notional value for non-standard-sized contracts (i.e., contracts whose contract size is not set and can vary for each transaction).
(B) [Reserved]
(v) The total volume of futures/options/swaps/swaptions exchanged for commodities or for derivatives positions that are included in the total volume of trading; and
(vi) The total volume of block trades included in the total volume of trading.
(b) Prices. (1) Each reporting market must record the following contract types separately
(i) For futures, by commodity and by futures expiration;
(ii) For options, by underlying futures contracts for options on futures contracts or by underlying commodity for options on commodities, and by put, by call, by expiration date and by strike price;
(iii) For swaps, by product type and contract month or term life of the swap; and
(iv) For options on swaps or classes of options on swaps, by underlying swap contracts for options on swap contracts or by underlying commodity for options on swaps on commodities, and by put, by call, by expiration date and by strike price.
(2) Each reporting market must record for the trading session and for the opening and closing periods of trading as determined by each reporting market:
(i) The opening and closing prices of each futures, option, swap or swaption;
(ii) The price that is used for settlement purposes, if different from the closing price; and
(iii) The lowest price of a sale or offer, whichever is lower, and the highest price of a sale or bid, whichever is higher, that the reporting market reasonably determines accurately reflects market conditions. Bids and offers vacated or withdrawn shall not be used in making this determination. A bid is vacated if followed by a higher bid or price and an offer is vacated if followed by a lower offer or price.
(3) If there are no transactions, bids, or offers during the opening or closing periods, the reporting market may record as appropriate:
(i) The first price (in lieu of opening price data) or the last price (in lieu of closing price data) occurring during the trading session, clearly indicating that such prices are the first and last prices; or
(ii) Nominal opening or nominal closing prices that the reporting market reasonably determines to accurately reflect market conditions, clearly indicating that such prices are nominal.
(4) Additional information. Each reporting market must record the following information with respect to transactions in commodity futures, commodity options, swaps or options on swaps on that reporting market:
(i) The method used by the reporting market in determining nominal prices and settlement prices; and
(ii) If discretion is used by the reporting market in determining the opening and/or closing ranges or the settlement prices, an explanation that certain discretion may be employed by the reporting market and a description of the manner in which that discretion may be employed. Discretionary authority must be noted explicitly in each case in which it is applied (for example, by use of an asterisk or footnote).
(c) Critical dates. Each reporting market must report to the Commission, for each futures contract, the first notice date and the last trading date, and for each option contract, the expiration date in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.
(d) Form, manner and time of filing reports. Unless otherwise approved by the Commission or its designee, reporting markets must submit to the Commission the information specified in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section as follows:
(1) Using the format, coding structure and electronic data transmission procedures approved in writing by the Commission or its designee; provided however, that the information must be made available to the Commission or its designee in hard copy upon request;
(2) When each such form of the data is first available, but not later than 7:00 a.m. on the business day following the day to which the information pertains for the delta factor and settlement price and not later than 12:00 p.m. for the remainder of the information. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is U.S. eastern standard time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and U.S. central time for information concerning all other markets; and
(3) For information on reports to the Commission for swap or options on swap contracts, refer to part 20 of this chapter.
(e) Publication of recorded information. (1) Reporting markets must make the information in paragraph (a) of this section readily available to the news media and the general public without charge, in a format that readily enables the consideration of such data, no later than the business day following the day to which the information pertains. The information in paragraphs (a)(2)(iv) through (vi) of this section shall be made readily available in a format that presents the information together.
(2) Reporting markets must make the information in paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section readily available to the news media and the general public, and the information in paragraph (b)(4)(ii) of this section readily available to the general public, in a format that readily enables the consideration of such data, no later than the business day following the day to which the information pertains. Information in paragraph (b)(4)(i) of this section must be made available in the registered entity’s rulebook, which is publicly accessible on its Web site.
§ 16.02 Daily trade and supporting data reports.
Reporting markets shall provide trade and supporting data reports to the Commission on a daily basis. Such reports shall include transaction-level trade data and related order information for each futures or options contract. Reports shall also include time and sales data, reference files and other information as the Commission or its designee may require. All reports must be submitted at the time, and in the manner and format, and with the specific content specified by the Commission or its designee. Upon request, such information shall be accompanied by data that identifies or facilitates the identification of each trader for each transaction or order included in a submitted trade and supporting data report if the reporting market maintains such data.
§§ 16.03-16.05 [Reserved]
§ 16.06 Errors or omissions.
Unless otherwise approved by the Commission or its designee, reporting markets shall file corrections to errors or omissions in data previously filed with the Commission pursuant to §§ 16.00 and 16.01 in the format and using the coding structure and electronic data submission procedures approved in writing by the Commission or its designee.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the authority set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology, with the concurrence of the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Directors each may designate from time to time. The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the authority set forth in paragraph (d) of this section to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by such Director or by such other employee or employees of such Director as may be designated from time to time by the Director. The Directors may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
(b) Pursuant to §§ 16.00(b) and 16.01(d), as applicable, the authority to, with the concurrence of the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or the Director’s delegate, determine whether reporting markets must submit data in hard copy, and the time that such data may be submitted where the Director determines that a reporting market is unable to meet the requirements set forth in the regulations.
(c) Pursuant to §§ 16.00(b)(1), 16.01(d)(1), and 16.06, the authority to, with the concurrence of the Director of the Division Market Oversight or the Director’s delegate, approve the format, coding structure and electronic data transmission procedures used by reporting markets.
(d) Pursuant to § 16.02, the authority to determine the specific content of any daily trade and supporting data report, request that such reports be accompanied by data that identifies or facilitates the identification of each trader for each transaction or order included in a submitted trade and supporting data report, and establish the time for the submission of and the manner and format of such reports.
PART 17—REPORTS BY REPORTING MARKETS, FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANTS, CLEARING MEMBERS, AND FOREIGN BROKERS
§ 17.00 Information to be furnished by futures commission merchants, clearing members and foreign brokers.
(a) Special accounts—reportable futures and options positions, delivery notices, and exchanges of futures. (1) Each futures commission merchant, clearing member and foreign broker shall submit a report to the Commission for each business day with respect to all special accounts carried by the futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker, except for accounts carried on the books of another futures commission merchant or clearing member on a fully-disclosed basis. Except as otherwise authorized by the Commission or its designee, such report shall be made in accordance with the format and coding provisions set forth in paragraph (g) of this section. The report shall show each futures position, separately for each reporting market and for each future, and each put and call options position separately for each reporting market, expiration and strike price en each special account as of the close of market on the day covered by the report and, in addition, the quantity of exchanges of futures for commodities or for derivatives positions and the number of delivery notices issued for each such account by the clearing organization of a reporting market and the number stopped by the account. The report shall also show all positions in all contract months and option expirations of that same commodity on the same reporting market for which the special account is reportable.
(2) A report covering the first day upon which a special account is no longer reportable shall also be filed showing the information specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(b) Interest in or control of several accounts. Except as otherwise instructed by the Commission or its designee and as specifically provided in § 150.4 of this chapter, if any person holds or has a financial interest in or controls more than one account, all such accounts shall be considered by the futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker as a single account for the purpose of determining special account status and for reporting purposes.
(1) Accounts of eligible entities—Accounts of eligible entities as defined in § 150.1 of this chapter that are traded by an independent account controller shall, together with other accounts traded by the independent account controller or in which the independent controller has a financial interest, be considered a single account.
(2) Accounts controlled by two or more persons—Accounts that are subject to day-to-day trading control by two or more persons shall, together with other accounts subject to control by exactly the same persons, be considered a single account.
(3) Account ownership. Multiple accounts owned by a trader shall be considered a single account as provided under §§ 150.4(b), (c) and (d) of this chapter.
(c) [Reserved]
(d) Net positions. Futures commission merchants, clearing members and foreign brokers shall report positions net long or short in each future of a commodity and each strike price of a put or call option for each expiration month in all special accounts, except as specified in paragraph (e) of this section.
(e) Gross positions. In the following cases, the futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker shall report gross long and short positions in each future of a commodity and each strike price of a put or call option for each expiration month in all special accounts:
(1) Positions which are reported to an exchange or the clearinghouse of an exchange on a gross basis, which the exchange uses for calculating total open interest in a commodity;
(2) Positions in accounts owned or held jointly with another person or persons;
(3) Positions in multiple accounts subject to trading control by the same trader; and
(4) Positions in omnibus accounts.
(f) Omnibus accounts. If the total open long positions or the total open short positions for any future of a commodity carried in an omnibus account is a reportable position, the omnibus account is in Special Account status and shall be reported by the futures commission merchant or foreign broker carrying the account in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.
(g) Media and file characteristics. (1) Except as otherwise approved by the Commission or its designee, all required records shall be submitted together in a single file. Each record will be 80 characters long. The specific record format is shown in the table below:
Record Layout
| Beginning column | Length | Type 1 | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | AN | Report Type. |
| 3 | 3 | AN | Reporting Firm. |
| 6 | 2 | Reserved. | |
| 8 | 12 | AN | Account Number. |
| 20 | 8 | AN | Report Date. |
| 28 | 2 | AN | Exchange Code. |
| 30 | 1 | AN | Put or Call. |
| 31 | 5 | AN | Commodity Code (1). |
| 36 | 8 | AN | Expiration Date (1). |
| 44 | 7 | S | Strike Price. |
| 51 | 1 | AN | Exercise Style. |
| 52 | 7 | N | Long—Buy—Stopped. |
| 59 | 7 | N | Short—Sell—Issued. |
| 66 | 5 | AN | Commodity Code (2). |
| 71 | 8 | AN | Expiration Date (2). |
| 79 | 2 | Reserved. | |
| 80 | 1 | AN | Record Type. |
1 AN—Alpha—numeric, N—Numeric, S—Signed numeric.
(2) Field definitions are as follows:
(i) Report type. This report format will be used to report three types of data: long and short futures and options positions, futures delivery notices issued and stopped, and exchanges of futures for a commodity or for a derivatives position bought and sold. Valid values for the report type are “RP” for reporting positions, “DN” for reporting notices, and “EP” for reporting exchanges of futures for a commodity or for a derivatives position.
(ii) Reporting firm. The clearing member number assigned by an exchange or clearing house to identify reporting firms. If a firm is not a clearing member, a three-character alpha-numeric identifier assigned by the Commission.
(iii) Account Number. A unique identifier assigned by the reporting firm to each special account. The field is zero filled with the account number right-justified. Assignment of the account number is subject to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section and appendix A of this part (Form 102).
(iv) Report date. The format is YYYYMMDD, where YYYY is the year, MM is the month, and DD is the day of the month.
(v) Exchange. This is a two-character field approved by the Commission to identify the exchange on which a position is held.
(vi) Put or Call. Valid values for this field are “C” for a call option and “P” for a put option. For futures, the field is blank.
(vii) Commodity (1). An exchange-assigned commodity code for the futures or options contract.
(viii) Expiration date (1). The date format is YYYYMMDD and represents the expiration date or delivery date of the reported futures or options contract. For date-specific instruments such as flexible products, the full date must be reported. For other options and futures, this field is used to report the expiration year and month for an options contract or a delivery year and month for a futures contract. The day portion of the field for these contracts contains spaces.
(ix) Strike price. This is a signed numeric field for reporting options strike prices. The strike prices should be right-justified and the field zero-filled. Strike prices must be reported in the same formats that are used by an exchange. For futures, the field is left blank.
(x) Exercise style. Valid values for this field are “A” for American style options, i.e., those that can be exercised at any time during the life of the options; and “E” for European, i.e., those that can be exercised only at the end of an option’s life. This field is required only for flexible instruments or as otherwise specified by the Commission.
(xi) Long-Buy-Stopped (Short-Sell-Issued). When report type is “RP”, report long (short) positions open at the end of a trading day. When report is “DN”, report delivery notices stopped (issued) on behalf of the account. When report type is “EP”, report purchases (sales) of futures for a commodity or for a derivatives position for the account. Report all information in contracts. Position data are reported on a net or gross basis in accordance with paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section.
(xii) Commodity (2). The exchange assigned commodity code for a futures contract or other instrument that a position is exercised into from a date-specific or flexible option.
(xiii) Expiration date (2). Similar to other dates, the format is YYYYMMDD and represents the expiration date or delivery month and year of the future or other instrument that a position is exercised into from a date-specific or flexible option.
(xiv) Record type (1). Record type is used to correct errors or delete records that have previously been submitted. Valid values are “A”, “C”, “D” or “blank”. An A or “blank” is used in this field for all new records. If the record corrects information for a previously provided record, this field must contain a “C” or “blank” and the record must contain all information on the previously transmitted record. If the record deletes information on a previously provided record, this field must contain a “D” and all information on the previously transmitted record.
(h) Correction of errors and omissions. Unless otherwise approved by the Commission or its designee, corrections to errors and omissions in data provided pursuant to § 17.00(a) shall be filed on series ‘01 forms or in the format, coding structure and data transmission procedures approved in writing by the Commission or its designee.
(i) Exclusively self-cleared contracts. Unless determined otherwise by the Commission, reporting markets that list exclusively self-cleared contracts shall meet the requirements of paragraphs (a) through (h) of this section, as they apply to trading in such contracts by all clearing members, on behalf of all clearing members.
§ 17.01 Identification of special accounts, volume threshold accounts, and omnibus accounts.
(a) Identification of special accounts. When a special account is reported for the first time, the futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker shall identify the special account to the Commission on Form 102, in accordance with the form instructions and as specified in § 17.02(b).
(b) Identification of volume threshold accounts. Each clearing member shall identify and report its volume threshold accounts to the Commission on Form 102, in accordance with the form instructions and as specified in § 17.02(c).
(c) Identification of omnibus accounts and sub-accounts. Each originator of an omnibus volume threshold account identified in Form 102 or an omnibus reportable sub-account identified in Form 71 shall, after a special call upon such originator by the Commission or its designee, file with the Commission an “Identification of Omnibus Accounts and Sub-Accounts” on Form 71, to be completed in accordance with the instructions thereto, at such time and place as directed in the call.
(d) Exclusively self-cleared contracts. Unless determined otherwise by the Commission, reporting markets that list exclusively self-cleared contracts shall meet the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, as they apply to trading in such contracts by all clearing members, on behalf of all clearing members.
(e) Special call provision. Upon a call by the Commission or its designee, the reports required to be filed by futures commission merchants, clearing members, foreign brokers, and reporting markets under paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section shall be submitted within 24 hours of the Commission or its designee’s request in accordance with the instructions accompanying the request.
§ 17.02 Form, manner and time of filing reports.
Unless otherwise instructed by the Commission or its designee, the reports required to be filed by reporting markets, futures commission merchants, clearing members, and foreign brokers under §§ 17.00 and 17.01 shall be filed as specified in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section.
(a) Section 17.00(a) reports. Reports filed under § 17.00(a) shall be submitted through electronic data transmission procedures approved in writing by the Commission or its designee not later than 9 a.m. on the business day following that to which the information pertains. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is eastern time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and central time for information concerning all other markets.
(b) Section 17.01(a) reports. For data submitted pursuant to § 17.01(a) on Form 102:
(1) Form of submission. Form 102 must be submitted to the Commission in the form and manner provided on www.cftc.gov.
(2) Time of submission. For each account that becomes reportable as a special account, the futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker, as appropriate, shall submit a Form 102 to the Commission, in accordance with the instructions thereto, and in the manner specified by the Commission or its designee. Such form shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions and schedule set forth in paragraphs (b)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section:
(i) The applicable reporting party shall submit a completed Form 102 to the Commission no later than 9 a.m. on the business day following the date on which the special account becomes reportable, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission or its designee, and as periodically required thereafter by paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this section. Such form shall include all required information, including the names of the owner(s) and controller(s) of each trading account that is not an omnibus account, and that comprises a special account reported on the form, provided that, with respect to such owners(s) and controller(s), information other than the names of such parties may be reported in accordance with the instructions and schedule set forth in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is Eastern Time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and Central Time for information concerning all other markets.
(ii) With respect to the owner(s) and controller(s) of each trading account that is not an omnibus account, and that comprises a special account reported on Form 102, information other than the names of such parties must be provided on Form 102 no later than 9 a.m. on the third business day following the date on which the special account becomes reportable, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission or its designee, and as periodically required thereafter by paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this section. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is Eastern Time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and Central Time for information concerning all other markets.
(3) Change updates. If any change causes the information filed by a futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker on a Form 102 for a special account to no longer be accurate, then such futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker shall file an updated Form 102 with the Commission in accordance with the instructions and schedule set forth in paragraphs (b)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission, provided that, a futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker may stop providing change updates for a Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for any special account upon notifying the Commission or its designee that the account in question is no longer reportable as a special account and has not been reportable as a special account for the past six months.
(4) Refresh updates. For Special Accounts—Starting on a date specified by the Commission or its designee and at the end of each annual increment thereafter (or such other date specified by the Commission or its designee that is equal to or greater than six months), each futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker shall resubmit every Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for each of its special accounts, provided that, a futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker may stop providing refresh updates for a Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for any special account upon notifying the Commission or its designee that the account in question is no longer reportable as a special account and has not been reportable as a special account for the past six months.
(c) Section 17.01(b) reports. For data submitted pursuant to § 17.01(b) on Form 102:
(1) Form of submission. Form 102 must be submitted to the Commission in the form and manner provided on www.cftc.gov.
(2) Time of submission. For each account that becomes reportable as a volume threshold account, the clearing member shall submit a Form 102 to the Commission, in accordance with the instructions thereto, and in the manner specified by the Commission or its designee. Such form shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions and schedule set forth in paragraphs (c)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section:
(i) The clearing member shall submit a completed Form 102 to the Commission no later than 9 a.m. on the business day following the date on which the volume threshold account becomes reportable, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission or its designee, and as periodically required thereafter by paragraphs (c)(3) and (4) of this section. Such form shall include all required information, including the names of the owner(s) and controller(s) of each volume threshold account reported on the form that is not an omnibus account, provided that, with respect to such owners(s) and controller(s), information other than the names of such parties may be reported in accordance with the instructions and schedule set forth in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is Eastern Time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and Central Time for information concerning all other markets.
(ii) With respect to the owner(s) and controller(s) of each volume threshold account reported on Form 102 that is not an omnibus account, information other than the names of such parties must be provided on Form 102 no later than 9 a.m. on the third business day following the date on which the volume threshold account becomes reportable, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission or its designee, and as periodically required thereafter by paragraphs (c)(3) and (4) of this section. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is Eastern Time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and Central Time for information concerning all other markets.
(3) Change updates. If any change causes the information filed by a clearing member on a Form 102 for a volume threshold account to no longer be accurate, then such clearing member shall file an updated Form 102 with the Commission in accordance with the instructions and schedule set forth in paragraphs (c)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission, provided that, a clearing member may stop providing Form 102 change updates for a volume threshold account upon notifying the Commission or its designee that the volume threshold account executed no trades in any product in the past six months on the reporting market at which the volume threshold account reached the reportable trading volume level.
(4) Refresh updates. For Volume Threshold Accounts—Starting on a date specified by the Commission or its designee and at the end of each annual increment thereafter (or such other date specified by the Commission or its designee that is equal to or greater than six months), each clearing member shall resubmit every Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for each of its volume threshold accounts, provided that, a clearing member may stop providing refresh updates for a Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for any volume threshold account upon notifying the Commission or its designee that the volume threshold account executed no trades in any product in the past six months on the reporting market at which the volume threshold account reached the reportable trading volume level.
The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the authority set forth in the paragraphs below to either the Director of the Office of Data and Technology or the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, as indicated below, to be exercised by such Director or by such other employee or employees of such Director as designated from time to time by such Director. The Director of the Office of Data and Technology or the Director of the Division of Market Oversight may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated to such Director in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
(a) Pursuant to § 17.00(a) and (h), the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology to determine whether futures commission merchants, clearing members and foreign brokers can report the information required under § 17.00(a) and (h) on series `01 forms or using some other format upon a determination that such person is unable to report the information using the format, coding structure or electronic data transmission procedures otherwise required.
(b) Pursuant to § 17.02, the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology to instruct or approve the time at which the information required under §§ 17.00 and 17.01(a) and (b) must be submitted by futures commission merchants, clearing members and foreign brokers provided that such persons are unable to meet the requirements set forth in § 17.02.
(c) Pursuant to § 17.01, the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology to determine whether to permit an authorized representative of a firm filing the Form 102 or person filing the Form 71 to use a means of authenticating the report other than by signing the Form 102 or Form 71 and, if so, to determine the alternative means of authentication that shall be used.
(d) Pursuant to § 17.00(a), the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology to approve a format and coding structure other than that set forth in § 17.00(g).
(e) Pursuant to § 17.01(c), the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Directors each may designate from time to time, to make special calls on Form 71 for omnibus volume threshold account originators and omnibus reportable sub-account originators information as set forth in § 17.01(c).
(f) Pursuant to § 17.01(e), the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Directors each may designate from time to time, to request information required to be filed by futures commission merchants, clearing members, foreign brokers, and reporting markets as set forth in § 17.01.
(g) Pursuant to § 17.02(b)(4), the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight to determine the date on which each futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker shall update or otherwise resubmit every Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for each of its special accounts.
(h) Pursuant to § 17.02(c)(4), the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight to determine the date on which each clearing member shall update or otherwise resubmit every Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for each of its volume threshold accounts.
(i) Pursuant to § 17.00(b), and as specifically provided in § 150.4 of this chapter, the authority shall be designated to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology to instruct a futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker to consider otherwise than as a single account for the purpose of determining special account status and for reporting purposes all accounts one person holds or controls, or in which the person has a financial interest.
§ 17.04 Reporting omnibus accounts to reporting firms.
(a) Any futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker who establishes an omnibus account with another futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker shall report to that futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker the total open long positions and the total open short positions in each future of a commodity and, for commodity options transactions, the total open long put options, the total open short put options, the total open long call options, and the total open short call options for each commodity options expiration date and each strike price in such account at the close of trading each day. The information required by this section shall be reported in sufficient time to enable the futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker with whom the omnibus account is established to comply with the regulations of this part and the reporting requirements established by the reporting markets.
(b) In determining open long and open short futures positions, and open purchased long and open granted short option positions, in an omnibus account for purposes of complying with §§ 17.00(f), 1.37(b) and 1.58 of this chapter, a futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker shall total the open long positions of all traders and the open short positions of all traders in each future of a commodity and, for commodity options transactions, shall total the open long put options, the open short put options, the open long call options, and the open short call options of all traders for each commodity option expiration date and each strike price. The futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker shall, if both open long and short positions in the same future or option are carried for the same trader, compute open long or open short positions as instructed in this paragraph.
(1) Include both the total open long and the total open short positions of the trader if:
(i) The positions represent transactions on a reporting market which requires long and short positions in the same future or option held in accounts for the same trader to be recorded and reported on a gross basis; or
(ii) The account is an omnibus account of another futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker; or
(2) Include only the net long or net short positions of the trader if the positions represent transactions on a reporting market which does not require long and short positions in the same future or option held in accounts for the same trader to be recorded and reported on a gross basis.
Appendix A to Part 17—Form 102
This Appendix is a representation of the final reporting form, which will be submitted in an electronic format pursuant to the rules in part 17, either via the Commission’s web portal or via XML-based, secure FTP transmission.
Appendix B to Part 17—Form 71
This Appendix is a representation of the final reporting form, which will be submitted in an electronic format pursuant to the rules in part 17, either via the Commission’s web portal or via XML-based, secure FTP transmission.
PART 18—REPORTS BY TRADERS
§ 18.00 Information to be furnished by traders.
Every trader who owns, holds or controls, or has held, owned or controlled, a reportable futures or options position in a commodity shall within one business day after a special call upon such trader by the Commission or its designee file reports to the Commission concerning transactions and positions in such futures or options. Reports shall be filed for the period of time that the trader held or controlled a reportable position and shall be prepared and submitted as instructed in the call. The report shall show for each day covered by the report the following information, as specified in the call, separately for each future or option and for each reporting market:
(a) Open contracts;
(b) Purchases and sales;
(c) Delivery notices issued and stopped;
(d) Purchases and sales of futures for commodities or for derivatives positions; and
(e) Options exercised.
§ 18.01 Interest in or control of several accounts.
If any trader holds, has a financial interest in or controls positions in more than one account, whether carried with the same or with different futures commission merchants or foreign brokers, all such positions and accounts shall be considered as a single account for the purpose of determining whether such trader has a reportable position and, unless instructed otherwise in the special call to report under § 18.00 for the purpose of reporting.
§ 18.02 [Reserved]
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the authority to make special calls on traders for information as set forth in §§ 18.00 and 18.05 to the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time.
(b) The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the authority to make special calls for information as set forth in § 18.04 to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology to be exercised by the Director, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Directors each may designate from time to time.
(c) The Directors of the Division of Enforcement and Office of Data and Technology may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this section.
(d) Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
§ 18.04 Statement of reporting trader.
(a) Every trader who owns, holds, or controls a reportable futures and option position shall after a special call upon such trader by the Commission or its designee file with the Commission a “Statement of Reporting Trader” on the Form 40, to be completed in accordance with the instructions thereto, at such time and place as directed in the call.
(b) Every volume threshold account controller, person who owns a volume threshold account, reportable sub-account controller, and person who owns a reportable sub-account shall after a special call upon such person by the Commission or its designee file with the Commission a “Statement of Reporting Trader” on the Form 40, to be completed in accordance with the instructions thereto, at such time and place as directed in the call.
§ 18.05 Maintenance of books and records.
(a) Every volume threshold account controller; person who owns a volume threshold account; reportable sub-account controller; person who owns a reportable sub-account; and trader who owns, holds, or controls a reportable futures or option position shall keep books and records showing all details concerning all positions and transactions in the commodity or swap:
(1) On all reporting markets;
(2) Executed over the counter or pursuant to part 35 of this chapter; and
(3) On foreign boards of trade.
(b) Every such volume threshold account controller; person who owns a volume threshold account; reportable sub-account controller; person who owns a reportable sub-account; and trader who owns, holds, or controls a reportable futures or option position shall also keep books and records showing all details concerning all positions and transactions in the cash commodity or swap, its products and byproducts, and all commercial activities that it hedges in the futures, option, or swap contract in which it is reportable.
(c) Every volume threshold account controller; person who owns a volume threshold account; reportable sub-account controller; person who owns a reportable sub-account; and trader who owns, holds, or controls a reportable futures or option position shall upon request furnish to the Commission any pertinent information concerning such positions, transactions, or activities in a form acceptable to the Commission.
§ 18.06 [Reserved]
Appendix A to Part 18—Form 40
This Appendix is a representation of the final reporting form, which will be submitted in an electronic format pursuant to the rules in part 18, either via the Commission’s web portal or via XML-based, secure FTP transmission.
Who Must File a Form 40—17 CFR 18.04(a) requires every person who owns or controls a reportable position to file a Form 40—Statement of Reporting Trader with the Commission. 17 CFR 18.04(b) requires every volume threshold account controller, person who owns a volume threshold account, reportable sub-account controller, and person who owns a reportable sub-account to file a Form 40—Statement of Reporting Trader with the Commission. 17 CFR 20.5 requires every person subject to books or records under 17 CFR 20.6 to file a 40S filing
When to file—A reporting trader must file a Form 40 on call by the Commission or its designee.
Where to file—The Form 40 should be submitted (a) via the CFTC’s web-based Form 40 submission process at www.cftc.gov, (b) via a secure FTP data feed to the Commission, or (c) as otherwise instructed by the Commission or its designee. If electronic submission attempts fail, the reporting trader shall contact the Commission at [email protected] for further technical support.
When to update—A reporting trader required to complete a Form 40 will be under a continuing obligation, per direction in the special call, to update and maintain the accuracy of the information it provides. Reporting traders can update this information by either visiting the CFTC’s web-based Form 40 portal to review, verify, and/or update their information, or by submitting updated information via FTP.
Signature—Each Form 40 submitted to the Commission must be signed or otherwise authenticated by either (1) the reporting trader submitting the form or (2) an individual that is duly authorized by the reporting trader to provide the information and representations contained in the form.
What to File—All reporting traders that are filing a Form 40 pursuant to either 17 CFR 18.04(a) (i.e. reportable position reporting traders) or 17 CFR 20.5 (i.e. swaps books and records reporting traders) must complete all questions. All reporting traders that are filing a Form 40 pursuant to 17 CFR 18.04(b) (i.e. volume threshold account controllers, persons who own a volume threshold account, reportable sub-account controllers, and persons who own a reportable sub-account reporting trader) must complete all questions unless they are natural persons. Reporting traders that are filing a Form 40 pursuant to 17 CFR 18.04(b) who are natural persons shall mark not applicable for questions 7 and 8.
Please be advised that pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b)(2)(i), you are not required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Before proceeding with your submission, please check this box to indicate that you have read the definitions for the following terms—as they are used in the Form 40:
Commodity (or commodities)—generally, all goods and articles (except onions and motion picture box office receipts, or any index, measure, value, or data related to such receipts), and all services, rights, and interests (except motion picture box office receipts, or any index, measure, value, or data related to such receipts) in which contracts for future delivery are presently or in the future dealt in (see 7 U.S.C. 1a(9)).
Commodity Index Trading (“CIT”)—means:
a. An investment strategy that consists of investing in an instrument (e.g., a commodity index fund, exchange-traded fund for commodities, or exchange-traded note for commodities) that enters into one or more derivative contracts to track the performance of a published index that is based on the price of one or more commodities, or commodities in combination with other securities; or
b. An investment strategy that consists of entering into one or more derivative contracts to track the performance of a published index that is based on the price of one or more commodities, or commodities in combination with other securities.
Control—as used in this Form, “control” means to actually direct, by power of attorney or otherwise, the trading of a special account or a consolidated account. A special account or a consolidated account may have more than one controller.
Derivatives—futures, options on futures, and swaps.
Omnibus volume threshold account—means any trading account that, on an omnibus basis, carries reportable trading volume on or subject to the rules of a reporting market that is a board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act or a swap execution facility registered under section 5h of the Act.
Parent—for purposes of Form 40, a person is a parent of a reporting trader if it has a direct or indirect controlling interest in the reporting trader; and a person has a controlling interest if such person has the ability to control the reporting trader through the ownership of voting equity, by contract, or otherwise.
Person—an individual, association, partnership, corporation, trust, or government agency and/or department.
Reportable sub-account—means any trading sub-account of an omnibus volume threshold account or omnibus reportable sub-account, which sub-account executes reportable trading volume.
Reportable sub-account controller—means a natural person who by power of attorney or otherwise actually directs the trading of a reportable sub-account. A reportable sub-account may have more than one controller.
Reportable trading volume—means contract trading volume that meets or exceeds the level specified in 17 CFR 15.04.
Reporting trader—a person who must file a Form 40, whether pursuant to 17 CFR 18.04(a), 17 CFR 18.04(b), or 17 CFR 20.05.
Subsidiary—for purposes of Form 40, a person is a subsidiary of a reporting trader if the reporting trader has a direct or indirect controlling interest in the person; and a reporting trader has a controlling interest if such reporting trader has the ability to control the person through the ownership of voting equity, by contract, or otherwise.
Volume threshold account—means any trading account that carries reportable trading volume on or subject to the rules of a reporting market that is a board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act or a swap execution facility registered under section 5h of the Act.
Volume threshold account controller—means a natural person who by power of attorney or otherwise actually directs the trading of a volume threshold account. A volume threshold account may have more than one controller.
For question 1, please provide the name, contact information and other requested information regarding the reporting trader. If the reporting trader is an individual, provide their full legal name and the name of the reporting trader’s employer.
1. Indicate whether the reporting trader is a legal entity or a natural person:
For questions 2, 3, and 4, provide the name and contact information as requested.
2. Individual to contact regarding the derivatives trading of the reporting trader (this individual should be able to answer specific questions about the reporting trader’s trading activity when contacted by Commission staff):
Check here if this individual has the same contact information as that of the reporting trader.
3. Individual to contact regarding the risk management operations of the reporting trader (this individual should be able to answer specific questions about the reporting trader’s risk management operations, including account margining, when contacted by Commission staff):
Check here if this individual has the same contact information as that of the reporting trader.
4. Individual responsible for the information on the Form 40 (this individual should be able to verify, clarify, and explain the answers submitted by a reporting trader on the Form 40):
Check here if this individual has the same contact information as that of the reporting trader.
For question 5, indicate whether the reporting trader has a customer omnibus account with a futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker (NOTE: For the purpose of this question, an omnibus account is an account that one futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker carries for another in which the transactions of multiple individual accounts are combined. The identities of the holders of the individual accounts are not generally known or disclosed to the carrying firm. In addition, the Commission has traditionally identified omnibus accounts as either house or customer omnibus accounts. House omnibus accounts exclusively contain the proprietary accounts of the omnibus account originator. Customer omnibus accounts contain the accounts of customers of the omnibus account originator. It is the obligation of the omnibus account originator to correctly identify the omnibus account type to the reporting entity):
5. Does the reporting trader have a customer omnibus account with a futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker? YES/NO
IF YES, Give the name(s) of the futures commission merchant, clearing member, or foreign broker carrying the account(s) of the reporting trader.
For question 6, please complete the following (NOTE: For the purpose of this question, affiliation can include, but is not limited to, a situation (1) where the foreign government directly or indirectly controls the reporting trader’s assets, operations, and/or derivatives trading, or (2) where the reporting trader operates as a direct or indirect subsidiary of a foreign government, its agencies or departments, or any investment program of the foreign government):
6. Is the reporting trader directly or indirectly affiliated with a government other than that of the United States? YES/NO
IF YES, give the name of the government(s).
IF YES, explain the nature of the affiliation between the reporting trader and the government(s) listed above.
For question 7, if the Reporting Trader is a legal entity, please complete the following.
7. Is the reporting trader organized under the laws of a country other than the United States? YES/NO
IF YES, give the name of the country or countries under whose laws the reporting trader is organized.
For questions 8 and 9, provide the requested ownership information only as applicable.
If the Reporting Trader is a commodity pool, also provide the requested information in questions 8i, 8ii, and 8iii. If the Reporting Trader is reporting commodity pools in which it has an ownership interest, also provide the requested information in questions 9i, 9ii, and 9iii.
8. List all the parents of the reporting trader (including the immediate parent and any parent(s) of its parent) and, separately, all persons that have a 10 percent or greater ownership interest in the reporting trader (commodity pool investors are deemed to have an ownership interest in the pool). For each such parent or 10 percent or greater owner include the following information:
Indicate whether the party identified below is a legal entity or a natural person:
8i. For each person identified in question 8 that is a limited partner, shareholder, or other similar type of pool participant, indicate if they are a principal or affiliate of the operator of the commodity pool.
8ii. For each person identified in question 8 that is a limited partner, shareholder, or other similar type of pool participant, indicate if they are also a commodity pool operator of the pool.
8iii. For each person identified in question 8 that is a limited partner, shareholder, or other similar type of pool participant and where the operator of the commodity pool is exempt from registration under § 4.13 of the Commission’s regulations, indicate if that person has an ownership or equity interest of 25 percent or greater in the commodity pool.
9. List all the subsidiaries of the reporting trader (including the immediate subsidiary and any subsidiaries of those subsidiaries) and, separately, all persons in which the reporting trader has a 10 percent or greater ownership interest (including a 10 percent or greater interest in a commodity pool(s)). Only list subsidiaries and persons that engage in derivatives trading. For each such subsidiary and/or person include the following information:
Indicate whether the party identified below is a legal entity or a natural person:
9i. For each person identified in question 9 that is a commodity pool and for which you are a limited partner, shareholder or other similar type of pool participant, indicate if you are a principal or affiliate of the operator of the commodity pool.
9ii. For each person identified in question 9 that is a commodity pool and for which you are a limited partner, shareholder or other similar type of pool participant, indicate if you are the commodity pool operator for the pool.
9iii. For each person identified in question 9 that is a commodity pool and for which you are a limited partner, shareholder or other similar type of pool participant and for which the operator of the commodity pool is exempt from registration under § 4.13 of the Commission’s regulations, indicate if you have an ownership or equity interest of 25 percent or greater in the commodity pool.
For questions 10, 11, 12, and 13 provide the requested control information only as applicable.
10. List all persons outside of the reporting trader that control some or all of the derivatives trading of the reporting trader (including persons that may have been previously identified as a parent, above):
Indicate whether the party identified below is a legal entity or a natural person:
11. List all persons for which the reporting trader controls some or all of the derivatives trading (including persons that may have been previously identified as a subsidiary, above):
Indicate whether the party identified below is a legal entity or a natural person:
12. List any other person(s) that directly or indirectly influence, or exercise authority over, some or all of the trading of the reporting trader, but who do not exercise “control” as defined in this Form: Indicate whether the party identified below is a legal entity or a natural person:
13. Is some or all of the derivatives trading of the reporting trader subject to an express or implied agreement or understanding with any other person(s) not addressed in questions 10, 11, or 12, above? YES/NO
If yes, provide the following information:
Indicate whether the party identified below is a legal entity or a natural person:
For question 14, please answer the following:
14i. Is the reporting trader engaged in commodity index trading as defined in paragraph (a) of the definition of CIT above? YES/NO
14ii. Is the reporting trader engaged in commodity index trading as defined in paragraph (b) of the definition of CIT above? YES/NO
a. If the reporting trader is engaged in CIT (as defined in paragraph (b)) with respect to one or more commodities or commodity groups appearing on Supplemental List II, indicate whether the reporting trader is, in the aggregate, pursuing long exposure or short exposure with respect to such commodities or commodity groups. It is not necessary to respond to this question with respect to CIT that tracks the performance of multiple unrelated commodities or commodity groups (e.g., an investment in an exchange-traded fund that tracks the performance of an index representing commodities spanning multiple commodity groups).
14iii. If the reporting trader is currently engaged in commodity index trading as defined in paragraphs (a) or (b) of the CIT definition above, indicate the month and year on which the reporting trader first became engaged in commodity index trading.
For questions 15 and 16, please indicate if the reporting trader meets the specified definition:
15. Is the reporting trader a Swap Dealer, as defined in § 1.3 of regulations under the Commodity Exchange Act? YES/NO
16. Is the reporting trader a Major Swap Participant, as defined in § 1.3 of regulations under the Commodity Exchange Act? YES/NO
For questions 17, 18, and 19 provide the requested information only as applicable.
17. Select all business sectors and subsectors that pertain to the business activities or occupation of the reporting trader. If more than one business subsector is selected, indicate which business subsector primarily describes the nature of the reporting trader’s business.
18. Select all commodity groups and individual commodities that the reporting trader presently trades or expects to trade in the near future in derivative markets.
19. For each selected individual commodity identified in question 18, indicate the business purpose(s) for which the reporting trader uses derivative markets. If the reporting trader has more than one business purpose for trading in an individual commodity, also indicate the predominant business purpose.
20. Please sign/authenticate the Form 40 prior to submitting.
Signature/Electronic Authentication:
Using derivative markets for commodities that are direct inputs or purchases for your business so as to offset price risk associated with your purchase of these inputs.
E.g. You are a grain processor, so you use wheat futures to offset the price risk incidental to your cash purchases of wheat.
Using derivative markets for commodities that are direct outputs or sales of your business so as to offset price risk associated with your sale of these outputs.
E.g. You are a gasoline refiner, so you use gasoline futures to offset price risk associated with your production of gasoline.
Using derivative markets for a commodity that is not a direct input or output of your business, but which has significant price correlations with the direct inputs or outputs of your business.
E.g. You manufacture ethanol which is used as an additive in and competitor for gasoline as a combustive fuel. While you neither directly consume nor produce gasoline, you may find that the price you receive for your ethanol product is highly correlated with the price of gasoline, and therefore you reduce ethanol price risk by using gasoline futures contracts.
Managing other price risks incidental to the operation of your business or physical assets through the use of commodity derivative markets.
E.g. You are a manufacturer with significant international sales, so you use foreign currency futures to offset risks associated with changes in the competitiveness of your exports and therefore the value of your physical assets such as production plants, land, machinery, etc.
Fulfilling customer/client desire for portfolio diversification or exposure to various asset classes through your activity as a Commodity Pool Operator, Commodity Trading Advisor, or other similar role.
E.g. You collect funds and execute trading strategies through the use of futures/options on futures markets at the expressed intent and for the sole benefit of clients.
Reducing risk stemming from holding or executing swaps contracts on behalf of clients or customers through the use of futures/options on futures markets.
E.g. You sell crude oil swaps to a client and agree to accept the risk inherent in the index price. You offset this risk through purchases of crude oil futures, in effect transferring price risk from the client to another market participant.
Engaging in derivatives transactions to assume risk and help transfer ownership of derivative positions from one market participant to another, realizing the bid-ask spread as the return.
E.g. You accept risk by buying and selling futures/options on futures contracts so that other traders can move into and out of positions when they wish. You then find other traders willing to take the other side of those transactions.
Using derivative markets as part of a strategy designed to realize risk-free profit from pricing anomalies.
E.g. You realize that the wheat futures contract is trading at a discount (even after considering storage, transport, etc.) relative to the wheat cash price, and therefore find it profitable to purchase the wheat futures contract, take delivery, and then resell the wheat in the cash market for a risk-free profit.
Using derivative markets as a way to express your belief in the future movement of market prices. This strategy does not involve offsetting risks incidental to your business, but instead involves directional trading.
E.g. You conduct research and believe that crude oil prices are due to rise, so you take long futures positions in crude oil to profit from your predictions.
Using derivatives to diversify, rebalance, or otherwise allocate financial assets so that risks to the value of the investment portfolio are reduced. This strategy is used by entities such as pension funds and endowments to manage overall risk to their financial portfolios.
E.g. You hold Treasury bonds as a component of your investment portfolio, and use futures contracts to reduce overall portfolio risk that would result from falling bond prices.
Reducing risk stemming from your proprietary holding or execution of swaps contracts through the use of futures/options on futures markets.
E.g. You trade interest rate swaps as part of your business or investment strategy, and offset some of the risk inherent in those swaps through your use of Eurodollar futures markets.
List and explain your business purpose if the above categories do not adequately describe the reason you trade in a particular commodity derivative market.
PART 19—REPORTS BY PERSONS HOLDING REPORTABLE POSITIONS IN EXCESS OF POSITION LIMITS, AND BY MERCHANTS AND DEALERS IN COTTON
§ 19.00 Who shall furnish information.
(a) Persons filing cotton-on-call reports. Merchants and dealers of cotton holding or controlling positions for future delivery in cotton that are reportable pursuant to § 15.00(p)(1)(i) of this chapter shall file CFTC Form 304.
(b) Persons responding to a special call. All persons: Exceeding speculative position limits under § 150.2 of this chapter; or holding or controlling positions for future delivery that are reportable pursuant to § 15.00(p)(1) of this chapter and who have received a special call from the Commission or its designee shall file any pertinent information as instructed in the special call. Filings in response to a special call shall be made within one business day of receipt of the special call unless otherwise specified in the call. Such filing shall be transmitted using the format, coding structure, and electronic data submission procedures approved in writing by the Commission.
§ 19.01 [Reserved]
§ 19.02 Reports pertaining to cotton on call purchases and sales.
(a) Information required. Persons required to file CFTC Form 304 reports under § 19.00(a) shall file CFTC Form 304 reports showing the quantity of call cotton bought or sold on which the price has not been fixed, together with the respective futures on which the purchase or sale is based. As used herein, call cotton refers to spot cotton bought or sold, or contracted for purchase or sale at a price to be fixed later based upon a specified future.
(b) Time and place of filing reports. Each CFTC Form 304 report shall be made weekly, dated as of the close of business on Friday, and filed not later than 9 a.m. Eastern Time on the third business day following that Friday using the format, coding structure, and electronic data transmission procedures approved in writing by the Commission.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, the authority in § 19.00(b) to issue special calls to the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time.
(b) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority in § 19.00(b) to provide instructions or to determine the format, coding structure, and electronic data transmission procedures for submitting data records and any other information required under this part.
(c) The Director of the Division of Enforcement may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this section.
(d) Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
§ § 19.04–19.10 [Reserved]
Appendix A to Part 19—Form 304
PART 20—LARGE TRADER REPORTING FOR PHYSICAL COMMODITY SWAPS
§ 20.1 Definitions.
As used in, and solely for the purposes of, this part:
Business day means “business day” as that term is defined in § 1.3 of this chapter.
Cleared product means a paired swap or swaption that a clearing organization offers or accepts for clearing.
Clearing member means any person who is a member of, or enjoys the privilege of, clearing trades in its own name through a clearing organization.
Clearing organization means the person or organization that acts as a medium between clearing members for the purpose of clearing swaps or swaptions or effecting settlements of swaps or swaptions.
Closed swap or closed swaption means a swap or swaption that has been settled, exercised, closed out or terminated.
Commodity reference price means the price series (including derivatives contract and cash market prices or price indices) used by the parties to a swap or swaption to determine payments made, exchanged, or accrued under the terms of the contracts.
Counterparty means, from the perspective of one side to a contract, the person that is the direct legal counterparty corresponding to the other side of the contract.
Clearing member customer means any person for whom a reporting entity clears a swap or swaption position.
Futures equivalent means an economically equivalent amount of one or more futures contracts that represents a position or transaction in one or more paired swaps or swaptions consistent with the conversion guidelines in appendix A of this part.
Open swap or swaption means a swap or swaption that has not been closed.
Paired swap or paired swaption means an open swap or swaption that is:
(1) Directly or indirectly linked, including being partially or fully settled on, or priced at a differential to, the price of any commodity futures contract listed in § 20.2; or
(2) Directly or indirectly linked, including being partially or fully settled on, or priced at a differential to, the price of the same commodity for delivery at the same location or locations.
Person means any “person” as that term is defined in § 1.3 of this chapter.
Reportable account or consolidated account that is reportable means a consolidated account that includes a reportable position.
Reportable position means:
(1)(i) A position, in any one futures equivalent month, comprised of 50 or more futures equivalent paired swaps or swaptions based on the same commodity underlying a futures contract listed in § 20.2, grouped separately by swaps and swaptions, then grouped by gross long contracts on a futures equivalent basis or gross short contracts on a futures equivalent basis;
(ii) For a consolidated account (described in § 20.4(a)) that includes a reportable position as defined in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition, all other positions in that account that are based on the commodity that renders the account reportable; and
(iii) The first reporting day on which a consolidated account (described in § 20.4(a)) no longer includes a reportable position as described in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition (because on such day, the reporting entity’s consolidated account shall continue to be considered and treated as if it in fact included reportable positions as described in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition); or
(2) At the discretion of a reporting entity, and as an alternative to paragraph (1) of this definition, so long as the same method is consistently applied to all consolidated accounts (as described in § 20.4(a)) of the reporting entity, all positions on a gross basis in a consolidated account that are based on the same commodity.
Reporting day means the period of time between a clearing organization or reporting entity’s usual and customary last internal valuation of paired swaps or swaptions and the next such period, so long as the period of time is consistently observed on a daily basis and the Commission is notified, upon its request, of the manner by which such period is calculated and any subsequent changes thereto.
Reporting entity means:
(1) A clearing member; or
(2) A swap dealer in one or more paired swaps or swaptions as that term is defined in section 1a of the Act and any Commission definitional regulations adopted thereunder.
Swap means:
(1) Until the effective date of any definitional rulemaking regarding “swap” by the Commission under section 1a of the Act, an agreement (including terms and conditions incorporated by reference therein) which is a commodity swap (including any option to enter into such swap) within the meaning of “swap agreement” under § 35.1(b)(1) of this chapter, or a master agreement for a commodity swap together with all supplements thereto; or
(2) “Swap” as defined in section 1a of the Act and any Commission definitional regulations adopted thereunder, upon the effective date of such regulations.
Swaption means an option to enter into a swap or a swap that is an option.
§ 20.2 Covered contracts.
The futures and option contracts listed by designated contract markets for the purpose of reports filed and information provided under this part are as follows:
Covered Agricultural and Exempt Futures Contracts
| Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”) Corn. |
| CBOT Ethanol. |
| CBOT Oats. |
| CBOT Rough Rice. |
| CBOT Soybean Meal. |
| CBOT Soybean Oil. |
| CBOT Soybeans. |
| CBOT Wheat. |
| Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”) Butter. |
| CME Cheese. |
| CME Dry Whey. |
| CME Feeder Cattle. |
| CME Hardwood Pulp. |
| CME Lean Hogs. |
| CME Live Cattle. |
| CME Milk Class III. |
| CME Non Fat Dry Milk. |
| CME Random Length Lumber. |
| CME Softwood Pulp. |
| COMEX (“CMX”) Copper Grade #1. |
| CMX Gold. |
| CMX Silver. |
| ICE Futures U.S. (“ICUS”) Cocoa. |
| ICUS Coffee C. |
| ICUS Cotton No. 2. |
| ICUS Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice. |
| ICUS Sugar No. 11. |
| ICUS Sugar No. 16. |
| Kansas City Board of Trade (“KCBT”) Wheat. |
| Minneapolis Grain Exchange (“MGEX”) Wheat. |
| NYSELiffe (“NYL”) Gold, 100 Troy Oz. |
| NYL Silver, 5000 Troy Oz. |
| New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) Cocoa. |
| NYMEX Brent Financial. |
| NYMEX Central Appalachian Coal. |
| NYMEX Coffee. |
| NYMEX Cotton. |
| NYMEX Crude Oil, Light Sweet. |
| NYMEX Gasoline Blendstock (RBOB). |
| NYMEX Hot Rolled Coil Steel. |
| NYMEX Natural Gas. |
| NYMEX No. 2 Heating Oil, New York Harbor. |
| NYMEX Palladium. |
| NYMEX Platinum. |
| NYMEX Sugar No. 11. |
| NYMEX Uranium. |
| Diversified Commodity Index (See § 20.11). |
§ 20.3 Clearing organizations.
(a) Reporting data records. For each reporting day, with respect to paired swaps or swaptions, clearing organizations shall report to the Commission, separately for each clearing member’s proprietary and clearing member customer account, unique groupings of the data elements in paragraph (b) of this section (to the extent that there are such corresponding elements), in a single data record, so that each reported record is distinguishable from every other reported record (because of differing data values, as opposed to the arrangement of the elements).
(b) Populating reported data records with data elements. Data records reported under paragraph (a) of this section shall include the following data elements:
(1) An identifier assigned by the Commission to the clearing organization;
(2) The identifier assigned by the clearing organization to the clearing member;
(3) The identifier assigned by the clearing organization for a cleared product;
(4) The reporting day;
(5) A proprietary or clearing member customer account indicator;
(6) The futures equivalent month;
(7) The commodity reference price;
(8) Gross long swap positions;
(9) Gross short swap positions;
(10) A swaption put or call side indicator;
(11) A swaption expiration date;
(12) A swaption strike price;
(13) Gross long non-delta-adjusted swaption positions; and
(14) Gross short non-delta-adjusted swaption positions.
(c) End of reporting day data. For all futures equivalent months, clearing organizations shall report end of reporting day settlement prices for each cleared product and deltas for every unique swaption put and call, expiration date, and strike price.
§ 20.4 Reporting entities.
(a) Consolidated accounts. Each reporting entity shall combine all paired swap and swaption positions:
(1) That are principal positions (swaps and swaptions to which the reporting entity is a direct legal counterparty), in a single consolidated account that it shall attribute to itself; and
(2) That are positions of the reporting entity’s counterparty in a single consolidated account that it shall attribute to that specific counterparty.
(b) Reporting data records. Reporting entities shall report to the Commission, for each reporting day, and separately for each reportable position in a consolidated account described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section, unique groupings of the data elements in paragraph (c) of this section (to the extent that there are such corresponding elements), in a single data record, so that each reported record is distinguishable from every other reported record (because of differing data values, as opposed to the arrangement of the elements).
(c) Populating reported data records with data elements. Data records reported under paragraph (b) of this section shall include the following data elements:
(1) An identifier assigned by the Commission to the reporting entity;
(2) An identifier indicating that a principal or counterparty position is being reported;
(3) A 102S identifier assigned by the reporting entity to its counterparty;
(4) The name of the counterparty whose position is being reported;
(5) The reporting day;
(6) If cleared, the identifier for the cleared product assigned by the clearing organization;
(7) The commodity underlying the reportable positions;
(8) The futures equivalent month;
(9) A cleared or uncleared indicator;
(10) A clearing organization identifier;
(11) The commodity reference price;
(12) An execution facility indicator;
(13) Long paired swap positions;
(14) Short paired swap positions;
(15) A swaption put or call side indicator;
(16) A swaption expiration date;
(17) A swaption strike price;
(18) Long non-delta-adjusted paired swaption positions;
(19) Short non-delta-adjusted paired swaption positions;
(20) Long delta-adjusted paired swaption positions (using economically reasonable and analytically supported deltas);
(21) Short delta-adjusted paired swaption positions (using economically reasonable and analytically supported deltas);
(22) Long paired swap or swaption notional value; and
(23) Short paired swap or swaption notional value.
§ 20.5 Series S filings.
(a) 102S filing. (1) When a counterparty consolidated account first becomes reportable, the reporting entity shall submit a 102S filing, in accordance with the form instructions and as specified in this section.
(2) A reporting entity may submit a 102S filing only once for each counterparty, even if such persons at various times have multiple reportable positions in the same or different paired swaps or swaptions.
(3) Reporting entities shall submit a 102S filing within three days following the first day a consolidated account first becomes reportable or at such time as instructed by the Commission upon special call.
(4) Change updates. If any change causes the information filed by a clearing member or swap dealer on a Form 102 for a consolidated account to no longer be accurate, then such clearing member or swap dealer shall file an updated Form 102 with the Commission no later than 9 a.m. on the business day after such change occurs, or on such other date as directed by special call of the Commission, provided that, a clearing member or swap dealer may stop providing change updates for a Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for any consolidated account upon notifying the Commission or its designee that the account in question is no longer reportable as a consolidated account and has not been reportable as a consolidated account for the past six months. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, the stated time is Eastern Time for information concerning markets located in that time zone, and Central Time for information concerning all other markets.
(5) Refresh updates. For Consolidated Accounts—Starting on a date specified by the Commission or its designee and at the end of each annual increment thereafter (or such other date specified by the Commission or its designee that is equal to or greater than six months), each clearing member or swap dealer shall resubmit every Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for each of its consolidated accounts, provided that, a clearing member or swap dealer may stop providing refresh updates for a Form 102 that it has submitted to the Commission for any consolidated account upon notifying the Commission or its designee that the account in question is no longer reportable as a consolidated account and has not been reportable as a consolidated account for the past six months.
(b) 40S filing. Every person subject to books or records requirement under § 20.6 shall after a special call upon such person by the Commission file with the Commission a 40S filing at such time and place as directed in the call. A 40S filing shall consist of the submission of a Form 40, which shall be completed by such person as if any references to futures or option contracts were references to paired swaps or swaptions as defined in § 20.1.
§ 20.6 Maintenance of books and records.
(a) Every clearing organization shall keep all records of transactions in paired swaps or swaptions, and methods used to convert paired swaps or swaptions into futures equivalents, in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31 of this chapter.
(b) Every reporting entity shall keep all records of transactions in paired swaps or swaptions, and methods used to convert paired swaps or swaptions into futures equivalents, in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31 of this chapter.
(c) Every person with equal to or greater than 50 gross all-months-combined futures equivalent positions in paired swaps or swaptions on the same commodity shall:
(1) Keep books and records showing all records for transactions resulting in such positions, which may be kept and reproduced for Commission inspection in the record retention format that such person has developed in the normal course of its business operations; and
(2) Keep books and records showing transactions in the cash commodity underlying such positions or its products and byproducts, and all commercial activities that are hedged or which have risks that are mitigated by such positions, which may be kept in accordance with the recordkeeping schedule and reproduced for Commission inspection in the record retention format that such person has developed in the normal course of its business operations.
(d) All books and records required to be kept by paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section shall be furnished upon request to the Commission along with any pertinent information concerning such positions, transactions, or activities.
§ 20.7 Form and manner of reporting and submitting information or filings.
Unless otherwise instructed by the Commission, a clearing organization or reporting entity shall submit data records and any other information required under this part to the Commission as follows:
(a) Using the format, coding structure, and electronic data transmission procedures approved in writing by the Commission;
(b) For clearing organizations, not later than 9:00 a.m. eastern time on the next business day following the reporting day or at such other time as instructed by the Commission; and
(c) For clearing members and swap dealers, not later than 12:00 p.m. eastern time on the second (T+2) business day following the reporting day or at such other time as instructed by the Commission.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority in § 20.6(d) for issuing a special call.
(b) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority in § 20.10 for determining the described compliance schedules.
(c) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Directors each may designate from time to time, the authority:
(1) In § 20.5(a)(3) for issuing a special call for a 102S filing; and
(2) In § 20.5(b) for issuing a special call for a 40S filing.
(d) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Office of Data and Technology, with the concurrence of the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Directors each may designate from time to time, the authority, in § 20.7, for providing instructions or determining the format, coding structure, and electronic data transmission procedures for submitting data records and any other information required under this part.
(e) The Directors of the Division of Enforcement, Division of Market Oversight, and the Office of Data and Technology may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this section.
(f) Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
§ 20.9 Sunset provision.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the sections of this part shall become ineffective and unenforceable upon a Commission finding that, through the issuance of an order, operating swap data repositories are processing positional data and that such processing will enable the Commission to effectively surveil trading in paired swaps and swaptions and paired swap and swaption markets.
(b) The Commission may determine, in its discretion, to maintain the effectiveness and enforceability of any section of this part, or any requirement therein, in an order issued under paragraph (a) of this section, upon finding that such sections, or requirements therein, provide the Commission with positional data or data elements that materially improves the accuracy and surveillance utility of the positional data processed by swap data repositories.
§ 20.10 Compliance schedule.
(a) Clearinghouses, clearing members and persons with books and records obligations shall comply with the requirements of this part upon the effective date of this part.
(b) Swap dealers that are not clearing members shall comply with the requirements of this part upon the effective date of final regulations further defining the term swap dealer.
(c) The Commission may permit, for a period not to exceed six calendar months following the effective date specified in paragraph (a) of this section, the submission of reports pursuant to §§ 20.3 and 20.4 that differ in content, or are submitted in a form and manner which is other than prescribed by the provisions of this part, provided that the submitter is making a good faith attempt to comply with all of the provisions of this part.
(d) Unless determined otherwise by the Commission, paired swap and swaption position and market reports submitted under parts 15 through 19, or 21 of this chapter, or any order of the Commission, shall continue to be submitted under those parts or orders until swap dealers are required to comply with § 20.4.
(e) The Commission may extend the compliance date established in paragraph (b) of this section by an additional six calendar months based on resource limitations or lack of experience in reporting transactions to the Commission for a swap dealer that is not an affiliate of a bank holding company and:
(1) Is not registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant and is not an affiliate of a futures commission merchant;
(2) Is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker or dealer and is not an affiliate of a broker or dealer; and
(3) Is not supervised by any Federal prudential regulator.
§ 20.11 Diversified commodity indices.
For the purpose of reporting in futures equivalents, paired swaps and swaptions using commodity reference prices that are commonly known diversified indices with publicly available weightings may be reported as if such indices underlie a single futures contract with monthly expirations for each calendar month and year.
Appendix A to Part 20—Guidelines on Futures Equivalency
The following examples illustrate how swaps should be converted into futures equivalents. In general the total notional quantity for each swap should be apportioned to referent futures months based on the fraction of days remaining in the life of the swap during each referent futures month to the total duration of the swap, measured in days. The terms used in the examples are to be understood in a manner that is consistent with industry practice.
Example 1—Fixed for Floating WTI Crude Oil Swap Linked to a DCM Contract
| Reference Price | Daily official next to expire contract price for the NYMEX Light Sweet Crude Oil Futures Contract (“WTI”) in $/bbl through the NYMEX spot month. |
| Fixed Price | $80.00 per barrel. |
| Floating Price | The arithmetic average of the reference price during the pricing period. |
| Notional Quantity | 100,000 bbls/month. |
| Calculation Period | One month. |
| Fixed Price Payer | Company A. |
| Floating Price Payer | Company B. |
| Settlement Type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | Six full months from January 1 to June 30. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity. |
NYMEX WTI trading in the next to expire futures contract ceases on the third business day prior to the 25th of the calendar month preceding the contract month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in each WTI futures contract is shown as the 22nd of the month.
Futures Equivalent Position of Swap on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Referent futures month | Fraction of days | Company A position (long) | Company B position (short) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1—January 22 | February | 22/181 | 73 | −73 |
| January 23—February 22 | March | 31/181 | 103 | −103 |
| February 23—March 22 | April | 28/181 | 93 | −93 |
| March 23—April 22 | May | 31/181 | 103 | −103 |
| April 23—May 22 | June | 30/181 | 99 | −99 |
| May 23—June 22 | July | 31/181 | 103 | −103 |
| June 23—June 30th | August | 8/181 | 27 | −27 |
| Total | 181/181 | 601 | −601 |
Futures Equivalent Position of Swap on January 2 (Example 1 Continued)
| Dates swap in force | Referent futures month | Fraction of days | Company A position (long) | Company B position (short) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2—January 22 | February | 21/180 | 70 | −70 |
| January 23—February 22 | March | 31/180 | 103 | −103 |
| February 23—March 22 | April | 28/180 | 93 | −93 |
| March 23—April 22 | May | 31/180 | 103 | −103 |
| April 23—May 22 | June | 30/180 | 99 | −99 |
| May 23—June 22 | July | 31/180 | 103 | −103 |
| June 23—June 30th | August | 8/180 | 27 | −27 |
| Total | 180/180 | 597 | −597 |
Example 2—Fixed for Floating Corn Swap
| Reference Price | Daily official next to expire contract price for the CBOT Corn Futures Contract in $/bushel through the CBOT spot month. |
| Fixed Price | $5.00 per bushel per month. |
| Floating Price | The arithmetic average of the reference price during the pricing period. |
| Calculation Period | One month. |
| Notional Quantity | 1,000,000 bushels/month. |
| Fixed Price Payer | Company A. |
| Floating Price Payer | Company B. |
| Settlement Type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | Six full months from January 1 to June 30. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity. |
Last trading day in the nearby CBOT Corn futures contract is the business day preceding the 15th of the contract month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in each Corn futures contract is shown as the 14th of the month. Futures contract months for corn are March, May, July, September, and December.
Futures Equivalent Position of Swap on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Referent futures month | Fraction of days | Company A position (long) | Company B position (short) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1-March 14 | March | 73/181 | 483 | −483 |
| March 15-May 14 | May | 61/181 | 404 | −404 |
| May 15-June 30 | July | 47/181 | 311 | −311 |
| Total | 181/181 | 1,198 | −1,198 |
Example 3—Fixed for Floating NY RBOB (Platts) Calendar Swap Futures
| Reference Price | Platts Oilgram next to expire contract Price Report for New York RBOB (Barge) through the NYMEX spot month. |
| Fixed Price | $1.8894 per gallon. |
| Floating Price | For each contract month, the floating price is equal to the arithmetic average of the high and low quotations from Platts Oilgram Price Report for New York RBOB (Barge) for each business day that it is determined during the contract month. |
| Calculation Period | One quarter. |
| Notional Quantity | 84 million gallons/quarter. |
| Fixed Price Payer | Company A. |
| Floating Price Payer | Company B. |
| Settlement Type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | Six full months from January 1 to June 30. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity. |
NYMEX NY RBOB (Platts) Calendar Swap Futures Contract month ends on the final business day of the contract month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in each futures contract is shown as the final day of the month.
Futures Equivalent Position of Swap on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Referent futures month | Fraction of days | Company A position (long) | Company B position (short) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1-March 31 | April | 90/181 | 1989 | −1989 |
| April 1-June 30 | July | 91/181 | 2011 | −2011 |
| Total | 181/181 | 4000 | −4000 |
Example 4—Calendar Spread Swap
| Reference Price | The difference between the next to expire contract price for the NYMEX WTI Futures contract and the deferred contract price for the NYMEX WTI Futures contract. |
| Fixed Price | $80 per barrel. |
| Floating Price | The arithmetic average of the reference price during the pricing period. |
| Calculation Period | One month. |
| Notional Quantity | 100,000 bbls/month. |
| Fixed Price Payer | Company A. |
| Floating Price Payer | Company B. |
| Settlement Type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | Six full months from January 1 to June 30. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity. |
NYMEX WTI trading in the next to expire futures contract ceases on the third business day prior to the 25th of the calendar month preceding the contract month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in each WTI futures contract is shown as the 22nd of the month.
Futures Equivalent Position of Swap on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Fraction of days | Applicable next to expire futures month | Company A position (long) | Company B position (short) | Applicable deferred futures month | Company A position (short) | Company B position (long) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1—January 22 | 22/181 | February | 73 | −73 | March | −73 | 73 |
| January 23—February 22 | 31/181 | March | 103 | −103 | April | −103 | 103 |
| February 23—March 22 | 28/181 | April | 93 | −93 | May | −93 | 93 |
| March 23—April 22 | 31/181 | May | 103 | −103 | June | −103 | 103 |
| April 23—May 22 | 30/181 | June | 99 | −99 | July | −99 | 99 |
| May 23—June 22 | 31/181 | July | 103 | −103 | August | −103 | 103 |
| June 23—June 30th | 8/181 | August | 27 | −27 | September | −27 | 27 |
| Total | 181/181 | 601 | −601 | −601 | 601 |
Example 5—Columbia Gulf, Mainline Midpoint (“Midpoint’) Basis Swap
| Reference Price | The Platts Gas Daily Columbia Gulf, Mainline Midpoint (“Midpoint”) and the next to expire NYMEX (Henry Hub) Natural Gas Futures contract. |
| Fixed Price | $0.05 per MMBtu. |
| Floating Price | The Floating Price will be equal to the arithmetic average of the daily value of the Platts Gas Daily Columbia Gulf, Mainline Midpoint (“Midpoint”) minus the NYMEX (Henry Hub) Natural Gas Futures contract daily settlement price. |
| Calculation Period | Monthly. |
| Notional Quantity | 10,000 MMBtu/calendar day. |
| Fixed Price Payer | Company A. |
| Floating Price Payer | Company B. |
| Settlement type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | One month from January 1 to January 31. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity * calendar days in the month. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity * calendar days in the month. |
NYMEX Henry Hub Natural Gas Futures Contract trading ceases three business days prior to the first day of the delivery month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in the futures contract is shown as the 28th of the month.
Futures Equivalent Position of Swap on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Fraction of days | Referent futures month | Company A position in Columbia Gulf, Mainline Midpoint (“Midpoint”) natural gas (long) MMBtu | Company A Position in NYMEX (Henry Hub) natural gas futures (short) | Company B position in Columbia Gulf, Mainline Midpoint (“Midpoint”) natural gas (short) MMBtu | Company B position in NYMEX (Henry Hub) natural gas futures (long) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1—January 28 | 28/31 | February | −28 | 28 | ||
| January 29—January 31 | 3/31 | March | −3 | 3 | ||
| Total | 31/31 | −31 | 31 |
Example 6—WTI Swaption (Call)
| Swaption Style | American. |
| Option Type | Call. |
| Swaption Start Date | Jan 1 of the current year. |
| Swaption End Date | June 30 of the current year. |
| Strike Price | $80.50/bbl. |
| Notional Quantity | 100,000 bbl/month. |
| Calculation Period | One month. |
| Reference Price | Daily official next to expire contract price for WTI NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Contract in $/bbl through the NYMEX spot month. |
| Fixed Price | $80.00 per barrel per month. |
| Floating Price | The arithmetic average of the reference price during the pricing period. |
| Settlement Type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | One month from July 1 to July 31 of the current year. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity. |
NYMEX WTI trading ceases on the third business day prior to the 25th of the calendar month preceding the delivery month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in each WTI futures contract is shown as the 22nd of the month.
Gross Position on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Referent futures month | Fraction of days | Company A position (long) | Company B position (short) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 -July 22 | August | 22/31 | 70 | −70 |
| July 23—July 31 | September | 9/31 | 29 | −29 |
| Total | 31/31 | 99 | −99 |
Delta
| Date | August | September | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta | Position | Delta | Position | |
| January 1 | .2 | 14 | .2 | 5 |
Example 7—WTI Collar Swap
| Swaption Style | American. |
| Swaption Start Date | Jan 1 of the current year. |
| Swaption End Date | June 30 of the current year. |
| Call strike Price | $70.00 per bbl. |
| Put strike price | $90.00 per bbl. |
| Notional Quantity | 100,000 barrels per month. |
| Calculation Period | One month. |
| Reference Price | Daily official next to expire contract price for WTI NYMEX Crude Oil in $/bbl through the NYMEX spot month. |
| Fixed Price | $80.00 per barrel. |
| Floating Price | The arithmetic average of the reference price during the pricing period. |
| Settlement Type | Financial. |
| Swap Term | One month from July 1 to July 31 of the current year. |
| Floating Amount | Floating Price * Notional Quantity. |
| Fixed Amount | Fixed Price * Notional Quantity. |
NYMEX WTI trading ceases on the third business day prior to the 25th of the calendar month preceding the delivery month. For simplicity in this example, the last trading day in each WTI futures contract is shown as the 22nd of the month.
Gross Position on January 1
| Dates swap in force | Referent futures month | Fraction of days | Company A position | Company B position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call | Put | Call | Put | |||
| July 1-July 22 | August | 22/31 | 70.97 | 70.97 | −70.97 | −70.97 |
| July 23-July 31 | September | 9/31 | 29.03 | 29.03 | −29.03 | −29.03 |
| Total | 31/31 | 100 | 100 | −100 | −100 | |
Company (A) Delta
| Date | August | September | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long call | Short put | Long call | Short put | |||||
| Delta | Position | Delta | Position | Delta | Delta | Position | ||
| January 1 | .7 | 49 | .3 | −21 | .7 | 20 | .3 | −8 |
Futures Equivalent Position on January 1
| Date | August | September | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long | Short | Long | Short | |
| January 1 | 70 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
Appendix B to Part 20—Explanatory Guidance on Data Record Layouts
The following example (in Tables 1, 2 and 3) covers reporting for a particular clearing organization. “Clearing Organization One” would report, for the 27th of September 2010, the following eleven unique data record submissions. Each data record submission represents a unique position, as indicated by § 20.3, held by a clearing member of Clearing Organization One. Paragraph (a) of § 20.3 broadly outlines the data elements that determine unique positions for reports on clearing member positions. Paragraphs (b) of § 20.3 present all of the data elements that should be submitted in reference to a particular data record for a particular clearing member (in Table 1). Paragraph (c) identifies data elements that would comprise end of day record data on cleared products (in Tables 2 and 3). Therefore, paragraphs (b) and (c) of § 20.3 present all of the data elements that should be submitted in reference to a particular data record.
Because CFTC designated Clearing Organization One (in this example) currently has two clearing members, “Clearing Member One” and “Clearing Member Two,” positions cleared for these two distinct clearing members would be subdivided.
In the following example it is assumed that the clearing member accounts are either proprietary or customer (but not both) and therefore data record submissions do not have to be delineated by these account types. However, if clearing members did have both proprietary and customer accounts, then a clearing organization would have to further subdivide these clearing member data records by these two account types.
Clearing Member One currently has five positions with multiple cleared product IDs and futures equivalent months/years, and therefore these positions also constitute separate data records.
Clearing Member Two currently has six positions with the following varying characteristics: Cleared product IDs; futures equivalent months/years; commodity reference prices; swaption positions that involve both puts and calls; and multiple strike prices. Accordingly, these positions must be reported in separate data records. An illustration of how these records would appear is included in Table 1 below. Clearing Organization One would also have to report the corresponding swaption position deltas, strike prices, expiration dates, and settlement prices and swap settlement prices. An illustration of these submissions is included in Tables 2 and 3 below.
Table 1—Data Records Reported Under Paragraphs (
| Data records | CFTC clearing org ID | Clearing org clearing member ID | Clearing org cleared product ID | Reporting day | Proprietary/ customer account indicator | Futures equivalent month and year | Commodity reference price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__2 | CP__04 | 9/27/2010 | C | Nov-10 | NYMEX NY Harbor No.2. |
| Data record 2 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__2 | CP__04 | 9/27/2010 | C | Oct-10 | NYMEX NY Harbor No.2. |
| Data record 3 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__2 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | C | Nov-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub. |
| Data record 4 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__2 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | C | Oct-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub. |
| Data record 5 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__2 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | C | Nov-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub. |
| Data record 6 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__2 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | C | Oct-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub. |
| Data record 7 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__1 | CP__03 | 9/27/2010 | P | Mar-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet. |
| Data record 8 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__1 | CP__03 | 9/27/2010 | P | Feb-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet. |
| Data record 9 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__1 | CP__01 | 9/27/2010 | P | Mar-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet. |
| Data record 10 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__1 | CP__01 | 9/27/2010 | P | Feb-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet. |
| Data record 11 | CCO__ID__1 | CM__ID__1 | CP__01 | 9/27/2010 | P | Jan-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet. |
| NDR | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No. |
| Data records | Long swap position | Short swap position | Put/call indicator | Swaption expiration date | Swaption strike price | Non-delta adjusted long swaption position | Non-delta adjusted short swaption position |
| Data record 1 | 0 | 5000 | |||||
| Data record 2 | 0 | 2000 | |||||
| Data record 3 | C | 7/29/2011 | 5.59 | 2000 | 0 | ||
| Data record 4 | C | 7/29/2011 | 5.59 | 18000 | 0 | ||
| Data record 5 | P | 7/29/2011 | 5.50 | 100 | 30 | ||
| Data record 6 | P | 7/29/2011 | 5.50 | 900 | 270 | ||
| Data record 7 | 5000 | 0 | |||||
| Data record 8 | 5000 | 0 | |||||
| Data record 9 | 429 | 1286 | |||||
| Data record 10 | 2281 | 6843 | |||||
| Data record 11 | 1290 | 3871 | |||||
| NDR | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No. |
The bottom row of Table 1 indicates whether data elements for which any difference in one of the elements constitutes a reason for a new data record (NDR).
Table 2—Example of Data Records Required Under § 20.3(
| Data records | CFTC clearing org ID | Clearing org cleared product ID | Reporting day | Futures equivalent month and year | Commodity reference price | Swaption expiration date | Swaption strike price | Put/call indicator | Delta | Swaption daily settlement price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | Nov-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub | 7/29/2011 | 5.59 | C | .5 | 6.25 |
| Data record 2 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | Oct-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub | 7/29/2011 | 5.59 | C | .5 | 5.50 |
| Data record 3 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | Nov-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub | 7/29/2011 | 5.50 | P | .2 | 4.53 |
| Data record 4 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__02 | 9/27/2010 | Oct-10 | NYMEX Henry Hub | 7/29/2011 | 5.50 | P | .2 | 4.78 |
Table 3—Example of Data Records Required Under § 20.3(
| Data records | CFTC clearing org ID | Clearing org cleared product ID | Reporting day | Futures equivalent month and year | Commodity reference price | Swap daily settlement price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__04 | 9/27/2010 | Nov-10 | NYMEX NY Harbor No. 2 | 20.35 |
| Data record 2 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__04 | 9/27/2010 | Oct-10 | NYMEX NY Harbor No. 2 | 10.50 |
| Data record 3 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__03 | 9/27/2010 | Mar-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet | 15.00 |
| Data record 4 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__03 | 9/27/2010 | Feb-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet | 21.00 |
| Data record 5 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__01 | 9/27/2010 | Mar-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet | 17.50 |
| Data record 6 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__01 | 9/27/2010 | Feb-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet | 21.65 |
| Data record 7 | CCO__ID__1 | CP__01 | 9/27/2010 | Jan-11 | NYMEX Light Sweet | 12.50 |
This first example shows the data records generated under § 20.4 by a single reporting firm for report date September 27, 2011. Each data record represents a unique part of a reportable position in heating oil and natural gas by the reporting entity and its counterparties. Paragraph (b) of § 20.4 outlines the data elements that determine unique positions.
In this example, the reporting entity clears with one clearing organization and therefore the data records do not have to be delineated by clearing organization (there is a reportable position stemming from an uncleared transaction included as well). However, if the reporting entity in this example used multiple clearing organizations, then it would have to further subdivide its data submissions by each clearing organization.
The reporting entity reports fifteen records; six principal positions and nine counterparty positions. The reported positions constitute separate data records because they vary by the following characteristics: swap counterparties; futures equivalent months/years; clearing organization cleared products; swaptions that were either cleared or uncleared; commodity reference prices; and whether the trade was entered into on or off execution facilities. An illustration of how these records would be reported is included in Table 4 below.
For the calculation of notional values, assume for simplicity that the price of heating oil, for all contract months and for both reference prices, is $3/gal. Similarly, assume that the price of natural gas for all contract months is $4.25/MMBtu.
The bottom two rows in Table 4 indicate whether, for uncleared and cleared swaps and swaptions, data elements for which any difference in one of the elements constitutes a reason for a new data record (NDR).
Table 4—Example of Data Records Reported Under § 20.4(
| Data records | Commission reporting entity ID | Principal/counterparty position indicator | 102S Swap counterparty ID | Counterparty name | Reporting day | Clearing org cleared product ID | Commodity code | Futures equivalent month and year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | CRE__ID__1 | PRIN | 9/27/2011 | CPID__05 | HO | Jan-12 | ||
| Data record 2 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy Firm 1 | 9/27/2011 | CPID__05 | HO | Jan-12 |
| Data record 3 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__02 | Energy Firm 2 | 9/27/2011 | CPID__05 | HO | Jan-12 |
| Data record 4 | CRE__ID__1 | PRIN | 9/27/2011 | CPID__04 | HO | Feb-12 | ||
| Data record 5 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__03 | Energy Firm 3 | 9/27/2011 | CPID__04 | HO | Feb-12 |
| Data record 6 | CRE__ID__1 | PRIN | 9/27/2011 | CPID__04 | HO | Mar-12 | ||
| Data record 7 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__04 | ABC__Firm | 9/27/2011 | CPID__04 | HO | Mar-12 |
| Data record 8 | CRE__ID__1 | PRIN | 9/27/2011 | CDIP__07 | NG | Mar-12 | ||
| Data record 9 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__05 | XYZ__Firm | 9/27/2011 | CDIP__07 | NG | Mar-12 |
| Data record 10 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__06 | WVU__Firm | 9/27/2011 | CDIP__07 | NG | Mar-12 |
| Data record 11 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm__1 | 9/27/2011 | CDIP__07 | NG | Mar-12 |
| Data record 12 | CRE__ID__1 | PRIN | 9/27/2011 | CDIP__07 | NG | Mar-12 | ||
| Data record 13 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__07 | MNO__Firm | 9/27/2011 | CDIP__07 | NG | Mar-12 |
| Data record 14 | CRE__ID__1 | PRIN | 9/27/2011 | UNCL | NG | Jan-12 | ||
| Data record 15 | CRE__ID__1 | COUNT | CP__02 | Energy Firm 2 | 9/27/2011 | UNCL | NG | Jan-12 |
| NDR Uncleared | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | N/A | No | Yes |
| NDR Cleared | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Data records | Cleared/uncleared indicator | CFTC clearing org identifier | Commodity reference price | Execution facility | Long swap position | Short swap position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | C | CCO__ID__1 | Platts Oilgram Price Report for New York No. 2 (Barge) | EX1 | 200 | |
| Data record 2 | C | CCO__ID__1 | Platts Oilgram Price Report for New York No. 2 (Barge) | EX1 | 50 | |
| Data record 3 | C | CCO__ID__1 | Platts Oilgram Price Report for New York No. 2 (Barge) | EX1 | 150 | |
| Data record 4 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX NY Harbor No.2 | EX2 | 350 | |
| Data record 5 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX NY Harbor No.2 | EX2 | 350 | |
| Data record 6 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX NY Harbor No.2 | EX1 | 100 | |
| Data record 7 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX NY Harbor No.2 | EX1 | 100 | |
| Data record 8 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Henry Hub | EX3 | 200 | 100 |
| Data record 9 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Henry Hub | EX3 | 125 | |
| Data record 10 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Henry Hub | EX3 | 75 | |
| Data record 11 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Henry Hub | EX3 | 100 | |
| Data record 12 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Henry Hub | EX1 | ||
| Data record 13 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Henry Hub | EX1 | ||
| Data record 14 | U | U | NYMEX Henry Hub | NOEX | ||
| Data record 15 | U | U | NYMEX Henry Hub | NOEX | ||
| NDR Uncleared | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| NDR Cleared | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Data records | Put/call indicator | Swaption expiration date | Swaption strike price | Non-delta adjusted long swaption position | Non-delta adjusted short swaption position | Delta adjusted long swaption position | Delta adjusted short swaption position | Long swap or swaption notional value position | Short swap or swaption notional value position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | $25,200,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 2 | $6,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 3 | $18,900,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 4 | $44,100,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 5 | $44,100,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 6 | $12,600,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 7 | $12,600,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 8 | $8,500,000 | $4,250,000 | |||||||
| Data record 9 | $5,312,500 | ||||||||
| Data record 10 | $3,187,500 | ||||||||
| Data record 11 | $4,250,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 12 | C | 2/27/2012 | 4.00 | 100 | 80 | $3,400,000 | |||
| Data record 13 | C | 2/27/2012 | 4.00 | 100 | 80 | $3,400,000 | |||
| Data record 14 | C | 12/27/2011 | 4.25 | 100 | 95 | $4,037,500 | |||
| Data record 15 | C | 12/27/2011 | 4.25 | 100 | 95 | $4,037,500 | |||
| NDR Uncleared | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| NDR Cleared | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
In this second example, the data records generated by § 20.4(c) are displayed for a hypothetical swap, as detailed in Example 1 of appendix A. In contrast to the above example, this second example of a § 20.4(c) data record is simplistic in that it displays a situation where the position records arise from a single swap transaction, in one commodity, with a single counterparty.
For the sake of this example, assume the swap dealer gained long exposure from the swap, and that the swap was cleared. The price of crude is assumed to be $100/bbl for all contract months on January 1 and $95/bbl for all contract months on January 2. An illustration of the data records generated for January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2011 as a result of this hypothetical swap can be found in Tables 5 and 6, respectively.
Table 5—Example of Data Records Reported Under § 20.4(
| Data records | Commission reporting entity ID | Principal/counterparty position indicator | 102S swap counterparty ID | Counterparty Name | Reporting day | Clearing org cleared product ID | Commodity code | Futures equivalent month and year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Feb-11 | ||
| Data record 2 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Mar-11 | ||
| Data record 3 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Apr-11 | ||
| Data record 4 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | May-11 | ||
| Data record 5 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jun-11 | ||
| Data record 6 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jul-11 | ||
| Data record 7 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Aug-11 | ||
| Data record 8 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Feb-11 |
| Data record 9 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Mar-11 |
| Data record 10 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Apr-11 |
| Data record 11 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | May-11 |
| Data record 12 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jun-11 |
| Data record 13 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jul-11 |
| Data record 14 | SD__1 | COUNT | CP__01 | Energy__Firm____1 | 1/1/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Aug-11 |
| Data records | Cleared/uncleared indicator | CFTC clearing org identifier | Commodity reference price | Execution facility | Long swap position | Short swap position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 73 | |
| Data record 2 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 3 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 93 | |
| Data record 4 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 5 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 99 | |
| Data record 6 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 7 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 27 | |
| Data record 8 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 73 | |
| Data record 9 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 10 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 93 | |
| Data record 11 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 12 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 99 | |
| Data record 13 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 14 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 27 |
| Data records | Put/call indicator | Swaption expiration date | Swaption strike price | Non-delta adjusted long swaption position | Non-delta adjusted short swaption position | Delta adjusted long swaption position | Delta adjusted long swaption position | Long swap or swaption notional value position | Short swap or swaption notional value position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | $7,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 2 | $10,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 3 | $9,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 4 | $10,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 5 | $9,900,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 6 | $10,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 7 | $2,700,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 8 | $7,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 9 | $10,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 10 | $9,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 11 | $10,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 12 | $9,900,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 13 | $10,300,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 14 | $2,700,000 |
Table 6—Example of Data Records Reported Under § 20.4(
| Data records | Commission reporting entity ID | Principal/counterparty position indicator | 102S Swap counterparty ID | Counterparty name | Reporting day | Clearing org cleared product ID | Commodity code | Futures equivalent month and year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Feb-11 | ||
| Data record 2 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Mar-11 | ||
| Data record 3 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Apr-11 | ||
| Data record 4 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | May-11 | ||
| Data record 5 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jun-11 | ||
| Data record 6 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jul-11 | ||
| Data record 7 | SD__1 | PRIN | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Aug-11 | ||
| Data record 8 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Feb-11 |
| Data record 9 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Mar-11 |
| Data record 10 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Apr-11 |
| Data record 11 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | May-11 |
| Data record 12 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jun-11 |
| Data record 13 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Jul-11 |
| Data record 14 | SD__1 | COUNT | Counterparty____1 | Energy Firm | 1/2/2011 | CPID__03 | CL | Aug-11 |
| Data records | Cleared/uncleared indicator | CFTC clearing org identifier | Commodity reference price | Execution facility | Long swap position | Short swap position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 70 | |
| Data record 2 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 3 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 93 | |
| Data record 4 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 5 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 99 | |
| Data record 6 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 7 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 27 | |
| Data record 8 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 70 | |
| Data record 9 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 10 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 93 | |
| Data record 11 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 12 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 99 | |
| Data record 13 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 103 | |
| Data record 14 | C | CCO__ID__1 | NYMEX Light Sweet | EX1 | 27 |
| Data records | Put/call indicator | Swaption expiration date | Swaption strike price | Non-delta adjusted long swaption position | Non-delta adjusted short swaption position | Delta adjusted long swaption position | Delta adjusted long swaption position | Long swap or swaption notional value position | Short swap or swaption notional value position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data record 1 | $6,650,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 2 | $9,785,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 3 | $8,835,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 4 | $9,785,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 5 | $9,405,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 6 | $9,785,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 7 | $2,565,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 8 | $6,650,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 9 | $9,785,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 10 | $8,835,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 11 | $9,785,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 12 | $9,405,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 13 | $9,785,000 | ||||||||
| Data record 14 | $2,565,000 |
PART 21—SPECIAL CALLS
§ 21.00 Preparation and transmission of information upon special call.
All information required upon special call shall be prepared in such form and manner and in accordance with such instructions, and shall be transmitted at such time and to such office of the Commission, as may be specified in the call.
§ 21.01 Special calls for information on controlled accounts from futures commission merchants, clearing members and introducing brokers.
Upon call by the Commission, each futures commission merchant, clearing member and introducing broker shall file with the Commission the names and addresses of all persons who, by power of attorney or otherwise, exercise trading control over any customer’s account in commodity futures or commodity options on any reporting market.
§ 21.02 Special calls for information on open contracts in accounts carried or introduced by futures commission merchants, clearing members, members of reporting markets, introducing brokers, and foreign brokers.
Upon special call by the Commission for information relating to futures or option positions held or introduced on the dates specified in the call, each futures commission merchant, clearing member, member of a reporting market, introducing broker, or foreign broker, and, in addition, for option information, each reporting market, shall furnish to the Commission the following information concerning accounts of traders owning or controlling such futures or option positions, except for accounts carried on a fully disclosed basis by another futures commission merchant or clearing member, as may be specified in the call:
(a) The name, address, and telephone number of the person for whom each account is carried;
(b) The principal business or occupation of the person for whom each account is introduced or carried, as specified in the call;
(c) The type of each such account;
(d) The name, address and principal business or occupation of any person who controls the trading of each account;
(e) The name and address of any person having a financial interest of ten percent or more in each account;
(f) The number of open futures or option positions introduced or carried in each account, as specified in the call;
(g) The total number of futures contracts exchanged for commodities or for derivatives positions;
(h) The total number of futures contracts against which delivery notices have been issued or received; and
(i) As applicable, the following identifying information:
(1) Whether a trader who holds commodity futures or option positions is classified as a commercial or as a noncommercial trader for each commodity futures or option contract;
(2) Whether the open commodity futures or option contracts are classified as speculative, spreading (straddling), or hedging; and
(3) Whether any of the accounts in question are omnibus accounts and, if so, whether the originator of the omnibus account is another futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker.
§ 21.03 Selected special calls-duties of foreign brokers, domestic and foreign traders, futures commission merchants, clearing members, introducing brokers, and reporting markets.
(a) For purposes of this section, the term “accounts of a futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker” means all open contracts and transactions in futures and options on the records of the futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker; the term “beneficial interest” means having or sharing in any rights, obligations or financial interest in any futures or options account; the term “customer” means any futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker, foreign broker, or trader for whom a futures commission merchant, clearing member or reporting market that is a registered entity under section 1a(29) of the Act makes or causes to be made a futures or options contract. Paragraphs (e), (g) and (h) of this section shall not apply to any futures commission merchant, clearing member or customer whose books and records are open at all times to inspection in the United States by any representative of the Commission.
(b) It shall be unlawful for a futures commission merchant to open a futures or options account or to effect transactions in futures or options contracts for an existing account, or for an introducing broker to introduce such an account, for any customer for whom the futures commission merchant or introducing broker is required to provide the explanation provided for in § 15.05(c) of this chapter, or for a reporting market that is a registered entity under section 1a(40)(F) of the Act, to cause to open an account, or to cause transactions to be effected, in a contract traded in reliance on a Commission grandfather relief order issued pursuant to Section 723(c)(2)(B) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Pub. L. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010)), for an existing account for any person that is a foreign clearing member or foreign trader, until the futures commission merchant, introducing broker, clearing member or reporting market has explained fully to the customer, in any manner that such person deems appropriate, the provisions of this section.
(c) Upon a determination by the Commission that information concerning accounts may be relevant information in enabling the Commission to determine whether the threat of a market manipulation, corner, squeeze, or other market disorder exists on any reporting market, the Commission may issue a call for information from a futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker or customer pursuant to the provisions of this section.
(d) In the event the call is issued to a foreign broker, foreign clearing member or foreign trader, its agent, designated pursuant to § 15.05 of this chapter, shall, if directed, promptly transmit calls made by the Commission pursuant to this section by electronic mail or a similarly expeditious means of communication.
(e) The futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker, or customer to whom the special call is issued must provide to the Commission the information specified below for the commodity, reporting market and delivery months or option expiration dates named in the call. Such information shall be filed at the place and within the time specified by the Commission.
(1) For each account of a futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker, or foreign broker, including those accounts in the name of the futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker, on the dates specified in the call issued pursuant to this section, such persons shall provide the Commission with the following information:
(i) The name and address of the person in whose name the account is carried or introduced and, if the person is not an individual, the name of the individual to contact regarding the account;
(ii) The total open futures and options contracts in the account;
(iii) The number of futures contracts against which delivery notices have been issued or received and the number against which exchanges of futures for cash have been transacted during the period of time specified in the call;
(iv) Whether the account is carried for and in the name of another futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker, or foreign broker; and
(v) For the accounts which are not carried for and in the name of another futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker, or foreign broker, the name and address of any other person who controls the trading of the account, and the name and address of any person who has a ten percent or more beneficial interest in the account.
(2) Each trader shall provide the Commission with the following information:
(i) The total open futures and options contracts owned or controlled on the dates specified in the call;
(ii) The name and address of any person having a ten percent or more beneficial interest in the open futures or options contracts reported pursuant to this paragraph;
(iii) The name and address of any other person who controls the trading of the open futures or options contracts reported pursuant to this paragraph; and
(iv) The cash commodity transaction and position information required to be maintained pursuant to § 18.05 of this chapter as specified in the call which relates to futures or options positions of the trader in the United States.
(f) If the Commission has reason to believe that any person has not responded as required to a call made pursuant to this section, the Commission in writing may inform the reporting market specified in the call and that reporting market shall prohibit the execution of, and no futures commission merchant, clearing member, introducing broker, or foreign broker shall effect a transaction in connection with trades on the reporting market and in the months or expiration dates specified in the call for or on behalf of the futures commission merchant or customer named in the call, unless such trades offset existing open contracts of such futures commission merchant or customer.
(g) Any person named in a special call that believes he or she is or may be adversely affected or aggrieved by action taken by the Commission under paragraph (f) of this section shall have the opportunity for a prompt hearing after the Commission acts. That person may immediately present in writing to the Commission for its consideration any comments or arguments concerning the Commission’s action and may present for Commission consideration any documentary or other evidence that person deems appropriate. Upon request, the Commission may, in its discretion, determine that an oral hearing be conducted to permit the further presentation of information and views concerning any matters by any or all such persons. The oral hearing may be held before the Commission or any person designated by the Commission, which person shall cause all evidence to be reduced to writing and forthwith transmit the same and a recommended decision to the Commission. The Commission’s directive under paragraph (f) of this section shall remain in effect unless and until modified or withdrawn by the Commission.
(h) If, during the course of or after the Commission acts pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section, the Commission determines that it is appropriate to undertake a proceeding pursuant to section 6(c) of the Act, the Commission shall issue a complaint in accordance with the requirements of section 6(c), and, upon further determination by the Commission that the conditions described in paragraph (c) of this section still exist, a hearing pursuant to section 6(c) of the Act shall commence no later than five business days after service of the complaint. In the event the person served with the complaint under section 6(c) of the Act has, prior to the commencement of the hearing under section 6(c) of the Act, sought a hearing pursuant to paragraph (g) of this section and the Commission has determined to accord him such a hearing, the two hearings shall be conducted simultaneously. Nothing in this section shall preclude the Commission from taking other appropriate action under the Act or the Commission’s regulations thereunder, including action under section 6(c) of the Act, regardless of whether the conditions described in paragraph (c) of this section still exist, and no ruling issued in the course of a hearing pursuant to paragraph (g) or this paragraph shall constitute an estoppel against the Commission in any other action.
Upon special call by the Commission, each futures commission merchant, clearing member or foreign broker shall provide information to the Commission concerning customer accounts or related positions cleared on a derivatives clearing organization in the format and manner and within the time provided by the Commission in the special call.
The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the special call authority set forth in §§ 21.01 and 21.02 to the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time. The Director of the Division of Enforcement may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
The Commission hereby delegates, until the Commission orders otherwise, the special call authority set forth in § 21.04 to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk to be exercised by such Director or by such other employee or employees of such Director as designated from time to time by the Director. The Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this section. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section to the Director.
PART 22—CLEARED SWAPS
§ 22.1 Definitions.
For the purposes of this part:
Cleared Swap. This term refers to a transaction constituting a “cleared swap” within the meaning of section 1a(7) of the Act.
(1) This term shall exclude any swap (along with money, securities, or other property received to margin, guarantee, or secure such a swap) that, pursuant to a Commission rule, regulation, or order, is (along with such money, securities, or other property) commingled with a commodity future or option (along with money, securities, or other property received to margin, guarantee, or secure such a future or option) that is segregated pursuant to section 4d(a) of the Act.
(2) This term shall include any trade or contract (along with money, securities or other property received to margin, guarantee, or secure such a trade or contract), that
(i) Would be required to be segregated pursuant to section 4d(a) of the Act, or
(ii) Would be subject to § 30.7 of this chapter, but which is, in either case, pursuant to a Commission rule, regulation, or order (or a derivatives clearing organization rule approved in accordance with § 39.15(b)(2) of this chapter), commingled with a swap (along with money, securities, or other property received to margin, guarantee, or secure such a swap) in an account segregated pursuant to section 4d(f) of the Act.
Cleared Swaps Customer. This term refers to any person entering into a Cleared Swap, but shall exclude:
(1) Any owner or holder of a Cleared Swaps Proprietary Account with respect to the Cleared Swaps in such account; and
(2) A clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization with respect to Cleared Swaps cleared on that derivatives clearing organization. A person shall be a Cleared Swaps Customer only with respect to its Cleared Swaps.
Cleared Swaps Customer Account. This term refers to any account for the Cleared Swaps of Cleared Swaps Customers and associated Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that:
(1) A futures commission merchant maintains on behalf of Cleared Swaps Customers (including, in the case of a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, the Cleared Swaps Customers of a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant) or
(2) A derivatives clearing organization maintains for futures commission merchants on behalf of Cleared Swaps Customers thereof.
Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral. (1) This term means all money, securities, or other property received by a futures commission merchant or by a derivatives clearing organization from, for, or on behalf of a Cleared Swaps Customer, which money, securities, or other property:
(i) Is intended to or does margin, guarantee, or secure a Cleared Swap; or
(ii) Constitutes, if a Cleared Swap is in the form or nature of an option, the settlement value of such option.
(2) This term shall also include accruals, i.e., all money, securities, or other property that a futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization receives, directly or indirectly, which is incident to or results from a Cleared Swap that a futures commission merchant intermediates for a Cleared Swaps Customer.
Cleared Swaps Proprietary Account. (1) This term means an account for Cleared Swaps and associated collateral that is carried on the books and records of a futures commission merchant for persons with certain relationships with that futures commission merchant, specifically:
(i) Where such account is carried for a person falling within one of the categories specified in paragraph (2) of this definition, or
(ii) Where ten percent or more of such account is owned by a person falling within one of the categories specified in paragraph (2) of this definition, or
(iii) Where an aggregate of ten percent or more of such account is owned by more than one person falling within one or more of the categories specified in paragraph (2) of this definition.
(2) The relationships to the futures commission merchant referred to in paragraph (1) of this definition are as follows:
(i) Such individual himself, or such partnership, corporation or association itself;
(ii) In the case of a partnership, a general partner in such partnership;
(iii) In the case of a limited partnership, a limited or special partner in such partnership whose duties include:
(A) The management of the partnership business or any part thereof;
(B) The handling, on behalf of such partnership, of:
(1) The Cleared Swaps of Cleared Swaps Customers or
(2) The Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral;
(C) The keeping, on behalf of such partnership, of records pertaining to
(1) the Cleared Swaps of Cleared Swaps Customers or
(2) the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral; or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such partnership;
(iv) In the case of a corporation or association, an officer, director, or owner of ten percent or more of the capital stock of such organization;
(v) An employee of such individual, partnership, corporation or association whose duties include:
(A) The management of the business of such individual, partnership, corporation or association or any part thereof;
(B) The handling, on behalf of such individual, partnership, corporation, or association, of the Cleared Swaps of Cleared Swaps Customers or the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral;
(C) The keeping of records, on behalf of such individual, partnership, corporation, or association, pertaining to the Cleared Swaps of Cleared Swaps Customers or the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral; or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such individual, partnership, corporation, or association;
(vi) A spouse or minor dependent living in the same household of any of the foregoing persons;
(vii) A business affiliate that, directly or indirectly, controls such individual, partnership, corporation, or association; or
(viii) A business affiliate that, directly or indirectly, is controlled by or is under common control with, such individual, partnership, corporation or association. Provided, however, that an account owned by any shareholder or member of a cooperative association of producers, within the meaning of section 6a of the Act, which association is registered as a futures commission merchant and carries such account on its records, shall be deemed to be a Cleared Swaps Customer Account and not a Cleared Swaps Proprietary Account of such association, unless the shareholder or member is an officer, director, or manager of the association.
Clearing Member. This term means any person that has clearing privileges such that it can process, clear and settle trades through a derivatives clearing organization on behalf of itself or others. The derivatives clearing organization need not be organized as a membership organization.
Collecting Futures Commission Merchant. A futures commission merchant that carries Cleared Swaps on behalf of another futures commission merchant and the Cleared Swaps Customers of the latter futures commission merchant, and as part of carrying such Cleared Swaps, collects Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral.
Commingle. To commingle two or more items means to hold such items in the same account, or to combine such items in a transfer between accounts.
Depositing Futures Commission Merchant. A futures commission merchant that carries Cleared Swaps on behalf of its Cleared Swaps Customers through another futures commission merchant and, as part of carrying such Cleared Swaps, deposits Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral with such futures commission merchant.
Permitted Depository. This term shall have the meaning set forth in § 22.4 of this part.
Segregate. To segregate two or more items is to keep them in separate accounts, and to avoid combining them in the same transfer between two accounts.
§ 22.2 Futures Commission Merchants: Treatment of Cleared Swaps and Associated Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral.
(a) General. A futures commission merchant shall treat and deal with the Cleared Swaps of Cleared Swaps Customers and associated Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral as belonging to Cleared Swaps Customers.
(b) Location of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral. (1) A futures commission merchant must segregate all Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that it receives, and must either hold such Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral itself as set forth in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, or deposit such collateral into one or more Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts held at a Permitted Depository, as set forth in paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
(2) If a futures commission merchant holds Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral itself, then the futures commission merchant must:
(i) Physically separate such collateral from its own property;
(ii) Clearly identify each physical location in which it holds such collateral as a “Location of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral” (the “FCM Physical Location”);
(iii) Ensure that the FCM Physical Location provides appropriate protection for such collateral; and
(iv) Record in its books and records the amount of such Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral separately from its own funds.
(3) If a futures commission merchant holds Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in a Permitted Depository, then:
(i) The Permitted Depository must qualify pursuant to the requirements set forth in § 22.4 of this part, and
(ii) The futures commission merchant must maintain a Cleared Swaps Customer Account with each such Permitted Depository.
(c) Commingling. (1) A futures commission merchant may commingle the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that it receives from, for, or on behalf of multiple Cleared Swaps Customers.
(2) A futures commission merchant shall not commingle Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral with either of the following:
(i) Funds belonging to the futures commission merchant, except as expressly permitted in paragraph (e)(3) of this section; or
(ii) Other categories of funds belonging to Futures Customers (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines that term), or Foreign Futures or Foreign Options Customers (as § 30.1 of this chapter defines that term) of the futures commission merchant, including Futures Customer Funds (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines such term) or the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines such term), except as expressly permitted by Commission rule, regulation, or order, or by a derivatives clearing organization rule approved in accordance with § 39.15(b)(2) of this chapter.
(d) Limitations on use. (1) No futures commission merchant shall use, or permit the use of, the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral of one Cleared Swaps Customer to purchase, margin, or settle the Cleared Swaps or any other trade or contract of, or to secure or extend the credit of, any person other than such Cleared Swaps Customer. Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral shall not be used to margin, guarantee, or secure trades or contracts of the entity constituting a Cleared Swaps Customer other than in Cleared Swaps, except to the extent permitted by a Commission rule, regulation or order.
(2) A futures commission merchant may not impose or permit the imposition of a lien on Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, including any residual financial interest of the futures commission merchant in such collateral, as described in paragraph (e)(4) of this section.
(3) A futures commission merchant may not include, as Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral,
(i) Money invested in the securities, memberships, or obligations of any derivatives clearing organization, designated contract market, swap execution facility, or swap data repository, or
(ii) Money, securities, or other property that any derivatives clearing organization holds and may use for a purpose other than those set forth in § 22.3 of this part.
(e) Exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing:
(1) Permitted investments. A futures commission merchant may invest money, securities, or other property constituting Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in accordance with § 1.25 of this chapter, which shall apply to such money, securities, or other property as if they comprised customer funds or customer money subject to segregation pursuant to section 4d(a) of the Act and the regulations thereunder; Provided, however, that the futures commission merchant shall bear sole responsibility for any losses resulting from the investment of customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25 of this chapter. No investment losses shall be borne or otherwise allocated to Cleared Swaps Customers of the futures commission merchant.
(2) Permitted withdrawals. Such share of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral as in the normal course of business shall be necessary to margin, guarantee, secure, transfer, adjust, or settle a Cleared Swaps Customer’s Cleared Swaps with a derivatives clearing organization, or with a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, may be withdrawn and applied to such purposes, including the payment of commissions, brokerage, interest, taxes, storage, and other charges, lawfully accruing in connection with such Cleared Swaps.
(3) Deposits of own money, securities, or other property. (i) In order to ensure that it is always in compliance with paragraph (f) of this section, a futures commission merchant may place in an FCM Physical Location or deposit in a Cleared Swaps Customer Account its own money, securities, or other property (provided, that such securities or other property are unencumbered and are of the types specified in § 1.25 of this chapter).
(ii) Money, securities, or other property deposited by a futures commission merchant pursuant to 22.13(b) and available to a derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant to meet the obligations of the futures commission merchant’s Cleared Swaps Customers collectively, shall be maintained in an account separate from the Cleared Swaps Customer Account.
(4) Residual financial interest. (i) If, in accordance with paragraph (e)(3)(i) of this section, a futures commission merchant places in an FCM Physical Location or deposits in a Cleared Swaps Customer Account its own money, securities, or other property, then such money, securities, or other property (including accruals thereon) shall constitute Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral.
(ii) The futures commission merchant shall have a residual financial interest in any portion of such money, securities, or other property in excess of that necessary for compliance with paragraph (f)(4) of this section.
(iii) The futures commission merchant may withdraw money, securities, or other property from the FCM Physical Location or Cleared Swaps Customer Account, to the extent of its residual financial interest therein. At the time of such withdrawal, the futures commission merchant shall ensure that the withdrawal does not cause its residual financial interest to become less than zero.
(f) Requirements as to amount. (1) For purposes of this § 22.2(f), the term “account” shall reference the entries on the books and records of a futures commission merchant pertaining to the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral of a particular Cleared Swaps Customer.
(2) The futures commission merchant must reflect in the account that it maintains for each Cleared Swaps Customer, the net liquidating equity for each such Cleared Swaps Customer, calculated as follows: The market value of any Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that it receives from such customer, as adjusted by:
(i) Any uses permitted under paragraph (d) of this section;
(ii) Any accruals on permitted investments of such collateral under paragraph (e) of this section that, pursuant to the futures commission merchant’s customer agreement with that customer, are creditable to such customer;
(iii) Any gains and losses with respect to Cleared Swaps;
(iv) Any charges lawfully accruing to the Cleared Swaps Customer, including any commission, brokerage fee, interest, tax, or storage fee; and
(v) Any appropriately authorized distribution or transfer of such collateral.
(3) If the market value of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in the account of a Cleared Swaps Customer is positive after adjustments, then that account has a credit balance. If the market value of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in the account of a Cleared Swaps Customer is negative after adjustments, then that account has a debit balance.
(4) The futures commission merchant must, at all times, maintain in segregation, in its FCM Physical Locations and/or its Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts at Permitted Depositories, an amount equal to the sum of any credit balances that the Cleared Swaps Customers of the futures commission merchant have in their accounts. This balance may not be reduced by any debit balances that the Cleared Swaps Customers of the futures commission merchants have in their accounts.
(5) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the futures commission merchant must include, in calculating the sum referenced in paragraph (f)(4) of this section, any debit balance that a Cleared Swaps Customer may have in its account, to the extent that such balance is secured by “readily marketable securities” that the Cleared Swaps Customer deposited with the futures commission merchant.
(i) For purposes of this section, “readily marketable” shall be defined as having a “ready market” as such latter term is defined in Rule 15c3-1(c)(11) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (§ 241.15c3-1(c)(11) of this title).
(ii) In order for a debit balance to be deemed secured by “readily marketable securities,” the futures commission merchant must maintain a security interest in such securities, and must hold a written authorization to liquidate the securities at the discretion of the futures commission merchant.
(iii) To determine the amount secured by “readily marketable securities,” the futures commission merchant shall:
(A) Determine the market value of such securities; and
(B) Reduce such market value by applicable percentage deductions (i.e., “securities haircuts”) as set forth in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (§ 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of this title). Futures commission merchants that establish and enforce written policies and procedures to assess the credit risk of commercial paper, convertible debt instruments, or nonconvertible debt instruments in accordance with Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (§ 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of this title) may apply the lower haircut percentages specified in Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) for such commercial paper, convertible debt instruments and nonconvertible debt instruments. The portion of the debit balance, not exceeding 100 percent, that is secured by the reduced market value of such readily marketable securities shall be included in calculating the sum referred to in paragraph (f)(4) of this section.
(6)(i) The undermargined amount for a Cleared Swaps Customer Account is the amount, if any, by which:
(A) The total amount of collateral required for that Cleared Swaps Customer’s Cleared Swaps, at the time or times referred to in paragraph (f)(6)(ii) of this section, exceeds—
(B) The value of the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral for that account, as calculated in paragraph (f)(2) of this section.
(ii) Each futures commission merchant must compute, based on the information available to the futures commission merchant as of the close of each business day,
(A) The undermargined amounts, based on the clearing initial margin that will be required to be maintained by that futures commission merchant for its Cleared Swaps Customers, at each derivatives clearing organization of which the futures commission merchant is a member, at the point of the daily settlement (as described in § 39.14 of this chapter) that will complete during the following business day for each such derivatives clearing organization less
(B) Any debit balances referred to in paragraph (f)(4) of this section included in such undermargined amounts.
(iii)(A) Prior to the time of settlement referenced in paragraph (f)(6)(ii)(A) of this section such futures commission merchant must maintain residual interest in segregated funds that is equal to or exceeds the portion of the computation set forth in paragraph (f)(6)(ii) of this section attributable to the clearing initial margin required by the derivatives clearing organization making such settlement.
(B) A futures commission merchant may reduce the amount of residual interest required in paragraph (f)(6)(iii)(A) of this section to account for payments received from or on behalf of undermargined Cleared Swaps Customers (less the sum of any disbursements made to or on behalf of such customers) between the close of the previous business day and the time of settlement.
(iv) For purposes of paragraph (f)(6)(ii) of this section, a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant should include, as clearing initial margin, customer initial margin that the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant will be required to maintain, for that Depositing Futures Commission Merchant’s Cleared Swaps Customers, at a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, and, for purposes of paragraph (f)(6)(iii) of this section, must do so prior to the time it must settle with that Collecting Futures Commission Merchant.
(g) Segregated account; Daily computation and record. (1) Each futures commission merchant must compute as of the close of each business day, on a currency-by-currency basis:
(i) The aggregate market value of the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in all FCM Physical Locations and all Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts held at Permitted Depositories (the “Collateral Value”);
(ii) The sum referenced in paragraph (f)(4) of this section (the “Collateral Requirement”); and
(iii) The amount of the residual financial interest that the futures commission merchant holds in such Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, which shall equal the difference between the Collateral Value and the Collateral Requirement.
(2) Each futures commission merchant is required to document its segregation computation required by paragraph (g)(1) of this section by preparing a Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts Under 4d(f) of the CEA contained in the Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of business each business day.
(3) Each futures commission merchant is required to submit to the Commission and to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization the daily Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts Under 4d(f) of the CEA required by paragraph (g)(2) of this section by noon the following business day.
(4) Each futures commission merchant shall file the Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts Under 4d(f) of the CEA required by paragraph (g)(2) of this section in an electronic format using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established or approved by the Commission.
(5) Each futures commission merchant is required to submit to the Commission and to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization a report listing the names of all banks, trust companies, futures commission merchants, derivatives clearing organizations, or any other depository or custodian holding Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral as of the fifteenth day of the month, or the first business day thereafter, and the last business day of each month. This report must include:
(i) The name and location of each entity holding Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral;
(ii) The total amount of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral held by each entity listed in paragraph (g)(5) of this section; and
(iii) The total amount of cash and investments that each entity listed in paragraph (g)(5) of this section holds for the futures commission merchant. The futures commission merchant must report the following investments:
(A) Obligations of the United States and obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States (U.S. government securities);
(B) General obligations of any State or of any political subdivision of a State (municipal securities);
(C) General obligation issued by any enterprise sponsored by the United States (government sponsored enterprise securities);
(D) Certificates of deposit issued by a bank;
(E) Commercial paper fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
(F) Corporate notes or bonds fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and
(G) Interests in money market mutual funds.
(6) Each futures commission merchant must report the total amount of customer owned securities held by the futures commission merchant as Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral and must list the names and locations of the depositories holding customer owned securities.
(7) Each futures commission merchant must report the total amount of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that has been used to purchase securities under agreements to resell the securities (reverse repurchase transactions).
(8) Each futures commission merchant must report which, if any, of the depositories holding Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral under paragraph (g)(5) of this section are affiliated with the futures commission merchant.
(9) Each futures commission merchant shall file the detailed list of depositories required by paragraph (g)(5) of this section by 11:59 p.m. the next business day in an electronic format using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established or approved by the Commission.
(10) Each futures commission merchant shall retain its daily segregation computation and the Statement of Cleared Swaps Customer Segregation Requirements and Funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts under section 4d(f) of the CEA required by paragraph (g)(2) of this section and the detailed listing of depositories required by paragraph (g)(5) of this section, together with all supporting documentation, in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
§ 22.3 Derivatives clearing organizations: Treatment of cleared swaps customer collateral.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall treat and deal with the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral deposited by a futures commission merchant as belonging to the Cleared Swaps Customers of such futures commission merchant and not other persons, including, without limitation, the futures commission merchant.
(b) Location of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral. (1) The derivatives clearing organization must segregate all Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that it receives from futures commission merchants, and must either hold such Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral itself as set forth in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, or deposit such collateral into one or more Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts held at a Permitted Depository, as set forth in paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
(2) If a derivatives clearing organization holds Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral itself, then the derivatives clearing organization must:
(i) Physically separate such collateral from its own property, the property of any futures commission merchant, and the property of any other person that is not a Cleared Swaps Customer of a futures commission merchant;
(ii) Clearly identify each physical location in which it holds such collateral as “Location of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral” (the “DCO Physical Location”);
(iii) Ensure that the DCO Physical Location provides appropriate protection for such collateral; and
(iv) Record in its books and records the amount of such Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral separately from its own funds, the funds of any futures commission merchant, and the funds of any other person that is not a Cleared Swaps Customer of a futures commission merchant.
(3) If a derivatives clearing organization holds Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in a Permitted Depository, then:
(i) The Permitted Depository must qualify pursuant to the requirements set forth in § 22.4 of this part; and
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization must maintain a Cleared Swaps Customer Account with each such Permitted Depository.
(c) Commingling. (1) A derivatives clearing organization may commingle the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that it receives from multiple futures commission merchants on behalf of their Cleared Swaps Customers.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall not commingle the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral that it receives from a futures commission merchant on behalf of Cleared Swaps Customers with any of the following:
(i) The money, securities, or other property belonging to the derivatives clearing organization;
(ii) The money, securities, or other property belonging to any futures commission merchant; or
(iii) Futures Customer Funds (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines such term) or the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines such term), except as expressly permitted by Commission rule, regulation, or order, (or by a derivatives clearing organization rule approved in accordance with § 39.15(b)(2) of this chapter).
(d) Exceptions; Permitted Investments. Notwithstanding the foregoing and § 22.15, a derivatives clearing organization may invest the money, securities, or other property constituting Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in accordance with § 1.25 of this chapter.
§ 22.4 Futures Commission Merchants and derivatives clearing organizations: Permitted Depositories.
In order for a depository to be a Permitted Depository:
(a) The depository must (subject to § 22.9) be one of the following types of entities:
(1) A bank located in the United States;
(2) A trust company located in the United States;
(3) A Collecting Futures Commission Merchant registered with the Commission (but only with respect to a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant providing Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral); or
(4) A derivatives clearing organization registered with the Commission; and
(b) The futures commission merchant or the derivatives clearing organization must hold a written acknowledgment letter from the depository as required by § 22.5 of this part.
§ 22.5 Futures commission merchants and derivatives clearing organizations: Written acknowledgement.
(a) Before depositing Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, the futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization shall obtain and retain in its files a separate written acknowledgement letter from each depository in accordance with §§ 1.20 and 1.26 of this chapter, with all references to “Futures Customer Funds” modified to apply to Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, and with all references to section 4d(a) or 4d(b) of the Act and the regulations thereunder modified to apply to section 4d(f) of the Act and the regulations thereunder.
(b) The futures commission merchant or derivatives clearing organization shall adhere to all requirements specified in §§ 1.20 and 1.26 of this chapter regarding retaining, permitting access to, filing, or amending the written acknowledgement letter, in all cases as if the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral comprised Futures Customer Funds subject to segregation pursuant to section 4d(a) or 4d(b) of the Act and the regulations thereunder.
(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, an acknowledgement letter need not be obtained from a derivatives clearing organization that has made effective, pursuant to section 5c(c) of the Act and the regulations thereunder, rules that provide for the segregation of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, in accordance with all relevant provisions of the Act and the regulations thereunder.
§ 22.6 Futures commission merchants and derivatives clearing organizations: Naming of Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts.
The name of each Cleared Swaps Customer Account that a futures commission merchant or a derivatives clearing organization maintains with a Permitted Depository shall:
(a) Clearly identify the account as a “Cleared Swaps Customer Account” and
(b) Clearly indicate that the collateral therein is “Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral” subject to segregation in accordance with the Act and this part.
§ 22.7 Permitted depositories: Treatment of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral.
A Permitted Depository shall treat all funds in a Cleared Swaps Customer Account as Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral. A Permitted Depository shall not hold, dispose of, or use any such Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral as belonging to any person other than:
(a) The Cleared Swaps Customers of the futures commission merchant maintaining such Cleared Swaps Customer Account or;
(b) The Cleared Swaps Customers of the futures commission merchants for which the derivatives clearing organization maintains such Cleared Swaps Customer Account.
§ 22.8 Situs of Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts.
The situs of each of the following shall be located in the United States:
(a) Each FCM Physical Location or DCO Physical Location;
(b) Each “account,” within the meaning of § 22.2(f)(1), that a futures commission merchant maintains for each Cleared Swaps Customer; and
(c) Each Cleared Swaps Customer Account on the books and records of a derivatives clearing organization with respect to the Cleared Swaps Customers of a futures commission merchant.
§ 22.9 Denomination of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral and location of depositories.
(a) Subject to paragraph (b) of this section, futures commission merchants and derivatives clearing organizations may hold Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in the denominations, at the locations and depositories, and subject to the segregation requirements specified in § 1.49 of this chapter.
(b) Notwithstanding the requirements in § 1.49 of this chapter, a futures commission merchant’s obligations to a Cleared Swaps Customer may be denominated in a currency in which funds have accrued to the Cleared Swaps Customer as a result of a Cleared Swap carried through such futures commission merchant, to the extent of such accruals.
(c) Each depository referenced in paragraph (a) of this section shall be considered a Permitted Depository for purposes of this part. Provided, however, that a futures commission merchant shall only be considered a Permitted Depository to the extent that it is acting as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant (as § 22.1 of this part defines such term).
§ 22.10 Application of other regulatory provisions.
Sections 1.27, 1.28, 1.29, and 1.30 of this chapter shall apply to the Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral in accordance with the terms therein.
§ 22.11 Information to be provided regarding Cleared Swaps Customers and their Cleared Swaps.
(a) Each Depositing Futures Commission Merchant shall:
(1) The first time that the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant intermediates a Cleared Swap for a Cleared Swaps Customer with a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, provide information sufficient to identify such Cleared Swaps Customer to the relevant Collection Futures Commission Merchant; and
(2) At least once each business day thereafter, provide information to the relevant Collecting Futures Commission Merchant sufficient to identify, for each Cleared Swaps Customer, the portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant intermediates for such Cleared Swaps Customer.
(b) If an entity serves as both a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant and a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, then:
(1) The information that such entity must provide to its Collecting Futures Commission Merchant pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall also include information sufficient to identify each Cleared Swaps Customer of the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant for which such entity serves as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant; and
(2) The information that such entity must provide to its Collecting Futures Commission Merchant pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section shall also include information sufficient to identify, for each Cleared Swaps Customer referenced in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that such entity intermediates as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, on behalf of its Depositing Futures Commission Merchant, for such Cleared Swaps Customer.
(c) Each futures commission merchant that intermediates a Cleared Swap for a Cleared Swaps Customer, on or subject to the rules of a derivatives clearing organization, directly as a Clearing Member shall:
(1) The first time that such futures commission merchant intermediates a Cleared Swap for a Cleared Swaps Customer, provide information to the relevant derivatives clearing organization sufficient to identify such Cleared Swaps Customer; and
(2) At least once each business day thereafter, provide information to the relevant derivatives clearing organization sufficient to identify, for each Cleared Swaps Customer, the portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that such futures commission merchant intermediates for such Cleared Swaps Customer.
(d) If the futures commission merchant referenced in paragraph (c) of this section is a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, then:
(1) The information that it must provide to the derivatives clearing organization pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall also include information sufficient to identify each Cleared Swaps Customer of any entity that acts as a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant in relation to the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant (including, without limitation, each Cleared Swaps Customer of any Depositing Futures Commission Merchant for which such entity also serves as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant); and
(2) The information that it must provide to the derivatives clearing organization pursuant to paragraph (c)(2) of this section shall also include information sufficient to identify, for each Cleared Swaps Customer referenced in paragraph (d)(1) of this section, the portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant intermediates, on behalf of the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant, for such Cleared Swaps Customer.
(e) Each derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Take appropriate steps to confirm that the information it receives pursuant to paragraphs (c)(1) or (c)(2) of this section is accurate and complete, and
(2) Ensure that the futures commission merchant is providing the derivatives clearing organization the information required by paragraphs (c)(1) or (c)(2) of this section on a timely basis.
§ 22.12 Information to be maintained regarding Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral.
(a) Each Collecting Futures Commission Merchant receiving Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral from an entity serving as a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant shall, no less frequently than once each business day, calculate and record:
(1) the amount of collateral required at such Collecting Futures Commission Merchant for each Cleared Swaps Customer of the entity acting as Depositing Futures Commission Merchant (including, without limitation, each Cleared Swaps Customer of any Depositing Futures Commission Merchant for which such entity also serves as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant); and
(2) the sum of the individual collateral amounts referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(b) Each Collecting Futures Commission Merchant shall calculate the collateral amounts referenced in paragraph (a) of this section with respect to the portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant intermediates, on behalf of the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant, for each Cleared Swaps Customer referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(c) Each derivatives clearing organization receiving Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral from a futures commission merchant shall, no less frequently than once each business day, calculate and record:
(1) the amount of collateral required at such derivatives clearing organization for each Cleared Swaps Customer of the futures commission merchant; and
(2) the sum of the individual collateral amounts referenced in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(d) If the futures commission merchant referenced in paragraph (c) of this section is a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, then the derivatives clearing organization shall also perform and record the results of the calculation required in paragraph (c) of this section for each Cleared Swaps Customer of an entity acting as a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant in relation to the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant (including, without limitation, any Cleared Swaps Customer for which such entity is also acting as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant).
(e) Each futures commission merchant shall calculate the collateral amounts referenced in paragraph (c) of this section with respect to the portfolio of rights and obligations arising from the Cleared Swaps that the futures commission merchant intermediates (including, without limitation, as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant on behalf of a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant), for each Cleared Swaps Customer referenced in paragraphs (c)(1) and (d) of this section.
(f) The collateral requirement referenced in paragraph (a) of this section with respect to a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant shall be no less than that imposed by the relevant derivatives clearing organization with respect to the same portfolio of rights and obligations for each relevant Cleared Swaps Customer.
§ 22.13 Additions to Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral.
(a)(1) At the election of the derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, the collateral requirement referred to in § 22.12(a), (c), and (d) applicable to a particular Cleared Swaps Customer or group of Cleared Swaps Customers may be increased based on an evaluation of the credit risk posed by such Cleared Swaps Customer or group, in which case the derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant shall collect and record such higher amount as provided in § 22.12.
(2) Nothing in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is intended to interfere with the right of a futures commission merchant to increase the collateral requirements at such futures commission merchant with respect to any of its Cleared Swaps Customers, Futures Customers (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines that term), or Foreign Futures or Foreign Options Customers (as § 30.1 of this chapter defines that term).
(b) Any collateral deposited by a futures commission merchant (including a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant) pursuant to § 22.2(e)(3)(ii) of this part, which collateral is identified as such futures commission merchant’s own property may be used by the derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, as applicable, to margin, guarantee or secure the Cleared Swaps of any or all of such Cleared Swaps Customers.
(c) A futures commission merchant may transmit to a derivatives clearing organization any collateral posted by a Cleared Swaps Customer in excess of the amount required by the derivatives clearing organization if:
(1) the rules of the derivatives clearing organization expressly permit the futures commission merchant to transmit collateral in excess of the amount required by the derivatives clearing organization; and
(2) the derivatives clearing organization provides a mechanism by which the futures commission merchant is able to, and maintains rules pursuant to which the futures commission merchant is required to, identify each Business Day, for each Cleared Swaps Customer, the amount of collateral posted in excess of the amount required by the derivatives clearing organization.
§ 22.14 Futures Commission Merchant failure to meet a Cleared Swaps Customer Margin Call in full.
(a) A Depositing Futures Commission Merchant which receives a call for either initial margin or variation margin with respect to a Cleared Swaps Customer Account from a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, which call such Depositing Futures Commission Merchant does not meet in full, shall, with respect to each Cleared Swaps Customer of such Depositing Futures Commission Merchant whose Cleared Swaps contribute to such margin call,
(1) Transmit to the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant an amount equal to the lesser of
(i) The amount called for; or
(ii) The remaining Cleared Swaps Collateral on deposit at such Depositing Futures Commission Merchant for that Cleared Swaps Customer; and
(2) Advise the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant of the identity of each such Cleared Swaps Customer, and the amount transmitted on behalf of each such Cleared Swaps Customer.
(b) If the entity acting as Depositing Futures Commission Merchant referenced in paragraph (a) of this section is also a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, then:
(1) Such entity shall include in the transmission required in paragraph (a)(1) of this section any amount that it receives, pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section, from a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant for which such entity acts as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant; and
(2) Such entity shall present its Collecting Futures Commission Merchant with the information that it receives, pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section, from a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant for which such entity acts as a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant.
(c) A futures commission merchant which receives a call for either initial or variation margin with respect to a Cleared Swaps Customer Account from a derivatives clearing organization, which call such futures commission merchant does not meet in full, shall, with respect to each Cleared Swaps Customer of such futures commission merchant whose Cleared Swaps contribute to such margin call:
(1) Transmit to the derivatives clearing organization an amount equal to the lesser of
(i) The amount called for; or
(ii) The remaining Cleared Swaps Collateral on deposit at such futures commission merchant for each such Cleared Swaps Customer; and
(2) Advise the derivatives clearing organization of the identity of each such Cleared Swaps Customer, and the amount transmitted on behalf of each such Cleared Swaps Customer.
(d) If the futures commission merchant referenced in paragraph (c) is a Collecting Futures Commission Merchant, then:
(1) Such Collecting Futures Commission Merchant shall include in the transmission required in paragraph (c)(1) of this section any amount that it receives from a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section; and
(2) Such Collecting Futures Commission shall present the derivatives clearing organization with the information that it receives from a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(e) If,
(1) On the business day prior to the business day on which the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant fails to meet a margin call with respect to a Cleared Swaps Customer Account, such Collecting Futures Commission Merchant referenced in paragraph (a) of this section held, with respect to such account, Cleared Swaps Collateral of a value no less than the amount specified in § 22.12(a)(2) of this part, after the application of haircuts specified by policies applied by such Collecting Futures Commission Merchant in its relationship with the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant, and
(2) As of the close of business on the business day on which the margin call is not met, the market value of the Cleared Swaps Collateral held by the derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant is, due to changes in such market value, less than the amount specified in § 22.12(a)(2) of this part, then the amount of such collateral attributable to each Cleared Swaps Customer pursuant to § 22.12(a)(1) of this part shall be reduced by the percentage difference between the amount specified in § 22.12(a)(2) of this part and such market value.
(f) If:
(1) On the business day prior to the business day on which the futures commission merchant fails to meet a margin call with respect to a Cleared Swaps Customer Account, the derivatives clearing organization referenced in paragraph (c) of this section held, with respect to such account, Cleared Swaps Collateral of a value no less than the amount specified in § 22.12(c)(2) of this part, after the application of haircuts specified by the rules and procedures of such derivatives clearing organization, and
(2) As of the close of business on the business day on which the margin call is not met, the market value of the Cleared Swaps Collateral held by the derivatives clearing organization is, due to changes in such market value, less than the amount specified in § 22.12(c)(2) of this part, then the amount of collateral attributable to each Cleared Swaps Customer pursuant to § 22.12(c)(1) of this part shall be reduced by the percentage difference between the amount specified in § 22.12(c)(2) and such market value.
(g) A derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant is entitled to reasonably rely upon any information provided by a defaulting futures commission merchant under § 22.14. If the defaulting futures commission merchant does not provide such information on the date of the futures commission merchant’s default, a derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant may rely on the information previously provided to it by the defaulting futures commission merchant.
§ 22.15 Treatment of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral on an individual basis.
Subject to § 22.3(d), each derivatives clearing organization and each Collecting Futures Commission Merchant receiving Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral from a futures commission merchant shall treat the value of collateral required with respect to the portfolio of rights and obligations arising out of the Cleared Swaps intermediated for each Cleared Swaps Customer, and collected from the futures commission merchant, as belonging to such Cleared Swaps Customer, and such amount shall not be used to margin, guarantee, or secure the Cleared Swaps or other obligations of the futures commission merchant, or of any other Cleared Swaps Customer, Futures Customer (as § 1.3 of this chapter defines that term), or Foreign Futures or Foreign Options Customer (as § 30.1 of this chapter defines that term). Nothing contained herein shall be construed to limit, in any way, the right of a derivatives clearing organization or Collecting Futures Commission Merchant to liquidate any or all positions in a Cleared Swaps Customer Account in the event of a default of a clearing member or Depositing Futures Commission Merchant.
§ 22.16 Disclosures to Cleared Swaps Customers.
(a) A futures commission merchant shall disclose, to each of its Cleared Swaps Customers, the governing provisions, as described in paragraph (c) of this section, relating to use of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, transfer, neutralization of the risks, or liquidation of Cleared Swaps in the event of a default by the futures commission merchant relating to the Cleared Swaps Customer Account, as well as any change in such governing provisions.
(b) If the futures commission merchant referenced in paragraph (a) of this section is a Depositing Futures Commission Merchant, then such futures commission merchant shall disclose, to each of its Cleared Swaps Customers, the governing provisions, as described in paragraph (c) of this section, relating to use of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, transfer, neutralization of the risks, or liquidation of Cleared Swaps in the event of a default by:
(1) Such futures commission merchant or
(2) Any relevant Collecting Futures Commission Merchant relating to the Cleared Swaps Customer Account, as well as any change in such governing provisions.
(c) The governing provisions referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section are the rules of each derivatives clearing organization, or the provisions of the customer agreement between the Collecting Futures Commission Merchant and the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant, on or through which the Depositing Futures Commission Merchant will intermediate Cleared Swaps for such Cleared Swaps Customer.
§ 22.17 Policies and procedures governing disbursements of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral from Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts.
(a) The provision in section 4d(f)(2) of the Act that prohibits the commingling of Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral with the funds of a futures commission merchant, shall not be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant from having a residual financial interest in the funds segregated as required by the Act and the regulations in this part and set apart for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers; nor shall such provisions be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant from adding to such segregated funds such amount or amounts of money, from its own funds or unencumbered securities from its own inventory, of the type set forth in § 1.25 of this chapter, as it may deem necessary to ensure any and all Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts are not undersegregated at any time.
(b) A futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds, except withdrawals that are made to or for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers, from a Cleared Swaps Customer Account unless the futures commission merchant has prepared the daily segregation calculation required by § 22.2 as of the close of business on the previous business day. A futures commission merchant that has completed its daily segregation calculation may make withdrawals, in addition to withdrawals that are made to or for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers, to the extent of its actual residual financial interest in funds held in segregated accounts, including the withdrawal of securities held in segregated safekeeping accounts held by a bank, trust company, derivatives clearing organization or other futures commission merchant. Such withdrawal(s) shall not result in the funds of one Cleared Swaps Customer being used to purchase, margin or carry the trades, contracts or swaps positions, or extend the credit of any other Cleared Swaps Customer or other person.
(c) A futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds, in a single transaction or a series of transactions, that are not made to or for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers from Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts if such withdrawal(s) would exceed 25 percent of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in such accounts as reported on the daily segregation calculation required by § 22.2 and computed as of the close of business on the previous business day, unless:
(1) The futures commission merchant’s chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official that is listed as a principal of the futures commission merchant on its Form 7-R and is knowledgeable about the futures commission merchant’s financial requirements and financial position pre-approves in writing the withdrawal, or series of withdrawals;
(2) The futures commission merchant files written notice of the withdrawal or series of withdrawals, with the Commission and with its designated self-regulatory organization immediately after the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official pre-approves the withdrawal or series of withdrawals. The written notice must:
(i) Be signed by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official that pre-approved the withdrawal, and give notice that the futures commission merchant has withdrawn or intends to withdraw more than 25 percent of its residual interest in such accounts holding Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts funds;
(ii) Include a description of the reasons for the withdrawal or series of withdrawals;
(iii) List the amount of funds provided to each recipient and the name of each recipient;
(iv) Include the current estimate of the amount of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in the swaps customer funds after the withdrawal;
(v) Contain a representation by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official that pre-approved the withdrawal, or series of withdrawals, that, after due diligence, to such person’s knowledge and reasonable belief, the futures commission merchant remains in compliance with the segregation requirements after the withdrawal. The chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official must consider the daily segregation calculation as of the close of business on the previous business day and any other factors that may cause a material change in the futures commission’s residual interest since the close of business the previous business day, including known unsecured customer debits or deficits, current day market activity and any other withdrawals made from the Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts; and
(vi) Any such written notice filed with the Commission must be filed via electronic transmission using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instruction issued by or approved by the Commission. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer. Any written notice filed must be followed up with direct communication to the Regional office of Commission which has supervisory authority over the futures commission merchant whereby the Commission acknowledges receipt of the notice; and
(3) After making a withdrawal requiring the approval and notice required in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section, and before the next daily segregated funds calculation, no futures commission merchant may make any further withdrawals from accounts holding Cleared Swaps Customer Account funds, except to or for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers, without complying with paragraph (c)(1) of this section and filing a written notice with the Commission under paragraph (c)(2)(vi) of this section and its designated self-regulatory organization signed by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer, or other senior official. The written notice must:
(i) List the amount of funds provided to each recipient and each recipient’s name;
(ii) Disclose the reason for each withdrawal;
(iii) Confirm that the chief executive officer, chief finance officer, or other senior official (and identify of the person if different from the person who signed the notice) pre-approved the withdrawal in writing;
(iv) Disclose the current estimate of the futures commission merchant’s remaining total residual interest in the segregated accounts holding Cleared Swaps Customer Account funds after the withdrawal; and
(v) Include a representation that to the best of the notice signatory’s knowledge and reasonable belief the futures commission merchant remains in compliance with the segregation requirements after the withdrawal.
(d) If a futures commission merchant withdraws funds that are not for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers from Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts, and the withdrawal causes the futures commission merchant to not hold sufficient funds in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts to meet its targeted residual interest, as required to be computed under § 1.11 of this chapter, the futures commission merchant must deposit its own funds into the Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts to restore the targeted amount of residual interest on the next business day, or, if appropriate, revise the futures commission merchant’s targeted amount of residual interest pursuant to the policies and procedures required by § 1.11 of this chapter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts is less than the amount required to be maintained by § 22.2 at any particular point in time, the futures commission merchant must immediately restore the residual interest to exceed the sum of such amounts. Any proprietary funds deposited in Cleared Swaps Customer Accounts must be unencumbered and otherwise compliant with § 1.25 of this chapter, as applicable.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, a futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds that are not for the benefit of Cleared Swaps Customers from a Cleared Swaps Customer Account unless the futures commission merchant follows its policies and procedures required by § 1.11 of this chapter.
PART 23—SWAP DEALERS AND MAJOR SWAP PARTICIPANTS
Section 23.160 also issued under 7 U.S.C. 2(i); Sec. 721(b), Pub. L. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1641 (2010).
Subpart A [Reserved]
§§ 23.1-23.20 [Reserved]
Subpart B—Registration
§ 23.21 Registration of swap dealers and major swap participants.
(a) Each person who comes within the definition of the term “swap dealer” in section 1a(49) of the Act, as such term may be further defined by the Commission, is subject to the registration provisions under the Act and to part 3 of this chapter.
(b) Each person who comes within the definition of the term “major swap participant” in section 1a(33) of the Act, as such term may be further defined by the Commission, is subject to the registration provisions under the Act and to part 3 of this chapter.
(c) Each affiliate of an insured depository institution described in section 716(c) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Pub. L. 111-203 section 716(c), 124 Stat. 1376 (2010)) is required to be registered as a swap dealer if the affiliate is a swap dealer or as a major swap participant if the affiliate is a major swap participant.
§ 23.22 Prohibition against statutory disqualification in the case of an associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(a) Definition. For purposes of this section, the term “person” means an “associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant” as defined in section 1a(4) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter, but does not include an individual employed in a clerical or ministerial capacity.
(b) Fitness. No swap dealer or major swap participant may permit a person who is subject to a statutory disqualification under section 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act to effect or be involved in effecting swaps on behalf of the swap dealer or major swap participant, if the swap dealer or major swap participant knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, of the statutory disqualification; Provided, however, that the prohibition set forth in this paragraph (b) shall not apply to any person listed as a principal or registered as an associated person of a futures commission merchant, retail foreign exchange dealer, introducing broker, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, or leverage transaction merchant, or any person registered as a floor broker or floor trader, notwithstanding that the person is subject to a disqualification from registration under section 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act.
(c) Dual and multiple associations. (1) A person who is already associated as an associated person of a swap dealer or major swap participant may become associated as an associated person of another swap dealer or major swap participant if the other swap dealer or major swap participant meets the requirements set forth in § 3.60(b)(2)(i)(A) of this chapter.
(2) Each swap dealer and major swap participant associated with such associated person shall supervise that associated person, and each swap dealer and major swap participant is jointly and severally responsible for the conduct of the associated person with respect to the:
(i) Solicitation or acceptance of customer orders,
(ii) Solicitation of funds, securities or property for a participation in a commodity pool,
(iii) Solicitation of a client’s or prospective client’s discretionary account,
(iv) Solicitation or acceptance of leverage customers’ orders for leverage transactions,
(v) Solicitation or acceptance of swaps, and
(vi) Associated person’s supervision of any person or persons engaged in any of the foregoing solicitations or acceptances, with respect to any customers common to it and any other swap dealer or major swap participant.
§ 23.23 Cross-border application.
(a) Definitions. Solely for purposes of this section the terms listed in this paragraph (a) have the meanings set forth in paragraphs (a)(1) through (24) of this section. A person may rely on a written representation from its counterparty that the counterparty does or does not satisfy the criteria for one or more of the definitions listed in paragraphs (a)(1) through (24) of this section, unless such person knows or has reason to know that the representation is not accurate; for the purposes of this rule a person would have reason to know the representation is not accurate if a reasonable person should know, under all of the facts of which the person is aware, that it is not accurate.
(1) An affiliate of, or a person affiliated with a specific person, means a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the person specified.
(2) Control including the terms controlling, controlled by, and under common control with, means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting shares, by contract, or otherwise.
(3) Foreign branch means any office of a U.S. bank that:
(i) Is located outside the United States;
(ii) Operates for valid business reasons;
(iii) Maintains accounts independently of the home office and of the accounts of other foreign branches, with the profit or loss accrued at each branch determined as a separate item for each foreign branch; and
(iv) Is engaged in the business of banking and is subject to substantive regulation in banking or financing in the jurisdiction where it is located.
(4) Foreign-based swap means:
(i) A swap by a non-U.S. swap entity, except for a swap booked in a U.S. branch; or
(ii) A swap conducted through a foreign branch.
(5) Foreign counterparty means:
(i) A non-U.S. person, except with respect to a swap booked in a U.S. branch of that non-U.S. person; or
(ii) A foreign branch where it enters into a swap in a manner that satisfies the definition of a swap conducted through a foreign branch.
(6) Group A requirements mean the requirements set forth in § 3.3 of this chapter, §§ 23.201, 23.203, 23.600, 23.601, 23.602, 23.603, 23.605, 23.606, 23.607, 23.609 and, to the extent it duplicates § 23.201, § 45.2(a) of this chapter.
(7) Group B requirements mean the requirements set forth in §§ 23.202 and 23.501 through 23.504.
(8) Group C requirements mean the requirements set forth in §§ 23.400 through 23.451 and 23.700 through 23.704.
(9) Guarantee means an arrangement pursuant to which one party to a swap has rights of recourse against a guarantor, with respect to its counterparty’s obligations under the swap. For these purposes, a party to a swap has rights of recourse against a guarantor if the party has a conditional or unconditional legally enforceable right to receive or otherwise collect, in whole or in part, payments from the guarantor with respect to its counterparty’s obligations under the swap. In addition, in the case of any arrangement pursuant to which the guarantor has a conditional or unconditional legally enforceable right to receive or otherwise collect, in whole or in part, payments from any other guarantor with respect to the counterparty’s obligations under the swap, such arrangement will be deemed a guarantee of the counterparty’s obligations under the swap by the other guarantor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, until December 31, 2027, a person may continue to classify counterparties based on:
(i) Representations that were made pursuant to the “guarantee” definition in § 23.160(a)(2) prior to the effective date of this section; or
(ii) Representations made pursuant to the interpretation of the term “guarantee” in the Interpretive Guidance and Policy Statement Regarding Compliance With Certain Swap Regulations, 78 FR 45292 (Jul. 26, 2013), prior to the effective date of this section.
(10) Non-U.S. person means any person that is not a U.S. person.
(11) Non-U.S. swap entity means a swap entity that is not a U.S. swap entity.
(12) Parent entity means any entity in a consolidated group that has one or more subsidiaries in which the entity has a controlling interest, as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
(13) Significant risk subsidiary means any non-U.S. significant subsidiary of an ultimate U.S. parent entity where the ultimate U.S. parent entity has more than $50 billion in global consolidated assets, as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the end of the most recently completed fiscal year, but excluding non-U.S. subsidiaries that are:
(i) Subject to consolidated supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as a subsidiary of a U.S. bank holding company or an intermediate holding company; or
(ii) Subject to capital standards and oversight by the subsidiary’s home country supervisor that are consistent with the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s “International Regulatory Framework for Banks” and subject to margin requirements for uncleared swaps in a jurisdiction that the Commission has found comparable pursuant to a published comparability determination with respect to uncleared swap margin requirements.
(14) Significant subsidiary means a subsidiary, including its subsidiaries, which meets any of the following conditions:
(i) The three year rolling average of the subsidiary’s equity capital is equal to or greater than five percent of the three year rolling average of the ultimate U.S. parent entity’s consolidated equity capital, as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year;
(ii) The three year rolling average of the subsidiary’s total revenue is equal to or greater than ten percent of the three year rolling average of the ultimate U.S. parent entity’s total consolidated revenue, as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year; or
(iii) The three year rolling average of the subsidiary’s total assets is equal to or greater than ten percent of the three year rolling average of the ultimate U.S. parent entity’s total consolidated assets, as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
(15) Subsidiary means an affiliate of a person controlled by such person directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.
(16) Swap booked in a U.S. branch means a swap entered into by a U.S. branch where the swap is reflected in the local accounts of the U.S. branch.
(17) Swap conducted through a foreign branch means a swap entered into by a foreign branch where:
(i) The foreign branch or another foreign branch is the office through which the U.S. person makes and receives payments and deliveries under the swap pursuant to a master netting or similar trading agreement, and the documentation of the swap specifies that the office for the U.S. person is such foreign branch;
(ii) The swap is entered into by such foreign branch in its normal course of business; and
(iii) The swap is reflected in the local accounts of the foreign branch.
(18) Swap entity means a person that is registered with the Commission as a swap dealer or major swap participant pursuant to the Act.
(19) Ultimate U.S. parent entity means the U.S. parent entity that is not a subsidiary of any other U.S. parent entity.
(20) United States and U.S. means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United States, and the District of Columbia.
(21) U.S. branch means a branch or agency of a non-U.S. banking organization where such branch or agency:
(i) Is located in the United States;
(ii) Maintains accounts independently of the home office and other U.S. branches, with the profit or loss accrued at each branch determined as a separate item for each U.S. branch; and
(iii) Engages in the business of banking and is subject to substantive banking regulation in the state or district where located.
(22) U.S. GAAP means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
(23) U.S. person:
(i) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(23)(iii) of this section, U.S. person means any person that is:
(A) A natural person resident in the United States;
(B) A partnership, corporation, trust, investment vehicle, or other legal person organized, incorporated, or established under the laws of the United States or having its principal place of business in the United States;
(C) An account (whether discretionary or non-discretionary) of a U.S. person; or
(D) An estate of a decedent who was a resident of the United States at the time of death.
(ii) For purposes of this section, principal place of business means the location from which the officers, partners, or managers of the legal person primarily direct, control, and coordinate the activities of the legal person. With respect to an externally managed investment vehicle, this location is the office from which the manager of the vehicle primarily directs, controls, and coordinates the investment activities of the vehicle.
(iii) The term U.S. person does not include the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the United Nations, and their agencies and pension plans, and any other similar international organizations, and their agencies and pension plans.
(iv) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(23)(i) of this section, until December 31, 2027, a person may continue to classify counterparties as U.S. persons based on:
(A) Representations made pursuant to the “U.S. person” definition in § 23.160(a)(10) prior to the effective date of this section; or
(B) Representations made pursuant to the interpretation of the term “U.S. person” in the Interpretive Guidance and Policy Statement Regarding Compliance With Certain Swap Regulations, 78 FR 45292 (Jul. 26, 2013), prior to the effective date of this section.
(24) U.S. swap entity means a swap entity that is a U.S. person.
(b) Cross-border application of swap dealer de minimis registration threshold calculation. For purposes of determining whether an entity engages in more than a de minimis quantity of swap dealing activity under paragraph (4)(i) of the swap dealer definition in § 1.3 of this chapter, a person shall include the following swaps (subject to paragraph (d) of this section and paragraph (6) of the swap dealer definition in § 1.3 of this chapter):
(1) If such person is a U.S. person or a significant risk subsidiary, all swaps connected with the dealing activity in which such person engages.
(2) If such person is a non-U.S. person (other than a significant risk subsidiary), all of the following swaps connected with the dealing activity in which such person engages:
(i) Swaps with a counterparty that is a U.S. person, other than swaps conducted through a foreign branch of a registered swap dealer.
(ii) Swaps where the obligations of such person under the swaps are subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person.
(iii) Swaps with a counterparty that is a non-U.S. person where the counterparty’s obligations under the swaps are subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person, except when:
(A) The counterparty is registered as a swap dealer; or
(B) The counterparty’s swaps are subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person that is a non-financial entity; or
(C) The counterparty is itself below the swap dealer de minimis threshold under paragraph (4)(i) of the swap dealer definition in § 1.3, and is affiliated with a registered swap dealer.
(c) Cross-border application of major swap participant tests. For purposes of determining a person’s status as a major swap participant, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, a person shall include the following swap positions (subject to paragraph (d) of this section and the major swap participant definition in § 1.3 of this chapter):
(1) If such person is a U.S. person or a significant risk subsidiary, all swap positions that are entered into by the person.
(2) If such person is a non-U.S. person (other than a significant risk subsidiary), all of the following swap positions of such person:
(i) Swap positions where the counterparty is a U.S. person, other than swaps conducted through a foreign branch of a registered swap dealer.
(ii) Swap positions where the obligations of such person under the swaps are subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person.
(iii) Swap positions with a counterparty that is a non-U.S. person where the counterparty’s obligations under the swaps are subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person, except when the counterparty is registered as a swap dealer.
(d) Exception from counting for certain exchange-traded and cleared swaps. Notwithstanding any other provision of § 23.23, for purposes of determining whether a non-U.S. person (other than a significant risk subsidiary or a non-U.S. person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person) engages in more than a de minimis quantity of swap dealing activity under paragraph (4)(i) of the swap dealer definition in § 1.3 of this chapter or for determining the non-U.S. person’s status as a major swap participant as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, such non-U.S. person does not need to count any swaps or swap positions, as applicable, that are entered into by such non-U.S. person on a designated contract market, a registered swap execution facility or a swap execution facility exempted from registration by the Commission pursuant to section 5h(g) of the Act, or a registered foreign board of trade, and cleared through a registered derivatives clearing organization or a clearing organization that has been exempted from registration by the Commission pursuant to section 5b(h) of the Act, where the non-U.S. person does not know the identity of the counterparty to the swap prior to execution.
(e) Exceptions from certain swap requirements for certain foreign swaps. (1) With respect to its foreign-based swaps, each non-U.S. swap entity and foreign branch of a U.S. swap entity shall be excepted from:
(i) The group B requirements (other than § 23.202(a) introductory text and (a)(1)) and the group C requirements with respect to any swap—
(A) Entered into on a designated contract market, a registered swap execution facility or a swap execution facility exempted from registration by the Commission pursuant to section 5h(g) of the Act, or a registered foreign board of trade;
(B) Cleared through a registered derivatives clearing organization or a clearing organization that has been exempted from registration by the Commission pursuant to section 5b(h) of the Act; and
(C) Where the swap entity does not know the identity of the counterparty to the swap prior to execution; and
(ii) The group C requirements with respect to any swap with a foreign counterparty.
(2) A non-U.S. swap entity shall be excepted from the group C requirements with respect to any swap booked in a U.S. branch with a foreign counterparty that is neither a foreign branch nor a person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person.
(3) With respect to its foreign-based swaps, each non-U.S. swap entity that is neither a significant risk subsidiary nor a person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person shall be excepted from the group B requirements with respect to any swap with a foreign counterparty (other than a foreign branch) that is neither—
(i) A significant risk subsidiary that is a swap entity nor
(ii) A person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person.
(4) With respect to its foreign-based swaps, each foreign branch of a U.S. swap entity shall be excepted from the group B requirements with respect to any swap with a foreign counterparty (other than a foreign branch) that is neither a swap entity nor a person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person, subject to the following conditions:
(i) A group B requirement is not eligible for the exception if the requirement, as applicable to the swap, is eligible for substituted compliance pursuant to a comparability determination issued by the Commission prior to the execution of the swap; and
(ii) In any calendar quarter, the aggregate gross notional amount of swaps conducted by a swap entity in reliance on this exception does not exceed five percent (5%) of the aggregate gross notional amount of all its swaps.
(5) With respect to its foreign-based swaps, each non-U.S. swap entity that is a significant risk subsidiary (an “SRS SE”) or a person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person (a “Guaranteed SE”) shall be excepted from the group B requirements with respect to any swap with a foreign counterparty (other than a foreign branch) that is neither a swap entity nor a person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person, subject to the following conditions:
(i) A group B requirement is not eligible for the exception if the requirement, as applicable to the swap, is eligible for substituted compliance pursuant to a comparability determination issued by the Commission prior to the execution of the swap; and
(ii) In any calendar quarter, the aggregate gross notional amount of swaps conducted by an SRS SE or a Guaranteed SE in reliance on this exception aggregated with the gross notional amount of swaps conducted by all affiliated SRS SEs and Guaranteed SEs in reliance on this exception does not exceed five percent (5%) of the aggregate gross notional amount of all swaps entered into by the SRS SE or Guaranteed SE and all affiliated swap entities.
(f) Substituted Compliance. (1) A non-U.S. swap entity may satisfy any applicable group A requirement by complying with the applicable standards of a foreign jurisdiction to the extent permitted by, and subject to any conditions specified in, a comparability determination issued by the Commission under paragraph (g) of this section;
(2) With respect to its foreign-based swaps, a non-U.S. swap entity or foreign branch of a U.S. swap entity may satisfy any applicable group B requirement for a swap with a foreign counterparty by complying with the applicable standards of a foreign jurisdiction to the extent permitted by, and subject to any conditions specified in, a comparability determination issued by the Commission under paragraph (g) of this section; and
(3) A non-U.S. swap entity may satisfy any applicable group B requirement for any swap booked in a U.S. branch with a foreign counterparty that is neither a foreign branch nor a person whose performance under the swap is subject to a guarantee by a U.S. person by complying with the applicable standards of a foreign jurisdiction to the extent permitted by, and subject to any conditions specified in, a comparability determination issued by the Commission under paragraph (g) of this section.
(g) Comparability determinations. (1) The Commission may issue comparability determinations under this section on its own initiative.
(2) Eligibility requirements. The following persons may, either individually or collectively, request a comparability determination with respect to some or all of the group A requirements and group B requirements:
(i) A swap entity that is eligible, in whole or in part, for substituted compliance under this section or a trade association or other similar group on behalf of its members who are such swap entities; or
(ii) A foreign regulatory authority that has direct supervisory authority over one or more swap entities subject to the group A requirements and/or group B requirements and that is responsible for administering the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s swap standards.
(3) Submission requirements. Persons requesting a comparability determination pursuant to this section shall electronically provide the Commission:
(i) A description of the objectives of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards and the products and entities subject to such standards;
(ii) A description of how the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards address, at minimum, the elements or goals of the Commission’s corresponding requirements or group of requirements. Such description should identify the specific legal and regulatory provisions that correspond to each element or goal and, if necessary, whether the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards do not address a particular element or goal;
(iii) A description of the differences between the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards and the Commission’s corresponding requirements, and an explanation regarding how such differing approaches achieve comparable outcomes;
(iv) A description of the ability of the relevant foreign regulatory authority or authorities to supervise and enforce compliance with the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards. Such description should discuss the powers of the foreign regulatory authority or authorities to supervise, investigate, and discipline entities for compliance with the standards and the ongoing efforts of the regulatory authority or authorities to detect and deter violations of, and ensure compliance with, the standards;
(v) Copies of the foreign jurisdiction’s relevant standards (including an English translation of any foreign language document); and
(vi) Any other information and documentation that the Commission deems appropriate.
(4) Standard of review. The Commission may issue a comparability determination pursuant to this section to the extent that it determines that some or all of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards are comparable to the Commission’s corresponding requirements or group of requirements, or would result in comparable outcomes as the Commission’s corresponding requirements or group of requirements, after taking into account such factors as the Commission determines are appropriate, which may include:
(i) The scope and objectives of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards;
(ii) Whether the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards achieve comparable outcomes to the Commission’s corresponding requirements;
(iii) The ability of the relevant regulatory authority or authorities to supervise and enforce compliance with the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s standards; and
(iv) Whether the relevant regulatory authority or authorities has entered into a memorandum of understanding or other arrangement with the Commission addressing information sharing, oversight, examination, and supervision of swap entities relying on such comparability determination.
(5) Reliance. Any swap entity that, in accordance with a comparability determination issued under this section, complies with a foreign jurisdiction’s standards, would be deemed to be in compliance with the Commission’s corresponding requirements. Accordingly, if a swap entity has failed to comply with the foreign jurisdiction’s standards or a comparability determination, the Commission may initiate an action for a violation of the Commission’s corresponding requirements. All swap entities, regardless of whether they rely on a comparability determination, remain subject to the Commission’s examination and enforcement authority.
(6) Discretion and Conditions. The Commission may issue or decline to issue comparability determinations under this section in its sole discretion. In issuing such a comparability determination, the Commission may impose any terms and conditions it deems appropriate.
(7) Modifications. The Commission reserves the right to further condition, modify, suspend, terminate, or otherwise restrict a comparability determination issued under this section in the Commission’s discretion.
(8) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to request information and/or documentation in connection with the Commission’s issuance of a comparability determination under this section.
(h) Records, scope of application, effective and compliance dates—(1) Records. Swap dealers and major swap participants shall create a record of their compliance with this section and shall retain records in accordance with § 23.203.
(2) Scope of Application. The requirements of this section shall not apply to swaps executed prior to September 14, 2021.
(3) Effective date and compliance date. (i) This section shall be effective on November 13, 2020.
(ii) Provided that swap dealers and major swap participants comply with the recordkeeping requirements in paragraph (h)(1) of this section, the exceptions in paragraph (e) of this section are effective upon the effective date of the rule.
(iii) Swap dealers and major swap participants must comply with the requirements of this section no later than September 14, 2021.
§§ 23.24-23.40 [Reserved]
Subpart E—Capital and Margin Requirements for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants
§ 23.100 Definitions applicable to capital requirements.
For purposes of §§ 23.101 through 23.106 of subpart E, the following terms are defined as follows:
Actual daily net trading profit and loss. This term is used in assessing the performance of a swap dealer’s VaR measure and refers to changes in the swap dealer’s portfolio value that would have occurred were end-of-day positions to remain unchanged (therefore, excluding fees, commissions, reserves, net interest income, and intraday trading).
Advanced approaches Board-regulated institution. The term shall have the meaning ascribed to it in 12 CFR part 217.
BHC equivalent risk-weighted assets. This term means the risk-weighted assets of a swap dealer that elects to meet the capital requirements in § 23.101(a)(1)(i) calculated as follows:
(1) If the swap dealer is not approved to use internal models to calculate credit risk exposure under § 23.102, it shall calculate its credit risk-weighted assets using the bank holding company regulations in subpart D of 12 CFR part 217, as if the swap dealer itself were a bank holding company, with the swap dealer permitted to calculate its exposure amount for OTC derivative contracts using either the current exposure method or the standardized approach for counterparty credit risk, without regard to the status of any affiliate of the swap dealer as an advanced approaches Board-regulated institution;
(2) If the swap dealer is approved to use internal models to calculate credit risk exposure under § 23.102, it shall calculate its credit risk-weighted assets using the bank holding company regulations in subpart E of 12 CFR part 217, as if the swap dealer itself were a bank holding company, with the swap dealer permitted to calculate its exposure amount for OTC derivative contracts using either the internal models methodology or the standardized approach for counterparty credit risk, without regard to the status of any affiliate of the swap dealer as an advanced approaches Board-regulated institution;
(3) If the swap dealer is not approved to use internal models to calculate market risk exposure under § 23.102, it shall compute a market risk capital charge for the positions that the swap dealer holds in its proprietary accounts using the applicable standardized market risk charges set forth in § 240.18a-1 of this title and § 1.17 of this chapter for such positions, and multiplying that amount by a factor of 12.5;
(4) If the swap dealer is approved to use internal models to calculate market risk exposure under § 23.102, it shall calculate its market risk-weighted assets using subpart F of 12 CFR part 217; Provided, however, that the swap dealer may elect to apply either the provisions of such sections that are applicable to advanced approaches Board-regulated institutions or those that are applicable to Board-regulated institutions that are not advanced approaches Board-regulated institutions.
Credit risk. This term refers to the risk that the counterparty to an uncleared swap transaction could default before the final settlement of the transaction’s cash flows.
Credit risk exposure requirement. This term refers to the amount that the swap dealer (other than a swap dealer subject to the minimum capital requirements of § 23.101(a)(1)(i)) is required to compute under § 23.102 if approved to use internal credit risk models, or to compute under § 23.103 if not approved to use internal credit risk models.
Exempt foreign exchange swaps and foreign exchange forwards are those foreign exchange swaps and foreign exchange forwards that were exempted from the definition of a swap by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Market risk exposure. This term means the risk of loss in a position or portfolio of positions resulting from movements in market prices and other factors. Market risk exposure is the sum of:
(1) General market risks including changes in the market value of a particular assets that result from broad market movements, such as a changes in market interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices, and commodity prices;
(2) Specific risk, which includes risks that affect the market value of a specific instrument, such as the credit risk of the issuer of the particular instrument, but do not materially alter broad market conditions;
(3) Incremental risk, which means the risk of loss on a position that could result from the failure of an obligor to make timely payments of principal and interest; and
(4) Comprehensive risk, which is the measure of all material price risks of one or more portfolios of correlation trading positions.
Market risk exposure requirement. This term refers to the amount that the swap dealer (other than a swap dealer subject to the minimum capital requirements of § 23.101(a)(1)(i)) is required to compute under § 23.102 if approved to use internal market risk models, or § 23.103 if not approved to use internal market risk models.
OTC derivative contract. This term shall have the meaning ascribed to it in 12 CFR part 217.
Predominantly engaged in non-financial activities. A swap dealer is predominantly engaged in non-financial activities if: (1) The swap dealer’s consolidated annual gross financial revenues, or if the swap dealer is a wholly owned subsidiary, then the swap dealer’s consolidated parent’s annual gross financial revenues, in either of its two most recently completed fiscal years represents less than 15 percent of the swap dealer’s consolidated gross revenue in that fiscal year (“15% revenue test”), and (2) the consolidated total financial assets of the swap dealer, or if the swap dealer is wholly owned subsidiary, the consolidated total financial assets of the swap dealer’s parent, at the end of its two most recently completed fiscal years represents less than 15 percent of the swap dealer’s consolidated total assets as of the end of the fiscal year (“15% asset test”). For purpose of computing the 15% revenue test or the 15% asset test, a swap dealer’s activities or swap dealer’s parent’s activities shall be deemed financial activities if such activities are defined as financial activities under 12 CFR 242.3 and Appendix A to 12 CFR 242, including lending, investing for others, safeguarding money or securities for others, providing financial or investment advisory services, underwriting or making markets in securities, providing securities brokerage services, and engaging as principal in investing and trading activities; Provided, however, a swap dealer may exclude from its financial activities accounts receivable resulting from non-financial activities.
Prudential regulator. This term has the same meaning as set forth in section 1a(39) of the Act, and includes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Administration, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as applicable to a swap dealer or major swap participant.
Regulatory capital. This term shall mean:
(1) With respect to the capital requirement under § 23.101(a)(1)(i), the amount of common equity tier 1 capital, additional tier 1 capital, and tier 2 capital maintained by a covered SD, computed in accordance with § 23.101(a)(1)(i);
(2) With respect to the capital requirement under § 23.101(a)(1)(ii), the amount of tentative net capital and net capital maintained by a covered SD, computed in accordance with § 23.101(a)(1)(ii);
(3) With respect to the capital requirement under § 23.101(a)(2)(i), the amount of tangible net worth as defined in this section and maintained by a covered SD; and
(4) With respect to the capital requirement under 23.101(b), the amount of tangible net worth as defined in this section and maintained by a major swap participant.
Regulatory capital requirement. This term refers to each of the capital requirements that § 23.101 applies to a swap dealer or major swap participant.
Tangible net worth. This term means the net worth of a swap dealer or major swap participant as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, excluding goodwill and other intangible assets. In determining net worth, all long and short positions in swaps, security-based swaps and related positions must be marked to their market value. A swap dealer or major swap participant must include in its computation of tangible net worth all liabilities or obligations of a subsidiary or affiliate that the swap dealer or major swap participant guarantees, endorses, or assumes either directly or indirectly.
Uncleared swap margin. This term means the amount of initial margin, computed in accordance with § 23.154, that a swap dealer would be required to collect from each counterparty for each outstanding swap position of the swap dealer. A swap dealer must include all swap positions in the calculation of the uncleared swap margin amount, including swaps that are exempt or excluded from the scope of the Commission’s margin regulations for uncleared swaps pursuant to § 23.150, exempt foreign exchange swaps or foreign exchange forwards, or netting set of swaps or foreign exchange swaps, for each counterparty, as if that counterparty was an unaffiliated swap dealer. Furthermore, in computing the uncleared swap margin amount, a swap dealer may not exclude the initial margin threshold amount or minimum transfer amount as such terms are defined in § 23.151.
§ 23.101 Minimum financial requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants.
(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(2) through (a)(5) of this section, each swap dealer must elect to be subject to the minimum capital requirements set forth in either paragraphs (a)(1)(i) or (a)(1)(ii) of this section:
(i) A swap dealer that elects to meet the capital requirements in this paragraph (a)(1)(i) must at all times maintain regulatory capital that meets the following:
(A) $20 million of common equity tier 1 capital, as defined under the bank holding company regulations in 12 CFR 217.20, as if the swap dealer itself were a bank holding company subject to 12 CFR part 217;
(B) An aggregate of common equity tier 1 capital, additional tier 1 capital, and tier 2 capital, all as defined under the bank holding company regulations in 12 CFR 217.20, equal to or greater than eight percent of the swap dealer’s BHC equivalent risk-weighted assets; provided, however, that the swap dealer must maintain a minimum of common equity tier 1 capital equal to six point five percent of its BHC equivalent risk-weighted assets; provided further, that any capital that is subordinated debt under 12 CFR 217.20 and that is included in the swap dealer’s capital for purposes of this paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) must qualify as subordinated debt under § 240.18a-1d of this title;
(C) An aggregate of common equity tier 1 capital, additional tier 1 capital, and tier 2 capital, all as defined under the bank holding company regulations in 12 CFR 217.20, equal to or greater than eight percent of the amount of uncleared swap margin, as that term is defined in § 23.100 of this part, for each uncleared swap position open on the books of the swap dealer, computed on a counterparty by counterparty basis pursuant to § 23.154 of this part; and
(D) The amount of capital required by a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member.
(ii)(A) A swap dealer that elects to meet the capital requirements in this paragraph (a)(1)(ii) must at all times maintain net capital, as defined and computed in accordance with § 240.18a-1 of this title as if the swap dealer were a security-based swap dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and subject to § 240.18a-1 of this title, that equals or exceeds the greater of:
(1) $20 million; provided however, that if the swap dealer is approved under § 23.102 of this part to use internal models to compute market risk capital charges or credit risk capital charges it must maintain tentative net capital, as defined and computed in accordance with § 240.18a-1 of this title as if the swap dealer were a security-based swap dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and subject to § 240.18a-1 of this title, of not less than $100 million and net capital of $20 million;
(2) Two percent of the uncleared swap margin, as defined in § 23.100 of this part; or
(3) The amount of capital required by a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member.
(B) A swap dealer that uses internal models to compute market risk for its proprietary positions under § 240.18a-1(d) of this title must calculate the total market risk as the sum of the VaR measure, stressed VaR measure, specific risk measure, comprehensive risk measure, and incremental risk measure of the portfolio of proprietary positions in accordance with § 23.102 of this part and Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 23; and
(C) A swap dealer may recognize as a current asset, receivables from third-party custodians that maintain the swap dealer’s initial margin deposits associated with uncleared swap and security-based swap transactions pursuant to the margin rules of the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, a prudential regulator, as defined in section 1a(39) of the Act, or a foreign jurisdiction that has received a margin Comparability Determination under § 23.160 of this chapter.
(2)(i) A swap dealer that is “predominantly engaged in non-financial activities” as defined in § 23.100 of this part may elect to meet the minimum capital requirements in this paragraph (a)(2) in lieu of the capital requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(ii) A swap dealer that satisfies the requirements of paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section and elects to meet the requirements of this paragraph (a)(2) must maintain tangible net worth, as defined in § 23.100 of this part, equal to or in excess of the greatest of the following:
(A) $20 million plus the amount of the swap dealer’s market risk exposure requirement (as defined in § 23.100 of this part) and its credit risk exposure requirement (as defined in § 23.100 of this part) associated with the swap dealer’s swap and related hedge positions that are part of the swap dealer’s swap dealing activities. The swap dealer shall compute its market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement for its swap positions in accordance with § 23.102 of this part if the swap dealer has obtained approval to use internal capital models. The swap dealer shall compute its market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement in accordance with the standardized approach of paragraphs (b)(1) and (c)(1) of § 23.103 of this part if it has not been approved to use internal capital models;
(B) Eight percent of the amount of uncleared swap margin, as that term is defined in § 23.100 of this part, for each uncleared swap positions open on the books of the swap dealer, computed on a counterparty by counterparty basis pursuant to § 23.154 of this part; or
(C) The amount of capital required by a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member.
(3) A swap dealer that is subject to minimum capital requirements established by the rules or regulations of a prudential regulator pursuant to section 4s(e) of the Act is not subject to the regulatory capital requirements set forth in paragraph (a)(1) or (2) of this section.
(4) A swap dealer that is a futures commission merchant is subject to the minimum capital requirements of § 1.17 of this title, and is not subject to the regulatory capital requirements set forth in paragraph (a)(1) or (2) of this section.
(5) A swap dealer that is organized and domiciled outside of the United States, including a swap dealer that is an affiliate of a person organized and domiciled in the United States, may satisfy its requirements for capital adequacy under paragraphs (a)(1) or (2) of this section by substituted compliance with the capital adequacy requirement of its home country jurisdiction. In order to qualify for substituted compliance, a swap dealer’s home country jurisdiction must receive from the Commission a Capital Comparability Determination under § 23.106 of this part. A swap dealer that is a registered futures commission merchant may not apply for a Capital Comparability Determination and must comply with the minimum capital requirements set forth in § 1.17 of this chapter.
(6) A swap dealer that elects to meet the capital requirements of paragraph (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), or (a)(2) of this section may not subsequently change its election without the prior written approval of the Commission. A swap dealer that wishes to change its election must submit a written request to the Commission and must provide any additional information and documentation requested by the Commission.
(b)(1) Every major swap participant for which there is not a prudential regulator must at all time have and maintain positive tangible net worth.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(1) of this section, each major swap participant for which there is no prudential regulator must meet the minimum capital requirements established by a registered futures association of which the major swap participant is a member.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section, a major swap participant that is a futures commission merchant is subject to the minimum capital requirements of § 1.17 of this chapter, and is not subject to the regulatory capital requirements set forth in paragraph (b)(1) and (2) of this section.
(4) A major swap participant that is organized and domiciled outside of the United States, including a major swap participant that is an affiliate of a person organized and domiciled in the United States, may satisfy its requirements for capital adequacy under paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section by substituted compliance with the capital adequacy requirement of its home country jurisdiction. In order to qualify for substituted compliance, a major swap participant’s home country jurisdiction must receive from the Commission a Capital Comparability Determination under § 23.106 of this part. A major swap participant that is a registered futures commission merchant may not apply for a Capital Comparability Determination and must comply with the minimum capital requirements set forth in § 1.17 of this chapter.
(c)(1) Before any applicant may be registered as a swap dealer or major swap participant, the applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of a registered futures association of which it is a member, or applying for membership, one of the following:
(i) That the applicant complies with the applicable regulatory capital requirements in paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), (b)(1), or (b)(2) of this section;
(ii) That the applicant is a futures commission merchant that complies with § 1.17 of this chapter;
(iii) That the applicant is subject to minimum capital requirements established by the rules or regulations of a prudential regulator under paragraph (a)(3) of this section;
(iv) That the applicant is organized and domiciled in a non-U.S. jurisdiction and is regulated in a jurisdiction for which the Commission has issued a Capital Comparability Determination under § 23.106 of this part, and the non-U.S. person has obtained confirmation from the Commission that it may rely upon the Commission’s Comparability Determination under § 23.106 of this part.
(2) Each swap dealer and major swap participant subject to the minimum capital requirements set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section must be in compliance with such requirements at all times, and must be able to demonstrate such compliance to the satisfaction of the Commission and to the registered futures association of which the swap dealer or major swap participant is a member.
§ 23.102 Calculation of market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement using internal models
(a) A swap dealer may apply to the Commission or to a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member to obtain approval to use internal models under terms and conditions required by the Commission or the registered futures association and by these regulations, when calculating the swap dealer’s market risk exposure and credit risk exposure under §§ 23.101(a)(1)(i)(B), 23.101(a)(1)(ii)(A), or 23.101(a)(2)(ii)(A); Provided however, that the Commission must issue a determination that the registered futures association’s model requirements and review process are comparable to the Commission’s requirements and review process in order for the registered futures association’s model approval to be accepted as an alternative means of compliance with this section.
(b) The swap dealer’s application to use internal models to compute market risk exposure and credit risk exposure must be in writing and must be filed with the Commission and with a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member. The swap dealer must file the application in accordance with instructions established by the Commission and the registered futures association.
(c) A swap dealer’s application must include the following:
(1) In the case of a swap dealer subject to the minimum capital requirements in § 23.101(a)(1)(i) applying to use internal models to compute market risk exposure, the information required under subpart F of 12 CFR part 217, as if the swap dealer were itself a bank holding company subject to 12 CFR part 217.
(2) In the case of a swap dealer subject to the minimum capital requirements in § 23.101(a)(1)(i) applying to use internal models to compute credit risk exposure, the information required under subpart E of 12 CFR part 217 in order to calculate credit risk-weighted assets in accordance with sections 217.131 through 217.155 of that subpart, as if the swap dealer were itself a bank holding company subject to 12 CFR part 217.
(3) In the case of a swap dealer subject to the minimum capital requirements in § 23.101(a)(ii) or § 23.101(a)(2), the information set forth in Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 23.
(d) The Commission, or registered futures association upon obtaining the Commission’s determination that its requirements and model approval process are comparable to the Commission’s requirements and process, may approve or deny the application, or approve or deny an amendment to the application, in whole or in part, subject to any conditions or limitations the Commission or registered futures association may require, if the Commission or registered futures association finds the approval to be appropriate in the public interest, after determining, among other things, whether the applicant has met the requirements of this section. A swap dealer that has received Commission or registered futures association approval to compute market risk exposure requirements and credit risk exposure requirements pursuant to internal models must compute such charges in accordance with Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 23.
(e) A swap dealer must cease using internal models to compute its market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement, upon the occurrence of any of the following:
(1) The swap dealer has materially changed a mathematical model described in the application or materially changed its internal risk management control system without first submitting amendments identifying such changes and obtaining the approval of the Commission or the registered futures association for such changes;
(2) The Commission or the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member determines that the internal models are no longer sufficient for purposes of the capital calculations of the swap dealer as a result of changes in the operations of the swap dealer;
(3) The swap dealer fails to come into compliance with its requirements under this section, after having received from the Director of the Commission’s Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or from the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, written notification that the swap dealer is not in compliance with its requirements, and must come into compliance by a date specified in the notice; or
(4) The Commission by written order finds that permitting the swap dealer to continue to use the internal models is no longer appropriate.
(f)(1) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section, a swap dealer may use internal market risk or credit risk models upon the submission to the Commission and the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member a certification, signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or other appropriate official with knowledge of the swap dealer’s capital requirements and the capital models, that such models are in substantial compliance with Commission’s model requirements and have been approved for use in computing capital by the swap dealer, or an affiliate of the swap dealer, by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a prudential regulator (as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter), a foreign regulatory authority in a jurisdiction that the Commission has found to be eligible for substituted compliance under § 23.106, or a foreign regulatory authority whose capital adequacy requirements are consistent with the capital requirements issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. A swap dealer also must file an application containing the information required under paragraph (c) of this section with the Commission with its certification. A swap dealer may use such models pending the subsequent approval or denial of the swap dealer’s capital model application by the Commission or the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member.
(2) A swap dealer shall revise the certification required under paragraph (f)(1) of this section to address any material changes or revisions to the models, or to reflect any regulatory restrictions placed on the models since the certification was submitted.
(3) A swap dealer shall cease using capital models subject to the certification under paragraph (f)(1) of this section if the regulatory authority that previously approved the models for use by the swap dealer, or by the swap dealer’s affiliate, has withdrawn its approval and the Commission or a registered futures association has not approved the models.
§ 23.103 Calculation of market risk exposure requirement and credit risk requirement when models are not approved.
(a) Non-model approach. A swap dealer that:
(1) Does not compute its regulatory capital requirements under § 23.101(a)(1)(i), and
(2) Either:
(A) has not received approval from the Commission or from a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member to compute its market risk exposure requirement and/or credit risk exposure requirement pursuant to internal models under § 23.102, or
(B) has had its approval to compute its market risk exposure requirement and/or credit risk exposure requirement pursuant to internal models under § 23.102 revoked by the Commission or registered futures association must compute its market risk exposure requirement and/or credit risk exposure requirement pursuant to paragraphs (b) and/or (c) of this section.
(b) Market risk exposure requirements. (1) A swap dealer that computes its regulatory capital under § 23.101(a)(1)(ii) or (a)(2) shall compute a market risk capital charge for the positions that the swap dealer holds in its proprietary accounts using the applicable standardized market risk charges set forth in § 240.18a-1 of this title and § 1.17 of this chapter for such positions.
(2) In computing its net capital under § 23.101(a)(1)(ii), a swap dealer shall deduct from its tentative net capital the sum of the market risk capital charges computed under paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(3) In computing its minimum capital requirement under § 23.101(a)(2), a swap dealer must add the amount of the market risk capital charge computed under this section to the $20 million minimum capital requirement.
(c) Credit risk charges. (1) A swap dealer that computes regulatory capital under § 23.101(a)(1)(ii) shall compute counterparty credit risk charges using the applicable standardized credit risk charges set forth in § 240.18a-1 of this title and § 1.17 of this chapter for such positions.
(2) In computing its net capital under § 23.101(a)(1)(ii), a swap dealer shall reduce its tentative net capital by the sum of the counterparty credit risk charges computed under paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(3) In computing its minimum capital requirement under § 23.101(a)(2), a swap dealer must add the amount of the credit risk charge computed under this section to the $20 million minimum capital requirement.
§ 23.104 Equity Withdrawal Restrictions.
(a) Equity withdrawal restrictions. The capital of a swap dealer, including the capital of any affiliate or subsidiary whose liabilities or obligations are guaranteed, endorsed, or assumed by the swap dealer may not be withdrawn by action of the swap dealer or its equity holders, or by redemption of shares of stock by the swap dealer or by such affiliates or subsidiaries, or through the payment of dividends or any similar distribution, nor may any unsecured advance or loan be made to an equity holder or employee if, after giving effect thereto and to any other such withdrawals, advances, or loans which are scheduled to occur within six months following such withdrawal, advance or loan, the swap dealer’s regulatory capital is less than 120 percent of the minimum regulatory capital required under § 23.101 of this part. The equity withdrawal restrictions, however, do not preclude a swap dealer from making required tax payments or from paying reasonable compensation to equity holders. The Commission may, upon application by the swap dealer, grant relief from this paragraph (a) if the Commission deems such relief to be in the public interest.
(b) Temporary equity withdrawal restrictions by Commission order. (1) The Commission may by order restrict, for a period of up to twenty business days, any withdrawal by a swap dealer of capital or any unsecured loan or advance to a stockholder, partner, member, employee or affiliate under such terms and conditions as the Commission deems appropriate in the public interest if the Commission, based on the information available, concludes that such withdrawal, loan or advance may be detrimental to the financial integrity of the swap dealer, or may unduly jeopardize the swap dealer’s ability to meet its financial obligations to counterparties or to pay other liabilities which may cause a significant impact on the markets or expose the counterparties and creditors of the swap dealer to loss.
(2) An order temporarily prohibiting the withdrawal of capital shall be rescinded if the Commission determines that the restriction on capital withdrawal should not remain in effect. A hearing on an order temporarily prohibiting withdrawal of capital will be held within two business days from the date of the request in writing by the swap dealer.
§ 23.105 Financial recordkeeping, reporting and notification requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants.
(a) Scope. (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section, a swap dealer or major swap participant must comply with the applicable requirements set forth in paragraphs (b) through (p) of this section.
(2) The requirements in paragraphs (b) through (o) of this section do not apply to any swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the capital requirements of a prudential regulator.
(3) The requirements in paragraph (p) of this section do not apply to any swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the capital requirements of the Commission.
(b) Current books and records. A swap dealer or major swap participant shall prepare and keep current ledgers or other similar records which show or summarize, with appropriate references to supporting documents, each transaction affecting its asset, liability, income, expense, and capital accounts, and in which all its asset, liability, and capital accounts are classified in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and as otherwise may be necessary for the capital calculations required under § 23.101 of this part: Provided, however, that a swap dealer or major swap participant that is not otherwise required to prepare financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, may prepare and keep records required by this section in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. Such records must be maintained in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(c) Notices. (1) A swap dealer or major swap participant who knows or should have known that its regulatory capital at any time is less than the minimum required by § 23.101 of this part, must:
(i) Provide immediate written notice to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member that the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s regulatory capital is less than that required by § 23.101 of this part; and
(ii) Provide together with such notice, documentation in such form as necessary to adequately reflect the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s regulatory capital condition as of any date such person’s regulatory capital is less than the minimum required. The swap dealer or major swap participant must provide similar documentation for other days as the Commission or registered futures association may request.
(2) A swap dealer or major swap participant who knows or should have known that its regulatory capital at any time is less than 120 percent of its minimum regulatory capital requirement as determined under § 23.101 of this part, must provide written notice to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member to that effect within 24 hours of such event.
(3) If a swap dealer or major swap participant at any time fails to make or to keep current the books and records required by these regulations, such swap dealer or major swap participant must, on the same day such event occurs, provide written notice to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member of such fact, specifying the books and records which have not been made or which are not current, and within 48 hours after giving such notice file a written report stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the situation.
(4) A swap dealer or major swap participant must provide written notice to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member of a substantial reduction in capital as compared to that last reported in a financial report filed with the Commission pursuant to this section. The notice shall be provided if the swap dealer or major swap participant experiences a 30 percent or more decrease in the amount of capital that the swap dealer or major swap participant holds in excess of its regulatory capital requirement as computed under § 23.101 of this part.
(5) A swap dealer or major swap participant must provide written notice to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member two business days prior to the withdrawal of capital by action of the equity holders of the swap dealer or major swap participant where the withdrawal exceeds 30 percent of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s excess regulatory capital as computed under § 23.101 of this part.
(6) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a security-based swap dealer or as a major security-based swap participant and files a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission under 17 CFR 240.18a-8 or 17 CFR 240.17a-11, as applicable, must file a copy of such notice with the Commission and with the registered futures association of which it is a member at the time the security-based swap dealer or major security-based swap participant files the notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(7) A swap dealer or major swap participant must submit a written notice to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member within 24 hours of the occurrence of any of the following events:
(i) A single counterparty, or group of counterparties that are under common ownership or control, fails to post initial margin or pay variation margin to the swap dealer or major swap participant for swap positions in compliance with § 23.152 and § 23.153 of this part and security-based swap positions in compliance with 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(1)(ii) and 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(2)(ii), and such initial margin and variation margin, in the aggregate, is equal to or greater than 25 percent of the swap dealer’s minimum capital requirement or 25 percent of the major swap participant’s tangible net worth;
(ii) Counterparties fail to post initial margin or pay variation margin to the swap dealer or major swap participant for swap positions in compliance with § 23.152 and § 23.153 of this part and security-based swap positions in compliance with 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(1)(ii) and 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(2)(ii) in an amount that, in the aggregate, exceeds 50 percent of the swap dealer’s minimum capital requirement or 50 percent of the major swap participant’s tangible net worth;
(iii) A swap dealer or major swap participant fails to post initial margin or pay variation margin to a single counterparty or group of counterparties under common ownership and control for swap positions in compliance with § 23.152 and § 23.153 of this part and security-based swap positions in compliance with 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(1)(ii) and 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(2)(ii), and such initial margin and variation margin, in the aggregate, exceeds 25 percent of the swap dealer’s minimum capital requirement or 25 percent of the major swap participant’s tangible net worth; or
(iv) A swap dealer or major swap participant fails to post initial margin or pay variation margin to counterparties for swap positions in compliance with § 23.152 and § 23.153 of this part and security-based swap positions in compliance with 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(1)(ii) and 17 CFR 240.18a-3(c)(2)(ii) in an amount that, in the aggregate, exceeds 50 percent of the swap dealer’s s minimum capital requirement or 50 percent of the major swap participants tangible net worth.
(d) Unaudited financial reports. (1) A swap dealer or major swap participant shall file with the Commission and with a registered futures association of which it is a member monthly financial reports meeting the requirements in paragraph (d)(2) of this section as of the close of business each month; Provided, however, that a swap dealer or major swap participant who is subject to the minimum capital requirements of § 23.101(a)(2) or (b), respectively, may file quarterly financial reports meeting the requirements of paragraph (d)(2) of this section as of the close of business each quarter end. Such financial reports must be filed no later than 17 business days after the date for which the report is made.
(2) The financial reports required by this section must be prepared in the English language and be denominated in United States dollars. The financial reports shall include a statement of financial condition, a statement of income/loss, a statement of changes in liabilities subordinated to the claims of general creditors, a statement of changes in ownership equity, a statement demonstrating compliance with and calculation of the applicable regulatory capital requirement under § 23.101, and such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading. The monthly report and schedules must be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as established in the United States; Provided, however, that a swap dealer or major swap participant that is not otherwise required to prepare financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, may prepare the monthly report and schedules required by this section in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
(3) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is also registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker or dealer, security-based swap dealer, or a major security-based swap participant and files a monthly Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part II with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to 17 CFR 240.18a-7 or 17 CFR 240.17a-5, as applicable, may file such Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part II with the Commission and with the registered futures association in lieu of the financial reports required under paragraphs (d)(1) and (2) of the section. The swap dealer or major swap participant must file the form with the Commission and registered futures association when it files the Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part II with the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided, however, that the swap dealer or major swap participant must file the Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part II with the Commission and registered futures association no later than 17 business days after the end of each month.
(4) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is also registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant may file a Form 1-FR-FCM in lieu of the monthly financial reports required under paragraphs (d)(1) and (2) of the section.
(e) Annual audited financial report. (1) A swap dealer or major swap participant shall file with the Commission and with a registered futures association of which it is a member an annual financial report as of the close of its fiscal year, certified in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this section, and including the information specified in paragraph (e)(3) of this section no later than 60 days after the close of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s fiscal year-end: Provided, however, that a swap dealer or major swap participant who is subject to the minimum capital requirements of § 23.101(a)(2) or (b), respectively, of this part may file an annual financial report no later than 90 days after the close of the swap dealer’s and major swap participant’s fiscal year-end.
(2) The annual financial report shall be audited and reported upon with an opinion expressed by an independent certified public accountant or independent licensed accountant that is in good standing in the accountant’s home jurisdiction.
(3) The annual financial reports shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as established in the United States, be prepared in the English language, and denominated in United States dollars: Provided, however, that a swap dealer or major swap participant that does not otherwise prepare financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, may prepare the annual financial report required by this section in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
(4) The annual financial report must include the following:
(i) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(ii) Statements of income (loss), cash flows, changes in ownership equity for the period between the date of the most recent certified statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and registered futures association and the date for which the report is made, and changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors;
(iii) Appropriate footnote disclosures;
(iv) A statement demonstrating the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s compliance with and calculation of the applicable regulatory capital requirement under § 23.101 of this part;
(v) A reconciliation of any material differences from the unaudited financial report prepared as of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s year-end date under paragraph (d) of this section and the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s annual financial report prepared under this paragraph (e); and
(vi) Such further material information as may be necessary to make the required statements not misleading.
(5) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is also registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker or dealer, security-based swap dealer, or a major security-based swap participant and files an annual financial report with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to 17 CFR 240.18a-7 or 17 CFR 240.17a-5, as applicable, may file such annual financial report with the Commission and the registered futures association in lieu of the annual financial report required under this paragraph (e). The swap dealer or major swap participant must file its annual financial report with the Commission and the registered futures association at the same time that it files the annual financial report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided that the annual financial report is filed with the Commission and registered futures association no later than 60 days from the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s fiscal year-end date.
(6) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is also registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant may file an audited Form 1-FR-FCM in lieu of the annual financial report required under this paragraph (e).
(f) Oath or affirmation. Attached to each unaudited and audited financial report must be an oath or affirmation that to the best knowledge and belief of the individual making such oath or affirmation the information contained in the financial report is true and correct. The individual making such oath or affirmation must be: If the swap dealer or major swap participant is a sole proprietorship, the proprietor; if a partnership, any general partner; if a corporation, the duly authorized officer; and, if a limited liability company or limited liability partnership, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the manager, the managing member, or those members vested with the management authority for the limited liability company or limited liability partnership.
(g) Change of fiscal year-end. A swap dealer or major swap participant may not change the date of its fiscal year-end from that used in its most recent annual financial report filed under paragraph (e) of this section unless the swap dealer or major swap participant has requested and received written approval for the change from a registered futures association of which it is a member.
(h) Additional information requirements. From time to time the Commission or a registered futures association, may, by written notice, require any swap dealer or major swap participant to file financial or operational information on a daily basis or at such other times as may be specified by the Commission or registered futures association. Such information must be furnished in accordance with the requirements included in the written Commission or registered futures association notice.
(i) Public disclosure and nonpublic treatment of reports. (1) A swap dealer or major swap participant must no less than six months after the date of the most recent annual audited financial report make publicly available on its website the following unaudited information:
(i) The statement of financial condition; and
(ii) A statement disclosing the amount of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s regulatory capital as of the end of the quarter and the amount of its minimum regulatory capital requirement, computed in accordance with § 23.101.
(2) A swap dealer or major swap participant must no less than annually make publicly available on its website the following information:
(i) The statement of financial condition from the swap dealer or major swap participant’s audited annual financial report including applicable footnotes; and
(ii) A statement disclosing the amount of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s regulatory capital as of the fiscal year end and its minimum regulatory capital requirement, computed in accordance with § 23.101.
(3) Financial information required to be made publicly available pursuant to paragraph (i)(2) of this section must be posted within 10 business days after the firm is required to file with the Commission the reports required under paragraph (e)(1).
(4) Financial information required to be made publicly available pursuant to paragraph (i)(1) of this section must be posted within 30 calendar days of the date of the statements required under paragraph (d)(1).
(5) Financial information required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to this section, and not otherwise publicly available, will be treated as exempt from mandatory public disclosure for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act and parts 145 and 147 of this chapter; Provided, however, that all information that is exempt from mandatory public disclosure will be available for official use by any official or employee of the United States or any State, by the National Futures Association and by any other person to whom the Commission believes disclosure of such information is in the public interest.
(j) Extension of time to file financial reports. A swap dealer or major swap participant may file a request with the registered futures association of which it is a member for an extension of time to file a monthly unaudited financial report or an annual audited financial report required under paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section. Such request will be approved, conditionally or unconditionally, or disapproved by the registered futures association.
(k) Additional reporting requirements for swap dealers approved to use models to calculate market risk and credit risk for computing capital requirements. (1) A swap dealer that has received approval or filed an application for provisional approval under § 23.102(d) from the Commission, or from a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, to use internal models to compute its market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement in computing its regulatory capital under § 23.101 must file with the Commission and with the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member the following information within 17 business days of the end of each month:
(i) For each product for which the swap dealer calculates a deduction for market risk other than in accordance with a model approved or for which an application of provisional approval has been filed pursuant to § 23.102(d), the product category and the amount of the deduction for market risk;
(ii) A graph reflecting, for each business line, the daily intra-month VaR;
(iii) The aggregate VaR for the swap dealer;
(iv) For each product for which the swap dealer uses scenario analysis, the product category and the deduction for market risk;
(v) Credit risk information on swap, mixed swap and security-based swap exposures including:
(A) Overall current exposure;
(B) Current exposure (including commitments) listed by counterparty for the 15 largest exposures;
(C) The 10 largest commitments listed by counterparty;
(D) The swap dealer’s maximum potential exposure listed by counterparty for the 15 largest exposures;
(E) The swap dealer’s aggregate maximum potential exposure;
(F) A summary report reflecting the swap dealer’s current and maximum potential exposures by credit rating category; and
(G) A summary report reflecting the swap dealer’s current exposure for each of the top ten countries to which the swap dealer is exposed (by residence of the main operating group of the counterparty).
(2) A swap dealer that has received approval or filed an application of provisional approval under § 23.102(d) from the Commission or from a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member to use internal models to compute its market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement in computing its regulatory capital under § 23.101 must file with the Commission and with the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is member the following information within 17 business days of the end of each calendar quarter:
(i) A report identifying the number of business days for which the actual daily net trading loss exceeded the corresponding daily VaR; and
(ii) The results of back-testing of all internal models used to compute allowable capital, including VaR, and credit risk models, indicating the number of back-testing exceptions.
(l) Additional position and counterparty reporting requirements. A swap dealer or major swap participant must provide on a monthly basis to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which the swap dealer or major swap participant is a member the specific information required in Appendix B to Subpart E of this part.
(m) Margin reporting. A swap dealer or major swap participant must file with the Commission and with the registered futures association of which the swap dealer or major swap participant is a member the following information as of the end of each month within 17 business days of the end of each month:
(1) The name and address of each custodian holding initial margin or variation margin collected by the swap dealer or major swap participant for uncleared swap transactions pursuant to §§ 23.152 and 23.153;
(2) The amount of initial margin and variation margin collected by the swap dealer or major swap participant that is held by each custodian listed in paragraph (m)(1) of this section;
(3) The aggregate amount of initial margin that the swap dealer or major swap participant is required to collect from swap counterparties pursuant to § 23.152(a);
(4) The name and address of each custodian holding initial margin or variation margin posted by the swap dealer or major swap participant for uncleared swap transaction pursuant to §§ 23.152 and 23.153;
(5) The amount of initial margin and variation margin posted by the swap dealer or major swap participant that is held by each custodian listed in paragraph (m)(4) of this section; and
(6) The aggregate amount of initial margin that the swap dealer or majors swap participant is required to post to its swap counterparties pursuant to § 23.152(b).
(n) Electronic filing. All filings of financial reports, notices and other information required to be submitted to the Commission or registered futures association under paragraphs (b) through (m) of this section must be filed in electronic form using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission or registered futures association, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission or registered futures association.
A swap dealer or major swap participant must provide the Commission or registered futures association with the means necessary to read and to process the information contained in such report. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the swap dealer or major swap participant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer. In the case of a financial report required under paragraphs (d), (e), or (h) of this section and filed via electronic transmission in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission or registered futures association, such transmission must be accompanied by the user authentication assigned to the authorized signer under such procedures, and the use of such user authentication will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer for the purpose of making the oath or affirmation referred to in paragraph (f) of this section.
(o) Comparability determination for certain financial reporting. A swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the monthly financial reporting requirements of paragraph (d) of this section and the annual financial reporting requirements of paragraph (e) of this section may petition the Commission for a Capital Comparability Determination under § 23.106 to file monthly financial reports and/or annual financial reports prepared in accordance with the rules a foreign regulatory authority in lieu of the requirements contained in this section.
(p) Quarterly financial reporting and notification provisions for swap dealers and major swap participants that are subject to the capital requirements of a prudential regulator. (1) Scope. A swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the capital requirements of a prudential regulator must comply with the requirements of this paragraph.
(2) Financial report and position information. A swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the capital requirements of a prudential regulator shall file on a quarterly basis with the Commission the financial reports and specific position information set forth in Appendix C to subpart E of this part. The swap dealer or major swap participant must file Appendix B to subpart E of this part with the Commission within 30 calendar days of the date of the end of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s fiscal quarter.
(3) Notices. A swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the capital requirements of a prudential regulator must comply with the following written notice provisions:
(i) A swap dealer or major swap participant that files a notice of adjustment of its reported capital category with the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or files a similar notice with its home country supervisor(s), must give written notice of this fact that same day by transmitting a copy of the notice of the adjustment of reported capital category, or the similar notice provided to its home country supervisor(s), to the Commission and with a registered futures association of which it is a member.
(ii) A swap dealer or major swap participant must provide immediate written notice to the Commission and with a registered futures association of which it is a member that the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s regulatory capital is less than the applicable minimum capital requirements set forth in 12 CFR 217.10, 12 CFR 3.10, or 12 CFR 324.10, or the minimum capital requirements established by its home country supervisor(s).
(iii) If a swap dealer or major swap participant at any time fails to make or to keep current the books and records necessary to produce reports required under paragraph (p)(2) of this section, such swap dealer or major swap participant must, on the same day such event occurs, provide written notice to the Commission and with a registered futures association of which it is a member of such fact, specifying the books and records which have not been made or which are not current, and within 48 hours after giving such notice file a written report stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the situation.
(4) Additional information. From time to time the Commission may, by written notice, require a swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the capital rules of a prudential regulator to file financial or operational information on a daily basis or at such other times as may be specified by the Commission. Such information must be furnished in accordance with the requirements included in the written Commission notice.
(5) Oath or affirmation. Attached to each financial report, must be an oath or affirmation that to the best knowledge and belief of the individual making such oath or affirmation the information contained in the filing is true and correct. The individual making such oath or affirmation must be: If the swap dealer or major swap participant is a sole proprietorship, the proprietor; if a partnership, any general partner; if a corporation, the duly authorized officer; and, if a limited liability company or limited liability partnership, the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the manager, the managing member, or those members vested with the management authority for the limited liability company or limited liability partnership.
(6) Electronic filing. All filings of financial reports, notices, and other information made pursuant to this paragraph (p) must be submitted to the Commission in electronic form using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instructions issued by or approved by the Commission. Each swap dealer and major swap participant must provide the Commission with the means necessary to read and to process the information contained in such report. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the swap dealer or major swap participant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer. In the case of a financial report required under this paragraph (p) and filed via electronic transmission in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, such transmission must be accompanied by the user authentication assigned to the authorized signer under such procedures, and the use of such user authentication will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer for the purpose of making the oath or affirmation referred to in paragraph (p)(5) of this paragraph. Every notice or report required to be transmitted to the Commission pursuant to this paragraph (p) must also be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission if the swap dealer or major swap participant also is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(7) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to rules of a prudential regulator and is also registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a security-based swap dealer or a major security-based swap participant and files a quarterly Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part IIC with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to 17 CFR 240.18a-7, may file such Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part IIC with the Commission in lieu of the financial reports required under paragraphs (p)(2) of this section. The swap dealer or major swap participant must file the form with the Commission when it files the Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part IIC with the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided, however, that the swap dealer or major swap participant must file the Form X-17A-5 FOCUS Report Part IIC with the Commission no later than 30 calendar days from the date the report is made.
§ 23.106 Substituted compliance for swap dealer’s and major swap participant’s capital and financial reporting.
(a)(1) Eligibility requirements. The following persons may, either individually or collectively, request a Capital Comparability Determination with respect to the Commission’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements for swap dealers or major swap participants:
(i) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is eligible for substituted compliance under § 23.101 or a trade association or other similar group on behalf of its members who are swap dealers or major swap participants; or
(ii) A foreign regulatory authority that has direct supervisory authority over one or more swap dealers or major swap participants that are eligible for substituted compliance under § 23.101, and such foreign regulatory authority is responsible for administering the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements over the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) Submission requirements. A person requesting a Capital Comparability Determination must electronically submit to the Commission:
(i) A description of the objectives of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements over entities that are subject to the Commission’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements in this part;
(ii) A description (including specific legal and regulatory provisions) of how the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements address the elements of the Commission’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants, including, at a minimum, the methodologies for establishing and calculating capital adequacy requirements and whether such methodologies comport with any international standards, including Basel-based capital requirements for banking institutions; and
(iii) A description of the ability of the relevant foreign regulatory authority or authorities to supervise and enforce compliance with the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements. Such description should discuss the powers of the foreign regulatory authority or authorities to supervise, investigate, and discipline entities for compliance with capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements, and the ongoing efforts of the regulatory authority or authorities to detect and deter violations, and ensure compliance with capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements. The description should address how foreign authorities and foreign laws and regulations address situations where a swap dealer or major swap participant is unable to comply with the foreign jurisdictions capital adequacy or financial reporting requirements.
(iv) Upon request, such other information and documentation that the Commission deems necessary to evaluate the comparability of the capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements of the foreign jurisdiction.
(v) All supplied documents shall be provided in English, or provided translated to the English language, with currency amounts stated in or converted to USD (conversions to be noted with applicable date).
(3) Standard of Review. The Commission will issue a Capital Comparability Determination to the extent that it determines that some or all of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements and related financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements for swap dealing financial intermediaries are comparable to the Commission’s corresponding capital adequacy and financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements. In determining whether the requirements are comparable, the Commission may consider all relevant factors, including:
(i) The scope and objectives of the foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements;
(ii) Whether the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements achieve comparable outcomes to the Commission’s corresponding capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants;
(iii) The ability of the relevant regulatory authority or authorities to supervise and enforce compliance with the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements; and
(iv) Any other facts or circumstances the Commission deems relevant.
(4) Reliance. (i) A swap dealer or major swap participant that is subject to the supervision of a foreign jurisdiction that has received a Capital Comparability Determination from the Commission must file a notice of its intent to comply with the capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements of the foreign jurisdiction with the Commission.
(ii) Any swap dealer or major swap participant that has filed the notice set forth in paragraph (a)(4)(i) of this section and has received confirmation from the Commission that it may comply with a foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements will be deemed to be in compliance with the Commission’s corresponding capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements. Accordingly, if a swap dealer or major swap participant has failed to comply with the foreign jurisdiction’s capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements, the Commission may initiate an action for a violation of the Commission’s corresponding requirements. All swap dealers and major swap participants, regardless of whether they rely on a Capital Comparability Determination, remain subject to the Commission’s examination and enforcement authority.
(5) Conditions. In issuing a Capital Comparability Determination, the Commission may impose any terms and conditions it deems appropriate, including certain capital adequacy and financial reporting requirements on swap dealers or major swap participants. The violation of such terms and conditions may constitute a violation of the Commission’s capital adequacy or financial reporting requirements and/or result in the modification or revocation of the Capital Comparability Determination.
(6) Modifications. The Commission reserves the right to further condition, modify, suspend or terminate or otherwise restrict a Capital Comparability Determination in the Commission’s discretion.
§§ 23.107-23.149 [Reserved]
§ 23.150 Scope.
(a) The margin requirements set forth in §§ 23.150 through 23.161 shall apply to uncleared swaps, as defined in § 23.151, that are executed after the applicable compliance dates set forth in § 23.161.
(b) The requirements set forth in §§ 23.150 through 23.161 shall not apply to a swap if the counterparty:
(1) Qualifies for an exception from clearing under section 2(h)(7)(A) of the Act and implementing regulations;
(2) Qualifies for an exemption from clearing under a rule, regulation, or order issued by the Commission pursuant to section 4(c)(1) of the Act concerning cooperative entities that would otherwise be subject to the requirements of section 2(h)(1)(A) of the Act; or
(3) Satisfies the criteria in section 2(h)(7)(D) of the Act and implementing regulations.
§ 23.151 Definitions applicable to margin requirements.
For the purposes of §§ 23.150 through 23.161:
Bank holding company has the meaning specified in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841).
Broker has the meaning specified in section 3(a)(4) the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(4)).
Business day means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
Company means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, special purpose entity, association, or similar organization.
Counterparty means the other party to a swap to which a covered swap entity is a party.
Covered counterparty means a financial end user with material swaps exposure or a swap entity that enters into a swap with a covered swap entity.
Covered swap entity means a swap dealer or major swap participant for which there is no prudential regulator.
Cross-currency swap means a swap in which one party exchanges with another party principal and interest rate payments in one currency for principal and interest rate payments in another currency, and the exchange of principal occurs on the date the swap is entered into, with a reversal of the exchange of principal at a later date that is agreed upon when the swap is entered into.
Currency of Settlement means a currency in which a party has agreed to discharge payment obligations related to an uncleared swap or a group of uncleared swaps subject to a master netting agreement at the regularly occurring dates on which such payments are due in the ordinary course.
Data source means an entity and/or method from which or by which a covered swap entity obtains prices for swaps or values for other inputs used in a margin calculation.
Day of execution means the calendar day at the time the parties enter into an uncleared swap, provided:
(1) If each party is in a different calendar day at the time the parties enter into the uncleared swap, the day of execution is deemed the latter of the two dates; and
(2) If an uncleared swap is—
(i) Entered into after 4:00 p.m. in the location of a party; or
(ii) Entered into on a day that is not a business day in the location of a party, then the uncleared swap is deemed to have been entered into on the immediately succeeding day that is a business day for both parties, and both parties shall determine the day of execution with reference to that business day.
Dealer has the meaning specified in section 3(a)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(5)).
Depository institution has the meaning specified in section 3(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(c)).
Eligible collateral means collateral described in § 23.156.
Eligible master netting agreement means a written, legally enforceable agreement provided that:
(1) The agreement creates a single legal obligation for all individual transactions covered by the agreement upon an event of default following any stay permitted by paragraph (2) of this definition, including upon an event of receivership, conservatorship, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding, of the counterparty;
(2) The agreement provides the covered swap entity the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out on a net basis all transactions under the agreement and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default, including upon an event of receivership, conservatorship, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding, of the counterparty, provided that, in any such case,
(i) Any exercise of rights under the agreement will not be stayed or avoided under applicable law in the relevant jurisdictions, other than:
(A) In receivership, conservatorship, or resolution under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1811 et seq.), Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (12 U.S.C. 5381 et seq.), the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, as amended (12 U.S.C. 4617), or the Farm Credit Act of 1971, as amended (12 U.S.C. 2183 and 2279cc), or laws of foreign jurisdictions that are substantially similar to the U.S. laws referenced in this paragraph in order to facilitate the orderly resolution of the defaulting counterparty; or
(B) Where the agreement is subject by its terms to, or incorporates, any of the laws referenced in paragraph (2)(i)(A) of this definition; and
(ii) The agreement may limit the right to accelerate, terminate, and close-out on a net basis all transactions under the agreement and to liquidate or set-off collateral promptly upon an event of default of the counterparty to the extent necessary for the counterparty to comply with the requirements of 12 CFR part 47; 12 CFR part 252, subpart I; or 12 CFR part 382, as applicable;
(3) The agreement does not contain a walkaway clause (that is, a provision that permits a non-defaulting counterparty to make a lower payment than it otherwise would make under the agreement, or no payment at all, to a defaulter or the estate of a defaulter, even if the defaulter or the estate of the defaulter is a net creditor under the agreement); and
(4) A covered swap entity that relies on the agreement for purposes of calculating the margin required by this part must:
(i) Conduct sufficient legal review to conclude with a well-founded basis (and maintain sufficient written documentation of that legal review) that:
(A) The agreement meets the requirements of paragraph (2) of this definition; and
(B) In the event of a legal challenge (including one resulting from default or from receivership, conservatorship, insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceeding) the relevant court and administrative authorities would find the agreement to be legal, valid, binding, and enforceable under the law of the relevant jurisdictions; and
(ii) Establish and maintain written procedures to monitor possible changes in relevant law and to ensure that the agreement continues to satisfy the requirements of this definition.
Financial end user means—
(1) A counterparty that is not a swap entity and that is:
(i) A bank holding company or a margin affiliate thereof; a savings and loan holding company; a U.S. intermediate holding company established or designated for purposes of compliance with 12 CFR 252.153; or a nonbank financial institution supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System under Title I of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (12 U.S.C. 5323);
(ii) A depository institution; a foreign bank; a Federal credit union or State credit union as defined in section 2 of the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1752(1) and (6)); an institution that functions solely in a trust or fiduciary capacity as described in section 2(c)(2)(D) of the Bank Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C. 1841(c)(2)(D)); an industrial loan company, an industrial bank, or other similar institution described in section 2(c)(2)(H) of the Bank Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C. 1841(c)(2)(H));
(iii) An entity that is state-licensed or registered as:
(A) A credit or lending entity, including a finance company; money lender; installment lender; consumer lender or lending company; mortgage lender, broker, or bank; motor vehicle title pledge lender; payday or deferred deposit lender; premium finance company; commercial finance or lending company; or commercial mortgage company; except entities registered or licensed solely on account of financing the entity’s direct sales of goods or services to customers;
(B) A money services business, including a check casher; money transmitter; currency dealer or exchange; or money order or traveler’s check issuer;
(iv) A regulated entity as defined in section 1303(20) of the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4502(20)) or any entity for which the Federal Housing Finance Agency or its successor is the primary federal regulator;
(v) Any institution chartered in accordance with the Farm Credit Act of 1971, as amended, 12 U.S.C. 2001 et seq. that is regulated by the Farm Credit Administration;
(vi) A securities holding company; a broker or dealer; an investment adviser as defined in section 202(a) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)); an investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1 et seq.), a company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company pursuant to section 54(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-53(a)), or a person that is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a security-based swap dealer or a major security-based swap participant pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.).
(vii) A private fund as defined in section 202(a) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80-b-2(a)); an entity that would be an investment company under section 3 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3) but for section 3(c)(5)(C); or an entity that is deemed not to be an investment company under section 3 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 pursuant to Investment Company Act Rule 3a-7 (§ 270.3a-7 of this title) of the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(viii) A commodity pool, a commodity pool operator, a commodity trading advisor, a floor broker, a floor trader, an introducing broker or a futures commission merchant;
(ix) An employee benefit plan as defined in paragraphs (3) and (32) of section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002);
(x) An entity that is organized as an insurance company, primarily engaged in writing insurance or reinsuring risks underwritten by insurance companies, or is subject to supervision as such by a State insurance regulator or foreign insurance regulator;
(xi) An entity, person, or arrangement that is, or holds itself out as being, an entity, person, or arrangement that raises money from investors, accepts money from clients, or uses its own money primarily for investing or trading or facilitating the investing or trading in loans, securities, swaps, funds, or other assets; or
(xii) An entity that would be a financial end user described in paragraph (1) of this definition or a swap entity if it were organized under the laws of the United States or any State thereof.
(2) The term “financial end user” does not include any counterparty that is:
(i) A sovereign entity;
(ii) A multilateral development bank;
(iii) The Bank for International Settlements and the European Stability Mechanism;
(iv) An entity that is exempt from the definition of financial entity pursuant to section 2(h)(7)(C)(iii) of the Act and implementing regulations;
(v) An affiliate that qualifies for the exemption from clearing pursuant to section 2(h)(7)(D) of the Act; or
(vi) An eligible treasury affiliate that the Commission exempts from the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 by rule.
Foreign bank means an organization that is organized under the laws of a foreign country and that engages directly in the business of banking outside the United States.
Foreign exchange forward has the meaning specified in section 1a(24) of the Act.
Foreign exchange swap has the meaning specified in section 1a(25) of the Act.
Initial margin means the collateral, as calculated in accordance with § 23.154 that is collected or posted in connection with one or more uncleared swaps.
Initial margin model means an internal risk management model that:
(1) Has been developed and designed to identify an appropriate, risk-based amount of initial margin that the covered swap entity must collect with respect to one or more non-cleared swaps to which the covered swap entity is a party; and
(2) Has been approved by the Commission or a registered futures association pursuant to § 23.154(b).
Initial margin threshold amount means an aggregate credit exposure of $50 million resulting from all uncleared swaps between a covered swap entity and its margin affiliates on the one hand, and a covered counterparty and its margin affiliates on the other. For purposes of this calculation, an entity shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b).
Major currencies means—
(1) United States Dollar (USD);
(2) Canadian Dollar (CAD);
(3) Euro (EUR);
(4) United Kingdom Pound (GBP);
(5) Japanese Yen (JPY);
(6) Swiss Franc (CHF);
(7) New Zealand Dollar (NZD);
(8) Australian Dollar (AUD);
(9) Swedish Kronor (SEK);
(10) Danish Kroner (DKK);
(11) Norwegian Krone (NOK); and
(12) Any other currency designated by the Commission.
Margin affiliate. A company is a margin affiliate of another company if:
(1) Either company consolidates the other on a financial statement prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the International Financial Reporting Standards, or other similar standards,
(2) Both companies are consolidated with a third company on a financial statement prepared in accordance with such principles or standards, or
(3) For a company that is not subject to such principles or standards, if consolidation as described in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition would have occurred if such principles or standards had applied.
Market intermediary means—
(1) A securities holding company;
(2) A broker or dealer;
(3) A futures commission merchant;
(4) A swap dealer; or
(5) A security-based swap dealer.
Material swaps exposure for an entity means that, as of September 1 of any year, the entity and its margin affiliates have an average month-end aggregate notional amount of uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, foreign exchange forwards, and foreign exchange swaps with all counterparties for March, April, and May of that year that exceeds $8 billion, where such amount is calculated only for the last business day of the month. Activities not carried out in the regular course of business and willfully designed to circumvent calculation at month-end to evade meeting the definition of material swaps exposure shall be prohibited. An entity shall count the average month-end aggregate notional amount of an uncleared swap, an uncleared security-based swap, a foreign exchange forward, or a foreign exchange swap between the entity and a margin affiliate only one time. For purposes of this calculation, an entity shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b) or a security-based swap that qualifies for an exemption under section 3C(g)(10) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c-3(g)(4)) and implementing regulations or that satisfies the criteria in section 3C(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78-c3(g)(4)) and implementing regulations.
Minimum transfer amount means a combined initial and variation margin amount under which no actual transfer of funds is required. The minimum transfer amount shall be $500,000. Where a counterparty to a covered swap entity owns two or more separately managed accounts, a minimum transfer amount of up to $50,000 may be applied for each separately managed account.
Multilateral development bank means:
(1) The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
(2) The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency;
(3) The International Finance Corporation;
(4) The Inter-American Development Bank;
(5) The Asian Development Bank;
(6) The African Development Bank;
(7) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
(8) The European Investment Bank;
(9) The European Investment Fund;
(10) The Nordic Investment Bank;
(11) The Caribbean Development Bank;
(12) The Islamic Development Bank;
(13) The Council of Europe Development Bank; and
(14) Any other entity that provides financing for national or regional development in which the U.S. government is a shareholder or contributing member or which the Commission determines poses comparable credit risk.
Non-financial end user means a counterparty that is not a swap dealer, a major swap participant, or a financial end user.
Prudential regulator has the meaning specified in section 1a(39) of the Act.
Savings and loan holding company has the meaning specified in section 10(n) of the Home Owners’ Loan Act (12 U.S.C. 1467a(n)).
Securities holding company has the meaning specified in section 618 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (12 U.S.C. 1850a).
Security-based swap has the meaning specified in section 3(a)(68) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(68)).
Separately managed account means an account of a counterparty to a covered swap entity that meets the following requirements:
(1) The account is managed by an asset manager and governed by an investment management agreement, pursuant to which the counterparty grants the asset manager authority with respect to a specified amount of the counterparty’s assets;
(2) Swaps are entered into between the counterparty and the covered swap entity by the asset manager on behalf of the account pursuant to authority granted by the counterparty through an investment management agreement; and
(3) The swaps of such account are subject to a master netting agreement that does not provide for the netting of initial or variation margin obligations across all such accounts of the counterparty that have swaps outstanding with the covered swap entity.
Sovereign entity means a central government (including the U.S. government) or an agency, department, ministry, or central bank of a central government.
State means any State, commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands.
Swap entity means a person that is registered with the Commission as a swap dealer or major swap participant pursuant to the Act.
Uncleared security-based swap means a security-based swap that is not, directly or indirectly, submitted to and cleared by a clearing agency registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a-1) or by a clearing agency that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has exempted from registration by rule or order pursuant to section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78a-1).
Uncleared swap means a swap that is not cleared by a registered derivatives clearing organization, or by a clearing organization that the Commission has exempted from registration by rule or order pursuant to section 5b(h) of the Act.
U.S. Government-sponsored enterprise means an entity established or chartered by the U.S. government to serve public purposes specified by federal statute but whose debt obligations are not explicitly guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
Variation margin means collateral provided by a party to its counterparty to meet the performance of its obligation under one or more uncleared swaps between the parties as a result of a change in value of such obligations since the trade was executed or the last time such collateral was provided.
Variation margin amount means the cumulative mark-to-market change in value to a covered swap entity of an uncleared swap, as measured from the date it is entered into (or in the case of an uncleared swap that has a positive or negative value to a covered swap entity on the date it is entered into, such positive or negative value plus any cumulative mark-to-market change in value to the covered swap entity of an uncleared swap after such date), less the value of all variation margin previously collected, plus the value of all variation margin previously posted with respect to such uncleared swap.
§ 23.152 Collection and posting of initial margin.
(a) Collection—(1) Initial obligation. On or before the business day after execution of an uncleared swap between a covered swap entity and a covered counterparty, the covered swap entity shall collect initial margin from the covered counterparty in an amount equal to or greater than an amount calculated pursuant to § 23.154, in a form that complies with § 23.156, and pursuant to custodial arrangements that comply with § 23.157.
(2) Continuing obligation. The covered swap entity shall continue to hold initial margin from the covered counterparty in an amount equal to or greater than an amount calculated each business day pursuant to § 23.154, in a form that complies with § 23.156, and pursuant to custodial arrangements that comply with § 23.157, until such uncleared swap is terminated or expires.
(b) Posting—(1) Initial obligation. On or before the business day after execution of an uncleared swap between a covered swap entity and a financial end user with material swaps exposure, the covered swap entity shall post initial margin with the counterparty in an amount equal to or greater than an amount calculated pursuant to § 23.154, in a form that complies with § 23.156, and pursuant to custodial arrangements that comply with § 23.157.
(2) Continuing obligation. The covered swap entity shall continue to post initial margin with the counterparty in an amount equal to or greater than an amount calculated each business day pursuant to § 23.154, in a form that complies with § 23.156, and pursuant to custodial arrangements that comply with § 23.157, until such uncleared swap is terminated or expires.
(3) Minimum transfer amount. A covered swap entity is not required to collect or to post initial margin pursuant to §§ 23.150 through 23.161 with respect to a particular counterparty unless and until the combined amount of initial margin and variation margin that is required pursuant to §§ 23.150 through 23.161 to be collected or posted and that has not been collected or posted with respect to the counterparty is greater than the minimum transfer amount, as the term is defined in § 23.151.
(c) Netting. (1) To the extent that one or more uncleared swaps are executed pursuant to an eligible master netting agreement between a covered swap entity and covered counterparty, a covered swap entity may calculate and comply with the applicable initial margin requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 on an aggregate net basis with respect to all uncleared swaps governed by such agreement, subject to paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
(2)(i) Except as permitted in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section, if an eligible master netting agreement covers uncleared swaps entered into on or after the applicable compliance date set forth in § 23.161, all the uncleared swaps covered by that agreement are subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 and included in the aggregate netting portfolio for the purposes of calculating and complying with the margin requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(ii) An eligible master netting agreement may identify one or more separate netting portfolios that independently meet the requirements in paragraph (1) of the definition of “eligible master netting agreement” in § 23.151 and to which collection and posting of margin applies on an aggregate net basis separate from and exclusive of any other uncleared swaps covered by the eligible master netting agreement. Any such netting portfolio that contains any uncleared swap entered into on or after the applicable compliance date set forth in § 23.161 is subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161. Any such netting portfolio that contains only uncleared swaps entered into before the applicable compliance date is not subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(d) Satisfaction of collection and posting requirements. A covered swap entity shall not be deemed to have violated its obligation to collect or to post initial margin from a covered counterparty if:
(1) The covered counterparty has refused or otherwise failed to provide, or to accept, the required initial margin to, or from, the covered swap entity; and
(2) The covered swap entity has:
(i) Made the necessary efforts to collect or to post the required initial margin, including the timely initiation and continued pursuit of formal dispute resolution mechanisms, including pursuant to § 23.504(b)(4), if applicable, or has otherwise demonstrated upon request to the satisfaction of the Commission that it has made appropriate efforts to collect or to post the required initial margin; or
(ii) Commenced termination of the uncleared swap with the covered counterparty promptly following the applicable cure period and notification requirements.
§ 23.153 Collection and posting of variation margin.
(a) Initial obligation. On or before the business day after the day of execution of an uncleared swap between a covered swap entity and a counterparty that is a swap entity or a financial end user, the covered swap entity shall collect the variation margin amount from the counterparty when the amount is positive, or post the variation margin amount with the counterparty when the amount is negative as calculated pursuant to § 23.155 and in a form that complies with § 23.156.
(b) Continuing obligation. The covered swap entity shall continue to collect the variation margin amount from, or to post the variation margin amount with, the counterparty as calculated each business day pursuant to § 23.155 and in a form that complies with § 23.156 each business day until such uncleared swap is terminated or expires.
(c) Minimum transfer amount. A covered swap entity is not required to collect or to post variation margin pursuant to §§ 23.150 through 23.161 with respect to a particular counterparty unless and until the combined amount of initial margin and variation margin that is required pursuant to §§ 23.150 through 23.161 to be collected or posted and that has not been collected or posted with respect to the counterparty is greater than the minimum transfer amount, as the term is defined in § 23.151.
(d) Netting. (1) To the extent that more than one uncleared swap is executed pursuant to an eligible master netting agreement between a covered swap entity and a counterparty, a covered swap entity may calculate and comply with the applicable variation margin requirements of this section on an aggregate basis with respect to all uncleared swaps governed by such agreement subject to paragraph (d)(2) of this section.
(2)(i) Except as permitted in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) of this section, if an eligible master netting agreement covers uncleared swaps entered into on or after the applicable compliance date set forth in § 23.161, all the uncleared swaps covered by that agreement are subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 and included in the aggregate netting portfolio for the purposes of calculating and complying with the margin requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(ii) An eligible master netting agreement may identify one or more separate netting portfolios that independently meet the requirements in paragraph (1) of the definition of “eligible master netting agreement” in § 23.151 and to which collection and posting of margin applies on an aggregate net basis separate from and exclusive of any other uncleared swaps covered by the eligible master netting agreement. Any such netting portfolio that contains any uncleared swap entered into on or after the applicable compliance date set forth in § 23.161 is subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161. Any such netting portfolio that contains only uncleared swaps entered into before the applicable compliance date is not subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(e) Satisfaction of collection and payment requirements. A covered swap entity shall not be deemed to have violated its obligation to collect or to pay variation margin from a counterparty if:
(1) The counterparty has refused or otherwise failed to provide or to accept the required variation margin to or from the covered swap entity; and
(2) The covered swap entity has:
(i) Made the necessary efforts to collect or to post the required variation margin, including the timely initiation and continued pursuit of formal dispute resolution mechanisms, including pursuant to § 23.504(b)(4), if applicable, or has otherwise demonstrated upon request to the satisfaction of the Commission that it has made appropriate efforts to collect or to post the required variation margin; or
(ii) Commenced termination of the uncleared swap with the counterparty promptly following the applicable cure period and notification requirements.
§ 23.154 Calculation of initial margin.
(a) Means of calculation. (1) Each business day each covered swap entity shall calculate an initial margin amount to be collected from each covered counterparty using:
(i) A risk-based model that meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; or
(ii) The table-based method set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.
(2) Each business day each covered swap entity shall calculate an initial margin amount to be posted with each financial end user with material swaps exposure using:
(i) A risk-based model that meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; or
(ii) The table-based method set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.
(3) Each covered swap entity may reduce the amounts calculated pursuant to paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section by the initial margin threshold amount provided that the reduction does not include any portion of the initial margin threshold amount already applied by the covered swap entity or its margin affiliates in connection with other uncleared swaps with the counterparty or its margin affiliates.
(4) The amounts calculated pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) of this section shall not be less than zero.
(5) A covered swap entity would be deemed to calculate initial margin as required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section if it uses the amount of initial margin calculated by a counterparty that is a swap entity and the initial margin amount is calculated using the swap entity’s risk-based model that meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section or is approved by a prudential regulator, provided that initial margin calculated in such manner is used only with respect to uncleared swaps entered into by the covered swap entity and the swap entity for the purpose of hedging the covered swap entity’s swaps with non-swap entity counterparties.
(b) Risk-based models—(1) Commission or registered futures association approval. (i) A covered swap entity shall obtain the written approval of the Commission or a registered futures association to use a model to calculate the initial margin required in §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(ii) A covered swap entity shall demonstrate that the model satisfies all of the requirements of this section on an ongoing basis.
(iii) A covered swap entity shall notify the Commission and the registered futures association in writing 60 days prior to:
(A) Extending the use of an initial margin model that has been approved to an additional product type;
(B) Making any change to any initial margin model that has been approved that would result in a material change in the covered swap entity’s assessment of initial margin requirements; or
(C) Making any material change to modeling assumptions used by the initial margin model.
(iv) The Commission or the registered futures association may rescind approval of the use of any initial margin model, in whole or in part, or may impose additional conditions or requirements if the Commission or the registered futures association determines, in its discretion, that the model no longer complies with this section.
(2) Elements of the model. (i) The initial margin model shall calculate an amount of initial margin that is equal to the potential future exposure of the uncleared swap or netting portfolio of uncleared swaps covered by an eligible master netting agreement. Potential future exposure is an estimate of the one-tailed 99 percent confidence interval for an increase in the value of the uncleared swap or netting portfolio of uncleared swaps due to an instantaneous price shock that is equivalent to a movement in all material underlying risk factors, including prices, rates, and spreads, over a holding period equal to the shorter of ten business days or the maturity of the swap or netting portfolio.
(ii) All data used to calibrate the initial margin model shall be based on an equally weighted historical observation period of at least one year and not more than five years and must incorporate a period of significant financial stress for each broad asset class that is appropriate to the uncleared swaps to which the initial margin model is applied.
(iii) The initial margin model shall use risk factors sufficient to measure all material price risks inherent in the transactions for which initial margin is being calculated. The risk categories shall include, but should not be limited to, foreign exchange or interest rate risk, credit risk, equity risk, and commodity risk, as appropriate. For material exposures in significant currencies and markets, modeling techniques shall capture spread and basis risk and shall incorporate a sufficient number of segments of the yield curve to capture differences in volatility and imperfect correlation of rates along the yield curve.
(iv) In the case of an uncleared cross-currency swap, the initial margin model need not recognize any risks or risk factors associated with the fixed, physically-settled foreign exchange transactions associated with the exchange of principal embedded in the uncleared cross-currency swap. The initial margin model must recognize all material risks and risk factors associated with all other payments and cash flows that occur during the life of the uncleared cross-currency swap.
(v) The initial margin model may calculate initial margin for an uncleared swap or netting portfolio of uncleared swaps covered by an eligible master netting agreement. It may reflect offsetting exposures, diversification, and other hedging benefits for uncleared swaps that are governed by the same eligible master netting agreement by incorporating empirical correlations within the following broad risk categories, provided the covered swap entity validates and demonstrates the reasonableness of its process for modeling and measuring hedging benefits: Commodity, credit, equity, and foreign exchange or interest rate. Empirical correlations under an eligible master netting agreement may be recognized by the model within each broad risk category, but not across broad risk categories.
(vi) If the initial margin model does not explicitly reflect offsetting exposures, diversification, and hedging benefits between subsets of uncleared swaps within a broad risk category, the covered swap entity shall calculate an amount of initial margin separately for each subset of uncleared swaps for which such relationships are explicitly recognized by the model. The sum of the initial margin amounts calculated for each subset of uncleared swaps within a broad risk category will be used to determine the aggregate initial margin due from the counterparty for the portfolio of uncleared swaps within the broad risk category.
(vii) The sum of the initial margin calculated for each broad risk category shall be used to determine the aggregate initial margin due from the counterparty.
(viii) The initial margin model shall not permit the calculation of any initial margin to be offset by, or otherwise take into account, any initial margin that may be owed or otherwise payable by the covered swap entity to the counterparty.
(ix) The initial margin model shall include all material risks arising from the nonlinear price characteristics of option positions or positions with embedded optionality and the sensitivity of the market value of the positions to changes in the volatility of the underlying rates, prices, or other material risk factors.
(x) The covered swap entity shall not omit any risk factor from the calculation of its initial margin that the covered swap entity uses in its model unless it has first demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Commission or the registered futures association that such omission is appropriate.
(xi) The covered swap entity shall not incorporate any proxy or approximation used to capture the risks of the covered swap entity’s uncleared swaps unless it has first demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Commission or the registered futures association that such proxy or approximation is appropriate.
(xii) The covered swap entity shall have a rigorous and well-defined process for re-estimating, re-evaluating, and updating its internal margin models to ensure continued applicability and relevance.
(xiii) The covered swap entity shall review and, as necessary, revise the data used to calibrate the initial margin model at least annually, and more frequently as market conditions warrant, to ensure that the data incorporate a period of significant financial stress appropriate to the uncleared swaps to which the initial margin model is applied.
(xiv) The level of sophistication of the initial margin model shall be commensurate with the complexity of the swaps to which it is applied. In calculating an initial margin amount, the initial margin model may make use of any of the generally accepted approaches for modeling the risk of a single instrument or portfolio of instruments.
(xv) The Commission or the registered futures association may in its discretion require a covered swap entity using an initial margin model to collect a greater amount of initial margin than that determined by the covered swap entity’s initial margin model if the Commission or the registered futures association determines that the additional collateral is appropriate due to the nature, structure, or characteristics of the covered swap entity’s transaction(s) or is commensurate with the risks associated with the transaction(s).
(3) [Reserved]
(4) Periodic review. A covered swap entity shall periodically, but no less frequently than annually, review its initial margin model in light of developments in financial markets and modeling technologies, and enhance the initial margin model as appropriate to ensure that it continues to meet the requirements for approval in this section.
(5) Control, oversight, and validation mechanisms. (i) The covered swap entity shall maintain a risk management unit in accordance with § 23.600(c)(4)(i) that is independent from the business trading unit (as defined in § 23.600).
(ii) The covered swap entity’s risk control unit shall validate its initial margin model prior to implementation and on an ongoing basis. The covered swap entity’s validation process shall be independent of the development, implementation, and operation of the initial margin model, or the validation process shall be subject to an independent review of its adequacy and effectiveness. The validation process shall include:
(A) An evaluation of the conceptual soundness of (including developmental evidence supporting) the initial margin model;
(B) An ongoing monitoring process that includes verification of processes and benchmarking by comparing the covered swap entity’s initial margin model outputs (estimation of initial margin) with relevant alternative internal and external data sources or estimation techniques. The benchmark(s) must address the model’s limitations. When applicable the covered swap entity should consider benchmarks that allow for non-normal distributions such as historical and Monte Carlo simulations. When applicable validation shall include benchmarking against observable margin standards to ensure that the initial margin required is not less than what a derivatives clearing organization would require for similar cleared transactions; and
(C) An outcomes analysis process that includes back testing the model. This analysis shall recognize and compensate for the challenges inherent in back testing over periods that do not contain significant financial stress.
(iii) If the validation process reveals any material problems with the model, the covered swap entity must promptly notify the Commission and the registered futures association of the problems, describe to the Commission and the registered futures association any remedial actions being taken, and adjust the model to ensure an appropriately conservative amount of required initial margin is being calculated.
(iv) In accordance with § 23.600(e)(2), the covered swap entity shall have an internal audit function independent of the business trading unit and the risk management unit that at least annually assesses the effectiveness of the controls supporting the initial margin model measurement systems, including the activities of the business trading units and risk control unit, compliance with policies and procedures, and calculation of the covered swap entity’s initial margin requirements under this part. At least annually, the internal audit function shall report its findings to the covered swap entity’s governing body, senior management, and chief compliance officer.
(6) Documentation. The covered swap entity shall adequately document all material aspects of its model, including management and valuation of uncleared swaps to which it applies, the control, oversight, and validation of the initial margin model, any review processes and the results of such processes.
(7) Escalation procedures. The covered swap entity must adequately document—
(i) Internal authorization procedures, including escalation procedures, that require review and approval of any change to the initial margin calculation under the initial margin model;
(ii) Demonstrable analysis that any basis for any such change is consistent with the requirements of this section; and
(iii) Independent review of such demonstrable analysis and approval.
(c) Table-based method. If a model meeting the standards set forth in paragraph (b) of this section is not used, initial margin shall be calculated in accordance with this paragraph.
(1) Standardized initial margin schedule.
| Asset class | Gross initial margin (% of notional exposure) |
|---|---|
| Credit: 0-2 year duration | 2 |
| Credit: 2-5 year duration | 5 |
| Credit: 5+ year duration | 10 |
| Commodity | 15 |
| Equity | 15 |
| Foreign Exchange/Currency | 6 |
| Cross Currency Swaps: 0-2 year duration | 1 |
| Cross Currency Swaps: 2-5 year duration | 2 |
| Cross Currency Swaps: 5+ year duration | 4 |
| Interest Rate: 0-2 year duration | 1 |
| Interest Rate: 2-5 year duration | 2 |
| Interest Rate: 5+ year duration | 4 |
| Other | 15 |
(2) Net to gross ratio adjustment. (i) For multiple uncleared swaps subject to an eligible master netting agreement, the initial margin amount under the standardized table shall be computed according to this paragraph.
(ii) Initial Margin = 0.4 × Gross Initial Margin + 0.6 × Net-to-Gross Ratio × Gross Initial Margin, where:
(A) Gross Initial Margin = the sum of the product of each uncleared swap’s effective notional amount and the gross initial margin requirement for all uncleared swaps subject to the eligible master netting agreement;
(B) Net-to-Gross Ratio = the ratio of the net current replacement cost to the gross current replacement cost;
(C) Gross Current Replacement cost = the sum of the replacement cost for each uncleared swap subject to the eligible master netting agreement for which the cost is positive; and
(D) Net Current Replacement Cost = the total replacement cost for all uncleared swaps subject to the eligible master netting agreement.
(E) In cases where the gross replacement cost is zero, the Net-to-Gross Ratio shall be set to 1.0.
§ 23.155 Calculation of variation margin.
(a) Means of calculation. (1) Each business day each covered swap entity shall calculate variation margin for itself and for each counterparty that is a swap entity or a financial end user using methods, procedures, rules, and inputs that to the maximum extent practicable rely on recently-executed transactions, valuations provided by independent third parties, or other objective criteria.
(2) Each covered swap entity shall have in place alternative methods for determining the value of an uncleared swap in the event of the unavailability or other failure of any input required to value a swap.
(b) Control mechanisms. (1) Each covered swap entity shall create and maintain documentation setting forth the variation methodology with sufficient specificity to allow the counterparty, the Commission, the registered futures association, and any applicable prudential regulator to calculate a reasonable approximation of the margin requirement independently.
(2) Each covered swap entity shall evaluate the reliability of its data sources at least annually, and make adjustments, as appropriate.
(3) The Commission or the registered futures association at any time may require a covered swap entity to provide further data or analysis concerning the methodology or a data source, including:
(i) An explanation of the manner in which the methodology meets the requirements of this section;
(ii) A description of the mechanics of the methodology;
(iii) The conceptual basis of the methodology;
(iv) The empirical support for the methodology; and
(v) The empirical support for the assessment of the data sources.
§ 23.156 Forms of margin.
(a) Initial margin—(1) Eligible collateral. A covered swap entity shall collect and post as initial margin for trades with a covered counterparty only the following types of collateral:
(i) Immediately available cash funds denominated in:
(A) U.S. dollars;
(B) A major currency;
(C) A currency of settlement for the uncleared swap;
(ii) A security that is issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by, the U.S. Department of Treasury;
(iii) A security that is issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by, a U.S. government agency (other than the U.S. Department of Treasury) whose obligations are fully guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government;
(iv) A security that is issued by, or fully guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by, the European Central Bank or a sovereign entity that is assigned no higher than a 20 percent risk weight under the capital rules applicable to swap dealers subject to regulation by a prudential regulator;
(v) A publicly traded debt security issued by, or an asset-backed security fully guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by, a U.S. Government-sponsored enterprise that is operating with capital support or another form of direct financial assistance received from the U.S. government that enables the repayments of the U.S. Government-sponsored enterprise’s eligible securities;
(vi) A security that is issued by, or fully guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by, the Bank for International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund, or a multilateral development bank;
(vii) Other publicly-traded debt that has been deemed acceptable as initial margin by a prudential regulator;
(viii) A publicly traded common equity security that is included in:
(A) The Standard & Poor’s Composite 1500 Index or any other similar index of liquid and readily marketable equity securities as determined by the Commission; or
(B) An index that a covered swap entity’s supervisor in a foreign jurisdiction recognizes for purposes of including publicly traded common equity as initial margin under applicable regulatory policy, if held in that foreign jurisdiction;
(ix) Securities in the form of redeemable securities in a pooled investment fund representing the security-holder’s proportional interest in the fund’s net assets and that are issued and redeemed only on the basis of the market value of the fund’s net assets prepared each business day after the security-holder makes its investment commitment or redemption request to the fund, if the fund’s investments are limited to the following:
(A) Securities that are issued by, or unconditionally guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and immediately-available cash funds denominated in U.S. dollars; or
(B) Securities denominated in a common currency and issued by, or fully guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by, the European Central Bank or a sovereign entity that is assigned no higher than a 20 percent risk weight under the capital rules applicable to swap dealers subject to regulation by a prudential regulator, and immediately-available cash funds denominated in the same currency; and
(C) Assets of the fund may not be transferred through securities lending, securities borrowing, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, or other means that involve the fund having rights to acquire the same or similar assets from the transferee, or
(x) Gold.
(2) Prohibition of certain assets. A covered swap entity may not collect or post as initial margin any asset that is a security issued by:
(i) The covered swap entity or a margin affiliate of the covered swap entity (in the case of posting) or the counterparty or any margin affiliate of the counterparty (in the case of collection);
(ii) A bank holding company, a savings and loan holding company, a U.S. intermediate holding company established or designated for purposes of compliance with 12 CFR 252.153, a foreign bank, a depository institution, a market intermediary, a company that would be any of the foregoing if it were organized under the laws of the United States or any State, or a margin affiliate of any of the foregoing institutions, or
(iii) A nonbank financial institution supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System under Title I of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (12 U.S.C. 5323).
(3) Haircuts. (i) The value of any eligible collateral collected or posted to satisfy initial margin requirements shall be subject to the sum of the following discounts, as applicable:
(A) An 8 percent discount for initial margin collateral denominated in a currency that is not the currency of settlement for the uncleared swap, except for eligible types of collateral denominated in a single termination currency designated as payable to the non-posting counterparty as part of the eligible master netting agreement; and
(B) The discounts set forth in the following table:
Standardized Haircut Schedule
| Cash in same currency as swap obligation | 0.0 |
| Eligible government and related debt ( | 0.5 |
| Eligible government and related debt ( | 2.0 |
| Eligible government and related debt ( | 4.0 |
| Eligible corporate debt (including eligible GSE debt securities not identified in paragraph (a)(1)(v) of this section): Residual maturity less than one-year | 1.0 |
| Eligible corporate debt (including eligible GSE debt securities not identified in paragraph (a)(1)(v) of this section): Residual maturity between one and five years | 4.0 |
| Eligible corporate debt (including eligible GSE debt securities not identified in paragraph (a)(1)(v) of this section): Residual maturity greater than five years | 8.0 |
| Equities included in S&P 500 or related index | 15.0 |
| Equities included in S&P 1500 Composite or related index but not S&P 500 or related index | 25.0 |
| Gold | 15.0 |
| Additional (additive) haircut on asset in which the currency of the swap obligation differs from that of the collateral asset | 8.0 |
(ii) The value of initial margin collateral shall be computed as the product of the cash or market value of the eligible collateral asset times one minus the applicable haircut expressed in percentage terms. The total value of all initial margin collateral is calculated as the sum of those values for each eligible collateral asset.
(b) Variation margin—(1) Eligible collateral—(i) Swaps with a swap entity. (A) A covered swap entity shall post and collect as variation margin to or from a counterparty that is a swap entity only immediately available cash funds that are denominated in: U.S. dollars;
(B) Another major currency; or
(C) The currency of settlement of the uncleared swap.
(ii) Swaps with a financial end user. A covered swap entity may post and collect as variation margin to or from a counterparty that is a financial end user any asset that is eligible to be posted or collected as initial margin under paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section.
(2) Haircuts. (i) The value of any eligible collateral collected or posted to satisfy variation margin requirements shall be subject to the sum of the following discounts, as applicable:
(A) An 8% discount for variation margin collateral denominated in a currency that is not the currency of settlement for the uncleared swap except for immediately available cash funds denominated in U.S. cash funds or another major currency; and
(B) The discounts for initial margin set forth in the table in paragraph (a)(3)(i)(B) of this section.
(ii) The value of variation margin collateral shall be computed as the product of the cash or market value of the eligible collateral asset times one minus the applicable haircut expressed in percentage terms. The total value of all variation margin collateral shall be calculated as the sum of those values of each eligible collateral asset.
(c) Monitoring obligation. A covered swap entity shall monitor the market value and eligibility of all collateral collected and posted to satisfy the margin requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161. To the extent that the market value of such collateral has declined, the covered swap entity shall promptly collect or post such additional eligible collateral as is necessary to maintain compliance with the margin requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161. To the extent that the collateral is no longer eligible, the covered swap entity shall promptly collect or post sufficient eligible replacement collateral to comply with the margin requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(d) Excess margin. A covered swap entity may collect or post initial margin or variation margin that is not required pursuant to §§ 23.150 through 23.161 in any form of collateral.
§ 23.157 Custodial arrangements.
(a) Initial margin posted by covered swap entities. Each covered swap entity that posts initial margin with respect to an uncleared swap shall require that all funds or other property that the covered swap entity provides as initial margin be held by one or more custodians that are not the covered swap entity, the counterparty, or margin affiliates of the covered swap entity or the counterparty.
(b) Initial margin collected by covered swap entities. Each covered swap entity that collects initial margin required by § 23.152 with respect to an uncleared swap shall require that such initial margin be held by one or more custodians that are not the covered swap entity, the counterparty, or margin affiliates of the covered swap entity or the counterparty.
(c) Custodial agreement. Each covered swap entity shall enter into an agreement with each custodian that holds funds pursuant to paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section that:
(1) Prohibits the custodian from rehypothecating, repledging, reusing, or otherwise transferring (through securities lending, securities borrowing, repurchase agreement, reverse repurchase agreement or other means) the collateral held by the custodian except that cash collateral may be held in a general deposit account with the custodian if the funds in the account are used to purchase an asset described in § 23.156(a)(1)(ii) through (x), such asset is held in compliance with this section, and such purchase takes place within a time period reasonably necessary to consummate such purchase after the cash collateral is posted as initial margin; and
(2) Is a legal, valid, binding, and enforceable agreement under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions including in the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or a similar proceeding.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (c)(1) of this section, a custody agreement may permit the posting party to substitute or direct any reinvestment of posted collateral held by the custodian, provided that, with respect to collateral posted or collected pursuant to § 23.152, the agreement requires the posting party, when it substitutes or directs the reinvestment of posted collateral held by the custodian.
(i) To substitute only funds or other property that would qualify as eligible collateral under § 23.156, and for which the amount net of applicable discounts described in § 23.156 would be sufficient to meet the requirements of § 23.152; and
(ii) To direct reinvestment of funds only in assets that would qualify as eligible collateral under § 23.156, and for which the amount net of applicable discounts described in § 23.156 would be sufficient to meet the requirements of § 23.152.
§ 23.158 Margin documentation.
(a) General requirement. Each covered swap entity shall execute documentation with each counterparty that complies with the requirements of § 23.504 and that complies with this section, as applicable. For uncleared swaps between a covered swap entity and a counterparty that is a swap entity or a financial end user, the documentation shall provide the covered swap entity with the contractual right and obligation to exchange initial margin and variation margin in such amounts, in such form, and under such circumstances as are required by §§ 23.150 through 23.161. With respect to the minimum transfer amount, if a covered swap entity and a counterparty that is a swap entity or a financial end user agree to have separate minimum transfer amounts for initial and variation margin, the documentation shall specify the amounts to be allocated for initial margin and variation margin. Such amounts, on a combined basis, must not exceed the minimum transfer amount, as the term is defined in § 23.151.
(b) Contents of the documentation. The margin documentation shall:
(1) Specify the methods, procedures, rules, inputs, and data sources to be used for determining the value of uncleared swaps for purposes of calculating variation margin;
(2) Describe the methods, procedures, rules, inputs, and data sources to be used to calculate initial margin for uncleared swaps entered into between the covered swap entity and the counterparty; and
(3) Specify the procedures by which any disputes concerning the valuation of uncleared swaps, or the valuation of assets collected or posted as initial margin or variation margin may be resolved.
§ 23.159 Special rules for affiliates.
(a) Initial margin. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, a covered swap entity shall not be required to collect initial margin from a margin affiliate provided that the covered swap entity meets the following conditions:
(i) The swaps are subject to a centralized risk management program that is reasonably designed to monitor and to manage the risks associated with the inter-affiliate swaps; and
(ii) The covered swap entity exchanges variation margin with the margin affiliate in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section.
(2)(i) A covered swap entity shall post initial margin to any margin affiliate that is a swap entity subject to the rules of a Prudential Regulator in an amount equal to the amount that the swap entity is required to collect from the covered swap entity pursuant to the rules of the Prudential Regulator.
(ii) A covered swap entity shall not be required to post initial margin to any other margin affiliate pursuant to §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(b) Variation margin. Each covered swap entity shall post and collect variation margin with each margin affiliate that is a swap entity or a financial end user in accordance with all applicable provisions of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(c) Foreign margin affiliates. (1) For purposes of this section, the term outward facing margin affiliate means a margin affiliate that enters into swaps with third parties.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, each covered swap entity shall collect initial margin in accordance with all applicable provisions of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 from each margin affiliate that meets the following criteria:
(i) The margin affiliate is a financial end user;
(ii) The margin affiliate enters into swaps with third parties, or enters into swaps with any other margin affiliate that, directly or indirectly (including through a series of transactions), enters into swaps with third parties, for which the provisions of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 would apply if any such margin affiliate were a swap entity; and
(iii) Any such outward facing margin affiliate is located in a jurisdiction that the Commission has not found to be eligible for substituted compliance with regard to the provisions of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 and does not collect initial margin for such swaps in a manner that would comply with the provisions of §§ 23.150 through 23.161.
(3) The custodian for initial margin collected pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be the covered swap entity or a margin affiliate of the covered swap entity.
§ 23.160 Cross-border application.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section only:
(1) Foreign Consolidated Subsidiary means a non-U.S. CSE in which an ultimate parent entity that is a U.S. person has a controlling financial interest, in accordance with U.S. GAAP, such that the U.S. ultimate parent entity includes the non-U.S. CSE’s operating results, financial position and statement of cash flows in the U.S. ultimate parent entity’s consolidated financial statements, in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
(2) Guarantee means an arrangement pursuant to which one party to an uncleared swap has rights of recourse against a guarantor, with respect to its counterparty’s obligations under the uncleared swap. For these purposes, a party to an uncleared swap has rights of recourse against a guarantor if the party has a conditional or unconditional legally enforceable right to receive or otherwise collect, in whole or in part, payments from the guarantor with respect to its counterparty’s obligations under the uncleared swap. In addition, in the case of any arrangement pursuant to which the guarantor has a conditional or unconditional legally enforceable right to receive or otherwise collect, in whole or in part, payments from any other guarantor with respect to the counterparty’s obligations under the uncleared swap, such arrangement will be deemed a guarantee of the counterparty’s obligations under the uncleared swap by the other guarantor.
(3) International standards mean the margin policy framework for non-cleared, bilateral derivatives issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the International Organization of Securities in September 2013, as subsequently updated, revised, or otherwise amended, or any other international standards, principles or guidance relating to margin requirements for non-cleared, bilateral derivatives that the Commission may in the future recognize, to the extent that they are consistent with United States law (including the margin requirements in the Commodity Exchange Act).
(4) Non-U.S. CSE means a covered swap entity that is not a U.S. person. The term “non-U.S. CSE” includes a “Foreign Consolidated Subsidiary” or a U.S. branch of a non-U.S. CSE.
(5) Non-U.S. person means any person that is not a U.S. person.
(6) Ultimate parent entity means the parent entity in a consolidated group in which none of the other entities in the consolidated group has a controlling interest, in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
(7) United States means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United States, and the District of Columbia.
(8) U.S. CSE means a covered swap entity that is a U.S. person.
(9) U.S. GAAP means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
(10) U.S. person means:
(i) A natural person who is a resident of the United States;
(ii) An estate of a decedent who was a resident of the United States at the time of death;
(iii) A corporation, partnership, limited liability company, business or other trust, association, joint-stock company, fund or any form of entity similar to any of the foregoing (other than an entity described in paragraph (a)(10)(iv) or (v) of this section) (a “legal entity”), in each case that is organized or incorporated under the laws of the United States or that has its principal place of business in the United States, including any branch of such legal entity;
(iv) A pension plan for the employees, officers or principals of a legal entity described in paragraph (a)(10)(iii) of this section, unless the pension plan is primarily for foreign employees of such entity;
(v) A trust governed by the laws of a state or other jurisdiction in the United States, if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust;
(vi) A legal entity (other than a limited liability company, limited liability partnership or similar entity where all of the owners of the entity have limited liability) that is owned by one or more persons described in paragraphs (a)(10)(i) through (v) of this section and for which such person(s) bears unlimited responsibility for the obligations and liabilities of the legal entity, including any branch of the legal entity; or
(vii) An individual account or joint account (discretionary or not) where the beneficial owner (or one of the beneficial owners in the case of a joint account) is a person described in paragraphs (a)(10)(i) through (vi) of this section.
(b) Applicability of margin requirements. The requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 apply as follows.
(1) Uncleared swaps of U.S. CSEs or Non-U.S. CSEs whose obligations under the relevant swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person—(i) Applicability of U.S. margin requirements; availability of substituted compliance for requirement to post initial margin. With respect to each uncleared swap entered into by a U.S. CSE or a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person, the U.S. CSE or non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person shall comply with the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 of this part, provided that the U.S. CSE or non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person may satisfy its requirement to post initial margin to certain counterparties to the extent provided in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section.
(ii) Compliance with foreign initial margin collection requirement. A covered swap entity that is covered by paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section may satisfy its requirement to post initial margin under this part by posting initial margin in the form and amount, and at such times, that its counterparty is required to collect initial margin pursuant to a foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements, but only to the extent that:
(A) The counterparty is neither a U.S. person nor a non-U.S. person whose obligations under the relevant swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person;
(B) The counterparty is subject to such foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements; and
(C) The Commission has issued a comparability determination under paragraph (c) of this section (“Comparability Determination”) with respect to such foreign jurisdiction’s requirements regarding the posting of initial margin by the covered swap entity (that is covered in paragraph (b)(1) of this section).
(2) Uncleared swaps of Non-U.S. CSEs whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person—(i) Applicability of U.S. Margin requirements except where an exclusion applies; Availability of substituted compliance. With respect to each uncleared swap entered into by a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person, the non-U.S. CSE shall comply with the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 except to the extent that an exclusion is available under paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section, provided that a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person may satisfy its margin requirements under this part to the extent provided in paragraphs (b)(2)(iii) and (b)(2)(iv) of this section.
(ii) Exclusion. (A) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(B) of this section, a non-U.S. CSE shall not be required to comply with the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 with respect to each uncleared swap it enters into to the extent that the following conditions are met:
(1) The non-U.S. CSE’s obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person;
(2) The non-U.S. CSE is not a U.S. branch of a non-U.S. CSE;
(3) The non-U.S. CSE is not a Foreign Consolidated Subsidiary; and
(4) The counterparty to the uncleared swap is a non-U.S. person (excluding a Foreign Consolidated Subsidiary or the U.S. branch of a non-U.S. CSE), whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person.
(B) Notwithstanding paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(A) of this section, any uncleared swap of a non-U.S. CSE that meets the conditions for the Exclusion set forth in paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(A) must nevertheless comply with §§ 23.150 through 23.161 if:
(1) The uncleared swap of the non-U.S. CSE is not covered by a Comparability Determination with respect to the initial margin collection requirements in the relevant foreign jurisdiction in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section; and
(2) The non-U.S. CSE enters into an inter-affiliate swap(s), transferring any risk arising out of the uncleared swap described in paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(B)(1) of this section directly or indirectly, to a margin affiliate (as the term “margin affiliate” is defined in § 23.151 of this part) that is a U.S. CSE or a U.S. Guaranteed CSE.
(iii) Availability of substituted compliance where the counterparty is not a U.S. CSE or a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person. Except to the extent that an exclusion is available under paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section, with respect to each uncleared swap entered into by a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person with a counterparty (except where the counterparty is either a U.S. CSE or a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person), the non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person may satisfy margin requirements under this part by complying with the margin requirements of a foreign jurisdiction to which such non-U.S. CSE (whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person) is subject, but only to the extent that the Commission has issued a Comparability Determination under paragraph (c) of this section for such foreign jurisdiction.
(iv) Availability of substituted compliance where the counterparty is a U.S. CSE or a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person. With respect to each uncleared swap entered into by a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person with a counterparty that is a U.S. CSE or a non-U.S. CSE whose obligations under the relevant swap are guaranteed by a U.S. person, the non-U.S. CSE (whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person) may satisfy its requirement to collect initial margin under this part by collecting initial margin in the form and amount, and at such times and under such arrangements, that the non-U.S. CSE (whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. Person) is required to collect initial margin pursuant to a foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements, provided that:
(A) The non-U.S. CSE (whose obligations under the relevant swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person) is subject to the foreign jurisdiction’s regulatory requirements; and
(B) The Commission has issued a Comparability Determination with respect to such foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements.
(c) Comparability determinations—(1) Eligibility requirements. The following persons may, either individually or collectively, request a Comparability Determination with respect to some or all of the Commission’s margin requirements:
(i) A covered swap entity that is eligible for substituted compliance under this section; or
(ii) A foreign regulatory authority that has direct supervisory authority over one or more covered swap entities and that is responsible for administering the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements.
(2) Submission requirements. Persons requesting a Comparability Determination should provide the Commission (either by hard copy or electronically):
(i) A description of the objectives of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements;
(ii) A description of how the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements address, at minimum, each of the following elements of the Commission’s margin requirements. Such description should identify the specific legal and regulatory provisions that correspond to each element and, if necessary, whether the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements do not address a particular element:
(A) The products subject to the foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements;
(B) The entities subject to the foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements;
(C) The treatment of inter-affiliate derivative transactions;
(D) The methodologies for calculating the amounts of initial and variation margin;
(E) The process and standards for approving models for calculating initial and variation margin models;
(F) The timing and manner in which initial and variation margin must be collected and/or paid;
(G) Any threshold levels or amounts;
(H) Risk management controls for the calculation of initial and variation margin;
(I) Eligible collateral for initial and variation margin;
(J) The requirements of custodial arrangements, including segregation of margin and rehypothecation;
(K) Margin documentation requirements; and
(L) The cross-border application of the foreign jurisdiction’s margin regime.
(iii) A description of the differences between the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements and the International Standards;
(iv) A description of the ability of the relevant foreign regulatory authority or authorities to supervise and enforce compliance with the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements. Such description should discuss the powers of the foreign regulatory authority or authorities to supervise, investigate, and discipline entities for compliance with the margin requirements and the ongoing efforts of the regulatory authority or authorities to detect and deter violations of, and ensure compliance with, the margin requirements; and
(v) Copies of the foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements (including an English translation of any foreign language document);
(vi) Any other information and documentation that the Commission deems appropriate.
(3) Standard of review. The Commission will issue a Comparability Determination to the extent that it determines that some or all of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements are comparable to the Commission’s corresponding margin requirements. In determining whether the requirements are comparable, the Commission will consider all relevant factors, including:
(i) The scope and objectives of the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements;
(ii) Whether the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements achieve comparable outcomes to the Commission’s corresponding margin requirements;
(iii) The ability of the relevant regulatory authority or authorities to supervise and enforce compliance with the relevant foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements; and
(iv) Any other facts and circumstances the Commission deems relevant.
(4) Reliance. Any covered swap entity that, in accordance with a Comparability Determination, complies with a foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements, would be deemed to be in compliance with the Commission’s corresponding margin requirements. Accordingly, if the Commission determines that a covered swap entity has failed to comply with the foreign jurisdiction’s margin requirements, it could initiate an action for a violation of the Commission’s margin requirements. All covered swap entities, regardless of whether they rely on a Comparability Determination, remain subject to the Commission’s examination and enforcement authority.
(5) Conditions. In issuing a Comparability Determination, the Commission may impose any terms and conditions it deems appropriate.
(6) Modifications. The Commission reserves the right to further condition, modify, suspend, terminate or otherwise restrict a Comparability Determination in the Commission’s discretion.
(7) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to request information and/or documentation in connection with the Commission’s issuance of a Comparability Determination.
(d) Non-netting jurisdiction requirements. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, if a CSE cannot conclude after sufficient legal review with a well-founded basis that the netting agreement described in § 23.152(c) meets the definition of “eligible master netting agreement” set forth in § 23.151, the CSE must treat the uncleared swaps covered by the agreement on a gross basis for the purposes of calculating and complying with the requirements of § 23.152(a) and § 23.153(a) to collect margin, but the CSE may net those uncleared swaps in accordance with § 23.152(c) and § 23.153(d) for the purposes of calculating and complying with the requirements of this part to post margin. A CSE that relies on this paragraph (d) must have policies and procedures ensuring that it is in compliance with the requirements of this paragraph, and maintain books and records properly documenting that all of the requirements of this paragraph (d) are satisfied.
(e) Jurisdictions Where Compliance with Custodial Arrangement Requirements is Unavailable. Sections 23.152(b), 23.157(b), and paragraph (d) of this section do not apply to an uncleared swap entered into by a Foreign Consolidated Subsidiary or a foreign branch of a U.S. CSE if:
(1) Inherent limitations in the legal or operational infrastructure in the applicable foreign jurisdiction make it impracticable for the CSE and its counterparty to post any form of eligible initial margin collateral recognized pursuant to § 23.156 in compliance with the custodial arrangement requirements of § 23.157;
(2) The CSE is subject to foreign regulatory restrictions that require the CSE to transact in uncleared swaps with the counterparty through an establishment within the foreign jurisdiction and do not accommodate the posting of collateral for the uncleared swap in compliance with the custodial arrangements of § 23.157 in the United States or a jurisdiction for which the Commission has issued a comparability determination under paragraph (c) of this section with respect to § 23.157;
(3) The counterparty to the uncleared swap is a non-U.S. person that is not a CSE, and the counterparty’s obligations under the uncleared swap are not guaranteed by a U.S. person;
(4) The CSE collects initial margin for the uncleared swap in accordance with § 23.152(a) in the form of cash pursuant to § 23.156(a)(1)(i), and posts and collects variation margin in accordance with § 23.153(a) in the form of cash pursuant to § 23.156(a)(1)(i);
(5) For each broad risk category, as set out in § 23.154(b)(2)(v), the total outstanding notional value of all uncleared swaps in that broad risk category, as to which the CSE is relying on this paragraph (e), may not exceed 5% of the CSE’s total outstanding notional value for all uncleared swaps in the same broad risk category;
(6) The CSE has policies and procedures ensuring that it is in compliance with the requirements of this paragraph (e); and
(7) The CSE maintains books and records properly documenting that all of the requirements of this paragraph (e) are satisfied.
§ 23.161 Compliance dates.
(a) Covered swap entities shall comply with the minimum margin requirements for uncleared swaps on or before the following dates for uncleared swaps entered into on or after the following dates:
(1) September 1, 2016 for the requirements in § 23.152 for initial margin and in § 23.153 for variation margin for any uncleared swaps where both—
(i) The covered swap entity combined with all its margin affiliates; and
(ii) Its counterparty combined with all its margin affiliates, have an average daily aggregate notional amount of uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, foreign exchange forwards, and foreign exchange swaps in March, April, and May 2016 that exceeds $3 trillion, where such amounts are calculated only for business days; and where
(iii) In calculating the amounts in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section, an entity shall count the average daily notional amount of an uncleared swap, an uncleared security-based swap, a foreign-exchange forward, or a foreign exchange swap between the entity and a margin affiliate only one time and shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b) or a security-based swap that is exempt pursuant to section 15F(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-10(e)).
(2) March 1, 2017 for the requirements in § 23.153 for variation margin for any other covered swap entity for uncleared swaps entered into with any other counterparty.
(3) September 1, 2017 for the requirements in § 23.152 for initial margin for any uncleared swaps where both—
(i) The covered swap entity combined with all its margin affiliates; and
(ii) Its counterparty combined with all its margin affiliates, have an average daily aggregate notional amount of uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, foreign exchange forwards, and foreign exchange swaps in March, April, and May 2017 that exceeds $2.25 trillion, where such amounts are calculated only for business days; and where
(iii) In calculating the amounts in paragraphs (a)(3)(i) and (ii) of this section, an entity shall count the average daily notional amount of an uncleared swap, an uncleared security-based swap, a foreign-exchange forward, or a foreign exchange swap between the entity and a margin affiliate only one time and shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b) or a security-based swap that is exempt pursuant to section 15F(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-10(e)).
(4) September 1, 2018, for the requirements in § 23.152 for initial margin for any uncleared swaps where both—
(i) The covered swap entity combined with all its margin affiliates; and
(ii) Its counterparty combined with all its margin affiliates have an average daily aggregate notional amount of uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, foreign exchange forwards, and foreign exchange swaps in March, April, and May 2018 that exceeds $1.5 trillion, where such amounts are calculated only for business days; and where
(iii) In calculating the amounts in paragraphs (a)(4)(i) and (ii) of this section, an entity shall count the average daily notional amount of an uncleared swap, an uncleared security-based swap, a foreign-exchange forward, or a foreign exchange swap between the entity and a margin affiliate only one time and shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b) or a security-based swap that is exempt pursuant to section 15F(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-10(e)).
(5) September 1, 2019 for the requirements in § 23.152 for initial margin for any uncleared swaps where both—
(i) The covered swap entity combined with all its margin affiliates; and
(ii) Its counterparty combined with all its margin affiliates have an average daily aggregate notional amount of uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, foreign exchange forwards, and foreign exchange swaps in March, April, and May 2019 that exceeds $0.75 trillion, where such amounts are calculated only for business days; and where
(iii) In calculating the amounts in paragraphs (a)(5)(i) and (ii) of this section, an entity shall count the average daily notional amount of an uncleared swap, an uncleared security-based swap, a foreign-exchange forward, or a foreign exchange swap between the entity and a margin affiliate only one time and shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b) or a security-based swap that is exempt pursuant to section 15F(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o-10(e)).
(6) September 1, 2021 for the requirements in § 23.152 for initial margin for any uncleared swaps where both—
(i) The covered swap entity combined with all its margin affiliates; and
(ii) Its counterparty combined with all its margin affiliates have an average daily aggregate notional amount of uncleared swaps, uncleared security-based swaps, foreign exchange forwards, and foreign exchange swaps in March, April, and May 2021 that exceeds $50 billion, where such amounts are calculated only for business days; and where
(iii) In calculating the amounts in paragraphs (a)(6)(i) and (ii) of this section, an entity shall count the average daily notional amount of an uncleared swap, an uncleared security-based swap, a foreign exchange forward, or a foreign exchange swap between the entity and a margin affiliate only one time and shall not count a swap that is exempt pursuant to § 23.150(b) or a security-based swap that is exempt pursuant to section 15F(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o.10(e)).
(7) September 1, 2022 for the requirements in § 23.152 for initial margin for any other covered swap entity for uncleared swaps entered into with any other counterparty.
(b) Once a covered swap entity and its counterparty must comply with the margin requirements for uncleared swaps based on the compliance dates in paragraph (a) of this section, the covered swap entity and its counterparty shall remain subject to the requirements of §§ 23.150 through 23.161 with respect to that counterparty.
(c)(1) If a covered swap entity’s counterparty changes its status such that an uncleared swap with that counterparty becomes subject to a stricter margin requirement under §§ 23.150 through 23.161 (for example, if the counterparty’s status changes from a financial end user without material swaps exposure to a financial end user with material swaps exposure), then the covered swap entity shall comply with the stricter margin requirements for any uncleared swaps entered into with that counterparty after the counterparty changes its status.
(2) If a covered swap entity’s counterparty changes its status such that an uncleared swap with that counterparty becomes subject to less strict margin requirement under §§ 23.150 through 23.161 (for example, if the counterparty’s status changes from a financial end user with material swaps exposure to a financial end user without material swaps exposure), then the covered swap entity may comply with the less strict margin requirements for any uncleared swaps entered into with that counterparty after the counterparty changes its status as well as for any outstanding uncleared swap entered into after the applicable compliance date under paragraph (a) of this section and before the counterparty changed its status.
(d) For purposes of determining whether an uncleared swap was entered into prior to the applicable compliance date under this section, a covered swap entity may disregard:
(1) Amendments to the uncleared swap that were entered into solely to comply with the requirements of 12 CFR part 47; 12 CFR part 252, subpart I; or 12 CFR part 382, as applicable; or
(2) Amendments to the uncleared swap that were entered into in compliance with each of the following conditions:
(i) The law of the European Union ceases to apply to the United Kingdom pursuant to Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union, without conclusion of a withdrawal agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union pursuant to Article 50(2) thereof; and
(ii) Solely in connection with a party to the swap’s planning for or response to the event described in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, one or both parties to the swap transfers the swap to its margin affiliate, or a branch or other authorized form of establishment of the transferor, and the parties make no other transfers of the swap; and
(A) A covered swap entity is a transferee from a party to the swap; or
(B) A covered swap entity is a remaining party to the swap, and the transferor represents to the covered swap entity that the transferee is a margin affiliate, or a branch or other authorized form of establishment of the transferor, and the transfer was made solely in connection with the transferor’s planning for or response to the event described in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section; and
(iii) The amendments do not modify any of the following: the payment amount calculation methods, the maturity date, or the notional amount of the swap; and
(iv) The amendments take effect no earlier than the date of the event described in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section transpires; and
(v) The amendments take effect no later than:
(A) The date that is one year after the date of the event described in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section; or
(B) Such other date permitted by transitional provisions under Article 35 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No. 2016/2251, as amended.
§§ 23.162-23.199 [Reserved]
Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 23—Application for Internal Models To Compute Market Risk Exposure Requirement and Credit Risk Exposure Requirement
(a) A swap dealer that is requesting the approval of the Commission or the approval of a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member to use internal models to compute its market risk exposure requirement and credit risk exposure requirement under § 23.102 must include the following information as part of its application:
(1) An executive summary of the information within its application and, if applicable, an identification of the ultimate holding company of the swap dealer;
(2) A list of the categories of positions that the swap dealer holds in its proprietary accounts and a brief description of the methods that the swap dealer will use to calculate deductions for market risk and credit risk on those categories of positions;
(3) A description of the mathematical models used by the swap dealer under this Appendix A to compute the VaR of the swap dealer’s positions; the stressed VaR of the swap dealer’s positions; the specific risk of the swap dealer’s positions subject to specific risk; comprehensive risk of the swap dealer’s positions; and the incremental risk of the swap dealer’s positions, and deductions for credit risk exposure. The description should encompass the creation, use, and maintenance of the mathematical models; a description of the swap dealer’s internal risk management controls over the models, including a description of each category of persons who may input data into the models; if a mathematical model incorporates empirical correlations across risk categories, a description of the process for measuring correlations; a description of the back-testing procedures the swap dealer will use to back-test the mathematical models; a description of how each mathematical model satisfies the applicable qualitative and quantitative requirements set forth in this Appendix A and a statement describing the extent to which each mathematical model used to compute deductions for market risk exposures and credit risk exposures will be used as part of the risk analyses and reports presented to senior management;
(4) If the swap dealer is applying to the Commission for approval or a registered futures association to use scenario analysis to calculate deductions for market risk for certain positions, a list of those types of positions, a description of how those deductions will be calculated using scenario analysis, and an explanation of why each scenario analysis is appropriate to calculate deductions for market risk on those types of positions;
(5) A description of how the swap dealer will calculate current exposure;
(6) A description of how the swap dealer will determine internal credit ratings of counterparties and internal credit risk-weights of counterparties, if applicable;
(7) For each instance in which a mathematical model to be used by the swap dealer to calculate a deduction for market risk exposure or to calculate maximum potential exposure for a particular product or counterparty differs from the mathematical model used by the swap dealer’s ultimate holding company or the swap dealer’s affiliates (if applicable) to calculate an allowance for market risk exposure or to calculate maximum potential exposure for that same product or counterparty, a description of the difference(s) between the mathematical models;
(8) A description of the swap dealer’s process of re-estimating, re-evaluating, and updating internal models to ensure continued applicability and relevance; and
(9) Sample risk reports that are provided to management at the swap dealer who are responsible for managing the swap dealer’s risk.
(b) The application of the swap dealer shall be supplemented by other information relating to the internal risk management control system, mathematical models, and financial position of the swap dealer that the Commission or a registered futures association may request to complete its review of the application.
(c) A person who files an application with the Commission pursuant to this appendix for which it seeks confidential treatment may clearly mark each page or segregable portion of each page with the words “Confidential Treatment Requested.” All information submitted in connection with the application will be accorded confidential treatment by the Commission, to the extent permitted by law.
(d) If any of the information filed with the Commission or a registered futures association as part of the application of the swap dealer is found to be or becomes inaccurate before the Commission or a registered futures association approves the application, the swap dealer must notify the Commission or the registered futures association promptly and provide the Commission or the registered futures association with a description of the circumstances in which the information was found to be or has become inaccurate along with updated, accurate information.
(e) The Commission or the registered futures association may approve the application or an amendment to the application, in whole or in part, subject to any conditions or limitations the Commission or the registered futures association may require if the Commission or the registered futures association finds the approval to be appropriate in the public interest, after determining, among other things, whether the swap dealer has met all the requirements of this Appendix A.
(f) A swap dealer shall amend its application under this Appendix A and submit the amendment to the Commission and the registered futures association for approval before it may materially change a mathematical model used to calculate market risk exposure requirements or credit risk exposure requirements or before it may materially change its internal risk management control system with respect to such model.
(g) As a condition for a swap dealer to use internal models to compute deductions for market risk exposure and credit risk exposure under this Appendix A, the swap dealer agrees that:
(1) It will notify the Commission and the registered futures association 45 days before it ceases to use internal models to compute deductions for market risk exposure and credit risk exposure under this Appendix A; and
(2) The Commission or the registered futures association may determine that the notice will become effective after a shorter or longer period of time if the swap dealer consents or if the Commission determines that a shorter or longer period of time is appropriate in the public interest.
(h) The Commission or the registered futures association may by written order revoke a swap dealer’s approval to use internal models to compute market risk exposures and credit risk exposures on certain credit exposures arising from transactions in derivatives instruments if the Commission or the registered futures association finds that such approval is no longer appropriate in the public interest. In making its finding, the Commission or the registered futures association will consider the compliance history of the swap dealer related to its use of models and the swap dealer’s compliance with its internal risk management controls. If the Commission or the registered futures association withdraws all or part of a swap dealer’s approval to use internal models, the swap dealer shall compute market risk exposure requirements and credit risk exposure requirements in accordance with § 23.103.
(i) VaR models. A value-at-risk (“VaR”) model must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be approved:
(1) Qualitative requirements. (i) The VaR model used to calculate market risk exposure or credit risk exposure for a position must be integrated into the daily internal risk management system of the swap dealer;
(ii) The VaR model must be reviewed both periodically and annually. The periodic review may be conducted by personnel of the swap dealer that are independent from the personnel that perform the VaR model calculations. The annual review must be conducted by a qualified third party service. The review must include:
(A) An evaluation of the conceptual soundness of, and empirical support for, the internal models;
(B) An ongoing monitoring process that includes verification of processes and the comparison of the swap dealer’s model outputs with relevant internal and external data sources or estimation techniques; and
(C) An outcomes analysis process that includes back-testing. This process must include a comparison of the changes in the swap dealer’s portfolio value that would have occurred were end-of-day positions to remain unchanged (therefore, excluding fees, commissions, reserves, net interest income, and intraday trading) with VaR-based measures during a sample period not used in model development.
(iii) For purposes of computing market risk, the swap dealer must determine the appropriate multiplication factor as follows:
(A) Beginning three months after the swap dealer begins using the VaR model to calculate the market risk exposure, the swap dealer must conduct monthly back-testing of the model by comparing its actual daily net trading profit or loss with the corresponding VaR measure generated by the VaR model, using a 99 percent, one-tailed confidence level with price changes equivalent to a one business-day movement in rates and prices, for each of the past 250 business days, or other period as may be appropriate for the first year of its use;
(B) On the last business day of each quarter, the swap dealer must identify the number of back-testing exceptions of the VaR model using actual daily net trading profit and loss, as that term is defined in §§ 23.100. An exception has occurred when for a business day the actual net trading loss, if any, exceeds the corresponding VaR measure. The counting period shall be for the prior 250 business days except that during the first year of use of the model another appropriate period may be used; and
(C) The swap dealer must use the multiplication factor indicated in Table 1 of this Appendix A in determining its market risk until it obtains the next quarter’s back-testing results;
Table 1—Multiplication Factor Based on the Number of Back-Testing Exceptions of the VaR Model
| Number of exceptions | Multiplication factor |
|---|---|
| 4 or fewer | 3.00 |
| 5 | 3.40 |
| 6 | 3.50 |
| 7 | 3.65 |
| 8 | 3.75 |
| 9 | 3.85 |
| 10 or more | 4.00 |
(iv) For purposes of computing the credit equivalent amount of the swap dealer’s exposures to a counterparty, the swap dealer must determine the appropriate multiplication factor as follows:
(A) Beginning three months after it begins using the VaR model to calculate maximum potential exposure, the swap dealer must conduct back-testing of the model by comparing, for at least 80 counterparties (or the actual number of counterparties if the swap dealer does not have 80 counterparties) with widely varying types and sizes of positions with the firm, the ten business day change in its current exposure to the counterparty based on its positions held at the beginning of the ten-business day period with the corresponding ten-business day maximum potential exposure for the counterparty generated by the VaR model;
(B) As of the last business day of each quarter, the swap dealer must identify the number of back-testing exceptions of the VaR model, that is, the number of ten-business day periods in the past 250 business days, or other period as may be appropriate for the first year of its use, for which the change in current exposure to a counterparty, assuming the portfolio remains static for the ten-business day period, exceeds the corresponding maximum potential exposure; and
(C) The swap dealer will propose, as part of its application, a schedule of multiplication factors, which must be approved by the Commission, or a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, based on the number of back-testing exceptions of the VaR model. The swap dealer must use the multiplication factor indicated in the approved schedule in determining the credit equivalent amount of its exposures to a counterparty until it obtains the next quarter’s back-testing results, unless the Commission or the registered futures association determines, based on, among other relevant factors, a review of the swap dealer’s internal risk management control system, including a review of the VaR model, that a different adjustment or other action is appropriate.
(2) Quantitative requirements. (i) For purposes of determining market risk exposure, the VaR model must use a 99 percent, one-tailed confidence level with price changes equivalent to a ten business-day movement in rates and prices;
(ii) For purposes of determining maximum potential exposure, the VaR model must use a 99 percent, one-tailed confidence level with price changes equivalent to a one-year movement in rates and prices; or based on a review of the swap dealer’s procedures for managing collateral and if the collateral is marked to market daily and the swap dealer has the ability to call for additional collateral daily, the Commission, or the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, may approve a time horizon of not less than ten business days;
(iii) The VaR model must use an effective historical observation period of at least one year. The swap dealer must consider the effects of market stress in its construction of the model. Historical data sets must be updated at least monthly and reassessed whenever market prices or volatilities change significantly or portfolio composition warrant; and
(iv) The VaR model must take into account and incorporate all significant, identifiable market risk factors applicable to positions in the accounts of the swap dealer, including:
(A) Risks arising from the non-linear price characteristics of derivatives and the sensitivity of the fair value of those positions to changes in the volatility of the derivatives’ underlying rates, prices, or other material risk factors. A swap dealer with a large or complex portfolio with non-linear derivatives (such as options or positions with embedded optionality) must measure the volatility of these positions at different maturities and/or strike prices, where material;
(B) Empirical correlations within and across risk factors provided that the swap dealer validates and demonstrates the reasonableness of its process for measuring correlations, if the VaR-based measure does not incorporate empirical correlations across risk categories, the swap dealer must add the separate measures from its internal models used to calculate the VaR-based measure for the appropriate risk categories (interest rate risk, credit spread risk, equity price risk, foreign exchange rate risk, and/or commodity price risk) to determine its aggregate VaR-based measure, or, alternatively, risk factors sufficient to cover all the market risk inherent in the positions in the proprietary or other trading accounts of the swap dealer, including interest rate risk, equity price risk, foreign exchange risk, and commodity price risk; and
(C) Spread risk, where applicable, and segments of the yield curve sufficient to capture differences in volatility and imperfect correlation of rates along the yield curve for securities and derivatives that are sensitive to different interest rates. For material positions in major currencies and markets, modeling techniques must incorporate enough segments of the yield curve—in no case less than six—to capture differences in volatility and less than perfect correlation of rates along the yield curve.
(j) Stressed VaR-based Measure. A stressed VaR model must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be approved:
(1) Requirements for stressed VaR-based measure. (i) A swap dealer must calculate a stressed VaR-based measure for its positions using the same model(s) used to calculate the VaR-based measure under paragraph (i) of this appendix, subject to the same confidence level and holding period applicable to the VaR-based measure, but with model inputs calibrated to historical data from a continuous 12-month period that reflects a period of significant financial stress appropriate to the swap dealer’s current portfolio.
(ii) The stressed VaR-based measure must be calculated at least weekly and be no less than the swap dealer’s VaR-based measure.
(iii) A swap dealer must have policies and procedures that describe how it determines the period of significant financial stress used to calculate the swap dealer’s stressed VaR-based measure under this appendix and must be able to provide empirical support for the period used. The swap dealer must obtain the prior approval of the Commission, or a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, if the swap dealer makes any material changes to these policies and procedures. The policies and procedures must address:
(A) How the swap dealer links the period of significant financial stress used to calculate the stressed VaR-based measure to the composition and directional bias of its current portfolio; and
(B) The swap dealer’s process for selecting, reviewing, and updating the period of significant financial stress used to calculate the stressed VaR-based measure and for monitoring the appropriateness of the period to the swap dealer’s current portfolio.
(iv) Nothing in this appendix prevents the Commission or the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member from requiring a swap dealer to use a different period of significant financial stress in the calculation of the stressed VaR-based measure.
(k) Specific Risk. A specific risk model must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be approved:
(1) General requirement. A swap dealer must use one of the methods in this paragraph (k) to measure the specific risk for each of its debt, equity, and securitization positions with specific risk.
(2) Modeled specific risk. A swap dealer may use models to measure the specific risk of its proprietary positions. A swap dealer must use models to measure the specific risk of correlation trading positions that are modeled under paragraph (m) of this appendix.
(i) Requirements for specific risk modeling. (A) If a swap dealer uses internal models to measure the specific risk of a portfolio, the internal models must:
(1) Explain the historical price variation in the portfolio;
(2) Be responsive to changes in market conditions;
(3) Be robust to an adverse environment, including signaling rising risk in an adverse environment; and
(4) Capture all material components of specific risk for the debt and equity positions in the portfolio. Specifically, the internal models must:
(i) Capture name-related basis risk;
(ii) Capture event risk and idiosyncratic risk; and
(iii) Capture and demonstrate sensitivity to material differences between positions that are similar but not identical and to changes in portfolio composition and concentrations.
(B) If a swap dealer calculates an incremental risk measure for a portfolio of debt or equity positions under paragraph (l) of this appendix, the swap dealer is not required to capture default and credit migration risks in its internal models used to measure the specific risk of those portfolios.
(C) A swap dealer shall validate a specific risk model through back-testing.
(ii) Specific risk fully modeled for one or more portfolios. If the swap dealer’s VaR-based measure captures all material aspects of specific risk for one or more of its portfolios of debt, equity, or correlation trading positions, the swap dealer has no specific risk add-on for those portfolios.
(3) Specific risk not modeled. (i) If the swap dealer’s VaR-based measure does not capture all material aspects of specific risk for a portfolio of debt, equity, or correlation trading positions, the swap dealer must calculate a specific-risk add-on for the portfolio under the standardized measurement method as described in 12 CFR 217.210.
(ii) A swap dealer must calculate a specific risk add-on under the standardized measurement method as described in 12 CFR 217.200 for all of its securitization positions that are not modeled under this paragraph (k).
(l) Incremental Risk. An incremental risk model must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be approved:
(1) General requirement. A swap dealer that measures the specific risk of a portfolio of debt positions under paragraph (k) of this appendix using internal models must calculate at least weekly an incremental risk measure for that portfolio according to the requirements in this appendix. The incremental risk measure is the swap dealer’s measure of potential losses due to incremental risk over a one-year time horizon at a one-tail, 99.9 percent confidence level, either under the assumption of a constant level of risk, or under the assumption of constant positions. With the prior approval of the Commission or a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, a swap dealer may choose to include portfolios of equity positions in its incremental risk model, provided that it consistently includes such equity positions in a manner that is consistent with how the swap dealer internally measures and manages the incremental risk of such positions at the portfolio level. If equity positions are included in the model, for modeling purposes default is considered to have occurred upon the default of any debt of the issuer of the equity position. A swap dealer may not include correlation trading positions or securitization positions in its incremental risk measure.
(2) Requirements for incremental risk modeling. For purposes of calculating the incremental risk measure, the incremental risk model must:
(i) Measure incremental risk over a one-year time horizon and at a one-tail, 99.9 percent confidence level, either under the assumption of a constant level of risk, or under the assumption of constant positions.
(A) A constant level of risk assumption means that the swap dealer rebalances, or rolls over, the swap dealer’s trading positions at the beginning of each liquidity horizon over the one-year horizon in a manner that maintains the swap dealer’s initial risk level. The swap dealer must determine the frequency of rebalancing in a manner consistent with the liquidity horizons of the positions in the portfolio. The liquidity horizon of a position or set of positions is the time required for a swap dealer to reduce its exposure to, or hedge all of its material risks of, the position(s) in a stressed market. The liquidity horizon for a position or set of positions may not be less than the shorter of three months or the contractual maturity of the position.
(B) A constant position assumption means that the swap dealer maintains the same set of positions throughout the one-year horizon. If a swap dealer uses this assumption, it must do so consistently across all portfolios.
(C) A swap dealer’s selection of a constant position or a constant risk assumption must be consistent between the swap dealer’s incremental risk model and its comprehensive risk model described in paragraph (m) of this appendix, if applicable.
(D) A swap dealer’s treatment of liquidity horizons must be consistent between the swap dealer’s incremental risk model and its comprehensive risk model described in paragraph (m) of this appendix, if applicable.
(ii) Recognize the impact of correlations between default and migration events among obligors.
(iii) Reflect the effect of issuer and market concentrations, as well as concentrations that can arise within and across product classes during stressed conditions.
(iv) Reflect netting only of long and short positions that reference the same financial instrument.
(v) Reflect any material mismatch between a position and its hedge.
(vi) Recognize the effect that liquidity horizons have on dynamic hedging strategies. In such cases, a swap dealer must:
(A) Choose to model the rebalancing of the hedge consistently over the relevant set of trading positions;
(B) Demonstrate that including rebalancing results in a more appropriate risk measurement;
(C) Demonstrate that the market for the hedge is sufficiently liquid to permit rebalancing during periods of stress; and
(D) Capture in the incremental risk model any residual risks arising from such hedging strategies.
(vii) Reflect the nonlinear impact of options and other positions with material nonlinear behavior with respect to default and migration changes.
(viii) Maintain consistency with the swap dealer’s internal risk management methodologies for identifying, measuring, and managing risk.
(m) Comprehensive Risk. A comprehensive risk model must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be approved:
(1) General requirement. (i) Subject to the prior approval of the Commission or a registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, a swap dealer may use the method in this paragraph to measure comprehensive risk, that is, all price risk, for one or more portfolios of correlation trading positions.
(ii) A swap dealer that measures the price risk of a portfolio of correlation trading positions using internal models must calculate at least weekly a comprehensive risk measure that captures all price risk according to the requirements of this paragraph (m). The comprehensive risk measure is either:
(A) The sum of:
(1) The swap dealer’s modeled measure of all price risk determined according to the requirements in paragraph (m)(2) of this appendix; and
(2) A surcharge for the swap dealer’s modeled correlation trading positions equal to the total specific risk add-on for such positions as calculated under paragraph (k) of this appendix multiplied by 8.0 percent; or
(B) With approval of the Commission, or the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, and provided the swap dealer has met the requirements of this paragraph (m) for a period of at least one year and can demonstrate the effectiveness of the model through the results of ongoing model validation efforts including robust benchmarking, the greater of:
(1) The swap dealer’s modeled measure of all price risk determined according to the requirements in paragraph (b) of this appendix; or
(2) The total specific risk add-on that would apply to the swap dealer’s modeled correlation trading positions as calculated under paragraph (k) of this appendix multiplied by 8.0 percent.
(2) Requirements for modeling all price risk. If a swap dealer uses an internal model to measure the price risk of a portfolio of correlation trading positions:
(i) The internal model must measure comprehensive risk over a one-year time horizon at a one-tail, 99.9 percent confidence level, either under the assumption of a constant level of risk, or under the assumption of constant positions.
(ii) The model must capture all material price risk, including but not limited to the following:
(A) The risks associated with the contractual structure of cash flows of the position, its issuer, and its underlying exposures;
(B) Credit spread risk, including nonlinear price risks;
(C) The volatility of implied correlations, including nonlinear price risks such as the cross-effect between spreads and correlations;
(D) Basis risk;
(E) Recovery rate volatility as it relates to the propensity for recovery rates to affect tranche prices; and
(F) To the extent the comprehensive risk measure incorporates the benefits of dynamic hedging, the static nature of the hedge over the liquidity horizon must be recognized. In such cases, a swap dealer must:
(1) Choose to model the rebalancing of the hedge consistently over the relevant set of trading positions;
(2) Demonstrate that including rebalancing results in a more appropriate risk measurement;
(3) Demonstrate that the market for the hedge is sufficiently liquid to permit rebalancing during periods of stress; and
(4) Capture in the comprehensive risk model any residual risks arising from such hedging strategies;
(iii) The swap dealer must use market data that are relevant in representing the risk profile of the swap dealer’s correlation trading positions in order to ensure that the swap dealer fully captures the material risks of the correlation trading positions in its comprehensive risk measure in accordance with this appendix; and
(iv) The swap dealer must be able to demonstrate that its model is an appropriate representation of comprehensive risk in light of the historical price variation of its correlation trading positions.
(3) Requirements for stress testing. (i) A swap dealer must at least weekly apply specific, supervisory stress scenarios to its portfolio of correlation trading positions that capture changes in:
(A) Default rates;
(B) Recovery rates;
(C) Credit spreads;
(D) Correlations of underlying exposures; and
(E) Correlations of a correlation trading position and its hedge.
(ii) Other requirements. (A) A swap dealer must retain and make available to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member the results and all assumptions and parameters of the supervisory stress testing, including comparisons with the capital requirements generated by the swap dealer’s comprehensive risk model.
(B) A swap dealer must report promptly to the Commission and to the registered futures association of which it is a member any instances where the stress tests indicate any material deficiencies in the comprehensive risk model.
(n) Securitization Exposures. (1) To use the simplified supervisory formula approach (SSFA) to determine the specific risk-weighting factor for a securitization position, a swap dealer must have data that enables it to assign accurately the parameters described in paragraph (n)(2) of this appendix. Data used to assign the parameters described in paragraph (n)(2) of this appendix must be the most currently available data; if the contracts governing the underlying exposures of the securitization require payments on a monthly or quarterly basis, the data used to assign the parameters described in paragraph (n)(2) of this appendix must be no more than 91 calendar days old. A swap dealer that does not have the appropriate data to assign the parameters described in paragraph (n)(2) of this appendix must assign a specific risk-weighting of 100 percent to the position.
(2) SSFA parameters. To calculate the specific risk-weighting factor for a securitization position using the SSFA, a swap dealer must have accurate information on the five inputs to the SSFA calculation described in paragraphs (n)(2)(i) through (n)(2)(v) of this appendix.
(i) K
(ii) Parameter W is expressed as a decimal value between zero and one. Parameter W is the ratio of the sum of the dollar amounts of any underlying exposures of the securitization that meet any of the criteria as set forth in paragraphs (n)(2)(ii)(A) through (F) of this appendix to the balance, measured in dollars, of underlying exposures:
(A) Ninety days or more past due;
(B) Subject to a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding;
(C) In the process of foreclosure;
(D) Held as real estate owned;
(E) Has contractually deferred payments for 90 days or more, other than principal or interest payments deferred on;
(1) Federally-guaranteed student loans, in accordance with the terms of those guarantee programs; or
(2) Consumer loans, including non-federally guaranteed student loans, provided that such payments are deferred pursuant to provisions included in the contract at the time funds are disbursed that provide for period(s) of deferral that are not initiated based on changes in the creditworthiness of the borrower; or
(F) Is in default.
(iii) Parameter A is the attachment point for the position, which represents the threshold at which credit losses will first be allocated to the position. Except as provided in 12 CFR 217.210(b)(2)(vii)(D) for nth to default derivatives, parameter A equals the ratio of the current dollar amount of underlying exposures that are subordinated to the position of the swap dealer to the current dollar amount of underlying exposures. Any reserve account funded by the accumulated cash flows from the underlying exposures that is subordinated to the position that contains the swap dealer’s securitization exposure may be included in the calculation of parameter A to the extent that cash is present in the account. Parameter A is expressed as a decimal value between zero and one.
(iv) Parameter D is the detachment point for the position, which represents the threshold at which credit losses of principal allocated to the position would result in a total loss of principal. Except as provided in 12 CFR 210(b)(2)(vii)(D) for nth-to-default credit derivatives, parameter D equals parameter A plus the ratio of the current dollar amount of the securitization positions that are pari passu with the position (that is, have equal seniority with respect to credit risk) to the current dollar amount of the underlying exposures. Parameter D is expressed as a decimal value between zero and one.
(v) A supervisory calibration parameter, p, is equal to 0.5 for securitization positions that are not resecuritization positions and equal to 1.5 for resecuritization positions.
(3) Mechanics of the SSFA. K
(i) When the detachment point, parameter D, for a securitization position is less than or equal to K
(ii) When the attachment point, parameter A, for a securitization position is greater than or equal to K
(iii) When A is less than K
(A) The weight assigned to 1.00 equals
(iii) The specific risk-weighting factor for the position (expressed as a percent) is equal to K
(o) Additional conditions. As a condition for the swap dealer to use this Appendix A to calculate certain of its capital charges, the Commission, or registered futures association of which the swap dealer is a member, may impose additional conditions on the swap dealer, which may include, but are not limited to restricting the swap dealer’s business on a product-specific, category-specific, or general basis; submitting to the Commission or the registered futures association a plan to increase the swap dealer’s regulatory capital; filing more frequent reports with the Commission or the registered futures association; modifying the swap dealer’s internal risk management control procedures; or computing the swap dealer’s deductions for market and credit risk in accordance with §§ 23.102 as appropriate. If the Commission or registered futures association finds it is necessary or appropriate in the public interest, the Commission or registered futures association may impose additional conditions on the swap dealer, if:
(1) The swap dealer is required to provide notice to the Commission or the registered futures association that the swap dealer’s regulatory capital is less than $100 million;
(2) The swap dealer fails to meet the reporting requirements set forth in § 23.105;
(3) Any event specified in § 23.105 occurs;
(4) There is a material deficiency in the internal risk management control system or in the mathematical models used to price securities or to calculate deductions for market and credit risk or allowances for market and credit risk, as applicable, of the swap dealer;
(5) The swap dealer fails to comply with this Appendix A; or
(6) The Commission finds that imposition of other conditions is necessary or appropriate in the public interest.
Appendix B to Subpart E of Part 23—Swap Dealer and Major Swap Participant Position Information
Appendix C to Subpart E of Part 23—Financial Reports and Specific Position Information for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants Subject to the Capital Requirements of a Prudential Regulator
Subpart F—Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Daily Trading Records Requirements for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants
§ 23.200 Definitions.
For purposes of subpart F, the following terms shall be defined as provided.
(a) Business trading unit means any department, division, group, or personnel of a swap dealer or major swap participant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or exercises supervisory authority over the performance of, any pricing (excluding price verification for risk management purposes), trading, sales, purchasing, marketing, advertising, solicitation, structuring, or brokerage activities on behalf of a registrant.
(b) Clearing unit means any department, division, group, or personnel of a registrant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs any proprietary or customer clearing activities on behalf of a registrant.
(c) Complaint means any formal or informal complaint, grievance, criticism, or concern communicated to the swap dealer or major swap participant in any format relating to, arising from, or in connection with, any trading conduct or behavior or with the swap dealer or major swap participant’s performance (or failure to perform) any of its regulatory obligations, and includes any and all observations, comments, remarks, interpretations, clarifications, notes, and examinations as to such conduct or behavior communicated or documented by the complainant, swap dealer, or major swap participant.
(d) Executed means the completion of the execution process.
(e) Execution means, with respect to a swap, an agreement by the parties (whether orally, in writing, electronically, or otherwise) to the terms of a swap that legally binds the parties to such swap terms under applicable law.
(f) Governing body. This term means:
(1) A board of directors;
(2) A body performing a function similar to a board of directors;
(3) Any committee of a board or body; or
(4) The chief executive officer of a registrant, or any such board, body, committee, or officer of a division of a registrant, provided that the registrant’s swaps activities for which registration with the Commission is required are wholly contained in a separately identifiable division.
(g) Prudential regulator has the meaning given to such term in section 1a(39) of the Commodity Exchange Act and includes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Association, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as applicable to the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(h) Registered entity has the meaning given to such term in section 1a(40) of the Commodity Exchange Act, and includes boards of trade designated as contract markets, derivatives clearing organizations, swap execution facilities, and swap data repositories.
(i) Related cash or forward transaction means a purchase or sale for immediate or deferred physical shipment or delivery of an asset related to a swap where the swap and the related cash or forward transaction are used to hedge, mitigate the risk of, or offset one another.
(j) Swaps activities means, with respect to a registrant, such registrant’s activities related to swaps and any product used to hedge such swaps, including, but not limited to, futures, options, other swaps or security-based swaps, debt or equity securities, foreign currency, physical commodities, and other derivatives.
(k) Swap confirmation means the consummation (electronically or otherwise) of legally binding documentation (electronic or otherwise) that memorializes the agreement of the parties to all the terms of the swap. A confirmation must be in writing (whether electronic or otherwise) and must legally supersede any previous agreement (electronically or otherwise).
§ 23.201 Required records.
(a) Transaction and position records. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall keep full, complete, and systematic records, together with all pertinent data and memoranda, of all its swaps activities. Such records shall include:
(1) Transaction records. Records of each transaction, including all documents on which transaction information is originally recorded. Such records shall be kept in a form and manner identifiable and searchable by transaction and by counterparty, and shall include:
(i) All documents customarily generated in accordance with market practice that demonstrate the existence and nature of an order or transaction, including, but not limited to, records of all orders (filled, unfilled, or cancelled); correspondence; journals; memoranda; ledgers; confirmations; risk disclosure documents; statements of purchase and sale; contracts; invoices; warehouse receipts; documents of title; and
(ii) The daily trading records required to be kept in accordance with § 23.202.
(2) Position records. Records of each position held by each swap dealer and major swap participant, identified by product and counterparty, including records reflecting whether each position is “long” or “short” and whether the position is cleared. Position records shall be linked to transaction records in a manner that permits identification of the transactions that established the position.
(3) Records of transactions executed on a swap execution facility or designated contract market or cleared by a derivatives clearing organization. Records of each transaction executed on a swap execution facility or designated contract market or cleared by a derivatives clearing organization maintained in compliance with the Act and Commission regulations.
(b) Business records. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall keep full, complete, and systematic records of all activities related to its business as a swap dealer or major swap participant, including but not limited to:
(1) Governance. (i) Minutes of meetings of the governing body and relevant committee minutes, including handouts and presentation materials;
(ii) Organizational charts for its governing body and relevant committees, business trading unit, clearing unit, risk management unit, and all other relevant units or divisions;
(iii) Biographies or resumes of managers, senior supervisors, officers, and directors;
(iv) Job descriptions for manager, senior supervisor, officer, and director positions, including job responsibilities and scope of authority;
(v) Internal and external audit, risk management, compliance, and consultant reports (including management responses); and
(vi) Business and strategic plans for the business trading unit.
(2) Financial records. (i) Records reflecting all assets and liabilities, income and expenses, and capital accounts as required by the Act and Commission regulations; and
(ii) All other financial records required to be kept under the Act and Commission regulations.
(3) Complaints. (i) A record of each complaint received by the swap dealer or major swap participant concerning any partner, member, officer, employee, or agent. The record shall include the complainant’s name, address, and account number; the date the complaint was received; the name of all persons identified in the complaint; a description of the nature of the complaint; the disposition of the complaint, and the date the complaint was resolved.
(ii) A record indicating that each counterparty of the swap dealer or major swap participant has been provided with a notice containing the physical address, email or other widely available electronic address, and telephone number of the department of the swap dealer or major swap participant to which any complaints may be directed.
(4) Marketing and sales materials. All marketing and sales presentations, advertisements, literature, and communications, and a record documenting that the swap dealer or major swap participant has complied with, or adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to establish compliance with, all applicable Federal requirements, Commission regulations, and the rules of any self-regulatory organization of which the swap dealer or major swap participant is a member.
(c) Records of data reported to a swap data repository. With respect to each swap, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall identify, retain, and produce for inspection all information and data required to be reported in accordance with part 45 of this chapter, along with a record of the date and time the swap dealer or major swap participant made the report.
(d) Records of real-time reporting data. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall identify, retain, and produce for inspection all information and data required to be reported in accordance with part 43 of this chapter, along with a record of the date and time the swap dealer or major swap participant made the report.
§ 23.202 Daily trading records.
(a) Daily trading records for swaps. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep daily trading records of all swaps it executes, including all documents on which transaction information is originally recorded. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall ensure that its records include all information necessary to conduct a comprehensive and accurate trade reconstruction for each swap. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain each transaction record in a manner identifiable and searchable by transaction and counterparty.
(1) Pre-execution trade information. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep pre-execution trade information, including, at a minimum, records of all oral and written communications provided or received concerning quotes, solicitations, bids, offers, instructions, trading, and prices, that lead to the execution of a swap, whether communicated by telephone, voicemail, facsimile, instant messaging, chat rooms, electronic mail, mobile device, or other digital or electronic media. Such records shall include, but are not limited to:
(i) Reliable timing data for the initiation of the trade that would permit complete and accurate trade reconstruction; and
(ii) A record of the date and time, to the nearest minute, using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), by timestamp or other timing device, for each quotation provided to, or received from, the counterparty prior to execution.
(2) Execution trade information. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep trade execution records, including:
(i) All terms of each swap, including all terms regarding payment or settlement instructions, initial and variation margin requirements, option premiums, payment dates, and any other cash flows;
(ii) The trade ticket for each swap (which, together with the time of execution of each swap, shall be immediately recorded electronically for further processing);
(iii) The unique transaction identifier, as required by § 45.5 of this chapter, for each swap;
(iv) A record of the date and time of execution of each swap, to the nearest minute, using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), by timestamp or other timing device;
(v) The name of the counterparty with which each such swap was executed, including its legal entity identifier or alternate identifier, as required by § 45.6 of this chapter;
(vi) The date and title of the agreement to which each swap is subject, including but not limited to, any swap trading relationship documentation and credit support arrangements;
(vii) The product name of each swap, including its unique product identifier and description using the product classification system, as required by § 45.7 of this chapter;
(viii) The price at which the swap was executed;
(ix) Fees or commissions and other expenses, identified by transaction; and
(x) Any other information relevant to the swap.
(3) Post-execution trade information. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep records of post-execution trade information containing an itemized record of all relevant post-trade processing and events.
(i) Records of post-trade processing and events shall include all of the following, as applicable:
(A) Confirmation;
(B) Termination;
(C) Novation;
(D) Amendment;
(E) Assignment;
(F) Netting;
(G) Compression;
(H) Reconciliation;
(I) Valuation;
(J) Margining;
(K) Collateralization; and
(L) Central clearing.
(ii) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep a record of all swap confirmations, along with the date and time, to the nearest minute, using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), by timestamp or other timing device; and
(iii) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep a record of each swap portfolio reconciliation, including the number of portfolio reconciliation discrepancies and the number of swap valuation disputes (including the time-to-resolution of each valuation dispute and the age of outstanding valuation disputes, categorized by transaction and counterparty);
(iv) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep a record of each swap portfolio compression exercise in which it participates, including the dates of the compression, the swaps included in the compression, the identity of the counterparties participating in the exercise, the results of the compression, and the name of the third-party entity performing the compression, if any; and
(v) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep a record of each swap that it centrally clears, categorized by transaction and counterparty.
(4) Ledgers. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep ledgers (or other records) reflecting the following:
(i) Payments and interest received;
(ii) Moneys borrowed and moneys loaned;
(iii) The daily calculation of the value of each outstanding swap;
(iv) The daily calculation of current and potential future exposure for each counterparty;
(v) The daily calculation of initial margin to be posted by the swap dealer or major swap participant for each counterparty and the daily calculation of initial margin to be posted by each counterparty;
(vi) The daily calculation of variation margin payable to or receivable from each counterparty;
(vii) The daily calculation of the value of all collateral, before and after haircuts, held by or posted by the swap dealer or major swap participant;
(viii) All transfers of collateral, including any substitutions of collateral, identifying in sufficient detail the amounts and types of collateral transferred; and
(ix) All charges against and credits to each counterparty’s account, including funds deposited, withdrawn, or transferred, and charges or credits resulting from losses or gains on transactions.
(b) Daily trading records for related cash and forward transactions. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and keep daily trading records of all related cash or forward transactions it executes, including all documents on which the related cash or forward transaction information is originally recorded. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall ensure that its records include all information necessary to conduct a comprehensive and accurate trade reconstruction for each related cash or forward transaction. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain each transaction record in a manner identifiable and searchable by transaction and by counterparty. Such records shall include, but are not limited to:
(1) A record of all oral and written communications provided or received concerning quotes, solicitations, bids, offers, instructions, trading, and prices, that lead to the conclusion of a related cash or forward transaction, whether communicated by telephone, voicemail, facsimile, instant messaging, chat rooms, electronic mail, mobile device, or other digital or electronic media;
(2) Reliable timing data for the initiation of the transaction that would permit complete and accurate trade reconstruction;
(3) A record of the date and time, to the nearest minute, using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), by timestamp or other timing device, for each quotation provided to, or received from, the counterparty prior to execution;
(4) A record of the date and time of execution of each related cash or forward transaction, to the nearest minute, using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), by timestamp or other timing device;
(5) All terms of each related cash or forward transaction;
(6) The price at which the related cash or forward transaction was executed; and
(7) A record of the daily calculation of the value of the related cash or forward transaction and any other relevant financial information.
§ 23.203 Records; retention and inspection.
(a) Location of records—(1) Records. All records required to be kept by a swap dealer or major swap participant by the Act and by Commission regulations shall be kept at the principal place of business of the swap dealer or major swap participant or such other principal office as shall be designated by the swap dealer or major swap participant. If the principal place of business is outside of the United States, its territories or possessions, then upon the request of a Commission representative, the swap dealer or major swap participant must provide such records as requested at the place in the United States, its territories, or possessions designated by the representative within 72 hours after receiving the request.
(2) Contact information. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain for each of its offices a listing, by name or title, of each person at that office who, without delay, can explain the types of records the swap dealer or major swap participant maintains at that office and the information contained in those records.
(b) Record retention. (1) The records required to be maintained by this chapter shall be maintained in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31 of this chapter, except as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section. All such records shall be open to inspection by any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or any applicable prudential regulator. Records relating to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) shall be open to inspection by any representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any applicable prudential regulator.
(2) [Reserved]
(3) Records of any swap data reported in accordance with part 45 of this chapter shall be maintained in accordance with the requirements of § 45.2 of this chapter.
§ 23.204 Reports to swap data repositories.
(a) Reporting of swap transaction data to swap data repositories. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall report all information and data in accordance with part 45 of this chapter.
(b) Electronic reporting of swap transaction data. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall have the electronic systems and procedures necessary to transmit electronically all information and data required to be reported in accordance with part 45 of this chapter.
§ 23.205 Real-time public reporting.
(a) Real-time public reporting of swap transaction and pricing data. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall report all information and swap transaction and pricing data required to be reported in accordance with the real-time public reporting requirements in part 43 of this chapter.
(b) Electronic reporting of swap transaction data. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall have the electronic systems and procedures necessary to transmit electronically all information and data required to be reported in accordance with part 43 of this chapter.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to establish an alternative compliance schedule for requirements of § 23.202 that are found to be technologically or economically impracticable for an affected swap dealer or major swap participant that seeks, in good faith, to comply with the requirements of § 23.202 within a reasonable time period beyond the date on which compliance by such swap dealer or major swap participant is otherwise required.
(b) A request for an alternative compliance schedule under this section shall be acted upon by the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight within 30 days from the time such a request is received, or it shall be deemed approved.
(c) Relief granted under this section shall not cause a registrant to be out of compliance or deemed in violation of any registration requirements.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in any case in which a Commission employee delegated authority under this section believes it appropriate, he or she may submit to the Commission for its consideration the question of whether an alternative compliance schedule should be established. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
Subpart H—Business Conduct Standards for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants Dealing With Counterparties, Including Special Entities
§ 23.400 Scope.
The sections of this subpart shall apply to swap dealers and, unless otherwise indicated, major swap participants. These rules are not intended to limit or restrict the applicability of other provisions of the Act and rules and regulations thereunder, or other applicable laws, rules and regulations. The provisions of this subpart shall apply in connection with transactions in swaps as well as in connection with swaps that are offered but not entered into.
§ 23.401 Definitions.
(a) Counterparty. The term “counterparty,” as appropriate in this subpart, includes any person who is a prospective counterparty to a swap.
(b) Major swap participant. The term “major swap participant” means any person defined in Section 1a(33) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter and, as appropriate in this subpart, any person acting for or on behalf of a major swap participant, including an associated person defined in Section 1a(4) of the Act.
(c) Special Entity. The term “Special Entity” means:
(1) A Federal agency;
(2) A State, State agency, city, county, municipality, other political subdivision of a State, or any instrumentality, department, or a corporation of or established by a State or political subdivision of a State;
(3) Any employee benefit plan subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002);
(4) Any governmental plan, as defined in Section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002);
(5) Any endowment, including an endowment that is an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)); or
(6) Any employee benefit plan defined in Section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002), not otherwise defined as a Special Entity, that elects to be a Special Entity by notifying a swap dealer or major swap participant of its election prior to entering into a swap with the particular swap dealer or major swap participant.
(d) Swap dealer. The term “swap dealer” means any person defined in Section 1a(49) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter and, as appropriate in this subpart, any person acting for or on behalf of a swap dealer, including an associated person defined in Section 1a(4) of the Act.
§ 23.402 General provisions.
(a) Policies and procedures to ensure compliance and prevent evasion. (1) Swap dealers and major swap participants shall have written policies and procedures reasonably designed to:
(i) Ensure compliance with the requirements of this subpart; and
(ii) Prevent a swap dealer or major swap participant from evading or participating in or facilitating an evasion of any provision of the Act or any regulation promulgated thereunder.
(2) Swap dealers and major swap participants shall implement and monitor compliance with such policies and procedures as part of their supervision and risk management requirements specified in subpart J of this part.
(b) Know your counterparty. Each swap dealer shall implement policies and procedures reasonably designed to obtain and retain a record of the essential facts concerning each counterparty whose identity is known to the swap dealer prior to the execution of the transaction that are necessary for conducting business with such counterparty. For purposes of this section, the essential facts concerning a counterparty are:
(1) Facts required to comply with applicable laws, regulations and rules;
(2) Facts required to implement the swap dealer’s credit and operational risk management policies in connection with transactions entered into with such counterparty; and
(3) Information regarding the authority of any person acting for such counterparty.
(c) True name and owner. Each swap dealer or major swap participant shall obtain and retain a record which shall show the true name and address of each counterparty whose identity is known to the swap dealer or major swap participant prior to the execution of the transaction, the principal occupation or business of such counterparty as well as the name and address of any other person guaranteeing the performance of such counterparty and any person exercising any control with respect to the positions of such counterparty.
(d) Reasonable reliance on representations. A swap dealer or major swap participant may rely on the written representations of a counterparty to satisfy its due diligence requirements under this subpart, unless it has information that would cause a reasonable person to question the accuracy of the representation. If agreed to by the counterparties, such representations may be contained in counterparty relationship documentation and may satisfy the relevant requirements of this subpart for subsequent swaps offered to or entered into with a counterparty, provided however, that such counterparty undertakes to timely update any material changes to the representations.
(e) Manner of disclosure. A swap dealer or major swap participant may provide the information required by this subpart by any reliable means agreed to in writing by the counterparty; provided however, for transactions initiated on a designated contract market or swap execution facility, written agreement by the counterparty regarding the reliable means of disclosure is not required.
(f) Disclosures in a standard format. If agreed to by a counterparty, the disclosure of material information that is applicable to multiple swaps between a swap dealer or major swap participant and a counterparty may be made in counterparty relationship documentation or other written agreement between the counterparties.
(g) Record retention. Swap dealers and major swap participants shall create a record of their compliance with the requirements of this subpart and shall retain records in accordance with subpart F of this part and § 1.31 of this chapter and make them available to applicable prudential regulators upon request.
§§ 23.403-23.409 [Reserved]
§ 23.410 Prohibition on fraud, manipulation, and other abusive practices.
(a) It shall be unlawful for a swap dealer or major swap participant—
(1) To employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud any Special Entity or prospective customer who is a Special Entity;
(2) To engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business that operates as a fraud or deceit on any Special Entity or prospective customer who is a Special Entity; or
(3) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business that is fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative.
(b) Affirmative defense. It shall be an affirmative defense to an alleged violation of paragraph (a)(2) or (3) of this section for failure to comply with any requirement in this subpart if a swap dealer or major swap participant establishes that the swap dealer or major swap participant:
(1) Did not act intentionally or recklessly in connection with such alleged violation; and
(2) Complied in good faith with written policies and procedures reasonably designed to meet the particular requirement that is the basis for the alleged violation.
(c) Confidential treatment of counterparty information. (1) It shall be unlawful for any swap dealer or major swap participant to:
(i) Disclose to any other person any material confidential information provided by or on behalf of a counterparty to the swap dealer or major swap participant; or
(ii) Use for its own purposes in any way that would tend to be materially adverse to the interests of a counterparty, any material confidential information provided by or on behalf of a counterparty to the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (c)(1) of this section, a swap dealer or major swap participant may disclose or use material confidential information provided by or on behalf of a counterparty to the swap dealer or major swap participant if such disclosure or use is authorized in writing by the counterparty, or is necessary:
(i) For the effective execution of any swap for or with the counterparty;
(ii) To hedge or mitigate any exposure created by such swap; or
(iii) To comply with a request of the Commission, Department of Justice, any self-regulatory organization designated by the Commission, or an applicable prudential regulator, or is otherwise required by law.
(3) Each swap dealer or major swap participant shall implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to protect material confidential information provided by or on behalf of a counterparty from disclosure and use in violation of this section by any person acting for or on behalf of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
§§ 23.411-23.429 [Reserved]
§ 23.430 Verification of counterparty eligibility.
(a) Eligibility. A swap dealer or major swap participant shall verify that a counterparty meets the eligibility standards for an eligible contract participant, as defined in Section 1a(18) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter, before offering to enter into or entering into a swap with that counterparty.
(b) Special Entity. In verifying the eligibility of a counterparty pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, a swap dealer or major swap participant shall also verify whether the counterparty is a Special Entity.
(c) Special Entity election. In verifying the eligibility of a counterparty pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, a swap dealer or major swap participant shall verify whether a counterparty is eligible to elect to be a Special Entity under § 23.401(c)(6) and, if so, notify such counterparty of its right to make such an election.
(d) Safe harbor. A swap dealer or major swap participant may rely on written representations of a counterparty to satisfy the requirements of this section as provided in § 23.402(d). A swap dealer or major swap participant will have a reasonable basis to rely on such written representations for purposes of the requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section if the counterparty specifies in such representations the provision(s) of Section 1a(18) of the Act or paragraph(s) of § 1.3 of this chapter that describe its status as an eligible contract participant and, in the case of a Special Entity, the paragraph(s) of the Special Entity definition in § 23.401(c) that define its status as a Special Entity.
(e) This section shall not apply with respect to:
(1) A transaction that is initiated on a designated contract market; or
(2) A transaction initiated on a swap execution facility, if the swap dealer or major swap participant does not know the identity of the counterparty to the transaction prior to execution.
§ 23.431 Disclosures of material information.
(a) At a reasonably sufficient time prior to entering into a swap, a swap dealer or major swap participant shall disclose to any counterparty to the swap (other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, security-based swap dealer, or major security-based swap participant) material information concerning the swap in a manner reasonably designed to allow the counterparty to assess:
(1) The material risks of the particular swap, which may include market, credit, liquidity, foreign currency, legal, operational, and any other applicable risks;
(2) The material characteristics of the particular swap, which shall include the material economic terms of the swap, the terms relating to the operation of the swap, and the rights and obligations of the parties during the term of the swap; and
(3) The material incentives and conflicts of interest that the swap dealer or major swap participant may have in connection with a particular swap, which shall include:
(i) With respect to disclosure of the price of the swap, the price of the swap and the mid-market mark of the swap as set forth in paragraph (d)(2) of this section; and
(ii) Any compensation or other incentive from any source other than the counterparty that the swap dealer or major swap participant may receive in connection with the swap.
(b) Scenario Analysis. Prior to entering into a swap with a counterparty (other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, security-based swap dealer, or major security-based swap participant) that is not made available for trading, as provided in Section 2(h)(8) of the Act, on a designated contract market or swap execution facility, a swap dealer shall:
(1) Notify the counterparty that it can request and consult on the design of a scenario analysis to allow the counterparty to assess its potential exposure in connection with the swap;
(2) Upon request of the counterparty, provide a scenario analysis, which is designed in consultation with the counterparty and done over a range of assumptions, including severe downside stress scenarios that would result in a significant loss;
(3) Disclose all material assumptions and explain the calculation methodologies used to perform any requested scenario analysis; provided however, that the swap dealer is not required to disclose confidential, proprietary information about any model it may use to prepare the scenario analysis; and
(4) In designing any requested scenario analysis, consider any relevant analyses that the swap dealer undertakes for its own risk management purposes, including analyses performed as part of its “New Product Policy” specified in § 23.600(c)(3).
(c) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply with respect to a transaction that is:
(1) Initiated on a designated contract market or a swap execution facility; and
(2) One in which the swap dealer or major swap participant does not know the identity of the counterparty to the transaction prior to execution.
(d) Daily mark. A swap dealer or major swap participant shall:
(1) For cleared swaps, notify a counterparty (other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, security-based swap dealer, or major security-based swap participant) of the counterparty’s right to receive, upon request, the daily mark from the appropriate derivatives clearing organization.
(2) For uncleared swaps, provide the counterparty (other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, security-based swap dealer, or major security-based swap participant) with a daily mark, which shall be the mid-market mark of the swap. The mid-market mark of the swap shall not include amounts for profit, credit reserve, hedging, funding, liquidity, or any other costs or adjustments. The daily mark shall be provided to the counterparty during the term of the swap as of the close of business or such other time as the parties agree in writing.
(3) For uncleared swaps, disclose to the counterparty:
(i) The methodology and assumptions used to prepare the daily mark and any material changes during the term of the swap; provided however, that the swap dealer or major swap participant is not required to disclose to the counterparty confidential, proprietary information about any model it may use to prepare the daily mark; and
(ii) Additional information concerning the daily mark to ensure a fair and balanced communication, including, as appropriate, that:
(A) The daily mark may not necessarily be a price at which either the counterparty or the swap dealer or major swap participant would agree to replace or terminate the swap;
(B) Depending upon the agreement of the parties, calls for margin may be based on considerations other than the daily mark provided to the counterparty; and
(C) The daily mark may not necessarily be the value of the swap that is marked on the books of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
§ 23.432 Clearing disclosures.
(a) For swaps required to be cleared—right to select derivatives clearing organization. A swap dealer or major swap participant shall notify any counterparty (other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, securities-based swap dealer, or major securities-based swap participant) with which it entered into a swap that is subject to mandatory clearing under Section 2(h) of the Act, that the counterparty has the sole right to select the derivatives clearing organization at which the swap will be cleared.
(b) For swaps not required to be cleared—right to clearing. A swap dealer or major swap participant shall notify any counterparty (other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, securities-based swap dealer, or major securities-based swap participant) with which it entered into a swap that is not subject to the mandatory clearing requirements under Section 2(h) of the Act that the counterparty:
(1) May elect to require clearing of the swap; and
(2) Shall have the sole right to select the derivatives clearing organization at which the swap will be cleared.
§ 23.433 Communications—fair dealing.
With respect to any communication between a swap dealer or major swap participant and any counterparty, the swap dealer or major swap participant shall communicate in a fair and balanced manner based on principles of fair dealing and good faith.
§ 23.434 Recommendations to counterparties—institutional suitability.
(a) A swap dealer that recommends a swap or trading strategy involving a swap to a counterparty, other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, security-based swap dealer, or major security-based swap participant, must:
(1) Undertake reasonable diligence to understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the recommended swap or trading strategy involving a swap; and
(2) Have a reasonable basis to believe that the recommended swap or trading strategy involving a swap is suitable for the counterparty. To establish a reasonable basis for a recommendation, a swap dealer must have or obtain information about the counterparty, including the counterparty’s investment profile, trading objectives, and ability to absorb potential losses associated with the recommended swap or trading strategy involving a swap.
(b) Safe harbor. A swap dealer may fulfill its obligations under paragraph (a)(2) of this section with respect to a particular counterparty if:
(1) The swap dealer reasonably determines that the counterparty, or an agent to which the counterparty has delegated decision-making authority, is capable of independently evaluating investment risks with regard to the relevant swap or trading strategy involving a swap;
(2) The counterparty or its agent represents in writing that it is exercising independent judgment in evaluating the recommendations of the swap dealer with regard to the relevant swap or trading strategy involving a swap;
(3) The swap dealer discloses in writing that it is acting in its capacity as a counterparty and is not undertaking to assess the suitability of the swap or trading strategy involving a swap for the counterparty; and
(4) In the case of a counterparty that is a Special Entity, the swap dealer complies with § 23.440 where the recommendation would cause the swap dealer to act as an advisor to a Special Entity within the meaning of § 23.440(a).
(c) A swap dealer will satisfy the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section if it receives written representations, as provided in § 23.402(d), that:
(1) In the case of a counterparty that is not a Special Entity, the counterparty has complied in good faith with written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the persons responsible for evaluating the recommendation and making trading decisions on behalf of the counterparty are capable of doing so; or
(2) In the case of a counterparty that is a Special Entity, satisfy the terms of the safe harbor in § 23.450(d).
§§ 23.435-23.439 [Reserved]
§ 23.440 Requirements for swap dealers acting as advisors to Special Entities.
(a) Acts as an advisor to a Special Entity. For purposes of this section, a swap dealer “acts as an advisor to a Special Entity” when the swap dealer recommends a swap or trading strategy involving a swap that is tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity.
(b) Safe harbors. A swap dealer will not “act as an advisor to a Special Entity” within the meaning of paragraph (a) of this section if:
(1) With respect to a Special Entity that is an employee benefit plan as defined in § 23.401(c)(3):
(i) The Special Entity represents in writing that it has a fiduciary as defined in Section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002) that is responsible for representing the Special Entity in connection with the swap transaction;
(ii) The fiduciary represents in writing that it will not rely on recommendations provided by the swap dealer; and
(iii) The Special Entity represents in writing:
(A) That it will comply in good faith with written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that any recommendation the Special Entity receives from the swap dealer materially affecting a swap transaction is evaluated by a fiduciary before the transaction occurs; or
(B) That any recommendation the Special Entity receives from the swap dealer materially affecting a swap transaction will be evaluated by a fiduciary before that transaction occurs; or
(2) With respect to any Special Entity:
(i) The swap dealer does not express an opinion as to whether the Special Entity should enter into a recommended swap or trading strategy involving a swap that is tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity;
(ii) The Special Entity represents in writing that:
(A) The Special Entity will not rely on recommendations provided by the swap dealer; and
(B) The Special Entity will rely on advice from a qualified independent representative within the meaning of § 23.450; and
(iii) The swap dealer discloses to the Special Entity that it is not undertaking to act in the best interests of the Special Entity as otherwise required by this section.
(c) A swap dealer that acts as an advisor to a Special Entity shall comply with the following requirements:
(1) Duty. Any swap dealer that acts as an advisor to a Special Entity shall have a duty to make a reasonable determination that any swap or trading strategy involving a swap recommended by the swap dealer is in the best interests of the Special Entity.
(2) Reasonable efforts. Any swap dealer that acts as an advisor to a Special Entity shall make reasonable efforts to obtain such information as is necessary to make a reasonable determination that any swap or trading strategy involving a swap recommended by the swap dealer is in the best interests of the Special Entity, including information relating to:
(i) The financial status of the Special Entity, as well as the Special Entity’s future funding needs;
(ii) The tax status of the Special Entity;
(iii) The hedging, investment, financing, or other objectives of the Special Entity;
(iv) The experience of the Special Entity with respect to entering into swaps, generally, and swaps of the type and complexity being recommended;
(v) Whether the Special Entity has the financial capability to withstand changes in market conditions during the term of the swap; and
(vi) Such other information as is relevant to the particular facts and circumstances of the Special Entity, market conditions, and the type of swap or trading strategy involving a swap being recommended.
(d) Reasonable reliance on representations of the Special Entity. As provided in § 23.402(d), the swap dealer may rely on written representations of the Special Entity to satisfy its requirement in paragraph (c)(2) of this section to make “reasonable efforts” to obtain necessary information.
§§ 23.441-23.449 [Reserved]
§ 23.450 Requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants acting as counterparties to Special Entities.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) The term “principal relationship” means where a swap dealer or major swap participant is a principal of the representative of a Special Entity or the representative of a Special Entity is a principal of the swap dealer or major swap participant. The term “principal” means any person listed in § 3.1(a)(1) through(3) of this chapter.
(2) The term “statutory disqualification” means grounds for refusal to register or to revoke, condition, or restrict the registration of any registrant or applicant for registration as set forth in Sections 8a(2) and 8a(3) of the Act.
(b)(1) Any swap dealer or major swap participant that offers to enter or enters into a swap with a Special Entity, other than a Special Entity defined in § 23.401(c)(3), shall have a reasonable basis to believe that the Special Entity has a representative that:
(i) Has sufficient knowledge to evaluate the transaction and risks;
(ii) Is not subject to a statutory disqualification;
(iii) Is independent of the swap dealer or major swap participant;
(iv) Undertakes a duty to act in the best interests of the Special Entity it represents;
(v) Makes appropriate and timely disclosures to the Special Entity;
(vi) Evaluates, consistent with any guidelines provided by the Special Entity, fair pricing and the appropriateness of the swap; and
(vii) In the case of a Special Entity as defined in § 23.401(c)(2) or (4), is subject to restrictions on certain political contributions imposed by the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or a self-regulatory organization subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission; provided however, that this paragraph (b)(1)(vii) of this section shall not apply if the representative is an employee of the Special Entity.
(2) Any swap dealer or major swap participant that offers to enter or enters into a swap with a Special Entity as defined in § 23.401(c)(3) shall have a reasonable basis to believe that the Special Entity has a representative that is a fiduciary as defined in Section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002).
(c) Independent. For purposes of paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section, a representative of a Special Entity will be deemed to be independent of the swap dealer or major swap participant if:
(1) The representative is not and, within one year of representing the Special Entity in connection with the swap, was not an associated person of the swap dealer or major swap participant within the meaning of Section 1a(4) of the Act;
(2) There is no principal relationship between the representative of the Special Entity and the swap dealer or major swap participant;
(3) The representative:
(i) Provides timely and effective disclosures to the Special Entity of all material conflicts of interest that could reasonably affect the judgment or decision making of the representative with respect to its obligations to the Special Entity; and
(ii) Complies with policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage and mitigate such material conflicts of interest;
(4) The representative is not directly or indirectly, through one or more persons, controlled by, in control of, or under common control with the swap dealer or major swap participant; and
(5) The swap dealer or major swap participant did not refer, recommend, or introduce the representative to the Special Entity within one year of the representative’s representation of the Special Entity in connection with the swap.
(d) Safe harbor. (1) A swap dealer or major swap participant shall be deemed to have a reasonable basis to believe that the Special Entity, other than a Special Entity defined in § 23.401(c)(3), has a representative that satisfies the applicable requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section, provided that:
(i) The Special Entity represents in writing to the swap dealer or major swap participant that it has complied in good faith with written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it has selected a representative that satisfies the applicable requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, and that such policies and procedures provide for ongoing monitoring of the performance of such representative consistent with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; and
(ii) The representative represents in writing to the Special Entity and swap dealer or major swap participant that the representative:
(A) Has policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it satisfies the applicable requirements of paragraph (b) of this section;
(B) Meets the independence test in paragraph (c) of this section; and
(C) Is legally obligated to comply with the applicable requirements of paragraph (b) of this section by agreement, condition of employment, law, rule, regulation, or other enforceable duty.
(2) A swap dealer or major swap participant shall be deemed to have a reasonable basis to believe that a Special Entity defined in § 23.401(c)(3) has a representative that satisfies the applicable requirements in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, provided that the Special Entity provides in writing to the swap dealer or major swap participant the representative’s name and contact information, and represents in writing that the representative is a fiduciary as defined in Section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002).
(e) Reasonable reliance on representations of the Special Entity. A swap dealer or major swap participant may rely on written representations of a Special Entity and, as applicable under this section, the Special Entity’s representative to satisfy any requirement of this section as provided in § 23.402(d).
(f) Chief compliance officer review. If a swap dealer or major swap participant initially determines that it does not have a reasonable basis to believe that the representative of a Special Entity meets the criteria established in this section, the swap dealer or major swap participant shall make a written record of the basis for such determination and submit such determination to its chief compliance officer for review to ensure that the swap dealer or major swap participant has a substantial, unbiased basis for the determination.
(g) Before the initiation of a swap, a swap dealer or major swap participant shall disclose to the Special Entity in writing:
(1) The capacity in which it is acting in connection with the swap; and
(2) If the swap dealer or major swap participant engages in business with the Special Entity in more than one capacity, the swap dealer or major swap participant shall disclose the material differences between such capacities.
(h) This section shall not apply with respect to a transaction that is:
(1) Initiated on a designated contract market or swap execution facility; and
(2) One in which the swap dealer or major swap participant does not know the identity of the counterparty to the transaction prior to execution.
§ 23.451 Political contributions by certain swap dealers.
(a) Definitions. For the purposes of this section:
(1) The term “contribution” means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made:
(i) For the purpose of influencing any election for federal, state, or local office;
(ii) For payment of debt incurred in connection with any such election; or
(iii) For transition or inaugural expenses incurred by the successful candidate for federal, state, or local office.
(2) The term “covered associate” means:
(i) Any general partner, managing member, or executive officer, or other person with a similar status or function;
(ii) Any employee who solicits a governmental Special Entity for the swap dealer and any person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such employee; and
(iii) Any political action committee controlled by the swap dealer or by any person described in paragraphs (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii) of this section.
(3) The term “governmental Special Entity” means any Special Entity defined in § 23.401(c)(2) or (4).
(4) The term “official” of a governmental Special Entity means any person (including any election committee for such person) who was, at the time of the contribution, an incumbent, candidate, or successful candidate for elective office of a governmental Special Entity, if the office:
(i) Is directly or indirectly responsible for, or can influence the outcome of, the selection of a swap dealer by a governmental Special Entity; or
(ii) Has authority to appoint any person who is directly or indirectly responsible for, or can influence the outcome of, the selection of a swap dealer by a governmental Special Entity.
(5) The term “payment” means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value.
(6) The term “regulated person” means:
(i) A person that is subject to restrictions on certain political contributions imposed by the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or a self-regulatory agency subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission;
(ii) A general partner, managing member, or executive officer of such person, or other individual with a similar status or function; or
(iii) An employee of such person who solicits a governmental Special Entity for the swap dealer and any person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such employee.
(7) The term “solicit” means a direct or indirect communication by any person with a governmental Special Entity for the purpose of obtaining or retaining an engagement related to a swap.
(b) Prohibitions and exceptions. (1) As a means reasonably designed to prevent fraud, no swap dealer shall offer to enter into or enter into a swap or a trading strategy involving a swap with a governmental Special Entity within two years after any contribution to an official of such governmental Special Entity was made by the swap dealer or by any covered associate of the swap dealer; provided however, that:
(2) This prohibition does not apply:
(i) If the only contributions made by the swap dealer to an official of such governmental Special Entity were made by a covered associate:
(A) To officials for whom the covered associate was entitled to vote at the time of the contributions, provided that the contributions in the aggregate do not exceed $350 to any one official per election; or
(B) To officials for whom the covered associate was not entitled to vote at the time of the contributions, provided that the contributions in the aggregate do not exceed $150 to any one official per election;
(ii) To a swap dealer as a result of a contribution made by a natural person more than six months prior to becoming a covered associate of the swap dealer, provided that this exclusion shall not apply if the natural person, after becoming a covered associate, solicits the governmental Special Entity on behalf of the swap dealer to offer to enter into or to enter into a swap or trading strategy involving a swap; or
(iii) To a swap that is:
(A) Initiated on a designated contract market or swap execution facility; and
(B) One in which the swap dealer does not know the identity of the counterparty to the transaction prior to execution.
(3) No swap dealer or any covered associate of the swap dealer shall:
(i) Provide or agree to provide, directly or indirectly, payment to any person to solicit a governmental Special Entity to offer to enter into, or to enter into, a swap with that swap dealer unless such person is a regulated person; or
(ii) Coordinate, or solicit any person or political action committee to make, any:
(A) Contribution to an official of a governmental Special Entity with which the swap dealer is offering to enter into, or has entered into, a swap; or
(B) Payment to a political party of a state or locality with which the swap dealer is offering to enter into or has entered into a swap or a trading strategy involving a swap.
(c) Circumvention of rule. No swap dealer shall, directly or indirectly, through or by any other person or means, do any act that would result in a violation of paragraph (b) of this section.
(d) Requests for exemption. The Commission, upon application, may conditionally or unconditionally exempt a swap dealer from the prohibition under paragraph (b) of this section. In determining whether to grant an exemption, the Commission will consider, among other factors:
(1) Whether the exemption is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the purposes of the Act;
(2) Whether the swap dealer:
(i) Before the contribution resulting in the prohibition was made, implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of this section;
(ii) Prior to or at the time the contribution which resulted in such prohibition was made, had no actual knowledge of the contribution; and
(iii) After learning of the contribution:
(A) Has taken all available steps to cause the contributor involved in making the contribution which resulted in such prohibition to obtain a return of the contribution; and
(B) Has taken such other remedial or preventive measures as may be appropriate under the circumstances;
(3) Whether, at the time of the contribution, the contributor was a covered associate or otherwise an employee of the swap dealer, or was seeking such employment;
(4) The timing and amount of the contribution which resulted in the prohibition;
(5) The nature of the election (e.g., federal, state or local); and
(6) The contributor’s apparent intent or motive in making the contribution that resulted in the prohibition, as evidenced by the facts and circumstances surrounding the contribution.
(e) Prohibitions inapplicable. (1) The prohibitions under paragraph (b) of this section shall not apply to a contribution made by a covered associate of the swap dealer if:
(i) The swap dealer discovered the contribution within 120 calendar days of the date of such contribution;
(ii) The contribution did not exceed the amounts permitted by paragraphs (b)(2)(i)(A) or (B) of this section; and
(iii) The covered associate obtained a return of the contribution within 60 calendar days of the date of discovery of the contribution by the swap dealer.
(2) A swap dealer may not rely on paragraph (e)(1) of this section more than twice in any 12-month period.
(3) A swap dealer may not rely on paragraph (e)(1) of this section more than once for any covered associate, regardless of the time between contributions.
Appendix A to Subpart H of Part 23— Guidance on the Application of §§ 23.434 and 23.440 for Swap Dealers That Make Recommendations to Counterparties or Special Entities
The following provides guidance on the application of §§ 23.434 and 23.440 to swap dealers that make recommendations to counterparties or Special Entities.
A swap dealer that recommends a swap or trading strategy involving a swap to a counterparty, other than a swap dealer, major swap participant, security-based swap dealer or major security-based swap participant, must undertake reasonable diligence to understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the recommended swap or trading strategy involving a swap—general suitability (§ 23.434(a)(1))—and have a reasonable basis to believe that the recommended swap or trading strategy involving a swap is suitable for the counterparty—specific suitability (§ 23.434(a)(2)). To satisfy the general suitability obligation, a swap dealer must undertake reasonable diligence that will vary depending on, among other things, the complexity of and risks associated with the swap or swap trading strategy and the swap dealer’s familiarity with the swap or swap trading strategy. At a minimum, a swap dealer’s reasonable diligence must provide it with an understanding of the potential risks and rewards associated with the recommended swap or swap trading strategy.
Recommendation. Whether a communication between a swap dealer and a counterparty is a recommendation will turn on the facts and circumstances of the particular situation. There are, however, certain factors the Commission will consider in reaching such a determination. The facts and circumstances determination of whether a communication is a “recommendation” requires an analysis of the content, context, and presentation of the particular communication or set of communications. The determination of whether a “recommendation” has been made, moreover, is an objective rather than a subjective inquiry. An important factor in this regard is whether, given its content, context, and manner of presentation, a particular communication from a swap dealer to a counterparty reasonably would be viewed as a “call to action,” or suggestion that the counterparty enter into a swap. An analysis of the content, context, and manner of presentation of a communication requires examination of the underlying substantive information transmitted to the counterparty and consideration of any other facts and circumstances, such as any accompanying explanatory message from the swap dealer. Additionally, the more individually tailored the communication to a specific counterparty or a targeted group of counterparties about a swap, group of swaps or trading strategy involving the use of a swap, the greater the likelihood that the communication may be viewed as a “recommendation.”
Safe harbor. A swap dealer may satisfy the safe harbor requirements of § 23.434(b) to fulfill its counterparty-specific suitability duty under § 23.434(a)(2) if: (1) The swap dealer reasonably determines that the counterparty, or an agent to which the counterparty has delegated decision-making authority, is capable of independently evaluating investment risks with regard to the relevant swap or trading strategy involving a swap; (2) the counterparty or its agent represents in writing that it is exercising independent judgment in evaluating the recommendations of the swap dealer; (3) the swap dealer discloses in writing that it is acting in its capacity as a counterparty and is not undertaking to assess the suitability of the recommendation; and (4) in the case of a counterparty that is a Special Entity, the swap dealer complies with § 23.440 where the recommendation would cause the swap dealer to act as an advisor to a Special Entity within the meaning of § 23.440(a).
To reasonably determine that the counterparty, or an agent to which the counterparty has delegated decision-making authority, is capable of independently evaluating investment risks of a recommendation, the swap dealer can rely on the written representations of the counterparty, as provided in § 23.434(c). Section 23.434(c)(1) provides that a swap dealer will satisfy § 23.434(b)(1)’s requirement with respect to a counterparty other than a Special Entity if it receives representations that the counterparty has complied in good faith with the counterparty’s policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the persons responsible for evaluating the recommendation and making trading decisions on behalf of the counterparty are capable of doing so. Section § 23.434(c)(2) provides that a swap dealer will satisfy § 23.434(b)(1)’s requirement with respect to a Special Entity if it receives representations that satisfy the terms of § 23.450(d) regarding a Special Entity’s qualified independent representative.
Prong (4) of the safe harbor clarifies that § 23.434’s application is broader than § 23.440—Requirements for Swap Dealers Acting as Advisors to Special Entities. Section 23.434 is triggered when a swap dealer recommends any swap or trading strategy that involves a swap to any counterparty. However, § 23.440 is limited to a swap dealer’s recommendations (1) to a Special Entity (2) of swaps that are tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity. Thus, a swap dealer that recommends a swap to a Special Entity that is tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity may comply with its suitability obligation by satisfying the safe harbor in § 23.434(b); however, the swap dealer must also comply with § 23.440 in such circumstances.
A swap dealer “acts as an advisor to a Special Entity” under § 23.440 when the swap dealer recommends a swap or trading strategy involving a swap that is tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity. A swap dealer that “acts as an advisor to a Special Entity” has a duty to make a reasonable determination that a recommendation is in the “best interests” of the Special Entities and must undertake “reasonable efforts” to obtain information necessary to make such a determination.
Whether a swap dealer “acts as an advisor to a Special Entity” will depend on: (1) Whether the swap dealer has made a recommendation to a Special Entity; and (2) whether the recommendation concerns a swap or trading strategy involving a swap that is tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity. To determine whether a communication between a swap dealer and counterparty is a recommendation, the Commission will apply the same factors as under § 23.434, the suitability rule. However, unlike the suitability rule, which covers recommendations regarding any type of swap or trading strategy involving a swap, the “acts as an advisor rule” and “best interests” duty will be triggered only if the recommendation is of a swap or trading strategy involving a swap that is “tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity.”
Whether a swap is tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity will depend on the facts and circumstances. Swaps with terms that are tailored or customized to a specific Special Entity’s needs or objectives, or swaps with terms that are designed for a targeted group of Special Entities that share common characteristics, e.g., school districts, are likely to be viewed as tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity. Generally, however, the Commission would not view a swap that is “made available for trading” on a designated contract market or swap execution facility, as provided in Section 2(h)(8) of the Act, as tailored to the particular needs or characteristics of the Special Entity.
Safe harbor. Under § 23.440(b)(2), when dealing with a Special Entity (including a Special Entity that is an employee benefit plan as defined in § 23.401(c)(3)),
A swap dealer that elects to communicate within the safe harbor to avoid triggering the “best interests” duty must appropriately manage its communications. To clarify the type of communications that they will make under the safe harbor, the Commission expects that swap dealers may specifically represent that they will not express an opinion as to whether the Special Entity should enter into a recommended swap or trading strategy, and that for such advice the Special Entity should consult its own advisor. Nothing in the final rule would preclude such a representation from being included in counterparty relationship documentation. However, such a representation would not act as a safe harbor under the rule where, contrary to the representation, the swap dealer does express an opinion to the Special Entity as to whether it should enter into a recommended swap or trading strategy.
If a swap dealer complies with the terms of the safe harbor, the following types of communications would not be subject to the “best interests” duty:
The safe harbor in § 23.440(b)(2) allows a wide range of communications and interactions between swap dealers and Special Entities without invoking the “best interests” duty, including discussions of the advantages or disadvantages of different swaps or trading strategies. The Commission notes, however, that depending on the facts and circumstances, some of the examples on the list could be “recommendations” that would trigger a suitability obligation under § 23.434. However, the Commission has determined that such activities would not, by themselves, prompt the “best interests” duty in § 23.440, provided that the parties comply with the other requirements of § 23.440(b)(2). All of the swap dealer’s communications, however, must be made in a fair and balanced manner based on principles of fair dealing and good faith in compliance with § 23.433.
Swap dealers engage in a wide variety of communications with counterparties in the normal course of business, including but not limited to the six types of communications listed above. Whether any particular communication will be deemed to be a “recommendation” within the meaning of §§ 23.434 or 23.440 will depend on the facts and circumstances of the particular communication considered in light of the guidance in this appendix with respect to the meaning of the term “recommendation.” Swap dealers that choose to manage their communications to comply with the safe harbors provided in §§ 23.434 and 23.440 will be able to limit the duty they owe to counterparties, including Special Entities, provided that the parties exchange the appropriate representations.
Subpart I—Swap Documentation
§ 23.500 Definitions.
For purposes of this subpart I, the following terms shall be defined as provided.
(a) Acknowledgment means a written or electronic record of all of the terms of a swap signed and sent by one counterparty to the other.
(b) Bilateral portfolio compression exercise means an exercise in which two swap counterparties wholly terminate or change the notional value of some or all of the swaps submitted by the counterparties for inclusion in the portfolio compression exercise and, depending on the methodology employed, replace the terminated swaps with other swaps whose combined notional value (or some other measure of risk) is less than the combined notional value (or some other measure of risk) of the terminated swaps in the exercise.
(c) Confirmation means the consummation (electronically or otherwise) of legally binding documentation (electronic or otherwise) that memorializes the agreement of the counterparties to all of the terms of a swap transaction. A confirmation must be in writing (whether electronic or otherwise) and must legally supersede any previous agreement (electronically or otherwise). A confirmation is created when an acknowledgment is manually, electronically, or by some other legally equivalent means, signed by the receiving counterparty.
(d) Execution means, with respect to a swap transaction, an agreement by the counterparties (whether orally, in writing, electronically, or otherwise) to the terms of the swap transaction that legally binds the counterparties to such terms under applicable law.
(e) Financial entity means a counterparty that is not a swap dealer or a major swap participant and that is one of the following:
(1) A commodity pool as defined in Section 1a(5) of the Act;
(2) A private fund as defined in Section 202(a) of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940;
(3) An employee benefit plan as defined in paragraphs (3) and (32) of section 3 of the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974;
(4) A person predominantly engaged in activities that are in the business of banking, or in activities that are financial in nature as defined in Section 4(k) of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956; and
(5) A security-based swap dealer or a major security-based swap participant.
(f) Fully offsetting swaps means swaps of equivalent terms where no net cash flow would be owed to either counterparty after the offset of payment obligations thereunder.
(g) Material terms means the minimum primary economic terms as defined in appendix 1 of subpart I of part 23 of this chapter.
(h) Multilateral portfolio compression exercise means an exercise in which multiple swap counterparties wholly terminate or change the notional value of some or all of the swaps submitted by the counterparties for inclusion in the portfolio compression exercise and, depending on the methodology employed, replace the terminated swaps with other swaps whose combined notional value (or some other measure of risk) is less than the combined notional value (or some other measure of risk) of the terminated swaps in the compression exercise.
(i) Portfolio reconciliation means any process by which the two parties to one or more swaps:
(1) Exchange the material terms of all swaps in the swap portfolio between the counterparties;
(2) Exchange each counterparty’s valuation of each swap in the swap portfolio between the counterparties as of the close of business on the immediately preceding business day; and
(3) Resolve any discrepancy in material terms and valuations.
(j) Prudential regulator has the meaning given to the term in section 1a(39) of the Commodity Exchange Act and includes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Association, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as applicable to the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(k) Swap portfolio means all swaps currently in effect between a particular swap dealer or major swap participant and a particular counterparty.
(l) Swap transaction means any event that results in a new swap or in a change to the terms of a swap, including execution, termination, assignment, novation, exchange, transfer, amendment, conveyance, or extinguishing of rights or obligations of a swap.
(m) Valuation means the current market value or net present value of a swap.
§ 23.501 Swap confirmation.
(a) Confirmation. Subject to the compliance schedule in paragraph (c) of this section:
(1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant entering into a swap transaction with a counterparty that is a swap dealer or major swap participant shall execute a confirmation for the swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by the end of first business day following the day of execution.
(2) Each swap dealer and major swap participant entering into a swap transaction with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer or a major swap participant shall send an acknowledgment of such swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by the end of the first business day following the day of execution.
(3) (i) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it executes a confirmation for each swap transaction that it enters into with a counterparty that is a financial entity as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by the end of the first business day following the day of execution.
(ii) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it executes a confirmation for each swap transaction that it enters into with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer, major swap participant, or a financial entity not later than the end of the second business day following the day of execution.
(iii) Such procedures shall include a requirement that, upon a request by a prospective counterparty prior to execution of any such swap, the swap dealer or major swap participant furnish to the prospective counterparty prior to execution a draft acknowledgment specifying all terms of the swap transaction other than the applicable pricing and other relevant terms that are to be expressly agreed at execution.
(4) Swaps executed on a swap execution facility, designated contract market, or submitted for clearing by a derivatives clearing organization.
(i) Any swap transaction executed on a swap execution facility or designated contract market shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this section, provided that the rules of the swap execution facility or designated contract market establish that confirmation of all terms of the transaction shall take place at the same time as execution.
(ii) Any swap transaction submitted for clearing by a derivatives clearing organization shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this section, provided that:
(A) The swap transaction is submitted for clearing as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event no later than the times established for confirmation under paragraphs (a)(1) or (3) of this section, and
(B) Confirmation of all terms of the transaction takes place at the same time as the swap transaction is accepted for clearing pursuant to the rules of the derivatives clearing organization.
(iii) If a swap dealer or major swap participant receives notice that a swap transaction has not been confirmed by a swap execution facility or a designated contract market, or accepted for clearing by a derivatives clearing organization, the swap dealer or major swap participant shall execute a confirmation for such swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event no later than the times established for confirmation under paragraphs (a)(1) or (3) of this section as if such swap transaction were executed at the time the swap dealer or major swap participant receives such notice.
(5) For purposes of this section:
(i) “Day of execution” means the calendar day of the party to the swap transaction that ends latest, provided that if a swap transaction is—
(A) Entered into after 4:00 p.m. in the place of a party; or
(B) Entered into on a day that is not a business day in the place of a party, then such swap transaction shall be deemed to have been entered into by that party on the immediately succeeding business day of that party, and the day of execution shall be determined with reference to such business day; and
(ii) “Business day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
(b) Recordkeeping. (1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and retain a record of:
(i) The date and time of transmission to, or receipt from, a counterparty of any acknowledgment; and
(ii) The date and time of transmission to, or receipt from, a counterparty of any confirmation.
(2) All records required to be maintained pursuant to this section shall be maintained in accordance with § 23.203 and shall be made available promptly upon request to any representative of the Commission or any applicable prudential regulator, or with regard to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v), to any representative of the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any applicable prudential regulator.
(c) Compliance schedule. The requirements of paragraph (a) of this section are subject to the following compliance schedule:
(1) For purposes of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant entering into a swap transaction that is or involves a credit swap or interest rate swap with a counterparty that is a swap dealer or major swap participant shall execute a confirmation for the swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by:
(i) The end of the second business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to February 28, 2014; and
(ii) The end of the first business day following the day of execution from and after March 1, 2014.
(2) For purposes of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant entering into a swap transaction that is or involves an equity swap, foreign exchange swap, or other commodity swap with a counterparty that is a swap dealer or major swap participant shall execute a confirmation for the swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by:
(i) The end of the third business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to August 31, 2013;
(ii) The end of the second business day following the day of execution for the period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014; and
(iii) The end of the first business day following the day of execution from and after September 1, 2014.
(3) For purposes of paragraph (a)(2) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant entering into a swap transaction that is or involves a credit swap or interest rate swap with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer or a major swap participant shall send an acknowledgment of such swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by:
(i) The end of the second business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to February 28, 2014; and
(ii) The end of the first business day following the day of execution from and after March 1, 2014.
(4) For purposes of paragraph (a)(2) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant entering into a swap transaction that is or involves an equity swap, foreign exchange swap, or other commodity swap with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer or a major swap participant shall send an acknowledgment of such swap transaction as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by:
(i) The end of the third business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to August 31, 2013;
(ii) The end of the second business day following the day of execution for the period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014; and
(iii) The end of the first business day following the day of execution from and after September 1, 2014.
(5) For purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it executes a confirmation for each swap transaction that is or involves a credit swap or interest rate swap that it enters into with a counterparty that is a financial entity as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by:
(i) The end of the second business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to February 28, 2014; and
(ii) The end of the first business day following the day of execution from and after March 1, 2014.
(6) For purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it executes a confirmation for each swap transaction that is or involves an equity swap, foreign exchange swap, or other commodity swap that it enters into with a counterparty that is a financial entity as soon as technologically practicable, but in any event by:
(i) The end of the third business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to August 31, 2013;
(ii) The end of the second business day following the day of execution for the period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014; and
(iii) The end of the first business day following the day of execution from and after September 1, 2014.
(7) For purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it executes a confirmation for each swap transaction that is or involves a credit swap or interest rate swap that it enters into with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer, major swap participant, or a financial entity not later than:
(i) The end of the fifth business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to August 31, 2013;
(ii) The end of the third business day following the day of execution for the period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014; and
(iii) The end of the second business day following the day of execution from and after September 1, 2014.
(8) For purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it executes a confirmation for each swap transaction that is or involves an equity swap, foreign exchange swap, or other commodity swap that it enters into with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer, major swap participant, or a financial entity not later than:
(i) The end of the seventh business day following the day of execution for the period from the effective date of this section to August 31, 2013;
(ii) The end of the fourth business day following the day of execution for the period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014; and
(iii) The end of the second business following the day of execution from and after September 1, 2014.
(9) For purposes of paragraph (c) of this section:
(i) “Credit swap” means any swap that is primarily based on instruments of indebtedness, including, without limitation: Any swap primarily based on one or more broad-based indices related to instruments of indebtedness; and any swap that is an index credit swap or total return swap on one or more indices of debt instruments;
(ii) “Equity swap” means any swap that is primarily based on equity securities, including, without limitation: Any swap primarily based on one or more broad-based indices of equity securities; and any total return swap on one or more equity indices;
(iii) “Foreign exchange swap” has the meaning set forth in section 1a(25) of the CEA. It does not include swaps primarily based on rates of exchange between different currencies, changes in such rates, or other aspects of such rates (sometimes known as “cross-currency swaps”);
(iv) “Interest rate swap” means any swap which is primarily based on one or more interest rates, such as swaps of payments determined by fixed and floating interest rates; or any swap which is primarily based on rates of exchange between different currencies, changes in such rates, or other aspects of such rates (sometimes known as “cross-currency swaps”); and
(v) “Other commodity swap” means any swap not included in the credit, equity, foreign exchange, or interest rate asset classes, including, without limitation, any swap for which the primary underlying item is a physical commodity or the price or any other aspect of a physical commodity.
§ 23.502 Portfolio reconciliation.
(a) Swaps with swap dealers or major swap participants. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall engage in portfolio reconciliation as follows for all swaps in which its counterparty is also a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(1) Each swap dealer or major swap participant shall agree in writing with each of its counterparties on the terms of the portfolio reconciliation.
(2) The portfolio reconciliation may be performed on a bilateral basis by the counterparties or by a qualified third party.
(3) The portfolio reconciliation shall be performed no less frequently than:
(i) Once each business day for each swap portfolio that includes 500 or more swaps;
(ii) Once each week for each swap portfolio that includes more than 50 but fewer than 500 swaps on any business day during any week; and
(iii) Once each calendar quarter for each swap portfolio that includes no more than 50 swaps at any time during the calendar quarter.
(4) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall resolve immediately any discrepancy in a material term of a swap identified as part of a portfolio reconciliation or otherwise.
(5) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to resolve any discrepancy in a valuation identified as part of a portfolio reconciliation or otherwise as soon as possible, but in any event within five business days, provided that the swap dealer and major swap participant establishes, maintains, and follows written policies and procedures reasonably designed to identify how the swap dealer or major swap participant will comply with any variation margin requirements under section 4s(e) of the Act and regulations under this part pending resolution of the discrepancy in valuation. A difference between the lower valuation and the higher valuation of less than 10 percent of the higher valuation need not be deemed a discrepancy.
(b) Swaps with entities other than swap dealers or major swap participants. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it engages in portfolio reconciliation as follows for all swaps in which its counterparty is neither a swap dealer nor a major swap participant.
(1) Each swap dealer or major swap participant shall agree in writing with each of its counterparties on the terms of the portfolio reconciliation, including agreement on the selection of any third-party service provider.
(2) The portfolio reconciliation may be performed on a bilateral basis by the counterparties or by one or more third parties selected by the counterparties in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(3) The required policies and procedures shall provide that portfolio reconciliation will be performed no less frequently than:
(i) Once each calendar quarter for each swap portfolio that includes more than 100 swaps at any time during the calendar quarter; and
(ii) Once annually for each swap portfolio that includes no more than 100 swaps at any time during the calendar year.
(4) Each swap dealer or major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written procedures reasonably designed to resolve any discrepancies in the material terms or valuation of each swap identified as part of a portfolio reconciliation or otherwise with a counterparty that is neither a swap dealer nor major swap participant in a timely fashion. A difference between the lower valuation and the higher valuation of less than 10 percent of the higher valuation need not be deemed a discrepancy.
(c) Reporting. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall promptly notify the Commission and any applicable prudential regulator, or with regard to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act, the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and any applicable prudential regulator, of any swap valuation dispute in excess of $20,000,000 (or its equivalent in any other currency) if not resolved within:
(1) Three (3) business days, if the dispute is with a counterparty that is a swap dealer or major swap participant; or
(2) Five (5) business days, if the dispute is with a counterparty that is not a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(d) Reconciliation of cleared swaps. Nothing in this section shall apply to a swap that is cleared by a derivatives clearing organization.
(e) Recordkeeping. A record of each swap portfolio reconciliation consistent with § 23.202(a)(3)(iii) shall be maintained in accordance with § 23.203.
§ 23.503 Portfolio compression.
(a) Portfolio compression with swap dealers and major swap participants—(1) Bilateral offset. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures for terminating each fully offsetting swap between a swap dealer or major swap participant and another swap dealer or major swap participant in a timely fashion, when appropriate.
(2) Bilateral compression. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures for periodically engaging in bilateral portfolio compression exercises, when appropriate, with each counterparty that is also a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(3) Multilateral compression. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures for periodically engaging in multilateral portfolio compression exercises, when appropriate, with each counterparty that is also a swap dealer or major swap participant. Such policies and procedures shall include:
(i) Policies and procedures for participation in all multilateral portfolio compression exercises required by Commission regulation or order; and
(ii) Evaluation of multilateral portfolio compression exercises that are initiated, offered, or sponsored by any third party.
(b) Portfolio compression with counterparties other than swap dealers and major swap participants. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures for periodically terminating fully offsetting swaps and for engaging in portfolio compression exercises with respect to swaps in which its counterparty is an entity other than a swap dealer or major swap participant, to the extent requested by any such counterparty.
(c) Portfolio compression of cleared swaps. Nothing in this section shall apply to a swap that is cleared by a derivatives clearing organization.
(d) Recordkeeping. (1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make and maintain a complete and accurate record of each bilateral offset and each bilateral or multilateral portfolio compression exercise in which it participates.
(2) All records required to be maintained pursuant to this section shall be maintained in accordance with § 23.203 and shall be made available promptly upon request to any representative of the Commission or any applicable prudential regulator, or with regard to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act, to any representative of the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any applicable prudential regulator.
§ 23.504 Swap trading relationship documentation.
(a) (1) Applicability. The requirements of this section shall not apply to:
(i) Swaps executed prior to the date on which a swap dealer or major swap participant is required to be in compliance with this section;
(ii) Swaps executed on a board of trade designated as a contract market under section 5 of the Act or to swaps executed anonymously on a swap execution facility under section 5h of the Act, provided that such swaps are cleared by a derivatives clearing organization and all terms of the swaps conform to the rules of the derivatives clearing organization and § 39.12(b)(6) of this chapter; and
(iii) Swaps cleared by a derivatives clearing organization.
(2) Policies and procedures. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, maintain, and follow written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the swap dealer or major swap participant executes written swap trading relationship documentation with its counterparty that complies with the requirements of this section. The policies and procedures shall be approved in writing by senior management of the swap dealer and major swap participant, and a record of the approval shall be retained. Other than confirmations of swap transactions under § 23.501, the swap trading relationship documentation shall be executed prior to or contemporaneously with entering into a swap transaction with any counterparty.
(b) Swap trading relationship documentation. (1) The swap trading relationship documentation shall be in writing and shall include all terms governing the trading relationship between the swap dealer or major swap participant and its counterparty, including, without limitation, terms addressing payment obligations, netting of payments, events of default or other termination events, calculation and netting of obligations upon termination, transfer of rights and obligations, governing law, valuation, and dispute resolution.
(2) The swap trading relationship documentation shall include all confirmations of swap transactions under § 23.501.
(3) The swap trading relationship documentation shall include credit support arrangements, which shall contain, in accordance with applicable requirements under Commission regulations or regulations adopted by prudential regulators and without limitation, the following:
(i) Initial and variation margin requirements, if any;
(ii) Types of assets that may be used as margin and asset valuation haircuts, if any;
(iii) Investment and rehypothecation terms for assets used as margin for uncleared swaps, if any; and
(iv) Custodial arrangements for margin assets, including whether margin assets are to be segregated with an independent third party, in accordance with § 23.701(e), if any.
(4) (i) The swap trading relationship documentation between swap dealers, between major swap participants, between a swap dealer and major swap participant, between a swap dealer or major swap participant and a financial entity, and, if requested by any other counterparty, between a swap dealer or major swap participant and such counterparty, shall include written documentation in which the parties agree on the process, which may include any agreed upon methods, procedures, rules, and inputs, for determining the value of each swap at any time from execution to the termination, maturity, or expiration of such swap for the purposes of complying with the margin requirements under section 4s(e) of the Act and regulations under this part, and the risk management requirements under section 4s(j) of the Act and regulations under this part. To the maximum extent practicable, the valuation of each swap shall be based on recently-executed transactions, valuations provided by independent third parties, or other objective criteria.
(ii) Such documentation shall include either:
(A) Alternative methods for determining the value of the swap for the purposes of complying with this paragraph in the event of the unavailability or other failure of any input required to value the swap for such purposes; or
(B) A valuation dispute resolution process by which the value of the swap shall be determined for the purposes of complying with this paragraph (b)(4).
(iii) A swap dealer or major swap participant is not required to disclose to the counterparty confidential, proprietary information about any model it may use to value a swap.
(iv) The parties may agree on changes or procedures for modifying or amending the documentation required by this paragraph at any time.
(5) The swap trading relationship documentation of a swap dealer or major swap participant shall include the following:
(i) A statement of whether the swap dealer or major swap participant is an insured depository institution (as defined in 12 U.S.C. 1813) or a financial company (as defined in section 201(a)(11) of the Dodd-Frank Act, 12 U.S.C. 5381(a)(11));
(ii) A statement of whether the counterparty is an insured depository institution or financial company;
(iii) A statement that in the event either the swap dealer or major swap participant or its counterparty is a covered financial company (as defined in section 201(a)(8) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. 5381(a)(8)) or an insured depository institution for which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has been appointed as a receiver (the “covered party”), certain limitations under Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act or the Federal Deposit Insurance Act may apply to the right of the non-covered party to terminate, liquidate, or net any swap by reason of the appointment of the FDIC as receiver, notwithstanding the agreement of the parties in the swap trading relationship documentation, and that the FDIC may have certain rights to transfer swaps of the covered party under section 210(c)(9)(A) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(9)(A), or 12 U.S.C. 1821(e)(9)(A); and
(iv) An agreement between the swap dealer or major swap participant and its counterparty to provide notice if either it or its counterparty becomes or ceases to be an insured depository institution or a financial company.
(6) The swap trading relationship documentation of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall contain a notice that, upon acceptance of a swap by a derivatives clearing organization:
(i) The original swap is extinguished;
(ii) The original swap is replaced by equal and opposite swaps with the derivatives clearing organization; and
(iii) All terms of the swap shall conform to the product specifications of the cleared swap established under the derivatives clearing organization’s rules.
(c) Audit of swap trading relationship documentation. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall have an independent internal or external auditor conduct periodic audits sufficient to identify any material weakness in its documentation policies and procedures required by this section and Commission regulations. A record of the results of each audit shall be retained.
(d) Recordkeeping. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain all documents required to be created pursuant to this section in accordance with § 23.203 and shall make them available promptly upon request to any representative of the Commission or any applicable prudential regulator, or with regard to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act, to any representative of the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any applicable prudential regulator.
§ 23.505 End user exception documentation.
(a) For swaps excepted from a mandatory clearing requirement. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall obtain documentation sufficient to provide a reasonable basis on which to believe that its counterparty meets the statutory conditions required for an exception from a mandatory clearing requirement, as defined in section 2h(7) of the Act and § 50.50 of this chapter. Such documentation shall include:
(1) The identity of the counterparty;
(2) That the counterparty has elected not to clear a particular swap under section 2h(7) of the Act and § 50.50 of this chapter;
(3) That the counterparty is a non-financial entity, as defined in section 2h(7)(C) of the Act;
(4) That the counterparty is hedging or mitigating a commercial risk; and
(5) That the counterparty generally meets its financial obligations associated with non-cleared swaps. Provided, that a swap dealer or major swap participant need not obtain documentation of paragraphs (a)(3), (4), or (5) of this section if it obtains documentation that its counterparty has reported the information listed in § 50.50(b)(1)(iii) in accordance with § 50.50(b)(2) of this chapter.
(b) Recordkeeping. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain all documents required to be obtained pursuant to this section in accordance with § 23.203 and shall make them available promptly upon request to any representative of the Commission or any applicable prudential regulator, or with regard to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act, to any representative of the Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any applicable prudential regulator.
§ 23.506 Swap processing and clearing.
(a) Swap processing. (1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall ensure that it has the capacity to route swap transactions not executed on a swap execution facility or designated contract market to a derivatives clearing organization in a manner acceptable to the derivatives clearing organization for the purposes of clearing; and
(2) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall coordinate with each derivatives clearing organization to which the swap dealer, major swap participant, or its clearing member submits transactions for clearing, to facilitate prompt and efficient swap transaction processing in accordance with the requirements of § 39.12(b)(7) of this chapter.
(b) Swap clearing. With respect to each swap that is not executed on a swap execution facility or a designated contract market, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall:
(1) If such swap is subject to a mandatory clearing requirement pursuant to section 2(h)(1) of the Act and an exception pursuant to 2(h)(7) is not applicable, submit such swap for clearing to a derivatives clearing organization as soon as technologically practicable after execution of the swap, but no later than the close of business on the day of execution; or
(2) If such swap is not subject to a mandatory clearing requirement pursuant to section 2(h)(1) of the Act but is accepted for clearing by any derivatives clearing organization and the swap dealer or major swap participant and its counterparty agree that such swap will be submitted for clearing, submit such swap for clearing not later than the next business day after execution of the swap, or the agreement to clear, if later than execution.
Part 23, Subpart I, Appendix 1—Exhibits A-D
Exhibit A—Minimum Primary Economic Terms Data—Credit Swaps and Equity Swaps
| Data categories and fields for all swaps | Comment |
|---|---|
| Asset Class | Field values: Credit, equity, FX, interest rates, other commodities. |
| The Unique Transaction Identifier for the swap | The UTI is a unique identifier assigned to all swap transactions which identifies the transaction (the swap and its counterparties) uniquely throughout its duration. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the reporting counterparty | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| An indication of whether the reporting counterparty is a derivatives clearing organization with respect to the swap | Yes/No. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the non-reporting party | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| The Unique Product Identifier assigned to the swap | As provided in § 45.7. |
| If no Unique Product Identifier is available for the swap because the swap is not sufficiently standardized, the taxonomic description of the swap pursuant to the CFTC-approved product classification system | |
| If no CFTC-approved UPI and product classification system is yet available, the internal product identifier or product description used by the swap data repository | |
| An indication of the counterparty purchasing protection | Field values: LEI, or alternate identifier. |
| An indication of the counterparty selling protection | Field values: LEI, or alternate identifier. |
| Information identifying the reference entity | The entity that is the subject of the protection being purchased and sold in the swap. Field values: LEI, or alternate identifier. |
| Contract type | |
| Execution venue | The swap execution facility or designated contract market on or pursuant to the rules of which the swap was executed. Field values: LEI of the swap execution facility or designated contract market, or “off-facility” if not so executed. |
| Start date | The date on which the swap starts or goes into effect. |
| Maturity, termination or end date | The date on which the swap expires. |
| The price | |
| The notional amount, and the currency in which the notional amount is expressed | |
| The amount and currency (or currencies) of any up-front payment | |
| Payment frequency of the reporting counterparty | A description of the payment stream of the reporting counterparty, |
| Payment frequency of the non-reporting counterparty | A description of the payment stream of the non-reporting counterparty, |
| Clearing exception or exemption type | The type of clearing exception or exemption being claimed. Field values: End user, Inter-affiliate or Cooperative. |
| Indication of collateralization | Is the swap collateralized, and if so to what extent? Field values: Uncollateralized, partially collateralized, one-way collateralized, fully collateralized. |
| Any other term(s) of the swap matched or affirmed by the counterparties in verifying the swap | Use as many fields as required to report each such term. |
Exhibit B—Minimum Primary Economic Terms Data—Foreign Exchange Transactions
[Other than cross-currency swaps]
| Data fields for all swaps | Comment |
|---|---|
| Asset Class | Field values: Credit, equity, FX, interest rates, other commodities. |
| The Unique Transaction Identifier for the swap | The UTI is a unique identifier assigned to all swap transactions which identifies the transaction (the swap and its counterparties) uniquely throughout its duration. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the reporting counterparty | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| An indication of whether the reporting counterparty is a derivatives clearing organization with respect to the swap | Yes/No. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the non-reporting party | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| The Unique Product Identifier assigned to the swap | As provided in § 45.7. |
| If no Unique Product Identifier is available for the swap because the swap is not sufficiently standardized, the taxonomic description of the swap pursuant to the CFTC-approved product classification system | |
| If no CFTC-approved UPI and product classification system is yet available, the internal product identifier or product description used by the swap data repository | |
| Contract type | |
| Execution venue | The swap execution facility or designated contract market on or pursuant to the rules of which the swap was executed. Field values: LEI of the swap execution facility or designated contract market, or “off-facility” if not so executed. |
| Currency 1 | ISO code. |
| Currency 2 | ISO code. |
| Notional amount 1 | For currency 1. |
| Notional amount 2 | For currency 2. |
| Exchange rate | Contractual rate of exchange of the currencies. |
| Delivery type | Physical (deliverable) or cash (non-deliverable). |
| Settlement or expiration date | Settlement date, or for an option the contract expiration date. |
| Clearing exception or exemption type | The type of clearing exception or exemption being claimed. Field values: End user, Inter-affiliate or Cooperative. |
| Indication of collateralization | Is the trade collateralized, and if so to what extent? Field values: Uncollateralized, partially collateralized, one-way collateralized, fully collateralized. |
| Any other term(s) of the trade matched or affirmed by the counterparties in verifying the trade |
Exhibit C—Minimum Primary Economic Terms Data—Interest Rate Swaps
[Including cross-currency swaps]
| Data fields for all swaps | Comment |
|---|---|
| Asset Class | Field values: Credit, equity, FX, interest rates, other commodities. |
| The Unique Transaction Identifier for the swap | The UTI is a unique identifier assigned to all swap transactions which identifies the transaction (the swap and its counterparties) uniquely throughout its duration. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the reporting counterparty | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| An indication of whether the reporting counterparty is a derivatives clearing organization with respect to the swap | Yes/No. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the non-reporting counterparty | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| The Unique Product Identifier assigned to the swap | As provided in § 45.7. |
| If no Unique Product Identifier is available for the swap because the swap is not sufficiently standardized, the taxonomic description of the swap pursuant to the CFTC-approved product classification system | |
| If no CFTC-approved UPI and product classification system is yet available, the internal product identifier or product description used by the swap data repository | |
| Contract type | |
| Execution venue | The swap execution facility or designated contract market on or pursuant to the rules of which the swap was executed. Field values: LEI of the swap execution facility or designated contract market, or “off-facility” if not so executed. |
| Start date | The date on which the swap starts or goes into effect. |
| Maturity, termination or end date | The date on which the swap expires or ends. |
| Day count convention | |
| Notional amount (leg 1) | The current active notional amount. |
| Notional currency (leg 1) | ISO code. |
| Notional amount (leg 2) | The current active notional amount. |
| Notional currency (leg 2) | ISO code. |
| Payer (fixed rate) | Is the reporting party a fixed rate payer? Yes/No/Not applicable. |
| Payer (floating rate leg 1) | If two floating legs, the payer for leg 1. |
| Payer (floating rate leg 2) | If two floating legs, the payer for leg 2. |
| Direction | For swaps: Whether the principal is paying or receiving the fixed rate. For float-to-float and fixed-to-fixed swaps: Indicate N/A.
For non-swap instruments and swaptions: Indicate the instrument that was bought or sold. |
| Option type | |
| Fixed rate | |
| Fixed rate day count fraction | |
| Floating rate payment frequency | |
| Floating rate reset frequency | |
| Floating rate index name/rate period | |
| Clearing exception or exemption type | The type of clearing exception or exemption being claimed. Field values: End user, Inter-affiliate or Cooperative. |
| Indication of collateralization | Is the swap collateralized, and if so to what extent? Field values: Uncollateralized, partially collateralized, one-way collateralized, fully collateralized. |
| Any other term(s) of the swap matched or affirmed by the counterparties in verifying the swap |
Exhibit D—Minimum Primary Economic Terms Data—Other Commodity Swaps
| Data field for all swaps | Comment |
|---|---|
| Asset Class | Field values: Credit, equity, FX, interest rates, other commodities. |
| The Unique Transaction Identifier for the swap | The UTI is a unique identifier assigned to all swap transactions which identifies the transaction (the swap and its counterparties) uniquely throughout its duration. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the reporting counterparty | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| An indication of whether the reporting counterparty is a derivatives clearing organization with respect to the swap | Yes/No. |
| The Legal Entity Identifier or alternate identifier of the non-reporting party | As provided in § 45.6 of this chapter. |
| The Unique Product Identifier assigned to the swap | As provided in § 45.7. |
| If no Unique Product Identifier is available for the swap because the swap is not sufficiently standardized, the taxonomic description of the swap pursuant to the CFTC-approved product classification system | |
| If no CFTC-approved UPI and product classification system is yet available, the internal product identifier or product description used by the swap data repository | |
| Contract type | |
| Execution venue | The swap execution facility or designated contract market on or pursuant to the rules of which the swap was executed. Field values: LEI of the swap execution facility or designated contract market, or “off-facility” if not so executed. |
| Start date | The date on which the swap commences or goes into effect ( |
| Maturity, termination, or end date | The date on which the swap expires or ends ( |
| Buyer | The counterparty purchasing the product: ( |
| Seller | The counterparty offering the product: ( |
| Quantity unit | The unit of measure applicable for the quantity on the swap. |
| Quantity | The amount of the commodity (the number of quantity units) quoted on the swap. |
| Quantity frequency | The rate at which the quantity is quoted on the swap. |
| Total quantity | The quantity of the commodity for the entire term of the swap. |
| Settlement method | Physical delivery or cash. |
| Price | The price of the swap. For options, the strike price. |
| Price unit | The unit of measure applicable for the price of the swap. |
| Price currency | ISO code. |
| Buyer pay index | The published price as paid by the buyer (if applicable). For swaptions, applies to the underlying swap. |
| Buyer pay averaging method | The averaging method used to calculate the index of the buyer pay index. For swaptions, applies to the underlying swap. |
| Seller pay index | The published price as paid by the seller (if applicable). For swaptions, applies to the underlying swap. |
| Seller pay averaging method | The averaging method used to calculate the index of the seller pay index. For swaptions, applies to the underlying swap. |
| Grade | If applicable, the grade of the commodity to be delivered, |
| Option type | Descriptor for the type of option transaction. |
| Option style | |
| Option premium | The total amount paid by the option buyer. |
| Hours from through | For electric power, the hours of the day for which the swap is effective. |
| Hours from through time zone | For electric power, the time zone prevailing for the hours during which electricity is transmitted. |
| Days of week | For electric power, the profile applicable for the delivery of power. |
| Load type | For electric power, the load profile for the delivery of power. |
| Clearing exception or exemption type | The type of clearing exception or exemption being claimed. Field values: End user, Inter-affiliate or Cooperative. |
| Indication of collateralization | Is the swap collateralized, and if so to what extent? Field values: Uncollateralized, partially collateralized, one-way collateralized, fully collateralized. |
| Any other term(s) of the swap matched or affirmed by the counterparties in verifying the swap | Use as many fields as required to report each such term. |
Subpart J—Duties of Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants
§ 23.600 Risk Management Program for swap dealers and major swap participants.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of subpart J, the following terms shall be defined as provided.
(1) Affiliate. This term means, with respect to any person, a person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with, such person.
(2) Business trading unit. This term means any department, division, group, or personnel of a swap dealer or major swap participant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or personnel exercising direct supervisory authority over the performance of any pricing (excluding price verification for risk management purposes), trading, sales, marketing, advertising, solicitation, structuring, or brokerage activities on behalf of a registrant.
(3) Clearing unit. This term means any department, division, group, or personnel of a registrant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or personnel exercising direct supervisory authority over the performance of any proprietary or customer clearing activities on behalf of a registrant.
(4) Governing body. This term means:
(1) A board of directors;
(2) A body performing a function similar to a board of directors;
(3) Any committee of a board or body; or
(4) The chief executive officer of a registrant, or any such board, body, committee, or officer of a division of a registrant, provided that the registrant’s swaps activities for which registration with the Commission is required are wholly contained in a separately identifiable division.
(5) Prudential regulator. This term has the same meaning as section 1a(39) of the Commodity Exchange Act and includes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Association, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as applicable to the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(6) Senior management. This term means, with respect to a registrant, any officer or officers specifically granted the authority and responsibility to fulfill the requirements of senior management by the registrant’s governing body.
(7) Swaps activities. This term means, with respect to a registrant, such registrant’s activities related to swaps and any product used to hedge such swaps, including, but not limited to, futures, options, other swaps or security-based swaps, debt or equity securities, foreign currency, physical commodities, and other derivatives.
(b) Risk management program—(1) Purpose. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, document, maintain, and enforce a system of risk management policies and procedures designed to monitor and manage the risks associated with the swaps activities of the swap dealer or major swap participant. For purposes of this regulation, such policies and procedures shall be referred to collectively as a “Risk Management Program.”
(2) Written policies and procedures. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain written policies and procedures that describe the Risk Management Program of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(3) Approval by governing body. The Risk Management Program and the written risk management policies and procedures shall be approved, in writing, by the governing body of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(4) Furnishing to the Commission. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall furnish a copy of its written risk management policies and procedures to the Commission, or to a futures association registered under section 17 of the Act, if directed by the Commission, upon application for registration and thereafter upon request.
(5) Risk management unit. As part of its Risk Management Program, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish and maintain a risk management unit with sufficient authority; qualified personnel; and financial, operational, and other resources to carry out the risk management program established pursuant to this regulation. The risk management unit shall report directly to senior management and shall be independent from the business trading unit.
(c) Elements of the Risk Management Program. The Risk Management Program of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
(1) Identification of risks and risk tolerance limits. (i) The Risk Management Program should take into account market, credit, liquidity, foreign currency, legal, operational, settlement, and any other applicable risks together with a description of the risk tolerance limits set by the swap dealer or major swap participant and the underlying methodology in written policies and procedures. The risk tolerance limits shall be reviewed and approved quarterly by senior management and annually by the governing body. Exceptions to risk tolerance limits shall be subject to written policies and procedures.
(ii) The Risk Management Program shall take into account risks posed by affiliates and the Risk Management Program shall be integrated into risk management at the consolidated entity level.
(iii) The Risk Management Program shall include policies and procedures for detecting breaches of risk tolerance limits set by the swap dealer or major swap participant, and alerting supervisors within the risk management unit and senior management, as appropriate.
(2) Periodic Risk Exposure Reports. (i) The risk management unit of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall provide to senior management and to its governing body quarterly written reports setting forth the market, credit, liquidity, foreign currency, legal, operational, settlement, and any other applicable risk exposures of the swap dealer or major swap participant; any recommended or completed changes to the Risk Management Program; the recommended time frame for implementing recommended changes; and the status of any incomplete implementation of previously recommended changes to the Risk Management Program. For purposes of this regulation, such reports shall be referred to as “Risk Exposure Reports.” The Risk Exposure Reports also shall be provided to the senior management and the governing body immediately upon detection of any material change in the risk exposure of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(ii) Furnishing to the Commission. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall furnish copies of its Risk Exposure Reports to the Commission within five (5) business days of providing such reports to its senior management.
(3) New product policy. The Risk Management Program of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall include a new product policy that is designed to identify and take into account the risks of any new product prior to engaging in transactions involving the new product. The new product policy should include the following elements:
(i) Consideration of the type of counterparty with which the new product will be transacted; the product’s characteristics and economic function; and whether the product requires a novel pricing methodology or presents novel legal and regulatory issues.
(ii) Identification and analysis of all relevant risks associated with the new product and how they will be managed. The risk analysis should include an assessment, if relevant, of any product, market, credit, liquidity, foreign currency, legal, operational, settlement, and any other risks associated with the new product. Product risk characteristics may include, if relevant, volatility, non-linear price characteristics, jump-to-default risk, and any correlation between the value of the product and the counterparty’s creditworthiness.
(iii) An assessment, signed by a supervisor in the risk management unit, as to whether the new product would materially alter the overall entity-wide risk profile of the swap dealer or major swap participant. If the new product would materially alter the overall risk profile of the swap dealer or major swap participant, the new product must be pre-approved by the governing body before any transactions are effectuated.
(iv) A requirement that the risk management unit review the risk analysis to identify any necessary modifications to the Risk Management Program and implement such modifications prior to engaging in transactions involving the new product.
(v) Notwithstanding the foregoing, a swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s new product policy may include provisions permitting limited preliminary approval of new products—
(A) At a risk level that would not be material to the swap dealer or major swap participant; and
(B) Solely in order to provide the swap dealer or major swap participant with the opportunity to facilitate development of appropriate operational and risk management processes for such product.
(4) Specific risk management considerations. The Risk Management Program of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall include, but not be limited to, policies and procedures necessary to monitor and manage the following risks:
(i) Market risk. Market risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Daily measurement of market exposure, including exposure due to unique product characteristics, volatility of prices, basis and correlation risks, leverage, sensitivity of option positions, and position concentration, to comply with market risk tolerance limits;
(B) Timely and reliable valuation data derived from, or verified by, sources that are independent of the business trading unit, and if derived from pricing models, that the models have been independently validated by qualified, independent external or internal persons; and
(C) Periodic reconciliation of profits and losses resulting from valuations with the general ledger.
(ii) Credit risk. Credit risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Daily measurement of overall credit exposure to comply with counterparty credit limits;
(B) Monitoring and reporting of violations of counterparty credit limits performed by personnel that are independent of the business trading unit; and
(C) Regular valuation of collateral used to cover credit exposures and safeguarding of collateral to prevent loss, disposal, rehypothecation, or use unless appropriately authorized.
(iii) Liquidity risk. Liquidity risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Daily measurement of liquidity needs;
(B) Assessing procedures to liquidate all non-cash collateral in a timely manner and without significant effect on price; and
(C) Application of appropriate collateral haircuts that accurately reflect market and credit risk.
(iv) Foreign currency risk. Foreign currency risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Daily measurement of the amount of capital exposed to fluctuations in the value of foreign currency to comply with applicable limits; and
(B) Establishment of safeguards against adverse currency fluctuations.
(v) Legal risk. Legal risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Determinations that transactions and netting arrangements entered into have a sound legal basis; and
(B) Establishment of documentation tracking procedures designed to ensure the completeness of relevant documentation and to resolve any documentation exceptions on a timely basis.
(vi) Operational risk. Operational risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Secure and reliable operating and information systems with adequate, scalable capacity, and independence from the business trading unit;
(B) Safeguards to detect, identify, and promptly correct deficiencies in operating and information systems; and
(C) Reconciliation of all data and information in operating and information systems.
(vii) Settlement risk. Settlement risk policies and procedures shall take into account, among other things:
(A) Establishment of standard settlement instructions with each counterparty;
(B) Procedures to track outstanding settlement items and aging information in all accounts, including nostro and suspense accounts; and
(C) Procedures to ensure timely payments to counterparties and to resolve any late payments.
(5) Use of central counterparties. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish policies and procedures relating to its use of central counterparties. Such policies and procedures shall:
(i) Require the use of central counterparties where clearing is required pursuant to Commission regulation or order, unless the counterparty has properly invoked a clearing exemption under Commission regulations;
(ii) Set forth the conditions for the voluntary use of central counterparties for clearing when available as a means of mitigating counterparty credit risk; and
(iii) Require diligent investigation into the adequacy of the financial resources and risk management procedures of any central counterparty through which the swap dealer or major swap participant clears.
(6) Compliance with margin and capital requirements. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall satisfy all capital and margin requirements established by the Commission or prudential regulator, as applicable.
(7) Monitoring of compliance with Risk Management Program. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish policies and procedures to detect violations of the Risk Management Program; to encourage employees to report such violations to senior management, without fear of retaliation; and to take specified disciplinary action against employees who violate the Risk Management Program.
(d) Business trading unit. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish policies and procedures that, at a minimum:
(1) Require all trading policies be approved by the governing body of the swap dealer or major swap participant;
(2) Require that traders execute transactions only with counterparties for whom credit limits have been established;
(3) Provide specific quantitative or qualitative limits for traders and personnel able to commit the capital of the swap dealer or major swap participant;
(4) Monitor each trader throughout the trading day to prevent the trader from exceeding any limit to which the trader is subject, or from otherwise incurring unauthorized risk;
(5) Require each trader to follow established policies and procedures for executing and confirming all transactions;
(6) Establish means to detect unauthorized trading activities or any other violation of policies and procedures;
(7) Ensure that all trade discrepancies are documented and, other than immaterial, clerical errors, are brought to the immediate attention of management of the business trading unit;
(8) Ensure that broker statements and payments to brokers are periodically audited by persons independent of the business trading unit;
(9) Ensure that use of trading programs is subject to policies and procedures governing the use, supervision, maintenance, testing, and inspection of the program; and
(10) Require the separation of personnel in the business trading unit from personnel in the risk management unit.
(e) Review and testing. (1) Risk Management Programs shall be reviewed and tested on at least an annual basis, or upon any material change in the business of the swap dealer or major swap participant that is reasonably likely to alter the risk profile of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) The annual reviews of the Risk Management Program shall include an analysis of adherence to, and the effectiveness of, the risk management policies and procedures, and any recommendations for modifications to the Risk Management Program. The annual testing shall be performed by qualified internal audit staff that are independent of the business trading unit being audited or by a qualified third party audit service reporting to staff that are independent of the business trading unit. The results of the annual review of the Risk Management Program shall be promptly reported to, and reviewed by, the chief compliance officer, senior management, and governing body of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(3) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall document all internal and external reviews and testing of its Risk Management Program and written risk management policies and procedures including the date of the review or test; the results; any deficiencies identified; the corrective action taken; and the date that corrective action was taken. Such documentation shall be provided to Commission staff, upon request.
(f) Distribution of risk management policies and procedures. The Risk Management Program shall include procedures for the timely distribution of its written risk management policies and procedures to relevant supervisory personnel. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain records of the persons to whom the risk management policies and procedures were distributed and when they were distributed.
(g) Recordkeeping. (1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain copies of all written approvals required by this section.
(2) All records or reports that a swap dealer or major swap participant is required to maintain pursuant to this regulation shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
§ 23.601 Monitoring of position limits.
(a) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish and enforce written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to monitor for and prevent violations of applicable position limits established by the Commission, a designated contract market, or a swap execution facility, and to monitor for and prevent improper reliance upon any exemptions or exclusions from such position limits. For purposes of this regulation, such policies and procedures shall be referred to as “Position Limit Procedures.” The Position Limit Procedures shall be incorporated into the Risk Management Program of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(b) For purposes of the Position Limit Procedures, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall convert all swap positions into equivalent futures positions using the methodology set forth in Commission regulations.
(c) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall provide training to all relevant personnel on applicable position limits on an annual basis and shall promptly notify personnel upon any change to applicable position limits. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain records of such training and notifications including the substance of the training, the identity of those receiving training, and the identity of those notified of changes to applicable position limits.
(d) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall diligently monitor its trading activities and diligently supervise the actions of its partners, officers, employees, and agents to ensure compliance with the Position Limit Procedures of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(e) The Position Limit Procedures of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall implement an early warning system designed to detect and alert its senior management when position limits are in danger of being breached (such as when trading has reached a percentage threshold of the applicable position limit, and when position limits have been exceeded). Any detected violation of applicable position limits shall be reported promptly to the firm’s governing body. Any detected violation of applicable position limits, other than on-exchange violations reported to the Commission by a designated contract market or a swap execution facility, shall be reported promptly to the Commission. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain a record of any early warning received, any position limit violation detected, any action taken as a result of either, and the date action was taken.
(f) Each swap dealer and major swap participant that transacts in instruments for which position limits have been established by the Commission, a designated contract market, or a swap execution facility shall test its Position Limit Procedures for adequacy and effectiveness at least once each calendar quarter and maintain records of such tests; the results thereof; any action that is taken as a result thereof including, without limitation, any recommendations for modifications to the firm’s Position Limit Procedures; and the date action was taken.
(g) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall document its compliance with applicable position limits established by the Commission, a designated contract market, or a swap execution facility in a written report on a quarterly basis. Such report shall be promptly reported to and reviewed by the chief compliance officer, senior management, and governing body of the swap dealer or major swap participant, and shall include, without limitation, a list of all early warnings received, all position limit violations, the action taken in response, the results of the quarterly position limit testing required by this regulation, any deficiencies in the Position Limit Procedures, the status of any pending amendments to the Position Limit Procedures, and any action taken to amend the Position Limit Procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable position limits. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall retain a copy of this report.
(h) On an annual basis, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall audit its Position Limit Procedures as part of the audit of its Risk Management Program required by Commission regulations.
(i) All records required to be maintained pursuant to these regulations shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
§ 23.602 Diligent supervision.
(a) Supervision. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish and maintain a system to supervise, and shall diligently supervise, all activities relating to its business performed by its partners, members, officers, employees, and agents (or persons occupying a similar status or performing a similar function). Such system shall be reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations.
(b) Supervisory System. Such supervisory system shall provide, at a minimum, for the following:
(1) The designation, where applicable, of at least one person with authority to carry out the supervisory responsibilities of the swap dealer or major swap participant for all activities relating to its business as a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) The use of reasonable efforts to determine that all supervisors are qualified and meet such standards of training, experience, competence, and such other qualification standards as the Commission finds necessary or appropriate.
§ 23.603 Business continuity and disaster recovery.
(a) Business continuity and disaster recovery plan required. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish and maintain a written business continuity and disaster recovery plan that outlines the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency or other disruption of its normal business activities. The business continuity and disaster recovery plan shall be designed to enable the swap dealer or major swap participant to continue or to resume any operations by the next business day with minimal disturbance to its counterparties and the market, and to recover all documentation and data required to be maintained by applicable law and regulation.
(b) Essential components. The business continuity and disaster recovery plan of a swap dealer or major swap participant shall include the following components:
(1) Identification of the documents, data, facilities, infrastructure, personnel and competencies essential to the continued operations of the swap dealer or major swap participant and to fulfill the obligations of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) Identification of the supervisory personnel responsible for implementing each aspect of the business continuity and disaster recovery plan and the emergency contacts required to be provided pursuant to this regulation.
(3) A plan to communicate with the following persons in the event of an emergency or other disruption, to the extent applicable to the operations of the swap dealer or major swap participant: employees; counterparties; swap data repositories; execution facilities; trading facilities; clearing facilities; regulatory authorities; data, communications and infrastructure providers and other vendors; disaster recovery specialists and other persons essential to the recovery of documentation and data, the resumption of operations, and compliance with the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations.
(4) Procedures for, and the maintenance of, back-up facilities, systems, infrastructure, alternative staffing and other resources to achieve the timely recovery of data and documentation and to resume operations as soon as reasonably possible and generally within the next business day.
(5) Maintenance of back-up facilities, systems, infrastructure and alternative staffing arrangements in one or more areas that are geographically separate from the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s primary facilities, systems, infrastructure and personnel (which may include contractual arrangements for the use of facilities, systems and infrastructure provided by third parties).
(6) Back-up or copying, with sufficient frequency, of documents and data essential to the operations of the swap dealer or major swap participant or to fulfill the regulatory obligations of the swap dealer or major swap participant and storing the information off-site in either hard-copy or electronic format.
(7) Identification of potential business interruptions encountered by third parties that are necessary to the continued operations of the swap dealer or major swap participant and a plan to minimize the impact of such disruptions.
(c) Distribution to employees. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall distribute a copy of its business continuity and disaster recovery plan to relevant employees and promptly provide any significant revision thereto. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall maintain copies of the business continuity and disaster recovery plan at one or more accessible off-site locations. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall train relevant employees on applicable components of the business continuity and disaster recovery plan.
(d) Commission notification. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall promptly notify the Commission of any emergency or other disruption that may affect the ability of the swap dealer or major swap participant to fulfill its regulatory obligations or would have a significant adverse effect on the swap dealer or major swap participant, its counterparties, or the market.
(e) Emergency contacts. Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall provide to the Commission the name and contact information of two employees who the Commission can contact in the event of an emergency or other disruption. The individuals identified shall be authorized to make key decisions on behalf of the swap dealer or major swap participant and have knowledge of the firm’s business continuity and disaster recovery plan. The swap dealer or major swap participant shall provide the Commission with any updates to this information promptly.
(f) Review and modification. A member of the senior management of each swap dealer and major swap participant shall review the business continuity and disaster recovery plan annually or upon any material change to the business. Any deficiencies found or corrective action taken shall be documented.
(g) Testing and audit. Each business continuity and disaster recovery plan shall be tested annually by qualified, independent internal personnel or a qualified third party service. The date the testing was performed shall be documented, together with the nature and scope of the testing, any deficiencies found, any corrective action taken, and the date that corrective action was taken. Each business continuity and disaster recovery plan shall be audited at least once every three years by a qualified third party service. The date the audit was performed shall be documented, together with the nature and scope of the audit, any deficiencies found, any corrective action taken, and the date that corrective action was taken.
(h) Business continuity and disaster recovery plans required by other regulatory authorities. A swap dealer or major swap participant shall comply with the requirements of this regulation in addition to any business continuity and disaster recovery requirements that are imposed upon the swap dealer or major swap participant by its prudential regulator or any other regulatory or self-regulatory authority.
(i) Recordkeeping. The business continuity and disaster recovery plan of the swap dealer and major swap participant and all other records required to be maintained pursuant to this section shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
§ 23.604 [Reserved]
§ 23.605 Conflicts of interest policies and procedures.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall be defined as provided.
(1) Affiliate. This term means, with respect to any person, a person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with, such person.
(2) Business trading unit. This term means any department, division, group, or personnel of a swap dealer or major swap participant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or personnel exercising direct supervisory authority over the performance of, any pricing (excluding price verification for risk management purposes), trading, sales, marketing, advertising, solicitation, structuring, or brokerage activities on behalf of a swap dealer or major swap participant or any of its affiliates.
(3) Clearing unit. This term means any department, division, group, or personnel of a swap dealer or major swap participant or any of its affiliates, whether or not identified as such, that performs, or personnel exercising direct supervisory authority over the performance of, any proprietary or customer clearing activities on behalf of a swap dealer or major swap participant or any of its affiliates.
(4) Derivative. This term means:
(i) A contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery;
(ii) A security futures product;
(iii) A swap;
(iv) Any agreement, contract, or transaction described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act;
(v) Any commodity option authorized under section 4c of the Act; and
(vi) Any leverage transaction authorized under section 19 of the Act.
(5) Non-research personnel. This term means any employee of the business trading unit or clearing unit, or any other employee of the swap dealer or major swap participant, other than an employee performing a legal or compliance function, who is not directly responsible for, or otherwise not involved in, research or analysis intended for inclusion in a research report.
(6) Public appearance. This term means any participation in a conference call, seminar, forum (including an interactive electronic forum) or other public speaking activity before 15 or more persons (individuals or entities), or interview or appearance before one or more representatives of the media, radio, television or print media, or the writing of a print media article, in which a research analyst makes a recommendation or offers an opinion concerning a derivatives transaction. This term does not include a password-protected Webcast, conference call or similar event with 15 or more existing customers, provided that all of the event participants previously received the most current research report or other documentation that contains the required applicable disclosures, and that the research analyst appearing at the event corrects and updates during the public appearance any disclosures in the research report that are inaccurate, misleading, or no longer applicable.
(7) Research analyst. This term means the employee of a swap dealer or major swap participant who is primarily responsible for, and any employee who reports directly or indirectly to such research analyst in connection with, preparation of the substance of a research report relating to any derivative, whether or not any such person has the job title of “research analyst.”
(8) Research department. This term means any department or division that is principally responsible for preparing the substance of a research report relating to any derivative on behalf of a swap dealer or major swap participant, including a department or division contained in an affiliate of a swap dealer or major swap participant.
(9) Research report. This term means any written communication (including electronic) that includes an analysis of the price or market for any derivative, and that provides information reasonably sufficient upon which to base a decision to enter into a derivatives transaction. This term does not include:
(i) Communications distributed to fewer than 15 persons;
(ii) Commentaries on economic, political, or market conditions;
(iii) Statistical summaries of multiple companies’ financial data, including listings of current ratings;
(iv) Periodic reports or other communications prepared for investment company shareholders or commodity pool participants that discuss individual derivatives positions in the context of a fund’s past performance or the basis for previously-made discretionary decisions;
(v) Any communications generated by an employee of the business trading unit that is conveyed as a solicitation for entering into a derivatives transaction, and is conspicuously identified as such; and
(vi) Internal communications that are not given to current or prospective customers.
(b) Policies and procedures. Each swap dealer and major swap participant subject to this rule must adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the swap dealer or major swap participant and its employees comply with the provisions of this rule.
(c) Research analysts and research reports—(1) Restrictions on relationship with research department. (i) Non-research personnel shall not direct a research analyst’s decision to publish a research report of the swap dealer or major swap participant, and non-research personnel shall not direct the views and opinions expressed in a research report of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(ii) No research analyst may be subject to the supervision or control of any employee of the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s business trading unit or clearing unit, and no employee of the business trading unit or clearing unit may have any influence or control over the evaluation or compensation of a research analyst.
(iii) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section, non-research personnel, other than the board of directors and any committee thereof, shall not review or approve a research report of the swap dealer or major swap participant before its publication.
(iv) Non-research personnel may review a research report before its publication as necessary only to verify the factual accuracy of information in the research report, to provide for non-substantive editing, to format the layout or style of the research report, or to identify any potential conflicts of interest, provided that:
(A) Any written communication between non-research personnel and research department personnel concerning the content of a research report must be made either through authorized legal or compliance personnel of the swap dealer or major swap participant or in a transmission copied to such personnel; and
(B) Any oral communication between non-research personnel and research department personnel concerning the content of a research report must be documented and made either through authorized legal or compliance personnel acting as an intermediary or in a conversation conducted in the presence of such personnel.
(2) Restrictions on communications. Any written or oral communication by a research analyst to a current or prospective counterparty relating to any derivative must not omit any material fact or qualification that would cause the communication to be misleading to a reasonable person.
(3) Restrictions on research analyst compensation. A swap dealer or major swap participant may not consider as a factor in reviewing or approving a research analyst’s compensation his or her contributions to the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s trading or clearing business. Except for communicating client or customer feedback, ratings, and other indicators of research analyst performance to research department management, no employee of the business trading unit or clearing unit of the swap dealer or major swap participant may influence the review or approval of a research analyst’s compensation.
(4) Prohibition of promise of favorable research. No swap dealer or major swap participant may directly or indirectly offer favorable research, or threaten to change research, to an existing or prospective counterparty as consideration or inducement for the receipt of business or compensation.
(5) Disclosure requirements—(i) Ownership and material conflicts of interest. A swap dealer or major swap participant must disclose in research reports and a research analyst must disclose in public appearances:
(A) Whether the research analyst maintains a financial interest in any derivative of a type, class, or, category that the research analyst follows, and the general nature of the financial interest; and
(B) Any other actual, material conflicts of interest of the research analyst or swap dealer or major swap participant of which the research analyst has knowledge at the time of publication of the research report or at the time of the public appearance.
(ii) Prominence of disclosure. Disclosures and references to disclosures must be clear, comprehensive, and prominent. With respect to public appearances by research analysts, the disclosures required by this paragraph (c)(5) must be conspicuous.
(iii) Records of public appearances. Each swap dealer and major swap participant must maintain records of public appearances by research analysts sufficient to demonstrate compliance by those research analysts with the applicable disclosure requirements under this paragraph (c)(5).
(iv) Third-party research reports. (A) For the purposes of this paragraph (c)(5)(iv), “independent third-party research report” shall mean a research report, in respect of which the person or entity producing the report:
(1) Has no affiliation or business or contractual relationship with the distributing swap dealer or major swap participant, or that swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s affiliates, that is reasonably likely to inform the content of its research reports; and
(2) Makes content determinations without any input from the distributing swap dealer or major swap participant or that swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s affiliates.
(B) Subject to paragraph (c)(5)(iv)(C) of this section, if a swap dealer or major swap participant distributes or makes available any independent third-party research report, the swap dealer or major swap participant must accompany the research report with, or provide a Web address that directs the recipient to, the current applicable disclosures, as they pertain to the swap dealer or major swap participant, required by this section. Each swap dealer and major swap participant must establish written policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure the completeness and accuracy of all applicable disclosures.
(C) The requirements of paragraph (c)(5)(iv)(B) of this section shall not apply to independent third-party research reports made available by a swap dealer or major swap participant to its customers:
(1) Upon request; or
(2) Through a Web site maintained by the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(6) Prohibition of retaliation against research analysts. No swap dealer or major swap participant, and no employee of a swap dealer or major swap participant who is involved with the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s pricing, trading, or clearing activities, may, directly or indirectly, retaliate against or threaten to retaliate against any research analyst employed by the swap dealer or major swap participant or its affiliates as a result of an adverse, negative, or otherwise unfavorable research report or public appearance written or made, in good faith, by the research analyst that may adversely affect the swap dealer’s or major swap participant’s present or prospective pricing, trading, or clearing activities.
(d) Clearing activities. (1) No swap dealer or major swap participant shall directly or indirectly interfere with or attempt to influence the decision of the clearing unit of any affiliated clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization to provide clearing services and activities to a particular customer, including but not limited to a decision relating to the following:
(i) Whether to offer clearing services and activities to a particular customer;
(ii) Whether to accept a particular customer for the purposes of clearing derivatives;
(iii) Whether to submit a customer’s transaction to a particular derivatives clearing organization;
(iv) Whether to set or adjust risk tolerance levels for a particular customer;
(v) Whether to accept certain forms of collateral from a particular customer; or
(vi) Whether to set a particular customer’s fees for clearing services based upon criteria that are not generally available and applicable to other customers of the swap dealer or major swap participant.
(2) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall create and maintain an appropriate informational partition, as specified in section 4s(j)(5)(A) of the Act, between business trading units of the swap dealer or major swap participant and clearing units of any affiliated clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization to reasonably ensure compliance with the Act and the prohibitions specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section. At a minimum, such informational partitions shall require that no employee of a business trading unit of a swap dealer or major swap participant shall supervise, control, or influence any employee of the clearing unit of any affiliated clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization.
(e) Undue influence on counterparties. Each swap dealer and major swap participant must adopt and implement written policies and procedures that mandate the disclosure to its counterparties of any material incentives and any material conflicts of interest regarding the decision of a counterparty:
(1) Whether to execute a derivative on a swap execution facility or designated contract market; or
(2) Whether to clear a derivative through a derivatives clearing organization.
(f) All records that a swap dealer or major swap participant is required to maintain pursuant to this regulation shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of the applicable prudential regulator, as defined in 7 U.S.C. 1a(39).
§ 23.606 General information: availability for disclosure and inspection.
(a) Disclosure of information. (1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall make available for disclosure to and inspection by the Commission and its prudential regulator, as applicable, all information required by, or related to, the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations, including:
(i) The terms and condition of its swaps;
(ii) Its swaps trading operations, mechanisms, and practices;
(iii) Financial integrity and risk management protections relating to swaps; and
(iv) Any other information relevant to its trading in swaps.
(2) Such information shall be made available promptly, upon request, to Commission staff and the staff of the applicable prudential regulator, at such frequency and in such manner as is set forth in the Commodity Exchange Act, Commission regulations, or the regulations of the applicable prudential regulator.
(b) Ability to provide information. (1) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish and maintain reliable internal data capture, processing, storage, and other operational systems sufficient to capture, process, record, store, and produce all information necessary to satisfy its duties under the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations. Such systems shall be designed to produce the information within the time frames set forth in the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations or upon request, as applicable.
(2) Each swap dealer and major swap participant shall establish, implement, maintain, and enforce written procedures for the capture, processing, recording, storage, and production of all information necessary to satisfy its duties under the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations.
(c) Record retention. All records or reports that a swap dealer or major swap participant is required to maintain pursuant to this regulation shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
§ 23.607 Antitrust considerations.
(a) No swap dealer or major swap participant shall adopt any process or take any action that results in any unreasonable restraint of trade, or impose any material anticompetitive burden on trading or clearing, unless necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act.
(b) Consistent with its obligations under paragraph (a) of this section, each swap dealer and major swap participant shall adopt policies and procedures to prevent actions that result in unreasonable restraint of trade, or impose any material anticompetitive burden on trading or clearing.
§ 23.608 Restrictions on counterparty clearing relationships.
No swap dealer or major swap participant entering into a swap to be submitted for clearing with a counterparty that is a customer of a futures commission merchant shall enter into an arrangement that:
(a) Discloses to the futures commission merchant or any swap dealer or major swap participant the identity of a customer’s original executing counterparty;
(b) Limits the number of counterparties with whom a customer may enter into a trade;
(c) Restricts the size of the position a customer may take with any individual counterparty, apart from an overall limit for all positions held by the customer with the swap dealer or major swap participant;
(d) Impairs a customer’s access to execution of a trade on terms that have a reasonable relationship to the best terms available; or
(e) Prevents compliance with the timeframes set forth in § 1.74(b), § 23.610(b), or § 39.12(b)(7) of this chapter.
§ 23.609 Clearing member risk management.
(a) With respect to clearing activities in futures, security futures products, swaps, agreements, contracts, or transactions described in section 2(c)(2)(C)(i) or section 2(c)(2)(D)(i) of the Act, commodity options authorized under section 4c of the Act, or leveraged transactions authorized under section 19 of the Act, each swap dealer or major swap participant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Establish risk-based limits based on position size, order size, margin requirements, or similar factors;
(2) Screen orders for compliance with the risk-based limits in accordance with the following:
(i) For transactions subject to automated execution, the clearing member shall use automated means to screen orders for compliance with the risk-based limits; and
(ii) For transactions subject to non-automated execution, the clearing member shall establish and maintain systems of risk controls reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the limits.
(3) Monitor for adherence to the risk-based limits intra-day and overnight;
(4) Conduct stress tests under extreme but plausible conditions of all positions at least once per week;
(5) Evaluate its ability to meet initial margin requirements at least once per week;
(6) Evaluate its ability to meet variation margin requirements in cash at least once per week;
(7) Evaluate its ability to liquidate the positions it clears in an orderly manner, and estimate the cost of the liquidation; and
(8) Test all lines of credit at least once per year.
(b) Each swap dealer or major swap participant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Establish written procedures to comply with this regulation; and
(2) Keep full, complete, and systematic records documenting its compliance with this regulation.
(3) All records required to be maintained pursuant to these regulations shall be maintained in accordance with Commission Regulation § 1.31 and shall be made available promptly upon request to representatives of the Commission and to representatives of applicable prudential regulators.
§ 23.610 Clearing member acceptance for clearing.
(a) Each swap dealer or major swap participant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall coordinate with each derivatives clearing organization on which it clears to establish systems that enable the clearing member, or the derivatives clearing organization acting on its behalf, to accept or reject each trade submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing by or for the clearing member as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used; and
(b) Each swap dealer or major swap participant that is a clearing member of a derivatives clearing organization shall accept or reject each trade submitted by or for it as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used; a clearing member may meet this requirement by:
(1) Establishing systems to pre-screen orders for compliance with criteria specified by the clearing member;
(2) Establishing systems that authorize a derivatives clearing organization to accept or reject on its behalf trades that meet, or fail to meet, criteria specified by the clearing member; or
(3) Establishing systems that enable the clearing member to communicate to the derivatives clearing organization acceptance or rejection of each trade as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to establish an alternative compliance schedule for requirements of § 23.610 for swaps that are found to be technologically or economically impracticable for an affected swap dealer or major swap participant that seeks, in good faith, to comply with the requirements of § 23.610 within a reasonable time period beyond the date on which compliance by such swap dealer or major swap participant is otherwise required.
(b) A request for an alternative compliance schedule under this section shall be acted upon by the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk within 30 days from the time such a request is received, or it shall be deemed approved.
(c) An exception granted under this section shall not cause a registrant to be out of compliance or deemed in violation of any registration requirements.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in any case in which a Commission employee delegated authority under this section believes it appropriate, he or she may submit to the Commission for its consideration the question of whether an alternative compliance schedule should be established. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
Subpart K [Reserved]
Subpart L—Segregation of Assets Held as Collateral in Uncleared Swap Transactions
§ 23.700 Definitions.
As used in this subpart:
Initial Margin means money, securities, or property posted by a party to a swap as performance bond to cover potential future exposures arising from changes in the market value of the position.
Segregate means to keep two or more items in separate accounts, and to avoid combining them in the same transfer between two accounts.
Variation Margin means a payment made by or collateral posted by a party to a swap to cover the current exposure arising from changes in the market value of the position since the trade was executed or the previous time the position was marked to market.
§ 23.701 Notification of right to segregation.
(a) At the beginning of the first swap transaction that provides for the exchange of Initial Margin, a swap dealer or major swap participant must notify the counterparty that the counterparty has the right to require that any Initial Margin the counterparty provides in connection with such transaction be segregated in accordance with §§ 23.702 and 23.703, except in those circumstances where segregation is mandatory pursuant to § 23.157 or rules adopted by the prudential regulators pursuant to section 4s(e)(2)(A) of the Act.
(b) The right referred to in paragraph (a) of this section does not extend to Variation Margin.
(c) If the counterparty elects to segregate Initial Margin, the terms of segregation shall be established by written agreement.
(d) A counterparty’s election, if applicable, to require segregation of Initial Margin or not to require such segregation, may be changed at the discretion of the counterparty upon written notice delivered to the swap dealer or major swap participant, which changed election shall be applicable to all swaps entered into between the parties after such delivery.
§ 23.702 Requirements for segregated initial margin.
(a) The custodian of Initial Margin, segregated pursuant to an election under § 23.701, must be a legal entity independent of both the swap dealer or major swap participant and the counterparty.
(b) Initial Margin that is segregated pursuant to an election under § 23.701 must be held in an account segregated for, and on behalf of, the counterparty, and designated as such. Such an account may, if the swap dealer or major swap participant and the counterparty agree, also hold Variation Margin.
(c) Any agreement for the segregation of Initial Margin pursuant to this section shall be in writing, shall include the custodian as a party, and shall provide that any instruction to withdraw Initial Margin shall be in writing and that notification of the withdrawal shall be given immediately to the non-withdrawing party.
§ 23.703 Investment of segregated initial margin.
The swap dealer or major swap participant and the counterparty may enter into any commercial arrangement, in writing, regarding the investment of Initial Margin segregated pursuant to § 23.701 and the related allocation of gains and losses resulting from such investment.
§ 23.704 Requirements for non-segregated margin.
(a) Each swap dealer or major swap participant shall report to each counterparty that does not choose to require segregation of Initial Margin pursuant to § 23.701(a), on a quarterly basis, no later than the fifteenth business day after the end of the quarter, that the back office procedures of the swap dealer or major swap participant relating to margin and collateral requirements are in compliance with the agreement of the counterparties.
(b) The obligation specified in paragraph (a) of this section shall apply no earlier than the 90th calendar day after the date on which the first swap is transacted between the counterparty and the swap dealer or major swap participant.
PART 30—FOREIGN FUTURES AND FOREIGN OPTIONS TRANSACTIONS
§ 30.1 Definitions.
For the purposes of this part:
(a) Foreign futures means any contract for the purchase or sale of any commodity for future delivery made, or to be made, on or subject to the rules of any foreign board of trade.
(b) Foreign option means any transaction or agreement which is or is held out to be of the character of, or is commonly known to the trade as, an “option”, “privilege”, “indemnity”, “bid”, “offer”, “put”, “call”, “advance guaranty” or “decline guaranty”, made or to be made on or subject to the rules of any foreign board of trade.
(c) Foreign futures or foreign options customer means any person located in the United States, its territories or possessions who trades in foreign futures or foreign options: Provided, That an owner or holder of a proprietary account as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter shall not be deemed to be a foreign futures or foreign options customer within the meaning of §§ 30.6 and 30.7 of this part.
(d) Foreign futures and options customer omnibus account is defined as an account in which the transactions of one or more foreign futures and foreign options customers are combined and carried in the name of the originating futures commission merchant rather than in the name of each individual foreign futures or foreign options customer.
(e) Foreign futures and options broker (FFOB) is defined as a non-U.S. person that is a member of a foreign board of trade, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, licensed, authorized or otherwise subject to regulation in the jurisdiction in which the foreign board of trade is located; or a foreign affiliate of a U.S. futures commission merchant, licensed, authorized or otherwise subject to regulation in the jurisdiction in which the affiliate is located.
(f) 30.7 customer means any foreign futures or foreign options customer as defined in paragraph (c) of this section as well as any foreign-domiciled person who trades in foreign futures or foreign options through a futures commission merchant; Provided, however, that an owner or holder of a proprietary account as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter shall not be deemed to be a 30.7 customer.
(g) 30.7 account means any account maintained by a futures commission merchant for or on behalf of 30.7 customers to hold money, securities, or other property to margin, guarantee, or secure foreign futures or foreign option positions.
(h) 30.7 customer funds means any money, securities, or other property received by a futures commission merchant from, for, or on behalf of 30.7 customers to margin, guarantee, or secure foreign futures or foreign option positions, or money, securities, or other property accruing to 30.7 customers as a result of foreign futures and foreign option positions.
§ 30.2 Applicability of the Act and rules.
(a) Except as specified in this part or unless the context otherwise requires, the provisions of sections 1a, 2, 4, 4c, 4f, 4g, 4k, 4l, 4m, 4n, 4o, 4p, 6, 6c, 8, 8a, 9, 12, 13, and 14 of the Act and parts 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 155, 166 and 190 of this chapter shall apply to the persons and transactions that are subject to the requirements of this part as though they were set forth herein and included specific references to foreign board of trade, foreign futures, foreign options, foreign futures and foreign options customers, and foreign futures and foreign options secured amount, as appropriate.
(b) The provisions of §§ 1.20 through 1.30, 1.32, 1.35(a) (2)-(4) and (c)-(i), 1.36(b), 1.38, 1.39, 1.40 through 1.51, 1.53, 1.54, 1.55, 1.58, 1.59, 33.2 through 33.6 and parts 15 through 20 of this chapter shall not be applicable to the persons and transactions that are subject to the requirements of this part.
§ 30.3 Prohibited transactions.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the offer and sale of any foreign futures contract or foreign options transaction for or on behalf of a foreign futures or foreign options customer, except in accordance with the provisions of this part: Provided, that, with the exception of the disclosure and antifraud provisions set forth in §§ 30.6 and 30.9 of this part, the provisions of this part shall not apply to transactions executed on a foreign board of trade, and carried for or on behalf of a customer at a designated contract market, subject to an agreement with and rules of a contract market which permit positions in a commodity interest which have been established on one market to be liquidated on another market.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in § 30.4 of this part or pursuant to an exemption granted under § 30.10 of this part, it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the offer and sale of any foreign futures contract or foreign option transaction for or on behalf of any foreign futures or foreign options customer other than by or through a futures commission merchant on a fully-disclosed basis.
§ 30.4 Registration required.
Except as provided in § 30.5 of this part, it shall be unlawful for any person, with respect to a foreign futures or foreign options customer:
(a) To solicit or accept orders for or involving any foreign futures contract or foreign options transaction and, in connection therewith, to accept any money, securities or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee or secure any trades or contracts that result or may result therefrom, unless such person shall have registered, under the Act, with the Commission as a futures commission merchant and such registration shall not have expired nor been suspended nor revoked; provided that, a foreign futures and options broker (as defined in § 30.1(e)) is not required to register as a futures commission merchant: one, in order to accept orders from or to carry a U.S. futures commission merchant’s foreign futures and options customer omnibus account, as that term is defined in § 30.1(d); two, in order to accept orders from or to carry a U.S. futures commission merchant’s proprietary account, as that term is defined in paragraph (y) of § 1.3 of this chapter; and/or three, in order to accept orders from or carry a U.S. affiliate account which is proprietary to the foreign futures and options broker, as “proprietary account” is defined in § 1.3 of this chapter. Such foreign futures and options broker remains subject to all other applicable provisions of the Act and of the rules, regulations and orders thereunder. Foreign futures and options brokers that have U.S. bank branches, offices or divisions engaging in the activity listed in this paragraph are not required to register as futures commission merchants if they comply with the conditions listed in § 30.10(b)(1) through (6).
(b) Except an individual who elects to be and is registered as an associated person of a futures commission merchant, to solicit or accept orders for or involving any foreign futures contract or foreign options transaction, and who in connection therewith, does not accept any money, securities, or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) to margin, guarantee, or secure any trade or contracts that result or may result therefrom, unless such person shall have registered, under the Act, with the Commission as an introducing broker and such registration shall not have expired nor been suspended nor revoked;
(c) To engage in a business which is of the nature of an investment trust, syndicate, or similar form of enterprise, and, in connection therewith, to solicit, accept, or receive funds, securities, or property, either directly or through capital contributions, the sale of stock or other forms of securities, or otherwise, for the purpose of trading, directly or indirectly, in any foreign futures contract or foreign options transaction unless such person shall have registered, under the Act, with the Commission as a commodity pool operator and such registration shall not have expired nor been suspended nor revoked: Provided, however, That the registration requirement set forth in this paragraph shall not apply to any investment trust, syndicate, or similar form of enterprise located outside the United States, its territories or possessions which is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and whose securities are registered in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, or which is otherwise exempt from such registration requirements: And, provided further, That no more than 10% of the participants in, and the value of the assets of, such investment trust, syndicate or similar form of enterprise located outside the United States, its territories or possessions, are held by or on behalf of foreign futures and foreign options customers.
(d) To solicit or enter into an agreement to direct, or to guide such customer’s account by means of a systematic program that recommends specific transactions in any foreign option or foreign futures contract unless such person shall have registered, under the Act, with the Commission as a commodity trading advisor and such registration shall not have expired nor been suspended nor revoked: Provided, That the term “commodity trading advisor” does not include
(1) Any bank or trust company or any person acting as an employee thereof,
(2) Any news reporter, news columnist, or news editor of the print or electronic media, or any lawyer, accountant, or teacher,
(3) The publisher or producer of any print or electronic data of general and regular dissemination, including its employees,
(4) The named fiduciary, or trustee, of any defined benefit plan which is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or any fiduciary whose sole business is to advise that plan,
(5) Any foreign board of trade or clearing organization of such board of trade,
(6) An insurance company subject to regulation by any State, or any wholly-owned subsidiary or employee thereof, and
(7) Such other persons not within the intent of the term “commodity trading advisor” as the Commission may specify by rule, regulation, or order:
§ 30.5 Alternative procedures for non-domestic persons.
Any person not located in the United States, its territories or possessions, who is required in accordance with the provisions of this part to be registered with the Commission, other than a person required to be registered as a futures commission merchant, may apply for an exemption from registration under this part by filing with the National Futures Association a Form 7-R completed and filed in accordance with the instructions thereto and designating an agent for service of process, as specified below. A person who receives confirmation of an exemption pursuant to this section must engage in all transactions subject to regulation under part 30 through a registered futures commission merchant or a foreign broker who has received confirmation of an exemption pursuant to § 30.10 in accordance with the provisions of § 30.3(b).
(a) Agent for service of process. Any person who seeks exemption from registration under this part shall enter into a written agency agreement with the futures commission merchant located in the United States through which business is done, with any registered futures association, or any other person located in the United States in the business of providing services as an agent for service of process, pursuant to which agreement such futures commission merchant or other person is authorized to serve as the agent of such person for purposes of accepting delivery and service of communications issued by or on behalf of the Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, any self-regulatory organization, or any foreign futures or foreign options customer. If the written agency agreement is entered into with any person other than the futures commission merchant through which business is done, the futures commission merchant or foreign broker who has received confirmation of an exemption pursuant to § 30.10 with whom business is conducted must be expressly identified in such agency agreement. Service or delivery of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, any self-regulatory organization or any foreign futures or foreign options customer, pursuant to such agreement, shall constitute valid and effective service or delivery upon such person. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission, the agreement required by this section shall be filed with the National Futures Association. For the purposes of this section, the term “communication” includes any summons, complaint, order, subpoena, request for information, or notice, as well as any other written document or correspondence relating to any activities of such person subject to regulation under this part.
(b) Termination of agreement. Whenever the agreement referred to in paragraph (a) of this section is terminated or is otherwise no longer in effect, the futures commission merchant or any other person that is party to the agreement shall immediately notify the National Futures Association and the futures commission merchant through which business is done, as appropriate. Upon notice, a futures commission merchant shall not accept from the person that has entered into such agreement any order, other than liquidating order(s), for, or on behalf of a foreign futures or foreign options customer. Notwithstanding the termination of the agreement referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, service or delivery of any communication issued by or on behalf of the Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, any self-regulatory organization, or any foreign futures or foreign options customer pursuant to the agreement shall nonetheless constitute valid and effective service or delivery upon such person with respect to any transaction entered into on or before the date of the termination of the agreement.
(c) Applicability of other rules. Any person who is located outside of the United States, its territories or possessions, and who, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, is exempt from registration as an introducing broker, commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor under this part, shall nonetheless comply with the provisions of § 30.6 of this part and §§ 1.37 and 1.57 of this chapter as if registered in such capacity.
(d) Access to records. Any person exempt from registration with the Commission in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section must, upon the request of any representative of the Commission or U.S. Department of Justice, provide such records as such person is required to maintain under this part as requested at the place in the United States designated by the representative within 72 hours after the person receives the request.
§ 30.6 Disclosure.
(a) Future commission merchants and introducing brokers. Except as provided in § 1.65 of this chapter, no futures commission merchant, or in the case of an introduced account no introducing broker, may open a foreign futures or option account for a foreign futures or option customer, other than for a customer specified in § 1.55(f) of this chapter, unless the futures commission merchant or introducing broker first furnishes the customer with a separate written disclosure statement containing only the language set forth in § 1.55(b) of this chapter or as otherwise approved under § 155(c) of this chapter (except for nonsubstantive additions such as captions), which has been acknowledged in accordance with § 1.55 of this chapter: Provided, however, that the risk disclosure statement may be attached to other documents as the cover page or the first page of such documents and as the only material on such page.
(b) Commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors. (1) With respect to persons who satisfy the requirements of qualified eligible persons, as defined in § 4.7(a) of this chapter:
(i) A commodity pool operator registered or required to be registered under this part, or exempt from registration pursuant to § 30.5, may not, directly or indirectly, engage in any of the activities described in § 30.4(c) unless the pool operator, at or before the time it engages in such activities, first provides each prospective qualified eligible person with the Risk Disclosure Statement set forth in § 4.24(b)(2) of this chapter and the statement in § 4.7(b)(1)(i) of this chapter;
(ii) A commodity trading advisor registered or required to be registered under this part, or exempt from registration pursuant to § 30.5, may not, directly or indirectly, engage in any of the activities described in § 30.4(d) unless the trading advisor, at or before the time it engages in such activities, first provides each qualified eligible person with the Risk Disclosure Statement set forth in § 4.34(b)(2) of this chapter and the statement in § 4.7(c)(1)(i) of this chapter.
(2) With respect to persons who do not satisfy the requirements of qualified eligible persons, as defined in § 4.7(a) of this chapter:
(i) A commodity pool operator registered or required to be registered under this part, or exempt from registration pursuant to § 30.5, may not, directly or indirectly, engage in any of the activities described in § 30.4(c) unless the pool operator, at or before the time it engages in such activities, first provides each prospective participant with the Disclosure Document required to be furnished to customers or potential customers pursuant to § 4.21 of this chapter and files the Disclosure Document in accordance with § 4.26 of this chapter;
(ii) A commodity trading advisor registered or required to be registered under this part, or exempt from registration pursuant to § 30.5, may not, directly or indirectly, engage in any of the activities described in § 30.4(d) unless the trading advisor, at or before the time it engages in such activities, first provides each prospective client with the Disclosure Document required to be furnished customers or potential customers pursuant to § 4.31 of this chapter and files the Disclosure Document in accordance with § 4.36 of this chapter.
(c) The acknowledgment required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section must be retained by the futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(d) This section does not relieve a futures commission merchant or introducing broker from its obligations under § 33.7 of this chapter: Provided, however, That a new disclosure statement is not required to be furnished if the futures commission merchant or introducing broker has previously delivered such statement to the foreign options customer in connection with the opening of a commodity option account under part 33 of this chapter.
(e) This section does not relieve a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity pool operator or commodity trading advisor from any other disclosure obligation it may have under applicable law or regulation.
§ 30.7 Treatment of foreign futures or foreign options secured amount.
(a) General. Except as provided in this section, a futures commission merchant must at all times maintain in a separate account or accounts money, securities and property in an amount at least sufficient to cover or satisfy all of its obligations to 30.7 customers denominated as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount. In computing the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, a futures commission merchant may offset any net deficit in a particular 30.7 customer’s account against the current market value of readily marketable securities held for the same particular 30.7 customer’s account as provided for in paragraph (l) of this section. The amount that must be deposited in such separate account or accounts for 30.7 customers must be no less than the amount required to be held in a separate account or accounts for or on behalf of 30.7 customers pursuant to any law, or rule, regulation or order thereunder, or any rule of any self-regulatory organization authorized thereunder, in the jurisdiction in which the depository or the 30.7 customer, as appropriate, is located.
(b) Location of 30.7 customer funds. A futures commission merchant shall deposit the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount under an account name that clearly identifies the funds as belonging to 30.7 customers and shows that the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount is set aside as required by this part. A futures commission merchant may deposit funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount with the following depositories:
(1) A bank or trust company located in the United States;
(2) A bank or trust company located outside the United States that has in excess of $1 billion of regulatory capital;
(3) A futures commission merchant registered as such with the Commission;
(4) A derivatives clearing organization;
(5) The clearing organization of any foreign board of trade;
(6) A member of any foreign board of trade; or
(7) Such member’s or clearing organization’s designated depositories.
(c) Limitation on holding foreign futures or foreign options secured amount outside of the United States. A futures commission merchant may not deposit or hold the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount in accounts maintained outside of the United States with any of the depositories listed in paragraph (b) of this section except to meet margin requirements, including prefunding margin requirements, established by rule, regulation, or order of foreign boards of trade or foreign clearing organizations, or to meet margin calls issued by foreign brokers carrying the 30.7 customers’ foreign futures and foreign option positions; Provided, however, that a futures commission merchant may deposit an additional amount of up to 20 percent of the total amount of funds necessary to meet margin and prefunding margin requirements to avoid daily transfers of funds between the futures commission merchant’s 30.7 accounts maintained in the United States and those maintained outside of the United States. A futures commission merchant must deposit 30.7 customer funds under the laws and regulations of the foreign jurisdiction that provide the greatest degree of protection to such funds. A futures commission merchant may not by contract or otherwise waive any of the protections afforded customer funds under the laws of the foreign jurisdiction.
(d) Written acknowledgment from depositories. (1) A futures commission merchant must obtain a written acknowledgment from each depository prior to or contemporaneously with the opening of an account by the futures commission merchant with such depository; Provided, however, that a written acknowledgment need not be obtained from a derivatives clearing organization that has adopted and submitted to the Commission rules that provide for the separate holding of foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, in accordance with all relevant provisions of the Act, this part and the regulations and orders promulgated thereunder, of all funds held on behalf of 30.7 customers and all instruments purchased with funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount as provided for under paragraph (h) of this section.
(2) The written acknowledgment must be in the form as set out in appendix E to this part; Provided, however, that if the futures commission merchant invests funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount in money market mutual funds as a permitted investment under paragraph (h) of this section and in accordance with the terms and conditions of § 1.25(c) of this chapter, the written acknowledgment with respect to such investment must be in the form as set out in appendix F to this part.
(3)(i) A futures commission merchant shall deposit 30.7 customer funds only with a depository that agrees to provide the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, with direct, read-only electronic access to transaction and account balance information for 30.7 customer accounts.
(ii) The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to provide direct, read-only electronic access to 30.7 customer account transaction and account balance information to the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(4) A futures commission merchant shall deposit 30.7 customer funds only with a depository that agrees to provide the Commission and the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization with a copy of the executed written acknowledgment no later than three business days after the opening of the account or the execution of a new written acknowledgment for an existing account, as applicable. The Commission must receive the written acknowledgment from the depository via electronic means, in a format and manner determined by the Commission. The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to provide the written acknowledgment to the Commission and to the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(5) A futures commission merchant shall deposit 30.7 customer funds only with a depository that agrees that accounts containing 30.7 customer funds may be examined at any reasonable time by the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization. The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to permit any such examination to take place without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(6) A futures commission merchant shall deposit 30.7 customer funds only with a depository that agrees to reply promptly and directly to any request from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of the futures commission merchant’s designated self-regulatory organization for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to an account. The written acknowledgment must contain the futures commission merchant’s authorization to the depository to reply promptly and directly as required by this paragraph without further notice to or consent from the futures commission merchant.
(7) A futures commission merchant shall promptly file a copy of the written acknowledgment with the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission no later than three business days after the opening of the account or the execution of a new written acknowledgment for an existing account, as applicable.
(8) A futures commission merchant shall obtain a new written acknowledgment within 120 days of any changes in the following:
(i) The name or business address of the futures commission merchant;
(ii) The name or business address of the depository; or
(iii) The account number(s) under which the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount are held.
(9) A futures commission merchant shall maintain each written acknowledgment readily accessible in its files in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter, for as long as the account remains open, and thereafter for the period provided in § 1.31 of this chapter.
(e) Commingling. (1) A futures commission merchant may commingle the funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount that it receives from, or on behalf of, multiple 30.7 customers in a single account or multiple accounts with one or more of the depositories listed in paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) A futures commission merchant may not commingle the funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount held for 30.7 customers with the money, securities or property of such futures commission merchant, with any proprietary account of such futures commission merchant, or use such funds to secure or guarantee the obligations of, or extend credit to, such futures commission merchant or any proprietary account of such futures commission merchant; Provided, however, a futures commission merchant may deposit proprietary funds into 30.7 customer accounts as permitted under paragraph (g) of this section.
(3) A futures commission merchant may not commingle 30.7 customer funds with funds deposited by futures customers as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter and held in segregated accounts pursuant to section 4d(a) and 4d(b) of the Act or with funds deposited by Cleared Swap Customers as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter and held in segregated accounts pursuant to section 4d(f) of the Act, or with funds of any account holders of the futures commission merchant unrelated to trading foreign futures or foreign options; Provided, however, that a futures commission merchant may commingle 30.7 customer funds with funds deposited by futures customers or Cleared Swaps Customers pursuant to the terms of a Commission regulation or order authorizing such commingling.
(f) Limitations on use of 30.7 customer funds. (1)(i) A futures commission merchant shall not use, or permit the use of, the funds of one 30.7 customer to purchase, margin or settle the trades, contracts, or commodity options of, or to secure or extend credit to, any person other than such 30.7 customer.
(ii)(A) The undermargined amount for a 30.7 customer’s account is the amount, if any, by which
(1) The total amount of collateral required for that 30.7 customer’s positions in that account, at the time or times referred to in paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, exceeds
(2) The value of the 30.7 customer funds for that account, as calculated in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section.
(B) Each futures commission merchant must compute, based on the information available to the futures commission merchant as of the close of each business day,
(1) The undermargined amounts, based on the clearing initial margin that will be required to be maintained by that futures commission merchant for its 30.7 customers, at each clearing organization of which the futures commission merchant is a member, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on the following business day for each such clearing organization less
(2) Any debit balances referred to in paragraph (f)(2)(iv) of this section included in such undermargined amounts.
(C)(1) Prior to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date of the settlement referenced in paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(B)(1) of this section, such futures commission merchant must maintain residual interest in segregated funds that is at least equal to the computation set forth in paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(B) of this section.
(2) A futures commission merchant may reduce the amount of residual interest required in paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(C)(1) of this section to account for payments received from or on behalf of undermargined 30.7 customers (less the sum of any disbursements made to or on behalf of such customers) between the close of the previous business day and 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the following business day.
(D) For purposes of paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(B) of this section, a futures commission merchant should include, as clearing initial margin, customer initial margin that the futures commission merchant will be required to maintain, for that futures commission merchant’s 30.7 customers, at a foreign broker, and, for purposes of paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(C) of this section, must do so prior to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date referenced in paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(B)(1) of this section.
(2) Requirements as to amount. (i) For purposes of this paragraph (f)(2), the term “account” shall mean the entries on the books and records of a futures commission merchant pertaining to the 30.7 customer funds of a particular 30.7 customer.
(ii) The futures commission merchant must reflect in the account that it maintains for each 30.7 customer the net liquidating equity for each such customer, calculated as follows: The market value of any 30.7 customer funds it receives from such customer, as adjusted by:
(A) Any uses permitted under paragraph (e) of this section;
(B) Any accruals on permitted investments of such collateral under § 1.25 of this chapter that, pursuant to the futures commission merchant’s customer agreement with that customer, are creditable to such customer;
(C) Any gains and losses with respect to contracts for the purchase or sale of foreign futures or foreign option positions;
(D) Any charges lawfully accruing to the 30.7 customer, including any commission, brokerage fee, interest, tax, or storage fee; and
(E) Any appropriately authorized distribution or transfer of such collateral.
(iii) If the market value of 30.7 customer funds in the account of a 30.7 customer is positive after adjustments, then that account has a credit balance. If the market value of 30.7 customer funds in the account of a 30.7 customer is negative after adjustments, then that account has a debit balance.
(iv) The futures commission merchant must maintain in segregation an amount equal to the sum of any credit balances that 30.7 customers of the futures commission merchant have in their accounts. This balance may not be reduced by any debit balances that the 30.7 customers of the futures commission merchants have in their accounts.
(3) A futures commission merchant may not impose or permit the imposition of a lien on any funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, including any residual financial interest of the futures commission merchant in such funds.
(4) A futures commission merchant may not include in funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount any money invested in securities, memberships, or obligations of any clearing organization or board of trade. A futures commission merchant may not include in funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount any other money, securities, or property held by a member of a foreign board of trade, board of trade, or clearing organization, except if the funds are deposited to margin, secure, or guarantee 30.7 customers’ foreign futures or foreign options positions and the futures commission merchant obtains the written acknowledgment from the member of the foreign board of trade, board of trade, or clearing organization as required by paragraph (d) of this section.
(g) Futures commission merchant’s residual financial interest and withdrawal of funds. (1) The provision in paragraph (e) of this section, which prohibits the commingling of funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount with the funds of a futures commission merchant, shall not be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant from having a residual financial interest in the funds set aside as required by the regulations in this part for the benefit of 30.7 customers; nor shall such provisions be construed to prevent a futures commission merchant from adding to such set aside funds such amount or amounts of money, from its own funds or unencumbered securities from its own inventory, of the type set forth in § 1.25 of this chapter, as it may deem necessary to ensure any and all 30.7 accounts from becoming undersecured at any time.
(2) A futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds, except withdrawals that are made to or for the benefit of 30.7 customers, from an account or accounts holding the foreign futures and foreign options secured amount unless the futures commission merchant has prepared the daily 30.7 calculation required by paragraph (l) of this section as of the close of business on the previous business day. A futures commission merchant that has completed its daily 30.7 calculation may make withdrawals, in addition to withdrawals that are made to or for the benefit of 30.7 customers, to the extent of its actual residual financial interest in funds held in 30.7 accounts, including the withdrawal of securities held in secured amount safekeeping accounts held by a bank, trust company, contract market, clearing organization, member of a foreign board of trade, or other futures commission merchant. Such withdrawal(s) shall not result in the funds of one 30.7 customer being used to purchase, margin or guarantee the foreign futures or foreign options positions, or extend the credit of any other 30.7 customer or other person.
(3) A futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds, in a single transaction or a series of transactions, that are not made for the benefit of 30.7 customers from an account or accounts holding 30.7 customer funds if such withdrawal(s) would exceed 25 percent of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in such accounts as reported on the daily secured amount calculation required by paragraph (l) of this section and computed as of the close of business on the previous business day, unless the futures commission merchant’s chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official that is listed as a principal of the futures commission merchant on its Form 7-R and is knowledgeable about the futures commission merchant’s financial requirements and financial position pre-approves in writing the withdrawal, or series of withdrawals.
(4) A futures commission merchant must file written notice of the withdrawal or series of withdrawals that exceed 25 percent of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in 30.7 customer funds as computed under paragraph (l) of this section with the Commission and with its designated self-regulatory organization immediately after the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official as described in paragraph (g)(3) of this section pre-approves the withdrawal or series of withdrawals. The written notice must:
(i) Be signed by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official that pre-approved the withdrawal, and give notice that the futures commission merchant has withdrawn or intends to withdraw more than 25 percent of its residual interest in accounts holding 30.7 customer funds;
(ii) Include a description of the reasons for the withdrawal or series of withdrawals;
(iii) List the amount of funds provided to each recipient and the name of each recipient;
(iv) Include the current estimate of the amount of the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in the 30.7 customer funds after the withdrawal;
(v) Contain a representation by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other senior official as described in paragraph (g)(3) of this section that pre-approved the withdrawal, or series of withdrawals, that to such person’s knowledge and reasonable belief, the futures commission merchant remains in compliance with the secured amount requirements after the withdrawal. The chief executive officer, chief finance officer or other appropriate senior official as described in paragraph (g)(3) of this section must consider the daily 30.7 calculation as of the close of business on the previous business day and any other factors that may cause a material change in the futures commission’s residual interest since the close of business the previous business day, including known unsecured customer debits or deficits, current day market activity and any other withdrawals made from the 30.7 customer accounts; and
(vi) Any such written notice filed with the Commission must be filed via electronic transmission using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established by or approved by the Commission, and otherwise in accordance with instruction issued by or approved by the Commission. Any such electronic submission must clearly indicate the registrant on whose behalf such filing is made and the use of such user authentication in submitting such filing will constitute and become a substitute for the manual signature of the authorized signer. Any written notice filed must be followed up with direct communication to the regional office of Commission which has supervisory authority over the futures commission merchant whereby the Commission acknowledges receipt of the notice.
(5) After making a withdrawal requiring the approval and notice required in paragraphs (g)(3) and (4) of this section, and before the next daily secured amount calculation, no futures commission merchant may make any further withdrawals from accounts holding 30.7 customer funds, except to or for the benefit of 30.7 customers, without, for each withdrawal, obtaining the approval required under paragraph (g)(3) of this section and filing a written notice with the Commission under paragraph (g)(4)(vi) of this section and its designated self-regulatory organization signed by the chief executive officer, chief finance officer, or other senior official. The written notice must:
(i) List the amount of funds provided to each recipient and each recipient’s name;
(ii) Disclose the reason for each withdrawal;
(iii) Confirm that the chief executive officer, chief finance officer, or other senior official (and the identity of the person if different from the person who signed the notice) pre-approved the withdrawal in writing;
(iv) Disclose the current estimate of the futures commission merchant’s remaining total residual interest in the secured accounts holding 30.7 customer funds after the withdrawal; and
(v) Include a representation that to the best of the notice signatory’s knowledge and reasonable belief the futures commission merchant remains in compliance with the secured amount requirements after the withdrawal.
(6) If a futures commission merchant withdraws funds that are not for the benefit of 30.7 customers from the separate accounts holding 30.7 customer funds, and the withdrawal causes the futures commission merchant to not hold sufficient funds in the separate accounts for the benefit of the 30.7 customers to meet its targeted residual interest, as required to be computed under § 1.11 of this chapter, the futures commission merchant must deposit its own funds into the separate accounts for the benefit of 30.7 customers to restore the account balance to the targeted residual interest amount on the next business day, or, if appropriate, revise the futures commission merchant’s targeted amount of residual interest pursuant to the policies and procedures required by § 1.11 of this chapter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the futures commission merchant’s residual interest in separate accounts for the benefit of 30.7 customers is less than the amount required to be maintained by paragraph (f) of this section at any particular point in time, the futures commission merchant must immediately restore the residual interest to exceed the sum of such amounts. Any proprietary funds deposited in the 30.7 customer accounts must be unencumbered and otherwise compliant with § 1.25 of this chapter, as applicable.
(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, a futures commission merchant may not withdraw funds from 30.7 accounts, except withdrawals that are made for the benefit of 30.7 customers, unless the futures commission merchant follows its policies and procedures required by § 1.11 of this chapter.
(h) Permitted investments and deposits of 30.7 customer funds. (1) A futures commission merchant may invest 30.7 customer funds subject to, and in compliance with, the terms and conditions of § 1.25 of this chapter. Regulation 1.25 of this chapter shall apply to the investment of 30.7 customer funds as if such funds comprised customer funds or customer money subject to segregation pursuant to section 4d of the Act and the regulations thereunder.
(2) Each futures commission merchant that invests money, securities or property on behalf of 30.7 customers must keep a record showing the following:
(i) The date on which such investments were made;
(ii) The name of the person through whom such investments were made;
(iii) The amount of money or current market value of securities so invested;
(iv) A description of the obligations in which such investments were made, including CUSIP or ISIN numbers;
(v) The identity of the depositories or other places where such investments are maintained;
(vi) The date on which such investments were liquidated or otherwise disposed of and the amount of money received or current market value of securities received as a result of such disposition;
(vii) The name of the person to or through whom such investments were disposed of; and
(viii) A daily valuation for each instrument and readily available documentation supporting the daily valuation for each instrument. Such supporting documentation must be sufficient to enable third parties to verify the valuations and the accuracy of any information from external sources used in those valuations.
(3) Any 30.7 customer funds deposited in a bank or trust company located in the United States or in a foreign jurisdiction must be available for immediate withdrawal upon the demand of the futures commission merchant.
(4) Futures commission merchants that invest 30.7 customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25 of this chapter shall include such instruments in the computation of its secured amount requirements, required under paragraph (l) of this section, at values that at no time exceed current market value, determined as of the close of the market on the date for which such computation is made.
(i) Responsibility for § 1.25 investment losses. A futures commission merchant shall bear sole financial responsibility for any losses resulting from the investment of 30.7 customer funds in instruments described in § 1.25 of this chapter. No investment losses shall be borne or otherwise allocated to the 30.7 customers of the futures commission merchant.
(j) Loans by futures commission merchants; treatment of proceeds. A futures commission merchant may lend its own funds to 30.7 customers on securities and property pledged, or from repledging or selling such securities and property pursuant to specific written agreement with such 30.7 customers. The proceeds of such loans used to purchase, margin, guarantee, or secure the trades, contracts, or commodity options of 30.7 customers shall be treated and dealt with by a futures commission merchant as belonging to such 30.7 customers. A futures commission merchant may not loan funds on an unsecured basis to finance a 30.7 customer’s foreign futures and foreign options trading, nor may a futures commission merchant loan funds to a 30.7 customer secured by the 30.7 customer’s trading account.
(k) Permitted withdrawals. A futures commission merchant may withdraw funds from 30.7 customer accounts in an amount necessary in the normal course of business to margin, guarantee, secure, transfer, or settle 30.7 customers’ foreign futures or foreign option positions with a foreign broker or clearing organization. A futures commission merchant also may withdraw funds from 30.7 customer accounts to pay commissions, brokerage, interest, taxes, storage, and other charges lawfully accruing in connection with the 30.7 customers’ foreign futures and foreign options positions.
(l) Daily computation of 30.7 customer secured amount requirement and details regarding the holding and investing of 30.7 customer funds. (1) Each futures commission merchant is required to prepare a Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers Pursuant to Commission Regulation 30.7 contained in the Form 1-FR-FCM as of the close of each business day. Futures commission merchants that invest funds set aside as the foreign futures or foreign options secured amount in instruments described in § 1.25 of this chapter shall include such instruments in the computation of its secured amount requirements at values that at no time exceed current market value, determined as of the close of the market on the date for which such computation is made. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect the requirement that a futures commission merchant at all times maintain sufficient money, securities and property to cover its total obligations to all 30.7 customers, in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.
(2) A futures commission merchant may offset any net deficit in a particular 30.7 customer’s account against the current market value of readily marketable securities, less deductions (i.e., “securities haircuts”) as set forth in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)), held for the same particular 30.7 customer’s account in computing the daily Foreign Futures and Foreign Options Secured Amount. Futures commission merchants that establish and enforce written policies and procedures to assess the credit risk of commercial paper, convertible debt instruments, or nonconvertible debt instruments in accordance with Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)) may apply the lower haircut percentages specified in Rule 240.15c3-1(c)(2)(vi) for such commercial paper, convertible debt instruments and nonconvertible debt instruments. The futures commission merchant must maintain a security interest in the securities, including a written authorization to liquidate the securities at the futures commission merchant’s discretion, and must set aside the securities in a safekeeping account compliant with paragraph (c) of this section. For purposes of this section, a security will be considered “readily marketable” if it is traded on a “ready market” as defined in Rule 15c3-1(c)(11)(i) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (17 CFR 240.15c3-1(c)(11)(i)).
(3) Each futures commission merchant is required to submit to the Commission and to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization the daily Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers pursuant to Commission Regulation 30.7 required by paragraph (l)(1) of this section by noon the following business day.
(4) Each futures commission merchant shall file the Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers pursuant to Commission Regulation 30.7 required by paragraph (l)(1) of this section in an electronic format using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established or approved by the Commission.
(5) Each futures commission merchant is required to submit to the Commission and to the firm’s designated self-regulatory organization a report listing the names of all banks, trust companies, futures commission merchants, derivatives clearing organizations, foreign brokers, foreign clearing organizations, or any other depository or custodian holding 30.7 customer funds as of the fifteenth day of the month, or the first business day thereafter, and the last business day of each month. This report must include:
(i) The name and location of each depository holding 30.7 customer funds;
(ii) The total amount of 30.7 customer funds held by each depository listed in paragraph (l)(5) of this section; and
(iii) The total amount of cash and investments that each depository listed in paragraph (l)(5) of this section holds for the futures commission merchant. The futures commission merchant must report the following investments:
(A) Obligations of the United States and obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States (U.S. government securities);
(B) General obligations of any State or of any political subdivision of a State (municipal securities);
(C) General obligation issued by any enterprise sponsored by the United States (government sponsored enterprise securities);
(D) Certificates of deposit issued by a bank;
(E) Commercial paper fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
(F) Corporate notes or bonds fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and
(G) Interests in money market mutual funds.
(6) Each futures commission merchant must report the total amount of customer-owned securities held by the futures commission merchant as 30.7 customer funds and must list the names and locations of the depositories holding customer-owned securities.
(7) Each futures commission merchant must report the total amount of 30.7 customer funds that have been used to purchase securities under agreements to resell the securities (reverse repurchase transactions).
(8) Each futures commission merchant must report which, if any, of the depositories holding 30.7 customer funds under paragraph (l)(5) of this section are affiliated with the futures commission merchant.
(9) Each futures commission merchant shall file the detailed list of depositories required by paragraph (l)(5) of this section by 11:59 p.m. the next business day in an electronic format using a form of user authentication assigned in accordance with procedures established or approved by the Commission.
(10) Each futures commission merchant shall retain its daily secured amount computation, the Statement of Secured Amounts and Funds Held in Separate Accounts for 30.7 Customers pursuant to Commission Regulation 30.7 required by paragraph (l)(1) of this section, and the detailed list of depositories required by paragraph (l)(5) of this section, together with all supporting documentation, in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31 of this chapter.
§ 30.8 [Reserved]
§ 30.9 Fraudulent transactions prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for any person, by use of the mails or by any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, directly or indirectly, in or in connection with any account, agreement or transaction involving any foreign futures contract or foreign options transaction:
(a) To cheat or defraud or attempt to cheat or defraud any other person;
(b) To make or cause to be made to any other person any false report or statement thereof or to enter or cause to be entered for any person any false record thereof;
(c) To deceive or attempt to deceive any other person by any means whatsoever in regard to any such account, agreement or transaction or the disposition or execution of any such account, agreement or transaction or in regard to any act of agency performed with respect to such account, agreement or transaction; or
(d) To bucket any order, or to fill any order by offset against the order or orders of any other person or without the prior consent of any person to become the buyer in respect to any selling order of such person, or become the seller in respect to any buying order of such person.
§ 30.10 Petitions for exemption.
(a) Any person adversely affected by any requirement of this part may file a petition with the Secretary of the Commission, which petition must set forth with particularity the reasons why that person believes that he should be exempt from such requirement. The Commission may, in its discretion, grant such an exemption if that person demonstrates to the Commission’s satisfaction that the exemption is not otherwise contrary to the public interest or to the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought. The petition will be granted or denied on the basis of the papers filed. The petition may be granted subject to such terms and conditions as the Commission may find appropriate.
(b) Any foreign person that files a petition for an exemption under this section shall be eligible for such an exemption notwithstanding its presence in the United States through U.S. bank branches or divisions if, in conjunction with a petition for confirmation of relief granted under an existing Commission order issued pursuant to this section, it complies with the following conditions:
(1) No U.S. bank branch, office or division will engage in the trading of futures or options on futures within or from the United States, except for its own proprietary account;
(2) No U.S. bank branch, office or division will refer any foreign futures or foreign options customer to the foreign person or otherwise be involved in the foreign person’s business in foreign futures or foreign option transactions;
(3) No U.S. bank branch, office or division will solicit any foreign futures or foreign option business or purchase or sell foreign futures or foreign option contracts on behalf of any foreign futures or foreign option customers or otherwise engage in any activity subject to regulation under this part or engage in any clerical duties related thereto. If any U.S. division, office or branch desires to engage in such activities, it will only do so through an appropriate Commission registrant;
(4) The foreign person will maintain outside the United States all contract documents, books and records regarding foreign futures and foreign option transactions;
(5) The foreign person and each of its U.S. bank branches, offices or divisions agree to provide upon request of the Commission, the National Futures Association or the U.S. Department of Justice, access to their books and records for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the foregoing undertakings and consent to make such records available for inspection at a location in the United States within 72 hours after service of the request; and
(6) Although it will continue to engage in normal commercial activities, no U.S. bank branch, office or division of the foreign person will establish relationships in the United States with the applicant’s foreign futures or foreign option customers for the purpose of facilitating or effecting transactions in foreign futures or foreign option contracts.
(c)(1) The Commission may, in its discretion and upon its own initiative, terminate the exemptive relief granted to any person pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, after appropriate notice and an opportunity to respond, if the Commission determines that:
(i) There is a material change or omission in the facts and circumstances pursuant to which relief was granted that demonstrate that the standards set forth in appendix A to this part forming the basis for granting such relief are no longer met; or
(ii) The continued effectiveness of any such exemptive relief would be contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the purposes of the exemption under paragraph (a) of this section; or
(iii) The arrangements in place for the sharing of information with the Commission do not warrant continuation of the exemptive relief granted.
(2) The Commission shall provide written notification to the affected party of its intention to terminate an exemption pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section and the basis for that intention. Such written notification also shall be published prominently on the Commission’s website.
(3) The affected party may respond to the notification in writing no later than 30 business days following the receipt of the notification, or at such time as the Commission permits in writing. Any other person may respond to the notification in writing no later than 30 business days following the publication on the Commission’s website of the written notice issued to the affected party, or at such time as the Commission permits in writing.
(4) If, after providing any affected person appropriate notice and opportunity to respond, the Commission determines that relief pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section is no longer warranted, the Commission shall notify the person of such determination in writing, including the particular reasons why relief is no longer warranted, and issue an Order Terminating Exemptive Relief. Any Order Terminating Exemptive Relief shall provide an appropriate timeframe for the orderly transfer or close out of any accounts held by U.S. customers impacted by such an Order.
(5) Any person whose relief has been terminated may apply for exemptive relief 360 days after the issuance of the Order Terminating Exemptive Relief if the deficiency causing the revocation has been cured or relevant facts and circumstances have changed.
§ 30.11 Applicability of state law.
Pursuant to section 12(e)(2) of the Act, the provisions of any state law, including any rule or regulation thereunder, may be applicable to any person required to be registered under this part who solicits foreign futures and foreign options customers and who shall fail or refuse to obtain such registration, unless such person is exempt from such registration in accordance with the provisions of § 30.4, § 30.5 or § 30.10 of this part.
§ 30.12 Direct foreign order transmittal.
(a) Authorized customers defined. For the purposes of this section, an “authorized customer” of a futures commission merchant shall mean any foreign futures or foreign options customer, as defined in § 30.1(c), or its designated representative, that:
(1) The futures commission merchant has authorized to place orders for the account of the futures commission merchant’s foreign futures and options customer omnibus account; and
(2)(i) Is an eligible swap participant, as defined in § 35.1(b)(2) of this chapter, or
(ii) Whose investment decisions with respect to foreign futures and foreign option transactions are made by a commodity trading advisor subject to regulation under the Act, including any investment adviser registered as such with the Securities and Exchange Commission that is exempt from regulation as a commodity trading advisor under the Act or Commission regulations, or a foreign person performing a similar role or function subject as such to foreign regulation, provided that the commodity trading advisor has total assets under management exceeding $50,000,000 and that the commodity trading advisor places the foreign futures or foreign options order.
(b) Procedures for futures commission merchants. It shall be unlawful for any futures commission merchant to permit an authorized customer to place orders for execution in the futures commission merchant’s foreign futures and options customer omnibus account directly with a person exempt from registration under paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, unless, such futures commission merchant:
(1) Meets one of the following capital requirements, as determined by the futures commission merchant’s most recent required filing of a Form 1-FR-FCM with the Commission:
(i) Possesses $20,000,000 in adjusted net capital, as defined by § 1.17(c)(5) of this chapter; or
(ii) Possesses the greater of three times the amount of adjusted net capital required by § 1.17(a)(1)(i)(A) of this chapter or three times the amount of adjusted net capital required by § 1.17(a)(1)(i)(B) of this chapter; and
(2) Has established control procedures that will serve as guidelines for permitting direct contacts between any authorized customer of the futures commission merchant and any person exempt from registration under paragraphs (c) or (d) of this section, and has in place appropriate risk management procedures to monitor its own risk relative to its authorized customers’ risk aggregated across all markets, including, but not limited to, procedures to ensure that each authorized customer satisfies the participation criteria set forth in paragraph (a) of this section and to specify the manner in which trades may be executed through its customer omnibus account pursuant to this section;
(3) Furnishes a written disclosure statement to each such authorized customer advising the customer of the additional risks the customer may be assuming in placing orders directly with the foreign broker. The disclosure statement must read as follows:
This statement applies to the ability of authorized customers
Please be aware of the following should you be permitted to place the type of orders specified above.
• The orders you place with an Executing Firm are for [FCM’s] foreign futures and options customer omnibus account maintained with a foreign clearing firm. Consequently, [FCM] may limit or otherwise condition the orders you place with the Executing Firm.
• You should be aware of the relationship of the Executing Firm and [FCM]. [FCM] may not be responsible for the acts, omissions, or errors of the Executing Firm, or its representatives, with which you place your orders. In addition, the Executing Firm may not be affiliated with [FCM]. If you choose to place orders directly with an Executing Firm, you may be doing so at your own risk.
• It is your responsibility to inquire about the applicable laws and regulations that govern the foreign exchanges on which transactions will be executed on your behalf. Any orders placed by you for execution on that exchange will be subject to such rules and regulations, its customs and usages, as well as any local laws that may govern transactions on that exchange. These laws, rules, regulations, customs and usages may offer different or diminished protection from those that govern transactions on US exchanges. In particular, funds received from customers to margin foreign futures transactions may not be provided the same protections as funds received to margin futures transactions on domestic exchanges. Before you trade, you should familiarize yourself with the foreign rules which will apply to your particular transaction. United States regulatory authorities may be unable to compel the enforcement of the rules of regulatory authorities or markets in non-US jurisdictions where transactions may be effected.
• It is your responsibility to determine whether the Executing Firm has consented to the jurisdiction of the courts in the United States. In general, neither the Executing Firm nor any individuals associated with the Executing Firm will be registered in any capacity with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Similarly, your contacts with the Executing Firm may not be sufficient to subject the Executing Firm to the jurisdiction of courts in the United States in the absence of the Executing Firm’s consent. Accordingly, neither the courts of the United States nor the Commission’s reparations program may be available as a forum for resolution of any disagreements you may have with the Executing Firm, and your recourse may be limited to actions outside the United States.
• Unless you object within five (5) days, by giving notice as provided in your customer agreement after receipt of this disclosure, [FCM] will assume your consent to the aforementioned conditions.
(c) Exemption for foreign futures and options brokers. Any person not located in the United States, its territories or possessions, who is otherwise required in accordance with this part to be registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker will be exempt from such registration, notwithstanding that such person accepts orders for foreign futures and foreign options transactions from authorized customers of a registered futures commission merchant that meets the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section, provided, that:
(1) The orders are executed for or on behalf of the foreign futures and options customer omnibus account of a registered futures commission merchant;
(2) The person does not solicit or accept any money, securities or property (or extend credit in lieu thereof) directly from any U.S. foreign futures and options customer to margin, guarantee or secure any trades or contracts that result or may result therefrom; and
(3) The person is a foreign futures and options broker, as defined by § 30.1(e).
(d) Exemption for foreign futures and options brokers carrying a foreign futures and options customer omnibus account. Any person not located in the United States, its territories or possessions, who is otherwise required in accordance with this part to be registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant will be exempt from such registration, notwithstanding that such person:
(1) Carries the foreign futures and options customer omnibus account of a futures commission merchant that meets the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section;
(2) Accepts orders for foreign futures and foreign options transactions from authorized customers for the execution of the trades for or on behalf of the foreign futures and options customer omnibus account of a registered futures commission merchant either directly or pursuant to a give-up arrangement; and
(3) The person is a foreign futures and options broker, as defined by § 30.1(e).
§ 30.13 Commission certification.
With respect to foreign futures and options contracts on a non-narrow-based security index:
(a) Request for certification. A foreign board of trade may request that the Commission certify that a futures contract on a non-narrow-based security index that trades, or is proposed to be traded thereon, conforms to the requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act and therefore, that futures contract may be offered or sold to persons located within the United States in accordance with section 2(a)(1)(C)(iv) of the Act. A submission requesting such certification must:
(1) Be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission;
(2) Include the following information in English:
(i) The terms and conditions of the contract and all other relevant rules of the exchange and, if applicable, of the foreign board of trade on which the underlying securities are traded, which have an effect on the over-all trading of the contract, including circuit breakers, price limits, position limits or other controls on trading;
(ii) Surveillance agreements between the foreign board of trade and the exchange(s) on which the underlying securities are traded;
(iii) Assurances from the foreign board of trade of its ability and willingness to share information with the Commission, either directly or indirectly;
(iv) When applicable, information regarding foreign blocking statutes and their impact on the ability of United States government agencies to obtain information concerning the trading of such contracts;
(v) Information and data denoted in U.S. dollars where appropriate (and the conversion date and rate used) relating to:
(A) The method of computation, availability, and timeliness of the index;
(B) The total capitalization, number of stocks (including the number of unaffiliated issuers if different from the number of stocks), and weighting of the stocks by capitalization and, if applicable, by price in the index as well as the combined weighting of the five highest-weighted stocks in the index;
(C) Procedures and criteria for selection of individual securities for inclusion in, or removal from, the index, how often the index is regularly reviewed, and any procedures for changes in the index between regularly scheduled reviews;
(D) Method of calculation of the cash-settlement price and the timing of its public release;
(E) Average daily volume of trading, measured by share turnover and dollar value, in each of the underlying securities for a six-month period of time and, separately, the dollar value of the average daily trading volume of the securities comprising the lowest weighted 25% of the index for the past six calendar months, calculated pursuant to § 41.11 of this chapter; and
(vi) A written statement that the contract conforms to the criteria enumerated in section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act, including:
(A) A statement that the contract is cash-settled;
(B) An explanation of why the contract is not readily subject to manipulation or to be used to manipulate the underlying security;
(C) A statement that the index is not a narrow-based security index as defined in section 1a(25) of the Act and the analysis supporting that statement;
(vii) A written representation that the foreign board of trade will notify the Commission of any material changes in any of the above information;
(viii) When applicable, a request to make the futures contract available for trading in accordance with the terms and conditions of, and through the electronic trading devices identified in, a Commission staff no-action letter stating, subject to compliance with certain conditions, that it will not recommend that the Commission take enforcement action if the foreign board of trade provides its members or participants in the U.S. access to its electronic trading system without seeking designation as a designated contract market (“Foreign Board of Trade No-Action Letter”), or pursuant to any foreign board of trade registration order issued by the Commission (“Foreign Board of Trade Registration Order”), and a certification from the foreign board of trade that it is in compliance with the terms and conditions of that no-action letter or Foreign Board of Trade Registration Order; and
(ix) An explanation of the means by which U.S. persons may access these products on the foreign board of trade.
(b) Termination of review. The Commission, at any time during its review, may notify the requesting foreign board of trade that it is terminating its review under this section if it appears to the Commission that the submission is materially incomplete or fails in form or content to meet the requirements of this section.
(1) Such termination shall not prejudice the foreign board of trade from resubmitting a revised version of the contract, which addresses the deficiencies or issues identified by the Commission.
(2) The Commission shall also terminate review under this section if requested in writing to do so by the foreign board of trade.
(c) Notice of denial of certification. The Commission, at any time during its review under paragraph (a) of this section, may notify the requesting foreign board of trade that it has determined that the security index futures contract or underlying index does not conform with the requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act.
(1) This notification will briefly specify the nature of the issues raised and the specific requirement of subsections 2(a)(1)(C)(ii)(I)-(III) of the Act with which the security index futures contract does not conform or to which it appears not to conform or the conformance to which cannot be ascertained from the submission.
(2) Such notification shall not prejudice the foreign board of trade from resubmitting a revised version of the contract, which addresses the deficiencies or issues identified by the Commission.
(d) Notice of certification. Upon review, if the Commission determines that the futures contract and the underlying index meet the requirements enumerated in section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii), the Commission will issue a letter to the foreign board of trade certifying that the security index contract traded on that board conforms to the requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act and therefore, that futures contract may be offered or sold to persons located within the U.S. in accordance with section 2(a)(1)(C)(iv) of the Act and, if applicable, may be made available for trading in accordance with the terms and conditions of, and through the electronic trading devices identified in, the Foreign Board of Trade No-Action Letter or the Foreign Board of Trade Registration Order.
(e) Expedited review. A foreign board of trade may request an expedited Commission review and determination of whether a futures contract on a security index that trades, or is proposed to be traded thereon, conforms to the requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act and therefore, may be offered or sold to persons in the U.S. under section 2(a)(1)(C)(iv) of the Act. A submission requesting such expedited consideration should be filed in English with the Commission and should include: Information, statements and data complying with the form and content requirements in paragraph (a) of this section.
(f) Eligibility for expedited review. In order to qualify for expedited review under paragraph (e) of this section, the foreign board of trade must either:
(1) Have previously requested, and received, at least one no-action letter from the Office of General Counsel (“Foreign Security Index No-Action Letter”) or Commission certification regarding a non-narrow based security index futures contract traded on that foreign board of trade and submit a written statement representing that the board remains fully compliant with the terms and conditions of such letter or certification; or
(2) Have received a Foreign Board of Trade No-Action Letter or Foreign Board of Trade Registration Order and submit a written statement representing that the board remains fully compliant with the terms and conditions of such letter or order.
(g) Deemed to be in conformance. Unless notified pursuant to paragraph (h), (i), or (j) of this section, any non-narrow-based foreign security index futures contract submitted for expedited review under paragraph (e) of this section shall be deemed to be in conformance with the requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act and therefore, such futures contract may be offered or sold to persons located in the U.S. in accordance with section 2(a)(1)(C)(iv) forty-five days after receipt by the Commission, or at the conclusion of such extended period as described under paragraph (h) of this section, provided that the foreign board of trade does not amend the terms or conditions of the contract or supplement the request for expedited consideration, except as requested by the Commission or for correction of typographical errors. Any voluntary substantive amendment by the foreign board of trade will be treated as a new submission under this section.
(h) Extension of review. The Commission may extend the forty-five day review period set forth in paragraph (g) of this section for:
(1) An additional period up to forty-five days, if the request raises novel or complex issues that require additional time for review, in which case, the Commission will notify the foreign board of trade within the initial forty-five day review period and will briefly describe the nature of the specific issues for which additional time for review will be required; or
(2) Such extended period as the requesting foreign board of trade requests of the Commission in writing.
(i) Termination of review. The Commission, at any time during its review under paragraph (e) of this section or extension thereof as described under paragraph (h) of this section, may notify the requesting foreign board of trade that it is terminating its review under paragraph (e) of this section if it appears to the Commission that the submission is materially incomplete or fails in form or substance to meet the requirements of this section.
(1) Such termination shall not prejudice the foreign board of trade from resubmitting a revised version of the contract, which addresses the deficiencies or issues identified by the Commission.
(2) The Commission shall also terminate review under this section if requested in writing to do so by the foreign board of trade.
(j) Notice of denial of certification. The Commission, at any time during its review pursuant to paragraph (e), may notify the requesting foreign board of trade that it has determined that the security index futures contracts or underlying index does not conform with the requirements of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act.
(1) This notification will briefly specify the nature of the issues raised and the specific requirement of subsections 2(a)(1)(C)(ii)(I)-(III) of the Act with which the security index futures contract does not conform or to which it appears not to conform or the conformance to which cannot be ascertained from the submission.
(2) Such notification shall not prejudice the foreign board of trade from resubmitting a revised version of the contract, which addresses the deficiencies or issues identified by the Commission.
(k) Foreign trading systems. A foreign board of trade, who is a recipient of a Foreign of Trade No-Action Letter (and is compliant with the requirements of such letter) or Foreign Board of Trade Registration Order and is requesting Commission certification of its non-narrow-based security index futures contract, may request that such contract submitted under paragraph (e) of this section be made available for trading under that letter or pursuant to the registration order, upon expiration of the applicable review period provided for under either paragraph (g) or (h) of this section. Absent Commission notification to the contrary, the foreign board of trade may make that contract available for trading on the Foreign Trading System upon expiration of the review period provided under paragraph (g) or (h) of this section.
(l) Changes in facts and circumstances. Any certification of a non-narrow based security index futures contracts submitted under paragraph (a) or (e) of this section shall be considered to be based on the facts and representations contained in the foreign board of trade’s submissions to the Commission. Accordingly, the foreign board of trade shall promptly notify the Commission of any changes in material facts or representations.
(m) Additional contracts on previously-reviewed index: A new non-narrow-based security index futures contract may be offered or sold in the U.S. in reliance on a prior Foreign Security Index No-Action Letter or Commission certification, provided that the new contract is based on an index that was the subject of such Foreign Security Index No-Action Letter or Commission certification; and substantially identical to the contract overlying such index. In this context, the foreign board of trade may submit the contract to the Commission for an accelerated review of fifteen business days for confirmation that the subject contract is substantially identical to the existing contract. Unless the Commission notifies the foreign board of trade within those fifteen business days that the review will be conducted pursuant to either the full or expedited review procedure, the foreign board of trade may make available such contract for offer or sale within the U.S.
(n) Grandfathered no-action letters. Any non-narrow based security index futures contract that is the subject of an existing no-action letter issued by the Office of General Counsel, as of the date of the adoption of rule 30.13, shall be deemed to be in conformance with the criteria of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act, provided that the foreign board of trade submits a written statement representing that the contract remains fully compliant with the requirements of such letter.
(o) Delegation. The Commission hereby delegates, until such time as it orders otherwise, to the Director of Market Oversight or his designee, in consultation with the General Counsel or his designee, the authority reserved to the Commission under paragraph (m) of this section. The Director of the Division of Market Oversight may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated pursuant to this paragraph (o).
Appendix A to Part 30—Interpretative Statement With Respect to the Commission’s Exemptive Authority Under § 30.10 of Its Rules
Part 30 of the Commission’s regulations establishes the regulatory structure governing the offer and sale in the United States of futures and options contracts made or to be made on or subject to the rules of a foreign board of trade. Section 30.10 of these regulations provides that, upon petition, the Commission may exempt any person from any requirement of this part. Specifically, section 30.10 states:
Any person adversely affected by any requirement of this part may file a petition with the Secretary of the Commission, which petition must set forth with particularity the reasons why that person believes that he should be exempt from such requirement. The Commission may, in its discretion, grant such an exemption if that person demonstrates to the Commission’s satisfaction that the exemption is not otherwise contrary to the public interest or to the purposes of the provision from which exemption is sought. The petition will be granted or denied on the basis of the papers filed. The petition may be granted subject to such terms and conditions as the Commission may find appropriate.
As the provisions of this section make clear, any person subject to regulation under part 30 may petition the Commission for an exemption. In adopting these regulations, however, the Commission noted in particular that persons located outside the United States that solicit or accept orders directly from United States customers for foreign futures or options transactions and that are subject to a comparable regulatory scheme in the country in which they are located may apply under section 30.10 for exemption from some or all of the requirements that would otherwise be applicable to such persons. This interpretative statement sets forth the elements that the Commission intends to evaluate in determining whether a particular regulatory program may be found to be comparable to the Commission’s program.
The Commission wishes to emphasize, however, that this interpretative statement is not all inclusive, and that information with respect to other aspects of a particular regulatory program may be submitted by a petitioner or requested by the Commission. In this connection, the Commission would have broad discretion to determine that the policies of any program element generally are met, notwithstanding the fact that the offshore program does not contain an element identical to that of the Commission’s regulatory program and conversely may assess how particular elements are in fact applied by offshore authorities. Thus, for example, in order to find that a particular program is comparable, the regulations thereunder would have to be applicable to all United States customers, notwithstanding any exemptions that might otherwise be available to particular classes of customer located offshore. A petitioner, therefore, must set forth with particularity the factual basis for a finding of comparability and the reasons why such policies and purposes are met, notwithstanding differences of degree and kind in its regulatory program.
No exemptions of a general nature will be granted unless the persons to which the exemption is to be applied consent to submit to jurisdiction in the United States by designating an agent for service of process pursuant to the provisions of rule 30.5 with respect to any activities of such persons otherwise subject to regulation under this part and to notify the National Futures Association of the commencement or termination of business in the United States. In this connection, to be exempted, such person must further agree to respond to a request to confirm that it continues to do business in the United States.
Persons located outside the United States may seek an exemption on their own behalf or an exemption may be sought on a general basis through the governmental agency responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the regulatory program in question, or the self-regulatory organizations of which such persons are members. The appropriate petitioner is a matter of judgment and may be determined by the parties seeking the exemption. The Commission, however, notes that it will be able to address petitions more efficiently if they are filed by the governmental agency or self-regulatory organization responsible for the regulatory program.
In this connection, as will be discussed in more detail below, any exemption of a general nature based on comparability will be conditioned upon appropriate information sharing arrangements between the Commission and the relevant governmental agency and/or self-regulatory organization. Representations from the appropriate governmental agency with respect to the applicability of any blocking statutes that may prevent the sharing of information requested under private arrangements would also be considered. Finally, in considering an exemption request, the Commission will take into account the extent to which United States persons or contracts regulated by the Commission are permitted to engage in futures-related activities or be offered in the country from which an exemption is sought.
In the Commission’s review, the minimum elements of a comparable regulatory program would include: (1) Registration, authorization or other form of licensing, fitness review or qualification of persons through which customer orders are solicited and accepted; (2) minimum financial requirements for those persons that accept customer funds; (3) protection of customer funds from misapplication; (4) recordkeeping and reporting requirements; (5) minimum sales practice standards, including disclosure of the risks of futures and opotions transactions and, in particular, the risk of transactions undertaken outside the jurisdiction of domestic law; and (6) compliance.
Qualification. Under domestic law, registration identifies to the Commission, the public and other governmental agencies the individuals and entities that are properly authorized to solicit and accept customer orders and are in good standing. Equally important, the procedure provides the Commission, through the National Futures Association, the opportunity to determine whether applicants are unfit to deal with the public. In this connection, the standards for determining whether a person through its principals is fit for registration with the Commission are set forth in section 8a(2)-8a(4) of the Act. Timely access to information as to a firm’s good standing and the application by relevant authorities of membership and licensing criteria, as well as the criteria themselves, will be considered by the Commission in assessing comparability.
Minimum Financial Requirements. Minimum financial requirements for persons that handle customer funds serve at least three critical functions. First, they provide a cushion together with margin such that in the event of a default of a customer, the losses of that customer need not adversely affect the funds held on behalf of other customers. Second, they help ensure that the person has sufficient funds to operate its business and, therefore, is less likely to be tempted to misapply customer funds for its own purposes. Third, they ensure that the person holding customer funds has some financial stake in its business and, therefore, is serious in its intent. In assessing comparability, capital rules or their equivalent will be considered together with any provisions made for insuring customer losses, the scope of clearing guarantees and segregation or customer trust calculation and accounting requirements which, to the extent they cover undermargined accounts, can provide significant protection of one customer from another customer’s losses.
Customer Funds. The Act requires the strict segregation of customer funds from those of the person holding such funds. One of the primary purposes of this requirement is to prevent the misapplication of those funds for purposes other than those intended by the customer, which may affect not only the customer but the market as a whole. The purpose of segregation is also to identify customer deposits as assets of the customer, rather than the firm, in order that in bankruptcy such funds are payable only to satisfy the carrying firm’s obligations to such customers and not other obligations of the firm. In assessing comparability of protection of customer funds, the Commission will consider protections accorded customer funds in a bankruptcy under applicable law, as well as protection from fraud.
Recordkeeping and Reporting. Recordkeeping requirements have long been recognized as the linchpin of the Commission’s regulatory scheme. Reporting and recordkeeping requirements assist in determining that a registrant is acting in accordance with the provisions of the Act and the rules, regulations and orders of the Commission thereunder. Similarly, reporting requirements ensure that customers are timely advised of the transactions that have been executed on their behalf, thus ensuring that they are aware of their positions in the markets and may object to any transactions that they believe are in error. The Commission will consider the types of records maintained, the ability through those records to trace funds and transactions, and the period of retention and accessibility of records under the information sharing arrangements discussed below in considering comparability.
Sales Practice Standards. In 1982, Congress reaffirmed the importance of minimum sales practice standards to protect customers from fraud or misrepresentation by requiring any futures association registered by the Commission to adopt and enforce rules governing the sales practices of its members. The Commission has consistently provided that written disclosure of the risks of futures and options trading is essential to ensure that potential customers are aware of these risks and are not otherwise misled and that other appropriate disclosure is made. The Commission will review the type and manner of disclosure given and the mechanisms for assuring the disclosure requirements are met and, in particular, the treatment of discretionary accounts for which, for example, Commission rule 166.2 requires particularized documentation of intent to confer discretion in the case of foreign futures and options transactions.
Compliance. Finally, in assessing comparability of a program, the Commission will examine the procedures employed by the governmental authority or the appropriate self-regulatory organization to audit for compliance with, and to take action as appropriate against those persons that violate, the requirements of that program.
Information Sharing. As noted above, any exemption of a general nature would also require an information sharing arrangement between the Commission and the appropriate governmental or self-regulatory organization to ensure Commission access to information on an as needed basis as may be necessary to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities. The information subject to these arrangements generally would be of a type necessary in the first instance to monitor domestic markets and to protect domestic customers trading on foreign markets.
Firm-specific information that is potentially relevant to protection of domestic customers engaged in foreign transactions could include the following: (1) Registration qualification status; (2) names of principals; (3) current capital; (4) location of customer funds; (5) address of main office and branches; (6) exchange and self-regulatory organization memberships; (7) the existence of any derogatory information such as that required to be disclosed on the Commission’s Form 7-R; (8) notice of limitations imposed on activities; (9) notice of undersegregation or undercapitalization; (10) notice of misuse of customer funds; and (11) notice of sanctions or of expulsion from exchange or self-regulatory organization membership. The Commission believes that much of the above information would be public in the ordinary course in most jurisdictions. From time to time, the Commission also may need immediate access to financial information concerning risks posed to domestic firms by the carrying of foreign positions.
In addition to information that relates to the financial stability and creditworthiness of the firm, the Commission should have access to transaction-specific information that confirms the execution of orders and prices and facilitates tracing of customer funds. Such data could include records reflecting: (1) That an order has been received by a firm on behalf of one or more United States customers; (2) that an order has been executed on an exchange on behalf of one or more United States customers; (3) that funds to margin, guarantee or secure United States customer transactions have been received by a firm and deposited in an appropriate depository; and (4) the price at which a transaction was executed and general access to pricing information.
Again, such information is likely to be maintained in the ordinary course of business. Tracing of customer funds would be most essential in cases of insolvency where repatriation of funds is at issue.
The Commission may also seek relevant position data information, including the identity of the position holder and related positions, in connection with surveillance of a potential “market disruption.” This is particularly true in the case of integrated markets.
The Commission wishes to emphasize that the information sharing arrangements discussed herein are not necessarily a substitute for, nor would they preclude, a more formal agreement or arrangement with respect to the sharing of information.
FR date and citation: November 3, 1992, 57 FR 49644; August 17, 1994, 59 FR 42158.
Appendix B to Part 30—Interpretative Statement With Respect to the Secured Amount Requirement Set Forth in § 30.7
1. Rule 30.7 requires FCMs who accept money, securities or property from foreign futures and foreign options customers to maintain in a separate account or accounts such money, securities and property in an amount at least sufficient to cover or satisfy all of its current obligations to those customers.
2. In a series of orders issued pursuant to Rule 30.10, the Commission required that certain foreign firms exempt from registration as FCMs essentially comply with the standards of Rule 30.7.
3. Upon further analysis and reconsideration of this matter, the Commission has determined to revise its prior interpretation of the Rule 30.7 secured amount requirement. The Commission notes that the initial depository’s ability to identify customer funds affords foreign futures and foreign options customers a measure of protection in the event that the intermediating FMC or foreign firm becomes insolvent. Moreover, Rule 30.6(a) requires that foreign futures and foreign options customers receive a Rule 1.55 written disclosure explaining that the treatment of customer funds outside the U.S. may not afford the same level of protection offered in the U.S. These protections exist whetehr the intermediating firm is a U.S. FCM or a firm exempt from such registration under Rule 30.10.
4. The Commission further notes, however, that, in February 1998, Rule 30.6 was amended to permit an FCM to open a commodity account for a foreign futures or foreign options customer without providing the Rule 1.55 risk disclosure statement or obtaining an acknowledgment of receipt of such statement, provided that the customer is, at the time at which the account is opened, one of several types of sophisticated customers enumerated in Rule 1.55(f) (“Rule 1.55(f) customers”).
5. After careful consideration of the issue, the Commission has determined that intermediaries should advise all customers (regardless of their level of sophistication) to consider making appropriate inquiries relating to the treatment of customer funds by depositories located outside the jurisdiction of the intermediating firm. Accordingly, the Commission has determined that an FCM, at a minimum, must provide each foreign futures or foreign option customer with a written disclosure tracking the language in either: (1) Rule 1.55(b)(7),
Paragraphs 6 and 8 of appendix A to Rule 1.55(c) read as follows:
6. Deposited cash and property.
You should familiarize yourself with the protections accorded money or property you deposit for domestic and foreign transactions, particularly in the event of a firm insolvency or bankruptcy. The extent to which you may recover your money or property may be governed by specified legislation or local rules. In some jurisdictions, property which has been specifically identifiable as your own will be pro-rated in the same manner as cash for purposes of distribution in the event of a shortfall.
8. Transactions in other jurisdictions.
Transactions on markets in other jurisdictions, including markets formally linked to a domestic market, may expose you to additional risk. Such markets may be subject to regulation which may offer different or diminished investor protection. Before you trade you should enquire about any rules relevant to your particular transactions. Your local regulatory authority will be unable to compel the enforcement of the rules of the regulatory authorities or markets in other jurisdictions where your transactions have been effected. You should ask the firm with which you deal for details about the types of redress available in both your home jurisdiction and other relevant jurisdictions before you start to trade.
6. For the reasons set forth above, the Commission is revising its interpretation of the secured amount requirement set forth in Rule 30.7. The Commission believes that the Rule 30.7 acknowledgment required of FCMs, or other appropriate acknowledgment required by Rule 30.10 firms, only applies to the maintenance of the account or accounts containing foreign futures and foreign options customer funds by the initial depository, and not to the manner in which any subsequent depository holds or subsequently transmits those funds. If an FCM receives from the initial depository the acknowledgment described in Rule 30,7, furnishes to each foreign futures or foreign options customer a written disclosure statement tracking the language set forth in Rule 1.55(b)(7) or paragraphs 6 and 8 of appendix A of Rule 1.55(c) and otherwise complies with the provisions of Rule 30.7, then it may include all funds maintained in the separate account or accounts in calculating its secured amount requirement. A Rule 30.10 firm must satisfy the same requirements, except that it may provide each foreign futures or foreign options customer with a comparable disclosure statement prescribed by is home regulator.
7. IF an FCM or Rule 30.10 firm fails to receive the required acknowledgment from the initial depository or provide the above written disclosure statement (and in certain circumstances, receive from customers and acknowledgment of receipt), then it must set aside funds with an acceptable depository and receive from such depository the required acknowledgment.
8. The Commission’s interpretation of the Rule 30.7 secured amount requirement will apply to all regulated activities with all new and existing foreign futures and foreign options customers as of October 11, 2000. The Commission’s interpretation does not alter any other requirement set forth in Rule 30.7 or any other section of part 30.
Appendix C to Part 30—Foreign Petitioners Granted Relief From the Application of Certain of the Part 30 Rules Pursuant to § 30.10
Appendix D to Part 30—Commission Certification With Respect to Foreign Futures and Options Contracts on a Non-Narrow-Based Security Index
In its analysis of a request for certification by a foreign board of trade relating to a security index futures contract traded on that foreign board of trade pursuant to § 30.13, the Commission will evaluate the contract to ensure that it complies with the three criteria of section 2(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act.
(1) Because security index futures contracts are cash settled, the Commission also evaluates the contract terms and conditions relating to cash settlement. In that regard, the Commission examines, among other things, whether the cash price series is reliable, acceptable, publicly available and timely; that the cash settlement price is reflective of the underlying cash market; and that the cash settlement price is not readily susceptible to manipulation. In making its determination, the Commission considers the design and maintenance of the index, the method of index calculation, the nature of the component security prices used to calculate the index, the breadth and frequency of index dissemination, and any other relevant factors.
(2) In considering the susceptibility of an index to manipulation, the Commission examines several factors, including the structure of the primary and secondary markets for the component equities, the liquidity of the component stocks, the method of index calculation, the total capitalization of stocks underlying the index, the number, weighting and capitalization of individual stocks in the index, and the existence of surveillance sharing agreements between the board of trade and the securities exchange(s) on which the underlying securities are traded.
(3) To verify that the index is not narrow-based, the Commission considers the number and weighting of the component securities and the aggregate value of average daily trading volume of the lowest weighted quartile of securities. Under the Act, a security index is narrow-based if it meets any one of the following criteria:
(i) The index is composed of fewer than 10 securities;
(ii) Any single security comprises more than 30% of the total index weight;
(iii) The five largest securities comprise more than 60% of the total index weight; or
(iv) The lowest-weighted securities that together account for 25% of the total weight of the index have an aggregate dollar value of average daily trading volume of less than US$30 million (or US$50 million if the index includes fewer than 15 securities).
Appendix E to Part 30—Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 30.7 Customer Secured Account
[Date]
We refer to the Secured Amount Account(s) which [Name of Futures Commission Merchant] (“we” or “our”) have opened or will open with [Name of Depository] (“you” or “your”) entitled:
[Name of Futures Commission Merchant] [if applicable, add “FCM Customer Omnibus Account”] CFTC Regulation 30.7 Customer Secured Account under Section 4(b) of the Commodity Exchange Act [and, if applicable, “, Abbreviated as [short title reflected in the depository’s electronic system]”]
Account Number(s): [ ] (collectively, the “Account(s)”).
You acknowledge that we have opened or will open the above-referenced Account(s) for the purpose of depositing, as applicable, money, securities and other property (collectively “Funds”) of customers who trade foreign futures and/or foreign options (as such terms are defined in U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 30.1, as amended); that the Funds held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be kept separate and apart and separately accounted for on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us, in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and part 30 of the CFTC’s regulations, as amended; that the Funds may not be commingled with our own funds in any proprietary account we maintain with you; and that the Funds must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(b) of the Act and CFTC Regulation 30.7.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Funds may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Funds in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you. This prohibition does not affect your right to recover funds advanced in the form of cash transfers, lines of credit, repurchase agreements or other similar liquidity arrangements you make in lieu of liquidating non-cash assets held in the Account(s) or in lieu of converting cash held in the Account(s) to cash in a different currency.
In addition, you agree that the Account(s) may be examined at any reasonable time by the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of our designated self-regulatory organization (“DSRO”), [Name of DSRO], and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to permit any such examination to take place without further notice or consent from us.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information without further notice to or consent from us.
You further acknowledge and agree that, pursuant to authorization granted by us to you previously or herein, you have provided, or will promptly provide following the opening of the Account(s), the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, with technological connectivity, which may include provision of hardware, software, and related technology and protocol support, to facilitate direct, read-only electronic access to transaction and account balance information for the Account(s). This letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf for you to establish this connectivity and access if not previously established, without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information and access requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such usual and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information or access request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information or access to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information or access request from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Funds held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not 30.7 customer funds maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason, and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or part 30 of the CFTC regulations that relates to the holding of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4(b) of the Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert governing law] without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC) and to [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO. We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copies without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
Appendix F to Part 30—Acknowledgment Letter for CFTC Regulation 30.7 Customer Secured Money Market Mutual Fund Account
We propose to invest funds held by [Name of Futures Commission Merchant] (“we” or “our”) on behalf of our customers in shares of [Name of Money Market Mutual Fund] (“you” or “your”) under account(s) entitled (or shares issued to):
You acknowledge that we are holding these funds, including any shares issued and amounts accruing in connection therewith (collectively, the “Shares”), for the benefit of customers who trade foreign futures and/or foreign options (as such terms are defined in U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 30.1, as amended); that the Shares held by you, hereafter deposited in the Account(s) or accruing to the credit of the Account(s), will be kept separate and apart and separately accounted for on your books from our own funds and from any other funds or accounts held by us in accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “Act”), and part 30 of the CFTC’s regulations, as amended; and that the Shares must otherwise be treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(b) of the Act and CFTC Regulations 1.25 and 30.7.
Furthermore, you acknowledge and agree that such Shares may not be used by you or by us to secure or guarantee any obligations that we might owe to you, and they may not be used by us to secure or obtain credit from you. You further acknowledge and agree that the Shares in the Account(s) shall not be subject to any right of offset or lien for or on account of any indebtedness, obligations or liabilities we may now or in the future have owing to you.
In addition, you agree that the Account(s) may be examined at any reasonable time by the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent or employee of our designated self-regulatory organization (“DSRO”), [Name of DSRO], and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to permit any such examination to take place without further notice to or consent from us.
You agree to reply promptly and directly to any request for confirmation of account balances or provision of any other information regarding or related to the Account(s) from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, and this letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf to release the requested information, without further notice to or consent from us.
You further acknowledge and agree that, pursuant to authorization granted by us to you previously or herein, you have provided, or will promptly provide following the opening of the Account(s), the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC, or any successor division, or such director’s designees, with technological connectivity, which may include provision of hardware, software, and related technology and protocol support, to facilitate direct, read-only electronic access to transaction and account balance information for the Account(s). This letter constitutes the authorization and direction of the undersigned on our behalf for you to establish this connectivity and access if not previously established, without further notice to or consent from us.
The parties agree that all actions on your part to respond to the above information and access requests will be made in accordance with, and subject to, such reasonable and customary authorization verification and authentication policies and procedures as may be employed by you to verify the authority of, and authenticate the identity of, the individual making any such information or access request, in order to provide for the secure transmission and delivery of the requested information or access to the appropriate recipient(s).
We will not hold you responsible for acting pursuant to any information or access request from the director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight of the CFTC or the director of the Division of Clearing and Risk of the CFTC, or any successor divisions, or such directors’ designees, or an appropriate officer, agent, or employee of [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO, upon which you have relied after having taken measures in accordance with your applicable policies and procedures to assure that such request was provided to you by an individual authorized to make such a request.
In the event we become subject to either a voluntary or involuntary petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, we acknowledge that you will have no obligation to release the Shares held in the Account(s), except upon instruction of the Trustee in Bankruptcy or pursuant to the Order of the respective U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting your right to assert any right of offset or lien on assets that are not Shares maintained in the Account(s), or to impose such charges against us or any proprietary account maintained by us with you. Further, it is understood that amounts represented by checks, drafts or other items shall not be considered to be part of the Account(s) until finally collected. Accordingly, checks, drafts and other items credited to the Account(s) and subsequently dishonored or otherwise returned to you or reversed, for any reason and any claims relating thereto, including but not limited to claims of alteration or forgery, may be charged back to the Account(s), and we shall be responsible to you as a general endorser of all such items whether or not actually so endorsed.
You may conclusively presume that any withdrawal from the Account(s) and the balances maintained therein are in conformity with the Act and CFTC regulations without any further inquiry, provided that, in the ordinary course of your business as a depository, you have no notice of or actual knowledge of a potential violation by us of any provision of the Act or part 30 of the CFTC regulations that relates to the holding of customer funds; and you shall not in any manner not expressly agreed to herein be responsible to us for ensuring compliance by us with such provisions of the Act and CFTC regulations; however, the aforementioned presumption does not affect any obligation you may otherwise have under the Act or CFTC regulations.
You may, and are hereby authorized to, obey the order, judgment, decree or levy of any court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental agency with jurisdiction, which order, judgment, decree or levy relates in whole or in part to the Account(s). In any event, you shall not be liable by reason of any action or omission to act pursuant to any such order, judgment, decree or levy, to us or to any other person, firm, association or corporation even if thereafter any such order, decree, judgment or levy shall be reversed, modified, set aside or vacated.
We are permitted to invest customers’ funds in money market mutual funds pursuant to CFTC Regulation 1.25. That rule sets forth the following conditions, among others, with respect to any investment in a money market mutual fund:
(1) The net asset value of the fund must be computed by 9:00 a.m. of the business day following each business day and be made available to us by that time;
(2) The fund must be legally obligated to redeem an interest in the fund and make payment in satisfaction thereof by the close of the business day following the day on which we make a redemption request except as otherwise specified in CFTC Regulation 1.25(c)(5)(ii); and,
(3) The agreement under which we invest customers’ funds must not contain any provision that would prevent us from pledging or transferring fund shares.
The terms of this letter agreement shall remain binding upon the parties, their successors and assigns and, for the avoidance of doubt, regardless of a change in the name of either party. This letter agreement supersedes and replaces any prior agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), including but not limited to any prior acknowledgment letter agreement, to the extent that such prior agreement is inconsistent with the terms hereof. In the event of any conflict between this letter agreement and any other agreement between the parties in connection with the Account(s), this letter agreement shall govern with respect to matters specific to Section 4(b) of the Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as amended.
This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert governing law] without regard to the principles of choice of law.
Please acknowledge that you agree to abide by the requirements and conditions set forth above by signing and returning to us the enclosed copy of this letter agreement, and that you further agree to provide a copy of this fully executed letter agreement directly to the CFTC (via electronic means in a format and manner determined by the CFTC) and to [Name of DSRO], acting in its capacity as our DSRO. We hereby authorize and direct you to provide such copies without further notice to or consent from us, no later than three business days after opening the Account(s) or revising this letter agreement, as applicable.
PART 31—LEVERAGE TRANSACTIONS
§§ 31.1-31.2 [Reserved]
§ 31.3 Fraud in connection with certain transactions in silver or gold bullion or bulk coins, or other commodities.
It shall be unlawful for any person, by use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, directly or indirectly:
(a) To employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud,
(b) To make any untrue statement of a material fact or to omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(c) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person, in, or in connection with (1) an offer to make or the making of, any transaction for the purchase, sale or delivery of silver bullion, gold bullion, bulk silver coins, bulk gold coins, or any other commodity pursuant to a standardized contract commonly known to the trade as a margin account, margin contract, leverage account, or leverage contract, or pursuant to any contract, account, arrangement, scheme, or device that serves the same function or functions as such a standardized contract, or is marketed or managed in substantially the same manner as such a standardized contract, or (2) the maintenance or carrying of any such contract.
§ 31.4 Definitions.
For the purposes of this part:
(a)-(b) [Reserved]
(c) Promotional material includes:
(1) Any text of a standard oral presentation, or any communication for publication in any newspaper, magazine or similar medium or for broadcast over television, radio, or other electronic medium which is disseminated or directed to a leverage customer or prospective leverage customer;
(2) Any standardized form of report, letter, circular, memorandum, or publication which is disseminated or directed to a leverage customer or prospective leverage customer; or
(3) Any other written literature or advice disseminated or directed to a leverage customer or prospective leverage customer for the purpose of soliciting the entry into a leverage contract;
(d) Leverage customer means any person who, directly or indirectly, enters into, purchases, sells, or otherwise acquires for value any interest in a leverage contract with, from or to a leverage transaction merchant: Provided, however, That an owner or holder of a proprietary leverage account as defined in paragraph (e) of this section shall not be deemed to be a customer within the meaning of §§ 31.11(a)-(j) and (l), 31.12 and 31.26, and such an owner or holder of such a proprietary leverage account shall otherwise be deemed to be a leverage customer within the meaning of all other sections of these rules.
(e) Proprietary leverage account means a leverage account carried on the books and records of an individual, a partnership, corporation or other type association (1) for one of the following persons, or (2) of which ten percent or more is owned by one of the following persons, or an aggregate of ten percent or more of which is owned by more than one of the following persons:
(i) Such individual himself, or such partnership, corporation or association itself;
(ii) In the case of a partnership, a general partner in such partnership;
(iii) In the case of a limited partnership, a limited or special partner in such partnership whose duties include:
(A) The management of the partnership business or any part thereof,
(B) The handling of the trades of leverage customers or of the leverage customer funds of such partnership,
(C) The keeping of records pertaining to the trades of leverage customers or to the leverage customer funds of such partnership, or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such partnership;
(iv) In the case of a corporation or association, an officer, director or owner of ten percent or more of the capital stock, of such organization;
(v) An employee of such individual, partnership, corporation or association whose duties include:
(A) The management of the business of such individual, partnership, corporation or association or any part thereof,
(B) The handling of the trades of leverage customers or of the leverage customer funds of such individual, partnership, corporation or association,
(C) The keeping of records pertaining to the trades of leverage customers or to the leverage customer funds of such individual, partnership, corporation or association, or
(D) The signing or co-signing of checks or drafts on behalf of such individual, partnership, corporation or association;
(vi) A spouse or minor dependent living in the same household of any of the foregoing persons;
(vii) A business affiliate that, directly or indirectly, controls such individual, partnership, corporation or association;
(viii) A business affiliate that, directly or indirectly, is controlled by or is under common control with, such individual, partnership, corporation or association.
(f) Commercial leverage account means an account of a commercial enterprise, such as a producer, processor, dealer or end user of a leverage commodity which is the subject of a leverage contract, or the products or by-products thereof;
(g) Leverage commodity means a commodity (gold bullion, silver bullion, bulk gold coins, bulk silver coins, or platinum) which is the subject of a leverage contract offered for purchase or sale, or purchased or sold, by a particular leverage transaction merchant, the value of which is reflected in a widely accepted and broadly disseminated commercial or retail cash price series for cash market transactions, which price series reasonably reflects the price for the leverage commodity which the customer can expect to pay or receive in normal commercial or retail market channels, including, if applicable, specified premiums or discounts; each leverage commodity is defined by reference to the following distinguishing characteristics:
(1) The nominal size, composition and tolerable ranges of the delivery pack or the actual size, composition and tolerable range of the component of the delivery pack;
(2) Minimum guaranteed quality, deliverable countries of origin, deliverable markings or imprints, and deliverable refiners or mints;
(3) The method of pricing; and
(4) The delivery specifications or alternatives including type and location of delivery facilities, packaging, transportation, registration and associated costs.
(h) Ask price of a leverage contract means the price at which a leverage transaction merchant sells or is willing to sell a long leverage contract to a leverage customer or the price at which a leverage transaction merchant resells or is willing to resell a short leverage contract to a leverage customer;
(i) Bid price of a leverage contract means the price at which a leverage transaction merchant purchases or is willing to purchase a short leverage contract from a leverage customer, or the price at which a leverage transaction merchant repurchases or is willing to repurchase a long leverage contract from a leverage customer;
(j) Bid-ask spread of a leverage contract means the difference between a leverage transaction merchant’s ask price and bid price;
(k) Initial charges for a leverage contract includes all fees and commissions payable to a leverage transaction merchant which are incurred when a leverage contract is initially entered into by a leverage customer;
(l) Carrying charges for a leverage contract includes all service and interest changes paid periodically by a leverage customer to a leverage transaction merchant, or accrued by a leverage transaction merchant, while a long leverage contract remains open, or all service and interest charges paid periodically by a leverage transaction merchant to a leverage customer, or accrued by a leverage customer, while a short leverage contract remains open;
(m) Termination charges for a leverage contract includes all fees and commission payable to a leverage transaction merchant which are associated with the liquidation, repurchase, resale or settlement by delivery on a leverage contract;
(n) Liquidation of a leverage contract means the unilateral termination of a leverage contract by a leverage transaction merchant due to a leverage customer’s failure to meet one or more margin calls or to make other required deposits on a timely basis or as otherwise permitted under § 31.18;
(o) Repurchase or resale of a leverage contract means the voluntary termination of a leverage contract by mutual agreement between the leverage customer and the leverage transaction merchant, which agreement is effected by entering into a transaction which is the opposite of the initial transaction. A repurchase by a leverage transaction merchant takes place if the initial transaction by the leverage customer was a purchase of a long leverage contract from the leverage transaction merchant, and a resale by a leverage transaction merchant takes place if the initial transaction by the leverage customer was a sale of a short leverage contract to the leverage transaction merchant;
(p) Delivery on a leverage contract means the making (in the case of an initial sale by a leverage customer) or taking (in the case of an initial purchase by a leverage customer) of delivery by a leverage customer of the commodity subject to a leverage contract;
(q) Initial leverage margin means the amount of funds, excluding initial charges, which a leverage customer is required to deposit with a leverage transaction merchant when entering into a leverage contract;
(r) Minimum leverage margin means the amount of funds which a leverage transaction merchant requires a leverage customer to maintain on deposit for each open leverage contract in the leverage customer’s account.
(s) Maintenance leverage margin means the level to which the funds in a leverage customer’s account must be restored after a margin call to the leverage customer has been effected by the leverage transaction merchant.
(t) Leverage account equity means:
(1) For all long leverage contracts in a leverage customer’s account, the amount equal to the aggregate value of such leverage contracts in the leverage customer’s account, based on the leverage transaction merchant’s current bid prices for such contracts, less the amount owed to the leverage transaction merchant by the leverage customer pursuant to such contracts; and
(2) For all short leverage contracts in a leverage customer’s account, the aggregate amount owed to the leverage customer by the leverage transaction merchant pursuant to all such contracts less the amount equal to the value of all such leverage contracts in the leverage customer’s account, based on the leverage transaction merchant’s current ask prices for such contracts;
(u)-(v) [Reserved]
(w) Leverage contract means a contract, standardized as to terms and conditions, for the long-term (ten years or longer) purchase (“long leverage contract”) or sale (“short leverage contract”) by a leverage customer of a leverage commodity which provides for:
(1) Participation by the leverage transaction merchant as a principal in each leverage transaction;
(2) Initial and maintenance margin payments by the leverage customer;
(3) Periodic payment by the leverage customer or accrual by the leverage transaction merchant of a variable carrying charge or fee on the unpaid balance of a long leverage contract, and periodic payment or crediting by the leverage transaction merchant to the leverage customer of a variable carrying charge or fee on the initial value of the contract plus any margin deposits made by the leverage customer in connection with a short leverage contract;
(4) Delivery of a commodity in an amount and form which can be readily purchased and sold in normal commercial or retail channels;
(5) Delivery of the leverage commodity after satisfaction of the balance due on the contract; and
(6) Determination of the contract purchase and repurchase, or sale and resale prices by the leverage transaction merchant; and
(x) Leverage transaction means the purchase or sale of any leverage contract, the repurchase or resale of any leverage contract, the delivery of the leverage commodity, or the liquidation or rescission of any such leverage contract by or to the leverage transaction merchant.
§ 31.5 Unlawful conduct.
(a) On and after April 13, 1984, it shall be unlawful for any person:
(1) To offer to enter into, enter into or confirm the execution of a leverage contract to or with a leverage customer, or to solicit or accept a leverage customer’s order for a leverage contract, or to accept any leverage customer funds from a leverage customer to enter into or maintain a leverage contract, unless the leverage commodity which is the subject of the leverage contract has been registered with the Commission in accordance with § 31.6;
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, to offer to enter into, enter into or confirm the execution of a leverage contract to or with a leverage customer, or to solicit or accept a leverage customer’s order for a leverage contract, or to accept any leverage customer funds from a leverage customer to enter into or maintain a leverage contract, unless that person is registered with the Commission in accordance with § 3.17 of this chapter and that registration has not expired, been suspended (and the period of suspension has not expired) or been revoked; or
(3) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, if such person is a natural person, to offer to enter into, enter into or confirm the execution of a leverage contract to or with a leverage customer, or to solicit or accept a leverage customer’s order (other than in a clerical capacity) for a leverage contract, or to supervise any person or persons so engaged, unless that person is registered with the Commission in accordance with § 3.18 of this chapter and that registration has not expired, been suspended (and the period of suspension has not expired) or been revoked.
(b) On and after April 13, 1984, it shall be unlawful for any leverage transaction merchant to permit any natural person to become or remain associated with it as a partner, officer or employee (or in any similar status or position involving similar functions) in any capacity which involves the offering to enter into, the entry into, or the confirmation of the execution of a leverage contract with a leverage customer, or the solicitation or acceptance of a leverage customer’s order (other than in a clerical capacity) for a leverage contract, or the supervision of any person or persons so engaged, if the leverage transaction merchant knew or should have known that the person was not registered with the Commission in accordance with § 3.18 of this chapter or that the person’s registration had expired, been suspended (and the period of suspension had not expired) or been revoked.
(c) On and after November 10, 1986, it shall be unlawful for any person to offer to enter into, enter into or confirm the execution of a leverage contract to or with a leverage customer, or to solicit or accept a leverage customer’s order for a leverage contract, or to accept any leverage customer funds from a leverage customer to enter into or maintain a leverage contract, unless the leverage commodity which is the subject of the leverage contract has been registered with the Commission in accordance with § 31.6 of this part and involves silver bullion, gold bullion, bulk silver coins, bulk gold coins, or platinum. This paragraph shall not affect any rights or obligations arising out of any leverage contract involving any other leverage commodity that was entered into, or the execution of which was confirmed, before November 10, 1986.
(d) Denial, suspension, or revocation of registration of a leverage commodity. The failure or refusal of any leverage transaction merchant to comply with any of the provisions of the Act or any of the Commission’s rules, regulations, or orders thereunder shall be cause for refusing to register a leverage commodity, for suspending registration of a leverage commodity for a period not to exceed six months, and for revoking registration of such leverage commodity with respect to that leverage transaction merchant. Any such denial, suspension, or revocation proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in sections 6 and 6(b) of the Act.
§ 31.6 Registration of leverage commodities.
(a) Registration of leverage commodities. Each leverage commodity upon which a leverage contract is offered for sale or purchase or is sold or purchased by a particular leverage transaction merchant must be separately registered with the Commission. Registration will be granted only when the following conditions are, and continue to be, met:
(1) The person requesting registration of a leverage commodity is a registered leverage transaction merchant;
(2) The commodity to be registered is a leverage commodity as defined in § 31.4(g);
(3) There exists a widely accepted and broadly disseminated commercial or retail cash price series for the commodity;
(4) The commodity can be readily purchased or sold in normal commercial or retail channels by leverage customers making or taking delivery on a leverage contract;
(5) The terms and conditions of the leverage contracts based on the leverage commodity are consistent with the Act and the regulations thereunder, and are not contrary to the public interest; and
(6) The terms and conditions of the leverage contracts based on the leverage commodity do not include substantial characteristics of other interests, such as options, certificates of deposit, or other regulated instruments.
(b) Application for registration. Applications to register leverage commodities should be filed with the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters. Attn: Secretariat. Three copies of each such submission should be filed. The Commission may return any application which does not comply with the form and content requirements of this section. Each applicant must:
(1) Provide evidence that the person applying for registration of the leverage commodity is registered or has applied to the National Futures Association for registration as a leverage transaction merchant;
(2) Provide an explanation of the distinguishing characteristics of the leverage commodity for which registration is sought, including a complete description of the cash market for the leverage commodity, and for the spot, forward, and futures markets for the generic commodity;
(3) Specify a commercial or retail cash price series including prevailing premiums or discounts governing cash market transactions in the quantities specified by the leverage contract and justify the use of such price series with respect to the particular leverage commodity for which registration is sought;
(4) Provide evidence and a complete evaluation of how the distinguishing characteristics of the leverage commodity would be expected to affect the ability of leverage customers electing to make or take delivery of the commodity at an economic price in normal cash market channels;
(5) Include a description of the commodity inspection and/or certification procedures typically required for commercial or retail sales of the specified commodity. Such description must be accompanied by information regarding the availability of any normally required certification or inspection service at the delivery points including those of the leverage transaction merchant; and
(6) Include copies of all leverage contracts which are to be offered by the leverage transaction merchant on the leverage commodity.
(c) Continuing registration of leverage commodities. A registered leverage transaction merchant must submit to the Commission for its review, at least forty-five (45) days before their effective date, any proposed changes in the specifications of the leverage commodity and the terms and conditions of the leverage contract from those submitted as part of the registration application unless such contract specifically provides that such terms and conditions are subject to change. Three copies of each such submission must be furnished to the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters. Attn: Secretariat. The Commission may return any submission which does not comply with the form and content requirements of this section. Each such submission must, in the following order:
(1) Explain how any such changes might affect the ability of leverage customers to realize the leverage commodity’s economic value and how such amendments might affect the ability of leverage customers making or taking delivery to buy or sell the leverage commodity;
(2) Explain the effect of such changes upon the continued appropriateness of the commercial or retail cash price series submitted pursuant to paragraph (b)(3) of this section, or, as an alternative, submit a new price series and a justification of its use; and
(3) Indicate whether, if such changes are applied to existing leverage commodities, there will be a change in the economic value of such commodities and, if so, quantify the extent of such changes.
(d) Authority to disapprove amendments. The Commission may disapprove, alter, or amend changes to the distinguishing characteristics of the registered leverage commodity, or to the terms and conditions of the leverage contracts offered thereon, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing, when the Commission determines that such a change is in violation of any of the provisions of the Act or any of the regulations thereunder, or that it is necessary or appropriate to ensure the financial solvency of leverage transactions or prevent manipulation or fraud. Upon notification by the Commission of its determination to disapprove, alter or amend such changes, the proposed changes will not become effective pending a final determination by the Commission to disapprove, alter, or amend such changes.
(e) Authority to alter or amend specifications of the registered leverage commodity or the terms and conditions of leverage contract. The Commission may alter or amend specific distinguishing characteristics of the registered leverage commodity or the terms and conditions of leverage contracts after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing when the Commission determines that, in light of intervening events, such alterations or amendments would be necessary or appropriate to ensure the financial solvency of leverage transactions or prevent manipulation or fraud.
(f)(1) The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight until such time as the Commission orders otherwise, all functions reserved to the Commission in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.
(2) The Director of the Division of Market Oversight may submit any matter which has been delegated to the Director under paragraph (f)(1) of this section to the Commission for its consideration.
§ 31.7 Maintenance of minimum financial, cover and segregation requirements by leverage transaction merchants.
(a) Each person registered as a leverage transaction merchant or who files an application for registration as a leverage transaction merchant, who knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital at any time is less than the minimum required by § 31.9, or that its cover at any time is less than the minimum required by § 31.8, or that the amount of leverage customer funds in segregation is less than is required by § 31.12 or by the capital, cover or segregation rules of any designated self-regulatory organization to which such person is subject, if any, must:
(1) Give telegraphic notice as set forth in § 1.12(g) of this chapter that such applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital is less than is required by § 31.9, or its cover is less than is required by § 31.8, or the amount of leverage customer funds in segregation is less than is required by § 31.12 or by such other capital, cover or segregation rule, identifying the applicable capital, cover or segregation rule. This notice must be given within 24 hours after such applicant or registrant knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital or its cover or the amount of leverage customer funds in segregation is less than is required by any of the aforesaid rules to which such applicant or registrant is subject; and
(2) Within 24 hours after giving such notice file a statement of financial condition, a statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 31.9 (computed in accordance with the applicable capital rule), a schedule of coverage requirements and coverage provided, and a schedule of segregation requirements and funds on deposit in segregation, all as of the date such applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital or its cover or the amount of leverage customer funds in segregation became less than the minimum required.
(b) Each person registered as a leverage transaction merchant, or who files an application for registration as a leverage transaction merchant, who knows or should have known that its adjusted net capital at any time is less than 120 percent of the amount required by § 31.9 must file written notice to that effect as set forth in § 1.12(g) of this chapter within five business days of such event. Such applicant or registrant must also file a Form 2-FR or such other financial statement designated by the Commission and/or the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, as of the close of business for the month during which such event takes place and as of the close of business for each month thereafter until three successive months have elapsed during which the applicant’s or registrant’s adjusted net capital is at all times equal to or in excess of the minimums set forth in this paragraph (b). Each financial report required by this paragraph (b) must be filed within 30 calendar days after the end of the month for which such report is being made.
(c) The requirements of §§ 1.12(c), 1.12(d), 1.12(e) and 1.12(g) of this chapter shall apply to registered leverage transaction merchants and to persons who have applied for registration as leverage transaction merchants, as if in those paragraphs the term “leverage transaction merchant or applicant therefor” were substituted for the phrase “applicant or registrant.”
§ 31.8 Cover of leverage contracts.
(a)(1) Each leverage transaction merchant must at all times maintain cover of at least 90 percent of the amount of physical commodities subject to open long leverage contracts entered into with leverage customers, and must at all times also maintain cover of at least 90 percent of the amount of physical commodities subject to open short leverage contracts entered into with leverage customers. At least 25 percent of the amount of physical commodities subject to open long leverage contracts must be covered by the types of permissible cover set forth in paragraphs (a)(2) (i) and (ii) of this section.
(2) Permissible cover for a long leverage contract is limited to:
(i) Warehouse receipts for the leverage commodity subject to the leverage contract held in commercial banks located in the United States or in approved contract market depositories: Provided, That the balance of the principal and accrued interest on any loan against such warehouse receipts does not exceed 70 percent of the current market value of the commodity represented by each receipt.
(ii) Warehouse receipts for gold bullion in the case of leverage contracts on bulk gold coins, bulk gold coins in the case of leverage contracts on gold bullion, silver bullion in the case of leverage contracts on bulk silver coins, bulk silver coins in the case of leverage contracts on silver bullion, one type of bulk gold coins for leverage contracts involving another type of bulk gold coins on an ounce-for-ounce basis if each type of bulk gold coins used as cover is the subject of a leverage contract offered by the leverage transaction merchant pursuant to registration under § 31.6 of this part, and one type of bulk silver coins for leverage contracts involving another type of bulk silver coins on an ounce-for-ounce basis if each type of bulk silver coins used as cover is the subject of a leverage contract offered by the leverage transaction merchant pursuant to registration under § 31.6 of this part, which are held in commercial banks located in the United States or in approved contract market depositories: Provided, That the balance of the principal and accrued interest on any loans against such warehouse receipts does not exceed 70 percent of the current market value of the commodity for which it represents cover.
(iii) Purchase, in physical form, of the leverage commodity subject to the leverage contract, or of the same alternative commodities provided for in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, with settlement within two business days shall be considered permissible cover from the time the purchase order is confirmed, even though the leverage transaction merchant does not have possession or control of a warehouse receipt until settlement: Provided, however, That such purchases are not made from an affiliated firm, and such purchases at no time constitute more than 10 percent of the amount of physical commodities subject to open long leverage contracts entered into with leverage customers: And, provided further, That the leverage transaction merchant maintains, in accordance with § 31.14 of this part, detailed records of these transactions which will be subject to inspection, copying and audit by the Commission and a designated self-regulatory organization.
(iv) A long spot futures contract on the leverage commodity subject to the leverage contract, or of the same alternative commodities provided for in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, if the leverage transaction merchant has stopped a delivery notice which is non-transferable with respect to that futures contract and has otherwise complied with any procedures, including payment, necessary for taking delivery, even though the leverage transaction merchant does not have possession or control of a warehouse receipt for two business days: Provided, however, That the amount of physical commodities subject to such long spot futures contracts at no time constitutes more than 10 percent of the amount of physical commodities subject to open long leverage contracts entered into with leverage customers: And, provided further, That the leverage transaction merchant maintains, in accordance with § 31.14 of this part, detailed records of its deliveries on futures contracts, which will be subject to inspection, copying and audit by the Commission and a designated self-regulatory organization.
(v)(A) Purchases for future delivery on or subject to the rules of the contract market of the same generic commodity subject to the leverage contract, or of the same alternative commodities provided for in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section; or
(B) Purchases of call commodity options for the same generic commodity subject to the leverage contract, or of the same alternative commodities provided for in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, on or subject to the rules of a contract market in accordance with the provisions of part 33 of this chapter: Provided, That the market value of the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of such option is more than the value of the underlying commodity based on the strike price of the option.
(3) Permissible cover for a short leverage contract is limited to:
(i) Sales for future delivery on or subject to the rules of a contract market of the same generic commodity subject to the leverage contract, or of the same alternative commodities provided for in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section; or
(ii) Purchases of put commodity options for the same generic commodity subject to the leverage contract, or of the same alternative commodities provided for in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, on or subject to the rules of a contract market in accordance with the provisions of part 33 of this chapter: Provided, That the market value of the actual commodity or futures contract which is the subject of such option is less than the value of the underlying commodity based on the strike price of the option.
(b) Such leverage transaction merchant must be in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section at all times and must be able to demonstrate such compliance to the satisfaction of the Commission and/or the designated self-regulatory organization. A leverage transaction merchant who is not in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section or in unable to demonstrate such compliance must immediately cease engaging in the business of offering to enter into, entering into, or confirming the execution of, any leverage contract until such time as the leverage transaction merchant is able to demonstrate such compliance. Nothing in this paragraph (b) shall be construed as preventing the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization from taking action against a leverage transaction merchant for non-compliance with any of the provisions of this section.
(c) The amount of cover which is actually maintained by a leverage transaction merchant, and the amount of cover which must be maintained by a leverage transaction merchant in order to comply with the requirements of this section, shall be computed as of the close of each business day by the leverage transaction merchant. A written record of this computation shall be made and kept, together with all supporting data, in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31 of this chapter. This daily computation shall be made by noon on the next business day and shall be computed in a format identical to the Schedule of Coverage Requirements and Coverage Provided contained in Form 2-FR. In computing the amount of cover actually maintained, the leverage transaction merchant shall include only those warehouse receipts which are unencumbered or against which the balance of the principal and accrued interest on cash loans for which such receipts serve as collateral does not exceed 70 percent of the current market value of the commodities underlying such receipts.
(d) A leverage transaction merchant who uses as collateral for cash loans warehouse receipts held as cover for leverage contracts shall maintain a separate record for such loans which contains the following information:
(1) The date on which the loan was made;
(2) The name of the commercial bank or futures commission merchant making such loan;
(3) The purpose for which the loan was made;
(4) The amount of the loan;
(5) The interest rate on the loan;
(6) The loan’s maturity date;
(7) The date of any partial or complete liquidation of the loan; and
(8) A description of the warehouse receipt collateralizing such loan including the receipt number, the issuer’s name, and the total quantity of the commodity covered by the warehouse receipt. Such loans shall be evidenced in a written agreement executed by the leverage transaction merchant and the lender. The leverage transaction merchant shall retain such agreement and any related notes in accordance with the requirements of § 31.14 of this part.
(e) The requirements of paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section shall not be applicable if the leverage transaction merchant is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization and conforms to minimum cover standards and related reporting requirements set by such designated self-regulatory organization in its bylaws, rules, regulations or resolutions approved by the Commission pursuant to section 19 of the Act and § 31.28 of this part.
§ 31.9 Minimum financial requirements.
(a) Each leverage transaction merchant must at all times maintain adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of $2,500,000, plus 20 percent of the market value of the amount of physical commodities subject to leverage contracts entered into by the leverage transaction merchant which are uncovered, plus 2
(1) For purposes of determining compliance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, each leverage transaction merchant must compute the market value of the physical commodities subject to leverage contracts which it has entered into by using the widely accepted and broadly disseminated commercial or retail cash price series submitted with the leverage transaction merchant’s application for registration of the leverage commodity in accordance with § 31.6, and cannot include any mark-ups or discounts of the leverage transaction merchant.
(2) The requirements of paragraph (a) of this section shall not be applicable if the applicant or registrant is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization and conforms to minimum financial standards and related reporting requirements set by such designated self-regulatory organization in its bylaws, rules, regulations or resolutions approved by the Commission pursuant to section 19 of the Act and § 31.28 of this part.
(3) No person applying for registration as a leverage transaction merchant shall be so registered unless such person affirmatively demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commission that it complies with the financial requirements of this section. Each leverage transaction merchant must be in compliance with this section at all times and must be able to demonstrate such compliance to the satisfaction of the Commission and/or the designated self-regulatory organization.
(4) A leverage transaction merchant who is not in compliance with this section, or is unable to demonstrate such compliance as required by paragraph (a)(3) of this section, must immediately cease engaging in the business of offering to enter into, entering into, or confirming the execution of, any leverage contract until such time as the leverage transaction merchant is able to demonstrate such compliance. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as preventing the Commission or the designated self-regulatory organization from taking action against a leverage transaction merchant for non-compliance with any of the provisions of this section. Any leverage transaction merchant required immediately to cease doing business under this paragraph shall remain liable on all leverage contracts previously entered into until all rights of and obligations owing to the customers thereunder have been fulfilled.
(b) For the purposes of this section:
(1) Where the applicant or registrant has an asset or liability which is defined in Securities Exchange Act rule 15c3-1 (§ 240.15c3-1 of this title), the inclusion or exclusion of all or part of such asset or liability for the computation of adjusted net capital shall be in accordance with § 240.15c3-1 of this title, unless specifically stated otherwise in this section;
(2)(i) The term “customer” means customer as defined in § 31.4(d);
(ii) The term “proprietary account” means a commodity futures, option or leverage account carried on the books of the applicant or registrant itself, or for general partners of the applicant or registrant; and
(iii) The term “noncustomer account” means a leverage account carried on the books of the applicant or registrant for a person which is not included in the definition of customer (as defined in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section) or proprietary account (as defined in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section);
(3) The term “Business day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday;
(4) The term “net capital” has the same meaning as in § 1.17 of this chapter: Provided, however, That the term “leverage transaction merchant” shall be substituted for the term “futures commission merchant” in § 1.17 of this chapter. In determining net capital, the provisions set forth in § 1.17(c)(1) of this chapter shall apply;
(5) The term “current assets” has the same meaning as in § 1.17(c)(2) of this chapter: Provided, That the provisions of § 1.17(c)(2)(i) of this chapter shall apply to leverage contract accounts as well as commodity futures and option accounts;
(6) The provisions set forth in § 1.17(c)(3) of this chapter shall apply;
(7) The term “liabilities” has the same meaning as in § 1.17(c)(4) of this chapter;
(8) In computing adjusted net capital, the safety factors set forth in § 1.17(c)(5) of this chapter shall apply: Provided, however, That the safety factors set forth in § 1.17(c)(5)(ii) (B) and (C) of this chapter shall not apply to inventory, to the extent such inventory represents cover for leverage contracts entered into by a leverage transaction merchant; And, provided further, That the safety factors set forth in § 1.17(c)(5) (x) and (xii) of this chapter shall not apply to any futures contracts or commodity options traded on contract markets held in proprietary accounts which represent cover for leverage contracts entered into by a leverage transaction merchant;
(9) The safety factors set forth in § 1.17(c)(5) (viii) and (ix) of this chapter for undermargined commodity futures and commodity option customer and noncustomer accounts shall apply in a like manner to undermargined leverage customer and noncustomer accounts, respectively, and the term “leverage transaction merchant” shall be substituted for the terms “applicable boards of trade” or “clearing organization”; and
(10) The provisions set forth in § 1.17 (d), (e), (f), (h) and (j) of this chapter shall apply.
(c) No person shall be registered as a leverage transaction merchant unless, commencing on the date the person applies for such registration, the person prepares, and keeps current, ledgers or other similar records which show or summarize, with appropriate references to supporting documents, each transaction affecting his asset, liability, income, expense and capital accounts, and in which (except as otherwise permitted in writing by the Commission) all his asset, liability and capital accounts are classified into either the account classification subdivisions specified on Form 2-FR or categories that are in accord with generally accepted accounting principles. Each person so registered shall prepare and keep current such records.
(d) Each registered leverage transaction merchant, and each person who has applied for registration as a leverage transaction merchant, must make and keep as a record in accordance with § 31.14 of this part formal computations of its adjusted net capital and of its minimum financial requirements pursuant to this section as of the close of business each month. Such computations must be completed and made available for inspection by any representative of the National Futures Association, in the case of an applicant, or of the Commission, the designated self-regulatory organization, if any, or the United States Department of Justice in the case of a registrant, within 30 days after the date for which the computations are made, commencing the first month-end after the date the application for registration is filed.
§ 31.10 Repurchase and resale of leverage contracts by leverage transaction merchants.
(a) No leverage transaction merchant shall offer to sell or sell a long leverage contract involving a leverage commodity to any leverage customer at any time when such leverage transaction merchant is not offering to repurchase from any of its leverage customers any long leverage contract, and is not offering to resell to any of its leverage customers any short leverage contract, involving the same leverage commodity previously sold or purchased by the leverage transaction merchant to or from a leverage customer.
(b) No leverage transaction merchant shall offer to purchase or purchase a short leverage contract involving a leverage commodity from any leverage customer at any time when such leverage transaction merchant is not offering to resell to any of its leverage customers any short leverage contract, and is not offering to repurchase from any of its leverage customers any long leverage contract, involving the same leverage commodity previously purchased or sold by the leverage transaction merchant from or to a leverage customer.
§ 31.11 Disclosure.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, prior to the opening of a leverage customer account, a leverage transaction merchant soliciting an order for any leverage contract shall furnish to the prospective leverage customer a dated Disclosure Document and receive from such prospective leverage customer a signed and dated copy of the risk disclosure statement contained in such document which acknowledges that the customer received and understood the Disclosure Document. The Disclosure Document shall contain then current information with respect to the leverage contract being offered by the person soliciting the order therefor, and shall contain:
(1) The following bold-faced risk disclosure statement in at least ten-point type on the first page of the Disclosure Document:
BECAUSE OF THE UNPREDICTABLE NATURE OF THE PRICES OF PRECIOUS AND OTHER METALS, LEVERAGE CONTRACTS INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. THE LEVERAGE CUSTOMER SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE VALUE OF A LEVERAGE CONTRACT ORIGINALLY PURCHASED BY A CUSTOMER (“LONG LEVERAGE CONTRACT”) MUST EXCEED THE BREAK-EVEN PRICE BEFORE IT IS POSSIBLE TO REALIZE A PROFIT ON THE CONTRACT. SIMILARLY, THE VALUE OF A LEVERAGE CONTRACT ORIGINALLY SOLD BY A LEVERAGE CUSTOMER (“SHORT LEVERAGE CONTRACT”) MUST BE LESS THAN THE BREAK-EVEN PRICE BEFORE IT IS POSSIBLE TO REALIZE A PROFIT ON THE CONTRACT. A FILLED IN VERSION OF THE CUSTOMER CONFIRMATION STATEMENT REFLECTING A SINGLE TRANSACTION IN A REPRESENTATIVE LEVERAGE COMMODITY FOR A LONG LEVERAGE TRANSACTION AND A SHORT LEVERAGE TRANSACTION WHICH INCLUDES A FORMULA FOR CALCULATING AN ESTIMATE OF THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT’S BREAK-EVEN VALUE IS ATTACHED TO THIS DOCUMENT. THIS IS IN THE SAME FORMAT AS THE CONFIRMATION STATEMENT YOU WILL RECEIVE TO CONFIRM YOUR ACTUAL TRANSACTION. BE CERTAIN THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THIS STATEMENT BEFORE YOU ENTER INTO A LEVERAGE TRANSACTION.
YOU SHOULD ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHARGES FOR SIMILAR LEVERAGE CONTRACTS WHICH ARE REFLECTED ON THE FILLED-IN CONFIRMATION STATEMENT AS ESTIMATED MAY VARY AMONG LEVERAGE FIRMS, AND THAT SUCH FIRMS HAVE COMPLETE DISCRETION IN SETTING THEIR CHARGES AND THE PRICE OF THE LEVERAGE CONTRACTS THEY OFFER. PRIOR TO ENTERING INTO ANY LEVERAGE CONTRACT A PROSPECTIVE LEVERAGE CUSTOMER SHOULD COMPARE THE CHARGES AND PRICES OF SUCH FIRMS WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THE COMMISSIONS FOR AND PRICES OF FUTURES CONTRACTS TRADED ON DESIGNATED EXCHANGES.
YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT YOU ARE SUBJECT TO MARGIN CALLS. THE LEVERAGE FIRM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LIQUIDATE YOUR POSITION IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO A MARGIN CALL WITHIN THE TIME SPECIFIED IN YOUR LEVERAGE AGREEMENT. IN ANY EVENT, IF THE EQUITY IN YOUR CONTRACT AT ANY TIME FALLS BELOW 50% OF THE MINIMUM MARGIN, YOUR CONTRACT MAY BE LIQUIDATED WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. YOU MUST, HOWEVER, BE NOTIFIED OF LIQUIDATION WITHIN NO MORE THAN 24 HOURS THEREAFTER AND PERMITTED TO REESTABLISH YOUR CONTRACT FOR A PERIOD OF 5 BUSINESS DAYS. LEVERAGE CONTRACTS PURCHASED FROM A LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT ARE RE-ESTABLISHED AT THE THEN PREVAILING BID PRICE AND LEVERAGE CONTRACTS SOLD TO A LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT ARE RE-ESTABLISHED AT THE THEN PREVAILING ASK PRICE WITHOUT COMMISSIONS, FEES OR OTHER MARK-UPS OR CHARGES UNDER RULES SET BY THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION, AS MORE COMPLETELY DESCRIBED IN THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT. IN CASE OF LIQUIDATION, ALL OF YOUR FUNDS MAY BE USED TO SETTLE THE DEFICIT IN THE ACCOUNT, AND YOU MAY BE LIABLE FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO SETTLE IN FULL.
IF YOU ARE A FIRST-TIME LEVERAGE CUSTOMER, YOU MAY RESCIND YOUR FIRST LEVERAGE TRANSACTION SUBJECT ONLY TO ACTUAL PRICE LOSSES BUT OTHERWISE WITHOUT PENALTY FOR THREE BUSINESS DAYS FOLLOWING AND INCLUDING THE DAY OF RECEIPT OF THE CONFIRMATION.
YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IN ORDER TO REALIZE ANY VALUE FROM A LONG LEVERAGE CONTRACT, THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT WHICH SOLD YOU THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT MUST REPURCHASE IT, OR YOU MUST PAY THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE FOR THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT, TAKE DELIVERY OF THE LEVERAGE COMMODITY, AND THEN SELL THE LEVERAGE COMMODITY, POSSIBLY AT A LOWER PRICE THAN THE PRICE PAID TO PURCHASE THE LEVERAGE COMMODITY FROM THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT. YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT IN ORDER TO REALIZE ANY VALUE FROM A SHORT LEVERAGE CONTRACT, THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT TO WHICH YOU SOLD THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT MUST RESELL IT TO YOU, OR YOU MUST ACQUIRE THE LEVERAGE COMMODITY IN ORDER TO MAKE DELIVERY TO THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT, POSSIBLY AT A HIGHER PRICE THAN THE PRICE YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT.
THERE IS NO MARKET FOR THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT ITSELF OTHER THAN TO HAVE IT REPURCHASED BY OR RESOLD TO THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT. A LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO OFFER TO REPURCHASE OR RESELL A LEVERAGE CONTRACT AT ALL TIMES, ALTHOUGH THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT MUST OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY LONG LEVERAGE CONTRACT PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED BY A LEVERAGE CUSTOMER AND MUST ALSO OFFER TO RESELL ANY SHORT LEVERAGE CONTRACT PREVIOUSLY SOLD BY A LEVERAGE CUSTOMER AT ANY TIME DURING WHICH THE LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT IS OFFERING TO ENTER INTO NEW LONG OR SHORT LEVERAGE CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS INVOLVING THE SAME LEVERAGE COMMODITY. AS NOTED ABOVE, HOWEVER, A LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT HAS COMPLETE DISCRETION IN SETTING THE PRICE AND ANY CHARGES RELATED THERETO.
THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF THESE LEVERAGE CONTRACTS AS AN INVESTMENT VEHICLE NOR UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A VIOLATION OF THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT AND THE REGULATIONS THEREUNDER.
(2) Immediately following the statement required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a section, captioned “Provisions of Leverage Contract” in at least ten point type, containing the terms and conditions of the leverage contract being offered. This information must be provided in the order specified in paragraphs (a)(2) (i) through (xi) of this section, with a clear demarcation or separation between each item according to the paragraph of the section to which it corresponds, and include:
(i) The duration or expiration date of the leverage contract;
(ii) The distinguishing characteristics of the contract and of the leverage commodity, including, in particular, those characteristics of the leverage commodity enumerated in § 31.4(g)(1)-(4) of this part;
(iii) A description of the following charges for each leverage contract:
(A) Initial charges;
(B) Carrying charges;
(C) Termination charges;
(iv) A description of the bid and ask prices of each leverage contract;
(v) An explanation of the margins applicable to each leverage contract, including, as required, initial margins, minimum margins and maintenance margins;
(vi) A description of the leverage customer’s responsibilities with respect to margin calls, including the timing of such calls and, if applicable, the circumstances under which, time after which, and the order in which the leverage transaction merchant may, consistent with § 31.18 liquidate a customer’s position in the leverage contract;
(vii) A description of the manner in which a leverage customer may seek to have a leverage contract repurchased or resold by the leverage transaction merchant, including an explanation of the procedure to be followed by the leverage transaction merchant to effect such repurchase or resale and the manner in which the repurchase or resale price is determined;
(viii) A statement to the effect that other persons may be unwilling to buy from the leverage customer the leverage commodity that is deliverable on the leverage contract without first requiring an inspection or assay at the expense of the leverage customer; a statement to the effect that the leverage transaction merchant may be unwilling to accept delivery and pay for such leverage commodity without first requiring an inspection or assay at the expense of the leverage customer; and a description of any other requirements for the delivery of a leverage commodity by a leverage customer to a leverage transaction merchant in connection with a short leverage contract;
(ix) A clear explanation of any force majeure clauses pertaining to each leverage contract;
(x) A description of any material risks not included in the statements required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section; and
(xi) An identification of the commercial or retail cash price series filed in accordance with § 31.6, along with clearly specified premiums and discounts, if applicable, which the leverage customer or prospective leverage customer can use to evaluate a leverage contract and a widely available source from which such price quotes may be obtained on a timely basis.
(3) A filled-in version of the customer Confirmation Statement in the format specified by the Commission for a representative single long leverage contract and a representative single short leverage contract which includes a formula which can be used to estimate the break-even price.
(4)(i) The name, address of the main business office, main business telephone number and form of organization of the leverage transaction merchant. If the address of the main business office is a post office box number, the leverage transaction merchant must state where its books and records will be kept;
(ii) The name of each principal of the leverage transaction merchant;
(iii) The business background, for the five years preceding the date of the statement, of:
(A) The leverage transaction merchant; and
(B) Each principal of the leverage transaction merchant.
(5)(i) A statement whether any principal of the leverage transaction merchant has entered into or intends to enter into long or short leverage contracts for his own account and, if so, whether leverage customers will be permitted to inspect the records of that person’s trades; and
(ii) If principals of the leverage transaction merchant will not enter into or do not intend to enter into long or short leverage contracts for their own account, the leverage transaction merchant must so state with respect to each principal.
(6)(i) Any material administrative or civil action involving any activity or conduct, or related to any statute, set forth in sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act, or any material criminal action brought within the five years preceding the date of the document against the leverage transaction merchant or any principal of the leverage transaction merchant; and
(ii) If there has been no such action against any of the foregoing persons, the leverage transaction merchant must make a statement to that effect with respect to each such person.
(b)(1) If the leverage transaction merchant knows or should know that the Disclosure Document is materially inaccurate or incomplete in any respect, it must correct that defect and must distribute the correction to:
(i) All existing leverage customers within 30 calendar days after the date upon which the leverage transaction merchant first knows or has reason to know of the defect; and
(ii) Each prospective leverage customer prior to opening an account for such person.
(2) The leverage transaction merchant may not use the document until such correction is made.
(c) The leverage transaction merchant must date each document and amendment thereto as of the date it is first used.
(d) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section, all information contained in the document must be current as of the date of the document.
(e)(1) The leverage transaction merchant must file with the National Futures Association three copies and with the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters, Attn: Secretariat, one copy of the document for each leverage contract that it offers or that it intends to offer not less than 21 calendar days prior to the date the leverage transaction merchant first intends to furnish the document to a prospective leverage customer. The leverage transaction merchant must specify with the filing the date it first intends to deliver the document to a prospective leverage customer;
(2) Subject to paragraphs (h) and (m) of this section, the leverage transaction merchant must file with the National Futures Association three copies and with the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters, Attn: Secretariat, one copy of all subsequent amendments to the document for each leverage contract that it offers or that it intends to offer within 30 calendar days after the date upon which the leverage transaction merchant first knows or has reason to know of the defect requiring the amendment.
(f) This section does not relieve a leverage transaction merchant from any obligation under the Act or the regulations thereunder, including the obligation to disclose all material information to existing or prospective leverage customers even if the information is not specifically required by this section.
(g) If any contract term set forth in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section provides that such term is subject to change, the leverage transaction merchant must ensure that this fact, the conditions under which the change may take place, and the foreseeable consequences of the change are clearly stated in the Disclosure Document, in describing that contract term.
(h) A leverage transaction merchant must transmit a notification to each leverage customer within 24 hours of making any change not otherwise permitted under the contract terms set forth in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section. A notification of any change in the interest rate charged by the leverage transaction merchant must also be transmitted to each leverage customer within twenty-four hours of each change: Provided, however, That no notification is required if the change in interest rate is one percent or less as compared to the rate charged at the prior month-end and the new interest rate is made available to customers by means of a toll-free telephone call, and such availability is set forth in the Disclosure Document. The notification required by this paragraph must be transmitted by first class mail or other, at least equivalent, means of communication.
(i) A person soliciting or accepting an order for a leverage contract is not required to deliver a Disclosure Document leverage to a leverage customer, as required by paragraph (a) of this section, if a disclosure document meeting all of the requirements of this section previously has been delivered by the person to the leverage customer: Provided, however, That such a Disclosure Document must be delivered:
(1) Upon the request of a leverage customer, or
(2) If the previously delivered Disclosure Document has become outdated or has become inaccurate in any material respect.
(j) Prior to the entry into a leverage contract, the person soliciting the order therefor shall inform the leverage customer or the prospective leverage customer, to the extent these amounts are known or can reasonably be approximated, of all charges for the initiation, carrying and termination of a leverage contract and the leverage transaction merchant’s bid-ask spread on the leverage contract as set forth in paragraph (a)(2)(iii) and (a)(2)(iv), respectively, of this section and the margins applicable to such contracts as set forth in paragraph (a)(2)(v) and (a)(2)(vi) of this section.
(k)(1) Not later than the next business day after the entry into a long leverage contract with a customer, each leverage transaction merchant shall furnish to such customer, by first-class mail or other, at least equivalent, means of communication, a written Confirmation Statement in a format specified by the Commission containing:
(i) For a leverage customer’s first leverage transaction, the following bold-faced statement in at least ten-point type:
IF YOU ARE A FIRST-TIME LEVERAGE CUSTOMER, YOU MAY RESCIND YOUR FIRST LEVERAGE TRANSACTION SUBJECT ONLY TO ACTUAL PRICE LOSSES BUT OTHERWISE WITHOUT PENALTY FOR THREE BUSINESS DAYS FOLLOWING AND INCLUDING RECEIPT OF THIS CONFIRMATION. ACTUAL LOSSES ON A LEVERAGE CONTRACT PURCHASED FROM A LEVERAGE TRANSACTION MERCHANT ARE CALCULATED BY SUBTRACTING THE ASK PRICE OF THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT AT THE TIME OF THE CUSTOMER’S RESCISSION FROM THE ASK PRICE AT WHICH THE LEVERAGE CONTRACT WAS PURCHASED AND WHICH APPEARS ON THIS CONFIRMATION. TO RESCIND THIS CONTRACT SEND A TELEGRAM TO (name and address of LTM) OR YOU MAY TELEPHONE (name of LTM) AT (telephone number). IF YOU RESCIND BY TELEPHONE, YOU MUST ALSO SEND IMMEDIATE WRITTEN AFFIRMATION BY TELEGRAM, CERTIFIED LETTER OR BY AT LEAST EQUIVALENT MEANS TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED ABOVE; and
(ii) For every leverage transaction, the following information:
(A) The date the leverage contract was entered into;
(B) The transaction identification number;
(C) The name of the leverage commodity;
(D) The expiration date of the leverage contract;
(E) The total cost of the leverage contracts covered in the Confirmation Statement, which equals the leverage transaction merchant’s ask price in dollars per unit multiplied by the number of units multiplied by the number of contracts;
(F) The total unpaid balance for this transaction;
(G) The total initial charges for the transaction;
(H) The total initial margin for the transaction, in dollars and as a percentage of the contract price;
(I) The total amount due (or paid) to initiate the transaction, which equals the total initial charges plus the total initial margin in dollars;
(J) The current equity in the individual customer’s account as of the date of this transaction, but excluding this transaction;
(K) The total variable carrying charges to be billed each period, in dollars and as an annual percentage rate, based on the carrying charge rate prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(L) The total bid/ask spread, based on prices prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(M) The total termination charges incurred if the contract is repurchased, liquidated by the leverage transaction merchant or settled by delivery, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(N) Any other charges associated with terminating the transaction, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(O) Any special charges associated with liquidating the transaction, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(P) The total delivery charges incurred if the customer takes delivery on the contract, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(Q) The following formula enabling a customer to calculate the estimated total contract value to break-even: Initial contract value plus the bid-ask spread plus the intitial charges plus any other charges plus the termination charges plus the carrying charges for the period the contract is intended to be held open;
(R) The total minimum margin, in dollars and as a percentage of contract price, based on the rate prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(S) The total maintenance margin, in dollars and as a percentage of contract price, based on the rate prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(T) The commercial or retail cash price series filed in accordance with § 31.6 available to the leverage customer to evaluate the leverage contract (including any applicable premiums or discounts), and where quotes of this series can be obtained on a timely basis; and
(2) Not later than the next business day after entry into a short leverage contract with a customer, each leverage transaction merchant shall furnish to such customer by first-class mail or other, at least equivalent, means of communication, a written Confirmation Statement in a format specified by the Commission containing:
(i) For a leverage customer’s first leverage transaction, the following bold-faced statement in at least ten-point type:
(ii) For every leverage transaction, the following information:
(A) The date the leverage contract was entered into;
(B) The transaction identification number;
(C) The name of the leverage commodity;
(D) The expiration date of the leverage contract;
(E) The total cost of the leverage contracts covered in the Confirmation Statement, which equals the leverage transaction merchant’s bid price in dollars per unit multiplied by the number of units multiplied by the number of contracts;
(F) The total initial charges for the transaction;
(G) The total initial margin for the transaction, in dollars and as a percentage of the contract price;
(H) The total amount due (or paid) to initiate the transaction, which equals the total initial charges plus the total initial margin in dollars;
(I) The current equity in the individual customer’s account as of the date of this transaction, but excluding this transaction;
(J) The total variable carrying charges to be credited each period, in dollars and as an annual percentage rate, based on the carrying charge rate prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(K) The total bid/ask spread, based on prices prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(L) The total termination charges incurred if the contract is resold, liquidated by the leverage transaction merchant or settled by delivery, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(M) Any other charges associated with terminating the transaction, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(N) Any special charges associated with liquidating the transaction, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(O) The total delivery (including assay) charges incurred if the customer makes delivery on the contract, based on charges prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(P) The following formula enabling a customer to calculate the estimated total contract value to break-even: Initial contract value plus carrying charges for the period the contract is intended to be held open, minus the bid-ask spread, minus the initial charges, minus any other charges, minus the termination charges;
(Q) The total minimum margin, in dollars and as a percentage of contract price, based on the rate prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(R) The total maintenance margin, in dollars and as a percentage of contract price, based on the rate prevailing at the time the contract is entered into;
(S) The commercial or retail cash price series filed in accordance with § 31.6 available to the leverage customer to evaluate the leverage contract (including any applicable premiums or discounts), and where quotes of this series can be obtained on a timely basis.
(l) Each leverage transaction merchant shall furnish, upon request, by first-class mail or other generally accepted means of communication, to all leverage customers with open leverage contracts and to prospective leverage customers who are being solicited to enter leverage contracts with it, a true copy of portions of the quarterly unaudited or annual audited financial statement most recently filed with the Commission pursuant to § 31.13, except that the portions of those statements which will generally be accorded non-public treatment by the Commission need not be so furnished.
(m)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, if a leverage transaction merchant is not offering to enter into, entering into or confirming the execution of, soliciting or accepting a leverage customer’s order for, or accepting any leverage customer funds from a leverage customer to enter into or maintain any short leverage contract, the leverage transaction merchant may delete or disregard references to short leverage contracts in its Disclosure Document as follows:
(i) The third sentence of the first paragraph of the required bold-faced risk disclosure statement in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(ii) The words “and a short leverage transaction” in the fourth sentence of the first paragraph of the required bold-faced risk disclosure statement in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(iii) The words “and leverage contracts sold to a leverage transaction merchant are re-established at the then prevailing ask price” in the fifth sentence of the third paragraph of the required bold-faced risk disclosure statement in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(iv) The second sentence of the fifth paragraph of the required bold-faced risk disclosure statement in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(v) The words “or resold to” in the first sentence of the sixth paragraph of the required bold-faced risk disclosure statement in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(vi) The words “or resell,” “and must also offer to resell any short leverage contract previously sold by a leverage customer,” and “or short” in the second sentence of the sixth paragraph of the required bold-faced risk disclosure statement in paragraph (a)(1) of this section;
(vii) The words “or resold” and “or resale” (twice) in paragraph (a)(2)(vii) of this section;
(viii) All of the words following the first semicolon in paragraph (a)(2)(viii) of this section;
(ix) The words “and a representative single short leverage contract” in paragraph (a)(3) of this section; and
(x) The words “or short” in paragraphs (a)(5)(i) and (a)(5)(ii) of this section.
(2) Any leverage transaction merchant using a Disclosure Document that deletes or disregards references to short leverage contracts as permitted by paragraph (m)(1) of this section must file, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (e)(2) of this section, a new Disclosure Document meeting all of the requirements of paragraphs (a) through (i) of this section at least 30 calendar days before it begins to offer any short leverage contract.
§ 31.12 Segregation.
(a) Any person that accepts leverage customer funds from a leverage customer to enter into or maintain a leverage contract shall treat and deal with such leverage customer funds as belonging to that leverage customer. Such leverage customer funds: (1) Shall be separately accounted for and segregated as belonging to the leverage customer, (2) shall be kept in the United States, (3) shall not be commingled with the funds of any other person, and (4) shall not be used to secure or extend the credit of any leverage customer or person other than the one for whom the leverage customer funds are held: Provided, however, That the leverage customer funds treated as belonging to a leverage customer may for convenience be commingled with other leverage customer funds and deposited in the same account or accounts with a futures commission merchant or with a bank or trust company located in the United States under conditions set forth in paragraph (b) of this section. Any leverage customer funds when so deposited with a futures commission merchant, bank or trust company, shall be deposited under an account name which clearly indicates that the account contains leverage customer funds that are segregated as required by this section. Each person so depositing any leverage customer funds shall obtain and retain in its files for the period provided in § 1.31 of this chapter an acknowledgment from the futures commission merchant, bank or trust company wherein the leverage customer funds have been deposited that the futures commission merchant, bank or trust company has been informed that the leverage customer funds deposited with it are being treated by the depositing person as belonging to leverage customers and are being held in accordance with the provisions of this section. The futures commission merchant, bank or trust company shall allow inspection of such segregated accounts, including all documents pertaining thereto, at any reasonable time by any representative of the Commission or designated self-regulatory organization, if any. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a leverage transaction merchant may exclude from its segregation requirements commissions and other charges lawfully accruing in connection with leverage contracts provided such charges have actually been made to leverage customers’ accounts and are shown on the customers’ statements.
(b) No leverage customer funds deposited in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section shall be held, disposed of, used or treated as belonging to the depositing person or any person other than the leverage customers from whom the leverage customer funds were received: Provided, however, That leverage customer funds may be used to purchase obligations of the United States, general obligations of any state or of any political subdivision thereof, obligations fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States, or unencumbered warehouse receipts for inventory held in approved contract market depositories or in commercial banks located in the United States which represent cover for leverage contracts purchased by such leverage customers, or may be deposited in a commodity account with a futures commission merchant to margin futures contracts or to purchase commodity options traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market which are permissible cover as described in § 31.8(a) (2) and (3) for leverage contracts entered into by such leverage customers. Any use of leverage customer funds as described in this paragraph (b) shall be made through an account or accounts used for the deposit of leverage customer funds, and proceeds from any sale, liquidation or other disposition of obligations or warehouse receipts obtained by such use shall be redeposited in these accounts. Each person that uses leverage customer funds to purchase obligations or warehouse receipts of the type described in this paragraph (b) shall separately account for and segregate the obligations or warehouse receipts as belonging to leverage customers. The obligations or warehouse receipts shall be deposited with a futures commission merchant, bank or trust company in the United States and shall be deposited under an account name which clearly indicates that it contains obligations or warehouse receipts treated as belonging to leverage customers, segregated as required by this section. Each person so depositing any obligations or warehouse receipts shall obtain and retain in its files for the period provided in § 1.31 of this chapter an acknowledgment from the futures commission merchant, bank or trust company wherein the obligations or warehouse receipts have been deposited that the futures commission merchant, bank or trust company has been informed that the obligations or warehouse receipts are being treated by the depositing person as belonging to leverage customers and are being held in accordance with the provisions of this section. The futures commission merchant, bank or trust company shall allow inspection of such obligations or warehouse receipts at any reasonable time by any representative of the Commission or designated self-regulatory organization, if any. Each person that uses leverage customer funds to margin futures contracts or to purchase commodity options traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market which represent permissible cover for leverage contracts entered into by such leverage customers shall use a commodity account separate from any other commodity account containing futures contracts which do not represent cover. The leverage customer funds deposited in a commodity account with a futures commission merchant to margin futures contracts or to purchase commodity options traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market which represent permissible cover for leverage contracts entered into by such leverage customers shall be deposited under an account name which clearly indicates that it contains obligations treated as belonging to leverage customers, segregated as required by this section. Each person so depositing any leverage customer funds shall obtain and retain in its files for the period provided in § 1.31 of this chapter an acknowledgment from the futures commission merchant wherein the leverage customer funds have been deposited that:
(1) The futures commission merchant has been informed that the commodity account is being treated by the depositing person as belonging to leverage customers and is being held in accordance with the provisions of this section,
(2) The customers on whose behalf the account is maintained by the leverage transaction merchant shall not be liable for any margin calls or other required deposits related to such account, and
(3) Upon liquidation of the open contracts in the account the futures commission merchant’s claim in the account balance will be subordinate to that of leverage customers.
(c) Each person that uses leverage customer funds to purchase obligations or unencumbered warehouse receipts as permitted by paragraph (b) of this section shall keep a written record which includes the following:
(1) The date on which the purchase was made;
(2) The name of the person through which the purchase was made;
(3) The amount of funds so used;
(4) A description of such obligations or warehouse receipts, including the receipt number and the issuer’s name;
(5) The identity of the futures commission merchant, bank or trust company wherein the obligations or warehouse receipts are segregated;
(6) The date on which the obligation, warehouse receipt, or portion thereof, is liquidated or otherwise disposed of;
(7) The amount of money, if any, received upon such liquidation or disposition; and
(8) The name of the person to or through which the obligation or warehouse receipt was disposed.
(d) Persons that use leverage customer funds to purchase obligations or unencumbered warehouse receipts described in paragraph (b) of this section shall include such obligations or unencumbered warehouse receipts in segregated accounts at values which do not exceed the lesser of current market value or a value calculated on the basis of a commercial or retail cash price series used to compute the market value of the physical commodities subject to leverage contracts in accordance with § 31.9(a)(1).
(e) The provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall not operate to prevent any person that uses leverage customer funds to purchase government obligations as described therein from receiving and retaining as its own any increment or interest resulting from such government obligations: Provided, however, That the leverage transaction merchant fulfills its obligation to pay carrying charges on a short leverage contract, including any margin deposit made in connection with such a contract, in accordance with § 31.25(b).
(f) The amount of leverage customer funds which are and which must be in a segregated account in order to comply with the requirements of this section shall be computed as of the close of each business day by each person required to segregate such leverage customer funds. A written record of this computation shall be made and kept, together with all supporting data, in accordance with the provsions of § 1.31 of this chapter. This daily computation shall be made by noon on the next business day and shall be identical in format to the Schedule of Segregation Requirements and Funds in Segregation contained in Form 2-FR.
(g) Each leverage transaction merchant shall maintain, as provided in § 1.31, a record of all securities and property received from leverage customers in lieu of money to purchase, guarantee or secure the entry into a leverage contract. Such record shall show separately for each leverage customer a description of the securities or property received; the name and address of such leverage customer; the dates when the securities or property were received; the identity of the depositories or other places where such securities or property are segregated; the dates of deposits and withdrawals from such depositories; and the date of return of such securities or property to such leverage customer, or other disposition thereof, together with the facts and circumstances of such other disposition.
(h) The requirements of paragraphs (a) through (g) of this section shall not be applicable if the leverage transaction merchant is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization and conforms to minimum segregation standards and related reporting requirements set by such designated self-regulatory organization in its bylaws, rules, regulations or resolutions approved by the Commission pursuant to section 19 of the Act and § 31.28 of this part.
§ 31.13 Financial reports of leverage transaction merchants.
(a) Each leverage transaction merchant who files an application for registration with the National Futures Association under § 3.17 of this chapter shall submit concurrently with the filing of such application either:
(1) A Form 2-FR certified by an independent public accountant as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which such report is filed; or
(2) A Form 2-FR as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date on which such report is filed and an Form 2-FR certified by an independent public accountant as of a date not more than 1 year prior to the date on which such report is filed. Each such person must include with such financial report a statement describing the source of his current assets and representing that his capital has been contributed for the purpose of operating his business and will continue to be used for such purpose.
(b)(1) Each leverage transaction merchant must file, in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section, a Form 2-FR for each fiscal quarter of each fiscal year. The Form 2-FR filed as of the close of the leverage transaction merchant’s fiscal year must be certified by an independent public accountant. Each Form 2-FR must be filed no later than 45 days after the date for which the report is made: Provided, however, That any Form 2-FR which must be certified by an independent public accountant must be filed no later than 90 days after the close of the leverage transaction merchant’s fiscal year.
(2) The provisions of paragraph (b)(1) of this section may be met by any person registered as a leverage transaction merchant who is a member of a designated self-regulatory organization and conforms to minimum financial standards and related reporting requirements set by such designated self-regulatory organization in its bylaws, rules, regulations, or resolutions and approved after April 13, 1984, by the Commission pursuant to section 19 of the Act and § 31.28 of this part: Provided, however, That each such registrant shall promptly file with the Commission a true and exact copy of each financial report which it files with such designated self-regulatory organization.
(c) Each Form 2-FR which must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section, must be certified in accordance with § 1.16 of this chapter, and must be accompanied by the accountant’s report on material inadequacies in accordance with the provisions of § 1.16(c)(5) of this chapter. In all other respects, the independent public accountant shall act in accordance with the provisions of § 1.16 (except paragraph (f)) of this chapter: Provided, however, That the term “Form 2-FR” shall be substituted for “Form 1-FR” in § 1.16(c)(5) of this chapter, the term “§ 31.9” shall be substituted for the term “§ 1.17,” the term “leverage transaction merchant” shall be substituted for the term “futures commission merchant,” and “the segregation requirements of § 31.12” shall be substituted for “the segregation requirements of section 4d(a)(2) of the Act and these regulations and the secured amount requirement of the Act and these regulations.”
(d) Upon receiving written notice from any representative of the Commission or any self-regulatory organization of which it is a member, a leverage transaction merchant shall, on a monthly basis or at such other times as specified, furnish the Commission and the self-regulatory organization, if any, with a Form 2-FR or such other financial information as requested by the representative of the Commission or the self-regulatory organization. Each such Form 2-FR or such other information must be furnished within the time specified in the written notice.
(e) The reports provided for in this section will be considered filed when received by the regional office of the Commission with jurisdiction over the state wherein the principal place of business of the leverage transaction merchant is located, in accordance with § 140.2 of this chapter, and by the designated self-regulatory organization, if any.
(f) Each Form 2-FR filed pursuant to this section which is not required to be certified by an independent public accountant must be completed in accordance with the instructions to the form and contain:
(1) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(2) A statement of changes in ownership equity for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(3) A statement of changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made;
(4) A statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 31.9, a schedule of coverage requirements and coverage provided, and a schedule of segregation requirements and funds on deposit in segregation, as of the date for which the report is made; and
(5) In addition to the information expressly required, such further information as may be necessary to make the required statements and schedules not misleading.
(g) Each Form 2-FR filed pursuant to this § 31.13 which is required to be certified by an independent public accountant must be completed in accordance with the instructions to the form and contain:
(1) A statement of financial condition as of the date for which the report is made;
(2) Statements of: income (loss); cash flows; changes in ownership equity; and changes in liabilities subordinated to claims of general creditors, for the period between the date of the most recent statement of financial condition filed with the Commission and the date for which the report is made: Provided, however, That for an applicant filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the period must be the year ending as of the date of the statement of financial condition;
(3) A statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 31.9, a schedule of coverage requirements and coverage provided, and a schedule of segregation requirements and funds on deposit in segregation, as of the date for which the report is made;
(4) Appropriate footnote disclosures; and
(5) In addition to the information expressly required, such further information as may be necessary to make the required statements and schedules not misleading.
(h) The statements required by paragraphs (g) (1) and (2) of this section may be presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the certified reports filed as of the close of the registrant’s fiscal year pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, or accompanying the application for registration pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, rather than in the format specifically prescribed by these regulations: Provided, however, That the statement of financial condition is presented in a format as consistent as possible with the Form 2-FR and a reconciliation is provided reconciling such statement of financial condition to the statement of the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 31.9. Such reconciliation must be certified by an independent public accountant in accordance with § 1.16 of this chapter.
(i) Attached to each Form 2-FR filed pursuant to this section must be an oath or affirmation that to the best knowledge and belief of the individual making such oath or affirmation the information contained in the Form 2-FR is true and correct. If the leverage transaction merchant is a sole proprietorship, then the oath or affirmation must be made by the proprietor; if a partnership, by a general partner; or, if a corporation, by the chief executive officer or chief financial officer.
(j) Any leverage transaction merchant wishing to establish a fiscal year other than the calendar year may do so by notifying the National Futures Association of its election of such fiscal year in writing, concurrently with the filing of Form 2-FR pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, but in no event may such fiscal year end more than one year from the date of the Form 2-FR filed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section. A leverage transaction merchant which does not so notify the National Futures Association will be deemed to have elected the calendar year as its fiscal year. A leverage transaction merchant must continue to use its elected fiscal year, calendar or otherwise, unless a change in such fiscal year is approved upon written application to the designated self-regulatory organization.
(k) In the event any leverage transaction merchant finds that it cannot file its report for any period within the time specified in paragraphs (b) or (d) of this section without substantial undue hardship, it may file with the designated self-regulatory organization an application for an extension of time to a specified date which may not be more than 90 days after the date as of which the financial report was to have been filed. The application must state the reasons for the requested extension and must contain an agreement to file the report on or before the specified date. The application must be received by the designated self-regulatory organization before the time specified in paragraphs (b) or (d) of this section for filing the report. Within 10 calendar days after receipt of the application for an extension of time, the designated self-regulatory organization shall: (1) Notify the leverage transaction merchant of the grant or denial of the requested extension; or (2) indicate that additional time is required to analyze the request, in which case the amount of time needed will be specified.
(l)(1) In the event a leverage transaction merchant finds that it cannot file its certified financial report and schedules for any year within the time specified in paragraph (b) of this section without substantial undue hardship, it may file with the designated self-regulatory organization an application for an extension of time to a specified date not more than 90 days after the date as of which the certified financial report and schedules were to have been filed. The application must be submitted by the leverage transaction merchant and must:
(i) State the reasons for the requested extension;
(ii) Indicate that the inability to make a timely filing is due to circumstances beyond the control of the leverage transaction merchant, if such is the case, and describe briefly the nature of such circumstances;
(iii) Be accompanied by the latest available formal computation of its adjusted net capital and minimum financial requirements computed in accordance with § 31.9;
(iv) Be accompanied by the latest available computation of required segregation and by a computation of the amount of leverage customer funds segregated pursuant to § 31.12 as of the date of the latest available computation;
(v) Be accompanied by the latest available computation of required cover and by a computation of cover provided pursuant to § 31.8 as of the date of the latest available computation;
(vi) Contain an agreement to file the report on or before the date specified by the leverage transaction merchant in the application;
(vii) Be received by the designated self-regulatory organization prior to the date on which the report is due; and
(viii) Be accompanied by a letter from the independent public accountant answering the following questions:
(A) What specifically are the reasons for the extension request?
(B) On the basis of that part of your audit to date, do you have any indication that may cause you to consider commenting on any material inadequacies in the accounting system, internal accounting controls or procedures for safeguarding customer or firm assets?
(C) Do you have any indication from the part of your audit completed to date that would lead you to believe that the firm was or is not meeting the minimum capital requirements specified in § 31.9 or the cover or segregation requirements of these regulations, or has any significant financial or recordkeeping problems?
(2) Within 10 calendar days after receipt of an application for extension of time, the designated self-regulatory organization shall:
(i) Notify the leverage transaction merchant of the grant or denial of the requested extension; or
(ii) Indicate that additional time is required to analyze the request, in which case the amount of time needed will be specified.
(3) On the written request of a leverage transaction merchant, or on its own motion, the designated self-regulatory organization may grant an extension of time or an exemption from any of the certified financial reporting requirements of this section either unconditionally or on specified terms and conditions.
(m) The following portions of Form 2-FR filed pursuant to this section will be public: The statement of financial condition, the computation of the minimum capital requirements pursuant to § 31.9, the schedule of coverage requirements and cover provided, and the schedule of segregation requirements and funds on deposit in segregation. The other financial statements (including the statement of income (loss)), footnote disclosures and schedules of Form 2-FR, trade secrets and certain other commercial or financial information on such other statements and schedules, will be treated as nonpublic for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act and the Government in the Sunshine Act and parts 145 and 147 of this chapter. All information on such other statements, footnote disclosures and schedules will, however, be available for official use by any official or employee of the United States or any State, by any self-regulatory organization of which the person filing such report is a member, by the National Futures Association in the case of an applicant, and by any other person to whom the Commission believes disclosure of such information is in the public interest. The independent public accountant’s opinion filed pursuant to this section will be deemed to be public information.
(n)(1) Until such time as the Commission orders, otherwise, the Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight or his designee the authority to perform all functions reserved to the Commission in this section.
§ 31.14 Recordkeeping.
(a) All books, records and other documents required to be kept by this part shall be kept in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31 of this chapter. In addition, information concerning leverage transactions shall be made available upon request of the Executive Director, the Director of the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or the Director of the Division of Enforcement, or other designees, at a time and place and in such form and manner as may be specified in the request.
(b) Each leverage transaction merchant shall:
(1) Keep full, complete, and systematic records, together with all pertinent data and memoranda, of all transactions relating to leverage contracts, commodity futures, commodity options and cash commodities and furnish true and correct information and reports as to the contents or the meaning thereof when and as requested by any authorized representative of the Commission, designated self-regulatory organization, if any, or the U.S. Department of Justice. Included among such records shall be: All leverage contract orders; signature cards; journals; ledgers; canceled checks; bank statements; loan agreements; invoices; copies of confirmations; copies of statements of purchase, sale, repurchase, resale, liquidation, rescission and delivery; copies of month-end statements; monthly trial balances, and a monthly listing as described in paragraph (d) of this section; reports, letters and copies of disclosure statements signed by leverage customers as described in § 31.11; promotional material, circulars, memoranda, publications, writings, and all other literature or written advice distributed to leverage customers or prospective leverage customers; and all other records, data and memoranda which have been prepared in the course of the business of the leverage transaction merchant concerning leverage contracts, commodity futures, commodity options, and cash commodities;
(2) Keep a record in permanent form which shall show for each leverage customer’s account carried by such leverage transaction merchant:
(i) The true name and address of the person for whom such account is carried;
(ii) The principal occupation and/or type of business of the person for whom such account is carried;
(iii) The name and address of any other person who assumes or purports to assume any financial responsibility for or operational control of such account; and
(iv) The names of the persons who have solicited and are responsible for each leverage customer’s account.
(c) Each leverage transaction merchant shall, as a minimum requirement, prepare regularly and promptly, and keep systematically and in permanent form, the following:
(1) A financial ledger which will show separately for each leverage customer’s account all charges against and credits to such leverage customer’s account, including but not limited to all charges and credits for purchases, repurchases, sales, resales, liquidations, rescissions and settlements by delivery of leverage contracts (including the corresponding transaction identification numbers) and all funds transferred, desposited into, or withdrawn from the leverage customer’s account.
(2) A record of transactions which will show separately for each leverage customer’s account in chronological sequence all leverage contracts entered into with such customer. This record will show for each transaction: The date of the transaction; the commodity involved; a transaction identification number; the maturity date; the number of contracts; whether the transaction represents an initial purchase, initial sale, closing repurchase, closing resale, a liquidating transaction, a rescission or a delivery; and, if a closing or liquidating transaction or a rescission, the total amount realized.
(3) A daily record or journal which will show separately by leverage commodity complete details of all leverage transactions executed on that day, including the person for whom such transaction was made, the leverage commodity and contract involved, the number of leverage contracts, the transaction identification number for each leverage contract, whether the transaction was an initial purchase, repurchase, initial sale, resale, liquidating transaction, rescission or delivery, and the total value of the transaction.
(4) The acknowledgement specified in § 31.11(a).
(5) A record of all notifications under § 31.11(h).
(6) Where reproductions on microfilm of the records required by this paragraph (c) are substituted for hard copy in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the requirement of paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section will be considered met if the person required to keep such records is ready at all times to provide, and immediately provides at such time and place as required by the Commission and at the expense of such person, reproduced copies which show the records as specified in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section, on request by any representative of the Commission, designated self-regulatory organization or the U.S. Department of Justice.
(d) Each leverage transaction merchant shall prepare, as of the close of the last business day of each calendar month, a listing of all open leverage contracts carried for leverage customs. Such listing shall be by leverage commodity and contract and separately by long leverage contracts and short leverage contracts, and shall include the following details with respect to each leverage contract:
(1) The customer account identification number;
(2) The name of the leverage commodity and contract;
(3) The date of execution and the maturity date;
(4) The transaction identification number;
(5) The value of the leverage contract when initiated; and
(6) The unrealized profit or loss on each open leverage contract marked to the market on the basis of the leverage transaction merchant’s bid price for a long leverage contract and ask price for a short leverage contract.
§ 31.15 Reporting to leverage customers.
Each leverage transaction merchant shall furnish in writing directly to each leverage customer:
(a) Promptly upon the repurchase, resale, liquidation, rescission or delivery of a leverage contract, a statement showing the financial result of the transactions involved, including the gain or loss on the leverage contract as well as the commission and other charges;
(b) As of the close of the last business day of each calendar month or as of any regular monthly date selected a statement which clearly shows:
(1) All leverage contracts which were terminated for or by the leverage customer during the monthly reporting period by leverage commodity and contract, the number of contracts involved, the transaction identification number for each leverage contract, whether the terminating transaction involved repurchase, resale, liquidation, rescission, or delivery, the date the contract was initially entered into, the value of the contract when initiated, the date the contract was terminated, the value of the contract when terminated, and the realized profit or loss on the contract;
(2) The open leverage contract positions carried for the leverage customer by leverage commodity and contract, whether the position is a long or short leverage contract, the dates on which such contracts were executed and their maturity dates, the number of contracts, the total value of the contracts when initiated, and the unrealized profit or loss on each such contract marked to the market on the basis of the leverage transaction merchant’s bid price for a long leverage contract and ask price for a short leverage contract.
(3) The net ledger balance carried in the leverage customer’s account as of the monthly closing date and a complete accounting of any leverage customer funds held for the leverage customer;
(4) A detailed accounting of all financial charges and credits to the previous ledger balance during the monthly reporting period, including all leverage customer funds received from or disbursed to the leverage customer, and all commissions and fees incidental to the contract which have been charged and received, as well as all realized profits and losses; and
(5) Any securities or other property which the leverage customer has deposited with the leverage transaction merchant that represent leverage customer funds.
(c) With respect to any leverage account controlled by any person other than the leverage customer for whom the account is carried, except such leverage customer’s spouse, parent or child, a copy of the statements required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall be sent to the controller of the account as well as to the leverage customer for whom such account is carried.
§ 31.16 Monthly reporting requirements.
(a) Monthly activity. Each leverage transaction merchant shall file written monthly reports with the National Futures Association in the format specified by the National Futures Association, by the tenth business day of the month following the month covered by the report and shall include the following information separately for each leverage commodity and each long and short leverage contract:
(1) The total number of leverage contracts that are open as of the close of business on the last business day of the month for:
(i) All customer accounts, and
(ii) Separately for commercial leverage accounts.
(2) The total number of leverage contracts entered into by leverage customers during the month for:
(i) All customer accounts, and
(ii) Separately for commercial leverage accounts.
(3) The total number of leverage contracts which were repurchased or resold by the leverage transaction merchant during the month.
(4) The total number of leverage contracts which were liquidated by the leverage transaction merchant during the month (i.e., as a result of overdue or unanswered margin calls).
(5) The total number of deliveries on leverage contracts during the month.
(6) The total number of leverage contracts which were rescinded during the month.
(b) Prices. The monthly report shall also show the following information separately for each leverage commodity and each long and short leverage contract: the leverage transaction merchant’s last bid price offered and last ask price offered as of the close of business on each business day.
§ 31.17 Records of leverage transactions.
(a) Each leverage transaction merchant receiving a leverage customer’s order shall immediately upon receipt thereof prepare a written record of such order, including the account identification and order number, and shall record thereon, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, such order is received.
(b) Each leverage transaction merchant executing the order of a leverage customer shall record on a written record of such order, including the account identification and order number, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time, to the nearest minute, such order is executed.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the term “order” shall include, but not be limited to, any order for the purchase, sale, repurchase, resale, rescission, settlement by delivery, or liquidation of a leverage contract.
(d) Each leverage transaction merchant shall establish and maintain a record of the bid and ask prices of each leverage contract on each leverage commodity that the leverage transaction merchant offers to sell or sells, or offers to purchase or purchases. The record shall include the times these prices were in effect to the nearest ten seconds.
§ 31.18 Margin calls.
(a) No leverage transaction merchant shall liquidate a leverage contract because of a margin deficiency without effecting personal contact with the leverage customer. If a leverage transaction merchant is unable to effect personal contact with a leverage customer, a telegram sent to the leverage customer at the address furnished by the customer to the leverage transaction merchant shall be sufficient contact.
(b) A leverage transaction merchant shall allow a leverage customer a reasonable time after contact is effected in which to respond to a margin call. Twenty-four hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, will be a reasonable time: Provided, however, That in the event the leverage customer’s leverage account equity falls below 50 percent of aggregate minimum margin with respect to the leverage contracts therein, the leverage transaction merchant may liquidate sufficient contracts to restore minimum margin without prior notice: Provided, further, That the leverage customer must be notified of such liquidation within no more than 24 hours thereafter and must be permitted to re-establish his contract for a period of 5 business days at the then prevailing bid price in the case of a long leverage contract and at the then prevailing ask price in the case of a short leverage contract, without commissions, fees or other mark-ups or charges. If a termination charge was assessed by the leverage transaction merchant upon liquidation of a contract in accordance with the first proviso of this paragraph, such a charge must be rescinded upon re-establishment of the contract in accordance with the second proviso of this paragraph.
(c) A record of all margin calls, including all contacts with leverage customers and attempts to contact leverage customers with respect to such calls, shall be kept by the leverage transaction merchant in accordance with the provisions of § 31.14.
(d) Leverage contracts liquidated by a leverage transaction merchant because of a margin deficiency must be liquidated in declining order of loss, commencing with the leverage contract with the greatest loss.
§ 31.19 Unlawful representations.
It shall be unlawful for any person:
(a) Required to be registered with the Commission in accordance with §§ 3.17 and 3.18 of this chapter expressly or impliedly to represent that the commission, by registering that person or by registering the leverage commodity which underlies contracts offered for sale or purchase, or sold or purchased by that person, or otherwise, has directly or indirectly approved that person, the person’s method of operation, or any leverage commodity or leverage contract solicited or accepted by that person;
(b) To represent in writing that it is registered with the Commission or that it is offering any leverage commodity registered with the Commission without also stating in writing in connection with that representation that the Commission, by registering that person or the leverage commodity which underlies contracts offered for sale or purchase or sold or purchased by that person, has not directly or indirectly approved the person, the person’s method of operation, or any leverage commodity or contract solicited or accepted by that person; or
(c) In or in connection with an offer to enter into, the entry into, the confirmation of the execution of, or the maintenance of any leverage contract, expressly or impliedly to represent that compliance with the provisions of the Act and these regulations constitutes a guarantee of the fulfillment of the leverage contract.
§ 31.20 Prohibition of guarantees against loss.
(a) No leverage transaction merchant shall in any way represent that it will, with respect to any leverage contract in any account carried by the leverage transaction merchant for or on behalf of any person:
(1) Guarantee such person against loss;
(2) Limit the loss of such person; or
(3) Not call for or attempt to collect initial, minimum or maintenance leverage margin established for customers.
(b) No person shall in any way represent that a leverage transaction merchant will engage in any of the acts or practices described in paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) of this section.
(c) This section shall not be construed to prevent a leverage transaction merchant from assuming or sharing in the losses resulting from an error or mishandling of an order.
(d) This section shall not affect any guarantee entered into prior to the effective date of this section, but this section shall apply to any extension, modification or renewal thereof entered into after such date.
§ 31.21 Leverage contracts entered into prior to April 13, 1984; subsequent transactions.
Nothing contained in these regulations shall be construed to affect any lawful activities that occurred prior to April 13, 1984. All leverage contracts offered or entered into on or after April 13, 1984 shall be subject to the terms and conditions of these regulations.
§ 31.22 Prohibited trading in leverage contracts.
No futures commission merchant or introducing broker shall offer to enter into, enter into, confirm the execution of, or solicit or accept orders for any leverage contract.
§ 31.23 Limited right to rescind first leverage contract.
(a) A leverage customer who is entering a leverage contract or contracts for the first time with a particular leverage transaction merchant may rescind such contract or contracts during a period of not less than three business days from and including the day on which the leverage customer receives the Confirmation Statement pursuant to the following provisions:
(1) Such customer may be assessed actual price losses accruing to the customer’s position from the time at which the customer entered into a leverage contract to the time that the leverage contract was rescinded. Such losses do not extend to any other charges or fees, such as account initiation, carrying, margin or account termination;
(2) In the case of a leverage customer whose initial leverage transaction was a purchase of a leverage contract from a leverage transaction merchant (long leverage contract), actual losses accruing to the position may be calculated only by subtracting the ask price of the leverage contract offered by the leverage transaction merchant at the time when the leverage contract was rescinded from the ask price at which the leverage contract was purchased by the leverage customer and which appears on the Confirmation Statement. In the case of a leverage customer whose initial leverage transaction was a sale of a leverage contract to a leverage transaction merchant (short leverage contract), actual losses are calculated by subtracting the bid price at which the leverage contract was sold by the leverage customer and which appears on the Confirmation Statement from the bid price of the leverage contract offered by the leverage transaction merchant at the time when the leverage contract was rescinded.
(3) Such customer may rescind the contract by telegram sent to the leverage transaction merchant at the address provided on the confirmation statement, or by telephone to a telephone number provided by the leverage transaction merchant on the Confirmation Statement with immediate written affirmation of rescission by telegram, certified letter or at least equivalent means.
(b) A leverage transaction merchant must make complete refund of all monies received except for actual price losses as calculated in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, to the leverage customer who has rescinded a contract pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section within 24 hours of notification of rescission.
§ 31.24 [Reserved]
§ 31.25 Bid and ask prices; carrying charges.
(a) A leverage transaction merchant must use the same bid price at any particular point in time to purchase a leverage contract from a leverage customer (initiation of a short transaction) and to repurchase a leverage contract from a leverage customer (close-out of a long transaction), and a leverage transaction merchant must use the same ask price at any particular point in time to sell a leverage contract to a leverage customer (initiation of a long transaction) and to resell a leverage contract to a leverage customer (close-out of a short transaction), with respect to contracts involving the same leverage commodity.
(b) A leverage transaction merchant must apply a carrying charge rate on a short leverage contract that is within one percent per annum of the carrying charge rate that it applies to a long leverage contract. In the case of a short leverage contract, the leverage customer must be credited with carrying charges computed on the total initial value of the contract, using the bid price when the contract was executed, plus any margin deposits made by the leverage customer in connection with the contract, and the same carrying charge rate must be applied to the total initial value of the contract and to the margin deposits. In the case of a long leverage contract, the leverage customer must be assessed carrying charges only on the unpaid balance of the contract, which is the total initial value of the contract, using the ask price when the contract was executed, minus any margin deposits made in connection with the contract: Provided, however, That in the case of a long leverage contract, interest on unpaid carrying charges may be assessed at the same rate as the interest rate component of the carrying charges and, if such an assessment were made and if the leverage transaction merchant offers short leverage contracts, payment of interest on carrying charges that have been credited to the leverage customer’s account and not withdrawn must be made at the same rate as the interest rate component of the carrying charges.
§ 31.26 Quarterly reporting requirement.
Each leverage transaction merchant must file, in accordance with the instructions of, and in the format specified by, the National Furtures Association a quarterly report with the National Futures Association by the fifteenth business day of the month following the quarter covered by the report. The report must list all leverage contracts which were either repurchased, resold, liquidated or settled by delivery by or to the leverage transaction merchant during the quarter and, with respect to each leverage contract, must include the following information:
(a) The leverage commodity and contract involved;
(b) Whether a long or short leverage contract was involved;
(c) The date the leverage contract was entered into;
(d) The maturity date of the leverage contract at initiation;
(e) The price at which the leverage contract was entered into;
(f) Whether the leverage contract was repurchased, resold, liquidated or settled by delivery;
(g) The date the leverage contract was repurchased, resold, liquidated or settled by delivery;
(h) The price at which the leverage contract was repurchased, resold or liquidated;
(i) The leverage customer account identification number;
(j) Whether the leverage customer had a commercial or noncommercial leverage account;
(k) Whether the leverage customer was the owner or holder of a proprietary leverage account as defined in § 31.4(e); and
(l) The profit or loss incurred by the leverage customer on the contract. In the case of a long leverage contract, profit or loss shall be determined by subtracting, from the total value of the contract based on the leverage transaction merchant’s bid price at the time of repurchase or liquidation, the total value of the contract based on the ask price at which the contract was entered into, minus any amounts paid or owed by the leverage customer to the leverage transaction merchant, including initial, carrying and termination charges, plus any amounts paid or credited by the leverage transaction merchant to the leverage customer, in connection with the leverage contract. In the case of a short leverage contract, profit or loss shall be determined by subtracting, from the total value of the contract based on the bid price at which the contract was entered into, the total value of the contract based on the leverage transaction merchant’s ask price at the time of resale or liquidation, minus any amounts paid or owed by the leverage customer to the leverage transaction merchant, including initial and termination charges, plus any amounts paid or credited by the leverage transaction merchant to the leverage customer, including carrying charges, in connection with the leverage contract.
§ 31.27 Registered futures association membership.
Each person registered or required to register as a leverage transaction merchant must become and remain a member of at least one futures association which is registered under section 17 of the Act and which provides for the membership therein of such leverage transaction merchant, unless no such futures association is so registered.
§ 31.28 Self-regulatory organization adoption and surveillance of minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice requirements.
(a) Each self-regulatory organization must adopt, and submit for Commission approval, rules prescribing minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements for all its members who are registered leverage transaction merchants. Each self-regulatory organization shall submit for Commission approval any modification or other amendments to such rules. Such requirements must be the same as, or more stringent than, those contained in this part 31 and the definition of adjusted net capital must be the same as that prescribed in § 31.9(b)(4) of this part.
(b) Each self-regulatory organization which has members who are registered leverage transaction merchants shall have in effect and enforce rules submitted to the Commission pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section and approved by the Commission.
(c) Any two or more self-regulatory organizations may file with the Commission a plan for delegating to a designated self-regulatory organization, for any registered leverage transaction merchant which is a member of more than one such self-regulatory organization, the responsibility of:
(1) Monitoring and auditing for compliance with the minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements adopted by such self-regulatory organizations in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section; and
(2) Receiving the reports necessitated by such minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements.
(d) Any plan filed under this section may contain provisions for the allocation of expenses reasonably incurred by the designated self-regulatory organization among the self-regulatory organizations participating in such a plan.
(e) A plan’s designated self-regulatory organization must report to that plan’s other self-regulatory organizations any violation of such other self-regulatory organizations’ rules and regulations for which the responsibility to monitor, audit or examine has been delegated to such designated self-regulatory organization under this section.
(f) The self-regulatory organizations may, among themselves, establish programs to provide access to any necessary information.
(g) After appropriate notice and opportunity for comment, the Commission may, by written notice, approve such a plan, or any part of the plan, if it finds that the plan, or any part of it:
(1) Is necessary or appropriate to serve the public interest;
(2) Is for the protection and in the interest of leverage customers;
(3) Reduces multiple monitoring and auditing for compliance with the minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements of the self-regulatory organizations submitting the plan for any leverage transaction merchant which is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization;
(4) Reduces multiple reporting of the information necessitated by such minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements by any leverage transaction merchant which is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization;
(5) Fosters cooperation and coordination among the self-regulatory organizations; and
(6) Does not hinder the development of a registered futures association under section 17 of the Act.
(h) After the Commission has approved a plan or part of one under paragraph (g) of this section, a self-regulatory organization relieved of responsibility must notify each of its members which is subject to such a plan:
(1) Of the limited nature of its responsibility for such a member’s compliance with its minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements; and
(2) Of the identity of the designated self-regulatory organization which has been delegated responsibility for such a member.
(i) The Commission may at any time, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing, withdraw its approval of any plan or part of one established under this section, if such plan or part of one ceases to effectuate adequately the purposes of section 19 of the Act or of this section.
(j) Whenever a registered leverage transaction merchant holding membership in a self-regulatory organization ceases to be a member in good standing of that self-regulatory organization, such self-regulatory organization must, on the same day that event takes place, give telegraphic notice of that event to the principal office of the Commission in Washington, DC and send a copy of that notification to such leverage transaction merchant.
(k) Nothing in this section shall preclude the Commission from examining any leverage transaction merchant for compliance with the minimum financial, cover, segregation and sales practice, and related reporting requirements to which such leverage transaction merchant is subject.
(l) In the event a plan is not filed and/or approved for each registered leverage transaction merchant which is a member of more than one self-regulatory organization, the Commission may design and, after notice and opportunity for comment, approve a plan for those leverage transaction merchants which are not the subject of an approved plan (under paragraph (g) of this section), delegating to a designated self-regulatory organization the responsibilities described in paragraph (c) of this section.
§ 31.29 Arbitration or other dispute settlement procedures.
Each self-regulatory organization which has members who are registered as leverage transaction merchants must be able to demonstrate its capability to promulgate rules and to conduct proceedings which provide a fair, equitable and expeditious procedure, through arbitration or otherwise, for the voluntary settlement of a leverage customer’s claim or grievance brought against any member leverage transaction merchant or any employee of a member leverage transaction merchant. Such rules shall be consistent with the rules set forth in part 180 of this chapter governing contract market arbitration and dispute settlement procedures.
Appendix A to Part 31—Schedule of Fees for Registration of Leverage Commodities
(a) Each application for registration of a leverage commodity must be accompanied by a check or money order made payable to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in an amount to be determined annually by the Commission and published in the
(b) Checks or money orders should be sent to the attention of the Office of the Secretariat, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581. No checks or money orders may be accepted by personnel other than those in the Office of the Secretariat.
(c) Failure to submit the fee with an application for registration of a leverage commodity will result in the return of the application. Fees will not be returned after receipt.
(d) Any firm with an application for registration of a leverage commodity pending on the date that this fee schedule becomes effective must submit its application fee within 10 days of that date. Otherwise, the application shall be deemed withdrawn without prejudice and shall be returned to the applicant.
PART 32—REGULATION OF COMMODITY OPTION TRANSACTIONS
§ 32.1 Scope.
The provisions of this part shall apply to all commodity option transactions, except for commodity option transactions on a contract of sale of a commodity for future delivery conducted or executed on or subject to the rules of either a designated contract market or a foreign board of trade.
Subject to §§ 32.1, 32.4, and 32.5, which shall in any event apply to all commodity option transactions, it shall be unlawful for any person or group of persons to offer to enter into, enter into, confirm the execution of, maintain a position in, or otherwise conduct activity related to any transaction in interstate commerce that is a commodity option transaction, unless:
(a) Such transaction is conducted in compliance with and subject to the provisions of the Act, including any Commission rule, regulation, or order thereunder, otherwise applicable to any other swap, or
(b) Such transaction is conducted pursuant to § 32.3.
§ 32.3 Trade options.
(a) Subject to paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the provisions of the Act, including any Commission rule, regulation, or order thereunder, otherwise applicable to any other swap shall not apply to, and any person or group of persons may offer to enter into, enter into, confirm the execution of, maintain a position in, or otherwise conduct activity related to, any transaction in interstate commerce that is a commodity option transaction, provided that:
(1) Such commodity option transaction must be offered by a person that has a reasonable basis to believe that the transaction is offered to an offeree as described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. In addition, the offeror must be either:
(i) An eligible contract participant, as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act, as further jointly defined or interpreted by the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission or expanded by the Commission pursuant to section 1a(18)(C) of the Act; or
(ii) A producer, processor, or commercial user of, or a merchant handling the commodity that is the subject of the commodity option transaction, or the products or by-products thereof, and such offeror is offering or entering into the commodity option transaction solely for purposes related to its business as such;
(2) The offeree must be a producer, processor, or commercial user of, or a merchant handling the commodity that is the subject of the commodity option transaction, or the products or by-products thereof, and such offeree is offered or entering into the commodity option transaction solely for purposes related to its business as such; and
(3) The commodity option must be intended to be physically settled, so that, if exercised, the option would result in the sale of an exempt or agricultural commodity for immediate or deferred shipment or delivery.
(b) In connection with any commodity option transaction entered into pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, every counterparty that is not a swap dealer or major swap participant shall obtain a legal entity identifier pursuant to § 45.6 of this chapter if the counterparty to the transaction involved is a swap dealer or major swap participant, and provide such legal entity identifier to the swap dealer or major swap participant counterparty.
(c) In connection with any commodity option transaction entered into pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the following provisions shall apply to every trade option counterparty to the same extent that such provisions would apply to such person in connection with any other swap:
(1) Part 20 (Swaps Large Trader Reporting) of this chapter;
(2) Subpart J of part 23 (Duties of Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants) of this chapter;
(3) Sections 23.200, 23.201, 23.203, and 23.204 of subpart F of part 23 (Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants) of this chapter; and
(4) Section 4s(e) of the Act (Capital and Margin Requirements for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants).
(d) Any person or group of persons offering to enter into, entering into, confirming the execution of, maintaining a position in, or otherwise conducting activity related to a commodity option transaction in interstate commerce pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section shall remain subject to part 180 (Prohibition Against Manipulation) and § 23.410 (Prohibition on Fraud, Manipulation, and other Abusive Practices) of this chapter and the antifraud, anti-manipulation, and enforcement provisions of sections 2, 4b, 4c, 4o, 4s(h)(1)(A), 4s(h)(4)(A), 6, 6c, 6d, 9, and 13 of the Act.
(e) The Commission may, by order, upon written request or upon its own motion, exempt any person, either unconditionally or on a temporary or other conditional basis, from any provisions of this part, and the provisions of the Act, including any Commission rule, regulation, or order thereunder, otherwise applicable to any other swap, other than § 32.4, part 180 (Prohibition Against Manipulation), and § 23.410 (Prohibition on Fraud, Manipulation, and other Abusive Practices) of this chapter, and the antifraud, anti-manipulation, and enforcement provisions of sections 2, 4b, 4c, 4o, 4s(h)(1)(A), 4s(h)(4)(A), 6, 6c, 6d, 9, and 13 of the Act, if it finds, in its discretion, that it would not be contrary to the public interest to grant such exemption.
§ 32.4 Fraud in connection with commodity option transactions.
In or in connection with an offer to enter into, the entry into, or the confirmation of the execution of, any commodity option transaction, it shall be unlawful for any person directly or indirectly:
(a) To cheat or defraud or attempt to cheat or defraud any other person;
(b) To make or cause to be made to any other person any false report or statement thereof or cause to be entered for any person any false record thereof; or
(c) To deceive or attempt to deceive any other person by any means whatsoever.
§ 32.5 Option transactions entered into prior to the effective date of this part.
Nothing contained in this part shall be construed to affect any lawful activities that occurred prior to the effective date of this part.
PART 33—REGULATION OF COMMODITY OPTION TRANSACTIONS THAT ARE OPTIONS ON CONTRACTS OF SALE OF A COMMODITY FOR FUTURE DELIVERY
§ 33.1 Definitions.
As used in this part:
(a) Purchase price means the total amount paid or to be paid, directly or indirectly, by a person to acquire a commodity option.
(b) Promotional material includes: (1) Any text of a standardized oral presentation, or any communication for publication in any newspaper, magazine or similar medium, or for broadcast over television, radio, or other electronic medium, which is disseminated or directed to an option customer or prospective option customer concerning a commodity option transaction; (2) any standardized form of report, letter, circular, memorandum, or publication which is disseminated or directed to an option customer or prospective option customer; and (3) any other written material disseminated or directed to an option customer or prospective option customer for the purpose of soliciting an option transaction, including any disclosure statement required by § 33.7.
§ 33.2 Applicability of Act and rules; scope of part 33.
(a) Except as otherwise specified in this part and unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Each board of trade designated, or applying for designation, by the Commission as a contract market for the purpose of trading commodity options pursuant to this part shall be deemed for such purpose to be a “board of trade,” “exchange,” and a “contract market” and, with respect to commodity option transactions conducted pursuant to such designation, shall comply with and be subject to all of the provisions of the Act relating to boards of trade, exchanges, or contract markets as though such provisions were set forth herein; and
(2) The provisions of sections 1a, 2(a)(1), 2(a)(8)(B), 4, 4a, 4c(a), 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g, 4h, 4i, 4j, 4k, 4m, 4n, 5, 5a(a), 5b, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 8(a)-(e), 8a, 8b, 8c, and 16 of the Act shall apply to commodity option transactions that are subject to the requirements of this part as though such provisions were set forth herein and included specific references to commodity option transactions. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to confer designation as a contract market absent issuance of an order of the Commission so designating an applicant board of trade.
(b) The provisions of this part apply to commodity option transactions that are options on contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery except for commodity option transactions that are options on contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery conducted or executed on or subject to the rules of a foreign board of trade.
§ 33.3 Unlawful commodity option transactions.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to offer to enter into, enter into, confirm the execution of, or maintain a position in, any commodity option transaction subject to the provisions of this part unless the commodity option involved is traded (1) on or subject to the rules of a contract market which has been designated to trade commodity options pursuant to this part and (2) by or through a member thereof in accordance with the provisions of this part.
(b) It shall be unlawful for:
(1) Any person to solicit or accept orders from an option customer (other than in a clerical capacity) for any commodity option transaction, or to supervise any person or persons so engaged, unless such person is:
(i) Registered as a futures commission merchant under the Act, and either:
(A) Is a member of the contract market on which the option is traded, or
(B) Is a member of a futures association registered under section 17 of the Act which has adopted rules which the Commission has approved under section 17(j) of the Act and, in addition to the requirements of that section, has determined to provide for the regulation of the commodity option related activity of its member futures commission merchants in a manner equivalent to that required of contract markets under these regulations; or
(ii) Registered as an introducing broker under the Act, and either:
(A) Is a member of a futures association registered under section 17 of the Act which has adopted rules which the Commission has approved under section 17(j) of the Act, or is a member of a contract market which has adopted rules which the Commission has approved under section 5a(a)(12) of the Act, and which, in addition to the requirements of those sections, has determined to provide for the regulation of the commodity option related activity of its member introducing brokers in a manner equivalent to that required of contract markets with respect to their member futures commission merchants under these regulations; or
(B) Is operating pursuant to a guarantee agreement, and the futures commission merchant which has signed such agreement is a member of a self-regulatory organization that has adopted rules which the Commission has approved that provide for the regulation of the commodity option related activity of the introducing broker in a manner equivalent to that required of contract markets with respect to their member futures commission merchants under these regulations; or
(iii) An individual registered as an associated person of a specified person registered as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker under the Act who meets the requirements of paragraphs (b)(1)(i) or (b)(1)(ii), respectively, of this section, and such registration shall not have expired, been suspended (and the period of suspension has not expired) or been revoked.
(2) Any person registered or required to be registered as a futures commission merchant or as an introducing broker under the Act to permit another person to become or remain associated with such person as a partner, officer, employee, agent or representative (or in any status or position involving similar functions) in any capacity involving the solicitation or acceptance of an order from an option customer (other than in a clerical capacity) for any commodity option transaction, or the supervision of any person or persons so engaged, if such person knows or should have known that such other person is or was not registered as required by this part or that such registration has expired, been suspended (and the period of suspension has not expired) or been revoked.
§ 33.4 Designation as a contract market for the trading of commodity options.
The Commission may designate any board of trade located in the United States as a contract market for the trading of options on contracts of sale for future delivery, when the applicant complies with and carries out the requirements of the Act (as provided in § 33.2), the regulations in this part, and the following conditions and requirements with respect to the commodity option for which the designation is sought:
(a) Such board of trade—
(1) Applies for designation as a contract market for the purpose of trading “put” and/or “call” options which:
(i) Are not capable of being transferred, assigned or otherwise disposed of other than on or subject to the rules of the board of trade; and
(ii) With respect to options on futures contracts, may be exercised only by the establishment, by book entry, in the clearing organization of positions in the underlying futures contract.
(2) [Reserved]
(3) If designation for the trading of options on futures contracts is sought, is designated as a contract market for the underlying contract of sale for future delivery which is the subject of the option for which designation is sought, and submits, if so requested by the Commission, the information called for by § 1.50 of this chapter (relating to continued compliance with the conditions and requirements for designation as a contract market) for the specified futures contract underlying the option for which the designation is sought, and the applicant complies with the conditions and requirements for designation as a contract market for such contract for future delivery as set forth in sections 5 and 5a(a) of the Act and as set forth in these regulations.
(4) [Reserved]
(5) Demonstrates that:
(i) The commodity option for which it is requesting designation is likely to serve a legitimate economic purpose;
(ii)-(iv) [Reserved]
(b) Such board of trade adopts rules which:
(1) Prescribe in regard to strike prices:
(i) The dollar amount of the intervals between strike prices;
(ii) The strike prices at which trading in a new option expiration will be introduced;
(iii) The point, in terms of the price of the underlying futures contract, at which a new strike price will be introduced in any option which is already trading;
(iv) [Reserved]
(2) Prescribe an expiration date of the option that is not less than one business day before the earlier of the last trading day or the first notice day of any futures contract on the same or a related commodity; Provided, however, That where the underlying futures contract is cash-settled, the option may expire simultaneously with the expiration of the futures contract.
(3) Require that upon exercise of each option, notification thereof be given to the option grantor.
(4) Require, with respect to all written option customer complaints, that each member futures commission merchant which engages in the offer or sale of commodity options regulated under this part:
(i) Retain all such complaints;
(ii) Make and retain a record of the date the complaint was received, the associated person who serviced, or the introducing broker who introduced, the account, a general description of the matter complained of, and what, if any, action was taken by the futures commission merchant in regard to the complaint; and
(5) Require each member futures commission merchant which engages in the offer or sale of option contracts regulated under this part to adopt and enforce written procedures pursuant to which it will be able to supervise adequately each option customer’s account, including but not limited to, the solicitation of any such account: Provided, That as used in this paragraph (b)(5), the term “option customer” does not include another futures commission merchant.
(6) [Reserved]
(7) Require each member futures commission merchant which engages in the offer or sale of option contracts regulated under this part to enforce the disclosure requirements set forth in § 33.7.
(8)-(9) [Reserved]
(10) Prohibit fraudulent or high-pressure sales communications by member futures commission merchants relating to the offer or sale of option contracts regulated under this part.
(11) Establish appropriate criteria which are reasonably designed to secure performance, upon exercise, of the option contracts.
(c) Such board of trade establishes procedures and conducts sales practice audits of member futures commission merchants which engage in the offer or sale of option contracts regulated under this part. These sales practice audits must be of sufficient scope to enforce the contract market’s rules, including imvestigation for the improper handling of discretionary accounts, inadequate internal supervision, fraudulent or high-pressure sales communications, compliance with disclosure requirements, improper handling and disposition of option customer complaints, and, where applicable, the futures commission merchant’s offer or sale of deep-out-of-the-money options.
(d) A board of trade must submit an analysis and justification of the individual terms and conditions of the option contract. In determining whether to approve option contract terms and conditions, the Commission may consider the analysis and justification submitted for such terms and conditions, including, without limitation:
(1) [Reserved]
(2) The conditions precedent to the exercise of the commodity option and the method by which the option may be exercised;
(3) The nature of the clearing mechanism to be utilized for the commodity option, and the differences, if any, among the clearing mechanisms for options on futures contracts, and futures contracts;
(4) Specific notice periods, including the periods from the date notice of intent to exercise an option is given until exercise is accomplished;
(5) The default provisions and procedures of the commodity option, if any; and
(6) Permitted deviations from or substitutes for compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in paragraphs (d) (1) through (5) of this section.
(e) Such board of trade provides for the general quotation and dissemination of volume and last sale price information on a timely basis with respect to the commodity option for which designation is sought and with respect to the underlying futures contract.
(f) Such board of trade demonstrates that clearance and processing of option transactions on or subject to the rules of the board of trade will not adversely affect the clearance and processing of any transactions for future delivery on or subject to the rules of the board of trade.
§ 33.5 Application for designation as a contract market for the trading of commodity options.
(a) Any board of trade desiring to be designated as a contract market for a particular commodity option contract shall make application to the Commission and accompany the same with a written showing that it meets the conditions set forth in, and provides all the information and materials required by, these regulations.
(b) Subject to the provisions of the Act and these regulations, in the event of a refusal to designate any board of trade as a contract market for a particular commodity option, such board of trade shall be afforded notice and an opportunity for a hearing on the record: Provided, That pending the conclusion of any such hearing, such designation shall not be granted.
§ 33.6 Suspension or revocation of designation as a contract market for the trading of commodity options.
The Commission may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing on the record, suspend or revoke the designation of any board of trade as a contract market in a commodity option for which it is designated if the Commission determines that:
(a) The board of trade, or any director, officer, agent, or employee thereof, is violating or has violated any of the provisions of this part.
(b) Cause exists which, under § 33.2 or § 33.4, would warrant the denial of a designation;
(c) The option market is not used on more than an occasional basis for other than speculative purposes by producers, processors, merchants or commercial users engaged in handling or utilizing the commodity (including the products, by-products or source commodity thereof) underlying an option, in interstate commerce; or
(d) Option trading on the contract market in that contract is contrary to the protection of option customers or the underlying futures or cash markets, or is otherwise contrary to the public interest: Provided, That pending completion of any proceeding under this section, the Commission may suspend such designation for the duration of the proceedings, if in the Commission’s judgment, the continuation of such trading presents a substantial risk to the public interest.
§ 33.7 Disclosure.
(a)(1) Except as provided in § 1.65 of this chapter, no futures commission merchant, or in the case of an introduced account no introducing broker, may open or cause the opening of a commodity option account for an option customer, other than for a customer specified in § 1.55(f) of this chapter, unless the futures commission merchant or introducing broker first:
(i) Furnishes the option customer with a separate written disclosure statement as set forth in this section or another statement approved under § 1.55(c) of this chapter and set forth in appendix A to § 1.55 which the Commission finds satisfies this requirement, or includes either such statement in a booklet containing the customer account agreement and other disclosure statements required by Commission rules; provided, however, that if the statement contained in § 33.7 is used it must follow the statement required by § 1.55; and
(ii) Subject to the provisions of § 1.55(d) of this chapter, receives from the option customer an acknowledgment signed and dated by the option customer that he received and understood the disclosure statement.
(2) The disclosure statement and the acknowledgment shall be retained by the futures commission merchant or the introducing broker in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter. The disclosure statement must be as set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, typed or printed in type of not less than 10-point size, and, where indicated, in all capital letters.
(b) The disclosure statement must read as follows:
BECAUSE OF THE VOLATILE NATURE OF THE COMMODITIES MARKETS, THE PURCHASE AND GRANTING OF COMMODITY OPTIONS INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. COMMODITY OPTION TRANSACTIONS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. SUCH TRANSACTIONS SHOULD BE ENTERED INTO ONLY BY PERSONS WHO HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THIS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT AND WHO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THEIR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AND OF THE RISKS INVOLVED IN THE OPTION TRANSACTIONS COVERED BY THIS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT.
BOTH THE PURCHASER AND THE GRANTOR SHOULD KNOW WHETHER THE PARTICULAR OPTION IN WHICH THEY CONTEMPLATE TRADING IS SUBJECT TO A “STOCK-STYLE” OR “FUTURES-STYLE” SYSTEM OF MARGINING. UNDER A STOCK-STYLE MARGINING SYSTEM, A PURCHASER IS REQUIRED TO PAY THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE OF THE OPTION AT THE INITIATION OF THE TRANSACTION. THE PURCHASER HAS NO FURTHER OBLIGATION ON THE OPTION POSITION. UNDER A FUTURES-STYLE MARGINING SYSTEM, THE PURCHASER DEPOSITS INITIAL MARGIN AND MAY BE REQUIRED TO DEPOSIT ADDITIONAL MARGIN IF THE MARKET MOVES AGAINST THE OPTION POSITION. THE PURCHASER’S TOTAL SETTLEMENT VARIATION MARGIN OBLIGATION OVER THE LIFE OF THE OPTION, HOWEVER, WILL NOT EXCEED THE ORIGINAL OPTION PREMIUM, ALTHOUGH SOME INDIVIDUAL PAYMENT OBLIGATIONS AND/OR RISK MARGIN REQUIREMENTS MAY AT TIMES EXCEED THE ORIGINAL OPTION PREMIUM. IF THE PURCHASER OR GRANTOR DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW OPTIONS ARE MARGINED UNDER A STOCK-STYLE OR FUTURES-STYLE MARGINING SYSTEM, HE OR SHE SHOULD REQUEST AN EXPLANATION FROM THE FUTURES COMMISSION MERCHANT (“FCM”) OR INTRODUCING BROKER (“IB”).
A PERSON SHOULD NOT PURCHASE ANY COMMODITY OPTION UNLESS HE OR SHE IS ABLE TO SUSTAIN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE PREMIUM AND TRANSACTION COSTS OF PURCHASING THE OPTION. A PERSON SHOULD NOT GRANT ANY COMMODITY OPTION UNLESS HE OR SHE IS ABLE TO MEET ADDITIONAL CALLS FOR MARGIN WHEN THE MARKET MOVES AGAINST HIS OR HER POSITION AND, IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, TO SUSTAIN A VERY LARGE FINANCIAL LOSS.
A PERSON WHO PURCHASES AN OPTION SUBJECT TO STOCK-STYLE MARGINING SHOULD BE AWARE THAT, IN ORDER TO REALIZE ANY VALUE FROM THE OPTION, IT WILL BE NECESSARY EITHER TO OFFSET THE OPTION POSITION OR TO EXERCISE THE OPTION. OPTIONS SUBJECT TO FUTURES-STYLE MARGINING ARE MARKED TO MARKET, AND GAINS AND LOSSES ARE PAID AND COLLECTED DAILY. IF AN OPTION PURCHASER DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO OFFSET OR EXERCISE AN OPTION, THE PURCHASER SHOULD REQUEST AN EXPLANATION FROM THE FCM OR IB. CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IN A NUMBER OF CIRCUMSTANCES, SOME OF WHICH WILL BE DESCRIBED IN THIS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT, IT MAY BE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO OFFSET AN EXISTING OPTION POSITION ON AN EXCHANGE.
THE GRANTOR OF AN OPTION SHOULD BE AWARE THAT, IN MOST CASES, A COMMODITY OPTION MAY BE EXERCISED AT ANY TIME FROM THE TIME IT IS GRANTED UNTIL IT EXPIRES. THE PURCHASER OF AN OPTION SHOULD BE AWARE THAT SOME OPTION CONTRACTS MAY PROVIDE ONLY A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME FOR EXERCISE OF THE OPTION.
THE PURCHASER OF A PUT OR CALL SUBJECT TO STOCK-STYLE OR FUTURES-STYLE MARGINING IS SUBJECT TO THE RISK OF LOSING THE ENTIRE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE OPTION—THAT IS, THE PREMIUM CHARGED FOR THE OPTION PLUS ALL TRANSACTION COSTS.
THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION REQUIRES THAT ALL CUSTOMERS RECEIVE AND ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF A COPY OF THIS DISCLOSURE STATEMENT BUT DOES NOT INTEND THIS STATEMENT AS A RECOMMENDATION OR ENDORSEMENT OF EXCHANGE-TRADED COMMODITY OPTIONS.
(1) Some of the risks of option trading.
Specific market movements of the underlying future cannot be predicted accurately.
The grantor of a call option who does not have a long position in the underlying futures contract is subject to risk of loss should the price of the underlying futures contract be higher than the strike price upon exercise or expiration of the option by an amount greater than the premium received for granting the call option.
The grantor of a call option who has a long position in the underlying futures contract is subject to the full risk of a decline in price of the underlying position reduced by the premium received for granting the call. In exchange for the premium received for granting a call option, the option grantor gives up all of the potential gain resulting from an increase in the price of the underlying futures contract above the option strike price upon exercise or expiration of the option.
The grantor of a put option who does not have a short position in the underlying futures contract is subject to risk of loss should the price of the underlying futures contract decrease below the strike price upon exercise or expiration of the option by an amount in excess of the premium received for granting the put option.
The grantor of a put option on a futures contract who has a short position in the underlying futures contract is subject to the full risk of a rise in the price in the underlying position reduced by the premium received for granting the put. In exchange for the premium received for granting a put option on a futures contract, the option grantor gives up all of the potential gain resulting from a decrease in the price of the underlying futures contract below the option strike price upon exercise or expiration of the option.
(2) Description of commodity options. Prior to entering into any transaction involving a commodity option, an individual should thoroughly understand the nature and type of option involved and the underlying futures contract. The futures commission merchant or introducing broker is required to provide, and the individual contemplating an option transaction should obtain:
(i) An identification of the futures contract underlying the option and which may be purchased or sold upon exercise of the option or, if applicable, whether exercise of the option will be settled in cash;
(ii) The procedure for exercise of the option contract, including the expiration date and latest time on that date for exercise. (The latest time on an expiration date when an option may be exercised may vary; therefore, option market participants should ascertain from their futures commission merchant or their introducing broker the latest time the firm accepts exercise instructions with respect to a particular option.);
(iii) A description of the purchase price of the option including the premium, commissions, costs, fees and other charges. (Since commissions and other charges may vary widely among futures commission merchants and among introducing brokers, option customers may find it advisable to consult more than one firm when opening an option account.);
(iv) A description of all costs in addition to the purchase price which may be incurred if the commodity option is exercised, including the amount of commissions (whether termed sales commissions or otherwise), storage, interest, and all similar fees and charges which may be incurred;
(v) An explanation and understanding of the option margining system;
(vi) A clear explanation and understanding of any clauses in the option contract and of any items included in the option contract explicitly or by reference which might affect the customer’s obligations under the contract. This would include any policy of the futures commission merchant or the introducing broker or rule of the exchange on which the option is traded that might affect the customer’s ability to fulfill the option contract or to offset the option position in a closing purchase or closing sale transaction (for example, due to unforeseen circumstances that require suspension or termination of trading); and
(vii) If applicable, a description of the effect upon the value of the option position that could result from limit moves in the underlying futures contract.
(3) The mechanics of option trading. Before entering into any exchange-traded option transaction, an individual should obtain a description of how commodity options are traded.
Option customers should clearly understand that there is no guarantee that option positions may be offset by either a closing purchase or closing sale transaction on an exchange. In this circumstance, option grantors could be subject to the full risk of their positions until the option position expires, and the purchaser of a profitable option might have to exercise the option to realize a profit.
For an option on a futures contract, an individual should clearly understand the relationship between exchange rules governing option transactions and exchange rules governing the underlying futures contract. For example, an individual should understand what action, if any, the exchange will take in the option market if trading in the underlying futures market is restricted or the futures prices have made a “limit move.”
The individual should understand that the option may not be subject to daily price fluctuation limits while the underlying futures may have such limits, and, as a result, normal pricing relationships between options and the underlying future may not exist when the future is trading at its price limit. Also, underlying futures positions resulting from exercise of options may not be capable of being offset if the underlying future is at a price limit.
(4) Margin requirements. An individual should know and understand whether the option he or she is contemplating trading is subject to a stock-style or futures-style system of margining. Stock-style margining requires the purchaser to pay the full option premium at the time of purchase. The purchaser has no further financial obligations, and the risk of loss is limited to the purchase price and transaction costs. Futures-style margining requires the purchaser to pay initial margin only at the time of purchase. The option position is marked to market, and gains and losses are collected and paid daily. The purchaser’s risk of loss is limited to the initial option premium and transaction costs.
An individual granting options under either a stock-style or futures-style system of margining should understand that he or she may be required to pay additional margin in the case of adverse market movements.
(5) Profit potential of an option position. An option customer should carefully calculate the price which the underlying futures contract would have to reach for the option position to become profitable. Under a stock-style margining system, this price would include the amount by which the underlying futures contract would have to rise above or fall below the strike price to cover the sum of the premium and all other costs incurred in entering into and exercising or closing (offsetting) the commodity option position. Under a future-style margining system, option positions would be marked to market, and gains and losses would be paid and collected daily, and an option position would become profitable once the variation margin collected exceeded the cost of entering the contract position.
Also, an option customer should be aware of the risk that the futures price prevailing at the opening of the next trading day may be substantially different from the futures price which prevailed when the option was exercised.
(6) Deep-out-of-the-money options. A person contemplating purchasing a deep-out-of-the-money option (that is, an option with a strike price significantly above, in the case of a call, or significantly below, in the case of a put, the current price of the underlying futures contract) should be aware that the chance of such an option becoming profitable is ordinarily remote.
On the other hand, a potential grantor of a deep-out-of-the-money option should be aware that such options normally provide small premiums while exposing the grantor to all of the potential losses described in section (1) of this disclosure statement.
(7) Glossary of terms—(i) Contract market. Any board of trade (exchange) located in the United States which has been designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to list a futures contract or commodity option for trading.
(ii) Exchange-traded option; put option; call option. The options discussed in this disclosure statement are limited to those which may be traded on a contract market. These options (subject to certain exceptions) give an option purchaser the right to buy in the case of a call option, or to sell in the case of a put option, a futures contract underlying the option at the stated strike price prior to the expiration date of the option. Each exchange-traded option is distinguished by the underlying futures contract, strike price, expiration date, and whether the option is a put or a call.
(iii) Underlying futures contract. The futures contract which may be purchased or sold upon the exercise of an option on a futures contract.
(iv) [Reserved]
(v) Class of options. A put or a call covering the same underlying futures contract.
(vi) Series of options. Options of the same class having the same strike price and expiration date.
(vii) Exercise price. See strike price.
(viii) Expiration date. The last day when an option may be exercised.
(ix) Premium. The amount agreed upon between the purchaser and seller for the purchase or sale of a commodity option.
(x) Strike price. The price at which a person may purchase or sell the underlying futures contract upon exercise of a commodity option. This term has the same meaning as the term “exercise price.”
(xi) Short option position. See opening sale transaction.
(xii) Long option position. See opening purchase transaction.
(xiii) Types of options transactions—(A) Opening purchase transaction. A transaction in which an individual purchases an option and thereby obtains a long option position.
(B) Opening sale transaction. A transaction in which an individual grants an option and thereby obtains a short option position.
(C) Closing purchase transaction. A transaction in which an individual with a short option position liquidates the position. This is accomplished by a closing purchase transaction for an option of the same series as the option previously granted. Such a transaction may be referred to as an offset transaction.
(D) Closing sale transaction. A transaction in which an individual with a long option position liquidates the position. This is accomplished by a closing sale transaction for an option of the same series as the option previously purchased. Such a transaction may be referred to as an offset transaction.
(xiv) Purchase price. The total actual cost paid or to be paid, directly or indirectly, by a person to acquire a commodity option. This price includes all commissions and other fees, in addition to the option premium.
(xv) Grantor, writer, seller. An individual who sells an option. Such a person is said to have a short position.
(xvi) Purchaser. An individual who buys an option. Such a person is said to have a long position.
(c) Prior to the entry of the first commodity option transaction for the account of an option customer, a futures commission merchant or an introducing broker, or the person soliciting or accepting the order therefor, must provide an option customer with all of the information required under the disclosure statement, including the commissions, costs, fees and other charges to be incurred in connection with the commodity option transaction and all costs to be incurred by the option customer if the commodity option is exercised: Provided, That the futures commission merchant or the introducing broker, or the person soliciting or accepting the order therefor, must provide current information to an option customer if information provided previously has become inaccurate.
(d) Prior to the entry into a commodity option transaction on or subject to the rules of a contract market, each option customer or prospective option customer shall, to the extent the following amounts are known or can reasonably be approximated, be informed by the person soliciting or accepting the order therefor of the amount of the strike price and the premium (and any mark-ups thereon, if applicable).
(e) A futures commission merchant and an introducing broker must establish the necessary procedures and supervision to ensure compliance with the requirements of this section.
(f) This section does not relieve a futures commission merchant or an introducing broker from any obligation under the Act or the regulations thereunder, including the obligation to disclose all material information to existing or prospective option customers even if the information is not specifically required by this section.
(g) For purposes of this section, neither a futures commission merchant nor an introducing broker shall be deemed to be an option customer.
§ 33.8 Promotional material.
Each futures commission merchant and each introducing broker shall retain, in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter, all promotional material it provides, directly or indirectly, to option customers as well as the true source of authority for the information contained therein.
§ 33.9 Unlawful activities.
It shall be unlawful for any person:
(a) Required to be registered with the Commission in accordance with the Act or these regulations expressly or impliedly to represent that the Commission, by declaring effective the registration of such person or otherwise, has directly or indirectly approved such person, or any commodity option transaction solicited or accepted by such person;
(b) In or in connection with an offer to enter into, the entry into, the confirmation of the execution of, or the maintenance of any commodity option transaction, expressly or impliedly to represent that compliance with the provisions of the Act or these regulations constitutes a guarantee of the fulfillment of the commodity option transaction;
(c) Upon acceptance of an order for a commodity option transaction, to fail unreasonably to secure prompt execution of such order or upon rejection of an order to fail to notify the person whose order has been rejected of such rejection;
(d) To manipulate or attempt to manipulate the market price of any commodity option on or subject to the rules of any contract market: Provided, however, That for purposes of this paragraph (d), any action taken by a contract market pursuant to a rule approved by the Commission or any emergency action which a contract market is permitted to take pursuant to the Act or these regulations shall not be deemed to be a manipulation; and
(e) Upon acceptance of an order for a commodity option transaction to bucket such order.
§ 33.10 Fraud in connection with commodity option transactions.
It shall be unlawful for any person directly or indirectly:
(a) To cheat or defraud or attempt to cheat or defraud any other person;
(b) To make or cause to be made to any other person any false report or statement thereof or cause to be entered for any person any false record thereof;
(c) To deceive or attempt to deceive any other person by any means whatsoever
§ 33.11 Exemptions.
The Commission may, by order, upon written request or upon its own motion, exempt any person, either unconditionally or on a temporary or other conditional basis, from any provisions of this part, other than §§ 33.9 and 33.10, if it finds, in its discretion, that it would not be contrary to the public interest to grant such exemption.
PART 34—REGULATION OF HYBRID INSTRUMENTS
§ 34.1 Scope.
The provisions of this part shall apply to any hybrid instrument which may be subject to the Act, and which has been entered into on or after October 23, 1974.
§ 34.2 Definitions.
(a) Hybrid instruments. Hybrid instrument means an equity or debt security or depository instrument as defined in § 34.3(a)(1) with one or more commodity-dependent components that have payment features similar to commodity futures or commodity option contracts or combinations thereof.
(b) Commodity-independent component. Commodity-independent component means the component of a hybrid instrument, the payments of which do not result from indexing to, or calculation by reference to, the price of a commodity.
(c) Commodity-independent value. Commodity-independent value means the present value of the payments attributable to the commodity-independent component calculated as of the time of issuance of the hybrid instrument.
(d) Commodity-dependent component. A commodity-dependent component means a component of a hybrid instrument, the payment of which results from indexing to, or calculation by reference to, the price of a commodity.
(e) Commodity-dependent value. For purposes of application of Rule 34.3(a)(2), a commodity-dependent value means the value of a commodity dependent-component, which when decomposed into an option payout or payouts, is measured by the absolute net value of the put option premia with strike prices less than or equal to the reference price plus the absolute net value of the call option premia with strike prices greater than or equal to the reference price, calculated as of the time of issuance of the hybrid instrument.
(f) Option premium. Option premium means the value of an option on the referenced commodity of the hybrid instrument, and calculated using the same method as that used to determine the issue price of the instrument, or where such premia are not explicitly calculated in determining the issue price of the instrument, the value of such options calculated using a commercially reasonable method appropriate to the instrument being priced.
(g) Reference price. A reference price means a price nearest the current spot or forward price, whichever is used to price instrument, at which a commodity-dependent payment becomes non-zero, or, in the case where two potential reference prices exist, the price that results in the greatest commodity-dependent value.
§ 34.3 Hybrid instrument exemption.
(a) A hybrid instrument is exempt from all provisions of the Act and any person or class of persons offering, entering into, rendering advice or rendering other services with respect to such exempt hybrid instrument is exempt for such activity from all provisions of the Act (except in each case section 2(a)(1)(B)), provided the following terms and conditions are met:
(1) The instrument is:
(i) An equity or debt security within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933; or
(ii) A demand deposit, time deposit or transaction account within the meaning of 12 CFR 204.2 (b)(1), (c)(1) and (e), respectively, offered by an insured depository institution as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act; an insured credit union as defined in section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act; or a Federal or State branch or agency of a foreign bank as defined in section 1 of the International Banking Act;
(2) The sum of the commodity-dependent values of the commodity-dependent components is less than the commodity-independent value of the commodity-independent component;
(3) Provided that:
(i) An issuer must receive full payment of the hybrid instrument’s purchase price, and a purchaser or holder of a hybrid instrument may not be required to make additional out-of-pocket payments to the issuer during the life of the instrument or at maturity; and
(ii) The instrument is not marketed as a futures contract or a commodity option, or, except to the extent necessary to describe the functioning of the instrument or to comply with applicable disclosure requirements, as having the characteristics of a futures contract or a commodity option; and
(iii) The instrument does not provide for settlement in the form of a delivery instrument that is specified as such in the rules of a designed contract market;
(4) The instrument is initially issued or sold subject to applicable federal or state securities or banking laws to persons permitted thereunder to purchase or enter into the hybrid instrument.
PART 35—SWAPS IN AN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY (AGRICULTURAL SWAPS)
§ 35.1 Agricultural swaps, generally.
(a) Any person or group of persons may offer to enter into, enter into, confirm the execution of, maintain a position in, or otherwise conduct activity related to, any transaction in interstate commerce that is a swap in an agricultural commodity subject to all provisions of the Act, including any Commission rule, regulation, or order thereunder, otherwise applicable to any other swap; and
(b) In addition to paragraph (a) of this section, any transaction in interstate commerce that is a swap in an agricultural commodity may be transacted on a swap execution facility, designated contract market, or otherwise in accordance with all provisions of the Act, including any Commission rule, regulation, or order thereunder, applicable to any other swap eligible to be transacted on a swap execution facility, designated contract market, or otherwise.
PART 36—TRADE EXECUTION REQUIREMENT
§ 36.1 Exemptions to trade execution requirement.
(a) A swap transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction that also includes a component transaction that is the issuance of a bond in a primary market is exempt from the trade execution requirement in section 2(h)(8) of the Act.
(1) For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, a package transaction consists of two or more component transactions executed between two or more counterparties where:
(i) At least one component transaction is subject to the trade execution requirement in section 2(h)(8) of the Act;
(ii) Execution of each component transaction is contingent upon the execution of all other component transactions; and
(iii) The component transactions are priced or quoted together as one economic transaction with simultaneous or near-simultaneous execution of all components.
(2) [Reserved]
(b) Section 2(h)(8) of the Act does not apply to a swap transaction that qualifies for the exception under section 2(h)(7) of the Act or an exception or exemption under part 50 of this chapter, and for which the associated requirements are met.
(c) Section 2(h)(8) of the Act does not apply to a swap transaction that is executed between counterparties that have eligible affiliate counterparty status pursuant to § 50.52(a) of this chapter even if the eligible affiliate counterparties clear the swap transaction.
PART 37—SWAP EXECUTION FACILITIES
Subpart A—General Provisions
§ 37.1 Scope.
The provisions of this part shall apply to every swap execution facility that is registered or is applying to become registered as a swap execution facility under section 5h of the Commodity Exchange Act (“the Act”); provided, however, nothing in this provision affects the eligibility of swap execution facilities to operate under the provisions of parts 38 or 49 of this chapter.
§ 37.2 Applicable provisions.
A swap execution facility shall comply with the requirements of this part and all other applicable Commission regulations, including § 1.60 and part 9 of this chapter, and including any related definitions and cross-referenced sections.
§ 37.3 Requirements and procedures for registration.
(a) Requirements for registration. (1) Any person operating a facility that offers a trading system or platform in which more than one market participant has the ability to execute or trade swaps with more than one other market participant on the system or platform shall register the facility as a swap execution facility under this part or as a designated contract market under part 38 of this chapter.
(2) Minimum trading functionality. A swap execution facility shall, at a minimum, offer an Order Book as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section.
(3) Order book means:
(i) An electronic trading facility, as that term is defined in section 1a(16) of the Act;
(ii) A trading facility, as that term is defined in section 1a(51) of the Act; or
(iii) A trading system or platform in which all market participants in the trading system or platform have the ability to enter multiple bids and offers, observe or receive bids and offers entered by other market participants, and transact on such bids and offers.
(4) A swap execution facility is not required to provide an order book under this section for transactions defined in § 37.9(d)(2), (3), and (4), except that a swap execution facility must provide an order book under this section for Required Transactions that are components of transactions defined in § 37.9(d)(2), (3), and (4) of this part when such Required Transactions are not executed as components of transactions defined in § 37.9(d)(2), (3), and (4).
(b) Procedures for full registration. (1) An applicant requesting registration as a swap execution facility shall:
(i) File electronically a complete Form SEF as set forth in appendix A to this part, or any successor forms, and all information and documentation described in such forms with the Secretary of the Commission in the form and manner specified by the Commission;
(ii) Provide to the Commission, upon the Commission’s request, any additional information and documentation necessary to review an application; and
(iii) Request from the Commission a unique, extensible, alphanumeric code for the purpose of identifying the swap execution facility pursuant to part 45 of this chapter.
(2) Request for confidential treatment. (i) An applicant requesting registration as a swap execution facility shall identify with particularity any information in the application that will be subject to a request for confidential treatment pursuant to § 145.9 of this chapter.
(ii) Section 40.8 of this chapter sets forth those sections of the application that will be made publicly available, notwithstanding a request for confidential treatment pursuant to § 145.9 of this chapter.
(3) Amendment of application prior or subsequent to full registration. An applicant amending a pending application for registration as a swap execution facility or requesting an amendment to an order of registration shall file an amended application electronically with the Secretary of the Commission in the manner specified by the Commission. A swap execution facility shall file any amendment to an application subsequent to registration as a submission under part 40 of this chapter or as specified by the Commission.
(4) Effect of incomplete application. If an application is incomplete pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the Commission shall notify the applicant that its application will not be deemed to have been submitted for purposes of the Commission’s review.
(5) Commission review period. For an applicant who submits its application for registration as a swap execution facility on or after August 5, 2015 the Commission shall review such application pursuant to the 180-day timeframe and procedures specified in section 6(a) of the Act.
(6) Commission determination. (i) The Commission shall issue an order granting registration upon a Commission determination, in its own discretion, that the applicant has demonstrated compliance with the Act and the Commission’s regulations applicable to swap execution facilities. If deemed appropriate, the Commission may issue an order granting registration subject to conditions.
(ii) The Commission may issue an order denying registration upon a Commission determination, in its own discretion, that the applicant has not demonstrated compliance with the Act and the Commission’s regulations applicable to swap execution facilities.
(c) Temporary registration. An applicant seeking registration as a swap execution facility may request that the Commission grant the applicant temporary registration by complying with the requirements in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(1) Requirements for temporary registration. The Commission shall grant a request for temporary registration upon a Commission determination that the applicant has:
(i) Completed all of the requirements under paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section; and
(ii) Submitted a notice to the Commission, concurrent with the filing of the application under paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section, requesting that the Commission grant the applicant temporary registration. An applicant that is currently operating a swaps-trading platform in reliance upon either an exemption granted by the Commission or some form of no-action relief granted by the Commission staff shall include in such notice a certification that the applicant is operating pursuant to such exemption or no-action relief.
(iii) The Commission may deny a request for temporary registration upon a Commission determination that the applicant has not met the requirements under paragraphs (c)(1)(i) and (c)(1)(ii) of this section.
(2) Operation pursuant to a grant of temporary registration. An applicant may operate as a swap execution facility under temporary registration upon receipt of a notice from the Commission granting such temporary registration, but in no case may begin operating as a temporarily registered swap execution facility before August 5, 2013.
(3) Expiration of temporary registration. The temporary registration for a swap execution facility shall expire on the earlier of the date that:
(i) The Commission grants or denies registration of the swap execution facility as provided under paragraph (b) of this section;
(ii) The swap execution facility withdraws its application for registration pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section; or
(iii) Temporary registration terminates pursuant to paragraph (c)(5) of this section.
(4) Effect of temporary registration. A grant of temporary registration by the Commission does not affect the right of the Commission to grant or deny registration as provided under paragraph (b) of this section.
(5) Termination of temporary registration. Paragraph (c) of this section shall terminate two years from the effective date of this regulation except as provided for under paragraph (c)(6) of this section and except for an applicant who requested that the Commission grant the applicant temporary registration by complying with the requirements in paragraph (c)(1) of this section before the termination of paragraph (c) of this section and has not been granted or denied registration under paragraph (b)(6) of this section by the time of the termination of paragraph (c) of this section. Such an applicant may operate as a swap execution facility under temporary registration upon receipt of a notice from the Commission granting such temporary registration until the Commission grants or denies registration pursuant to paragraph (b)(6) of this section. On the termination date of paragraph (c) of this section, the Commission shall review such applicant’s application pursuant to the time period and procedures in paragraph (b)(5) of this section.
(6) Temporary registration for applicants that are operational designated contract markets. An applicant that is an operational designated contract market and is also seeking to register as a swap execution facility in order to transfer one or more of its contracts may request that the Commission grant the applicant temporary registration by complying with the requirements in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. The termination of temporary registration provision in paragraph (c)(5) of this section shall not apply to an applicant that is a non-dormant designated contract market as described in this paragraph.
(d) Reinstatement of dormant registration. A dormant swap execution facility as defined in section 40.1 of this chapter may reinstate its registration under the procedures of paragraph (b) of this section. The applicant may rely upon previously submitted materials if such materials accurately describe the dormant swap execution facility’s conditions at the time that it applies for reinstatement of its registration.
(e) Request for transfer of registration. (1) A swap execution facility seeking to transfer its registration from its current legal entity to a new legal entity as a result of a corporate change shall file a request for approval to transfer such registration with the Secretary of the Commission in the form and manner specified by the Commission.
(2) Timeline for filing a request for transfer of registration. A request for transfer of registration shall be filed no later than three months prior to the anticipated corporate change; or in the event that the swap execution facility could not have known of the anticipated change three months prior to the anticipated change, as soon as it knows of such change.
(3) Required information. The request for transfer of registration shall include the following:
(i) The underlying agreement that governs the corporate change;
(ii) A description of the corporate change, including the reason for the change and its impact on the swap execution facility, including its governance and operations, and its impact on the rights and obligations of market participants;
(iii) A discussion of the transferee’s ability to comply with the Act, including the core principles applicable to swap execution facilities, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder;
(iv) The governing documents of the transferee, including, but not limited to, articles of incorporation and bylaws;
(v) The transferee’s rules marked to show changes from the current rules of the swap execution facility;
(vi) A representation by the transferee that it:
(A) Will be the surviving entity and successor-in-interest to the transferor swap execution facility and will retain and assume, without limitation, all of the assets and liabilities of the transferor;
(B) Will assume responsibility for complying with all applicable provisions of the Act and the Commission’s regulations promulgated thereunder, including this part and appendices thereto;
(C) Will assume, maintain, and enforce all rules implementing and complying with the core principles applicable to swap execution facilities, including the adoption of the transferor’s rulebook, as amended in the request, and that any such amendments will be submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5c(c) of the Act and part 40 of this chapter;
(D) Will comply with all self-regulatory responsibilities except if otherwise indicated in the request, and will maintain and enforce all self-regulatory programs; and
(E) Will notify market participants of all changes to the transferor’s rulebook prior to the transfer and will further notify market participants of the concurrent transfer of the registration to the transferee upon Commission approval and issuance of an order permitting this transfer.
(vii) A representation by the transferee that upon the transfer:
(A) It will assume responsibility for and maintain compliance with core principles for all swaps previously made available for trading through the transferor, whether by certification or approval; and
(B) None of the proposed rule changes will affect the rights and obligations of any market participant.
(4) Commission determination. Upon review of a request for transfer of registration, the Commission, as soon as practicable, shall issue an order either approving or denying the request.
(f) Request for withdrawal of application for registration. An applicant for registration as a swap execution facility may withdraw its application submitted pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section by filing a withdrawal request electronically with the Secretary of the Commission. Withdrawal of an application for registration shall not affect any action taken or to be taken by the Commission based upon actions, activities, or events occurring during the time that the application was pending with the Commission.
(g) Request for vacation of registration. A swap execution facility may request that its registration be vacated under section 7 of the Act by filing a vacation request electronically with the Secretary of the Commission. Vacation of registration shall not affect any action taken or to be taken by the Commission based upon actions, activities, or events occurring during the time that the swap execution facility was registered by the Commission.
(h) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, upon consultation with the General Counsel or the General Counsel’s delegate, authority to notify an applicant seeking registration that its application is incomplete and that it will not be deemed to have been submitted for purposes of the Commission’s review, to notify an applicant seeking registration under section 6(a) of the Act that its application is materially incomplete and the running of the 180-day period is stayed, and to notify an applicant seeking temporary registration that its request is granted or denied. The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
§ 37.4 Procedures for listing products and implementing rules.
(a) An applicant for registration as a swap execution facility may submit a swap’s terms and conditions prior to listing the product as part of its application for registration.
(b) Any swap terms and conditions or rules submitted as part of a swap execution facility’s application for registration shall be considered for approval by the Commission at the time the Commission issues the swap execution facility’s order of registration.
(c) After the Commission issues the order of registration, a swap execution facility shall submit a swap’s terms and conditions, including amendments to such terms and conditions, new rules, or rule amendments pursuant to the procedures under part 40 of this chapter.
(d) Any swap terms and conditions or rules submitted as part of an application to reinstate the registration of a dormant swap execution facility, as defined in § 40.1 of this chapter, shall be considered for approval by the Commission at the time the Commission approves the dormant swap execution facility’s reinstatement of registration.
§ 37.5 Information relating to swap execution facility compliance.
(a) Request for information. Upon the Commission’s request, a swap execution facility shall file with the Commission information related to its business as a swap execution facility in the form and manner and within the time period as the Commission specifies in its request.
(b) Demonstration of compliance. Upon the Commission’s request, a swap execution facility shall file with the Commission a written demonstration, containing supporting data, information, and documents that it is in compliance with one or more core principles or with its other obligations under the Act or the Commission’s regulations as the Commission specifies in its request. The swap execution facility shall file such written demonstration in the form and manner and within the time period as the Commission specifies in its request.
(c) Equity interest transfer—(1) Equity interest transfer notification. A swap execution facility shall file with the Commission a notification of each transaction that the swap execution facility enters into involving the transfer of fifty percent or more of the equity interest in the swap execution facility. The Commission may, upon receiving such notification, request supporting documentation of the transaction.
(2) Timing of notification. The equity interest transfer notice described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters at [email protected] and the Division of Market Oversight at [email protected], at the earliest possible time but in no event later than the open of business ten business days following the date upon which the swap execution facility enters into a firm obligation to transfer the equity interest.
(3) Rule filing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any aspect of an equity interest transfer described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section requires a swap execution facility to file a rule as defined in part 40 of this chapter, then the swap execution facility shall comply with the requirements of section 5c(c) of the Act and part 40 of this chapter, and all other applicable Commission regulations.
(4) Certification. Upon a transfer of an equity interest of fifty percent or more in a swap execution facility, the swap execution facility shall file electronically with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters at [email protected] and the Division of Market Oversight at [email protected], a certification that the swap execution facility meets all of the requirements of section 5h of the Act and the Commission regulations adopted thereunder, no later than two business days following the date on which the equity interest of fifty percent or more was acquired.
(d) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, the authority set forth in this section to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time. The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
§ 37.6 Enforceability.
(a) A transaction entered into on or pursuant to the rules of a swap execution facility shall not be void, voidable, subject to rescission, otherwise invalidated, or rendered unenforceable as a result of:
(1) A violation by the swap execution facility of the provisions of section 5h of the Act or this part;
(2) Any Commission proceeding to alter or supplement a rule, term, or condition under section 8a(7) of the Act or to declare an emergency under section 8a(9) of the Act; or
(3) Any other proceeding the effect of which is to:
(i) Alter or supplement a specific term or condition or trading rule or procedure; or
(ii) Require a swap execution facility to adopt a specific term or condition, trading rule or procedure, or to take or refrain from taking a specific action.
(b) A swap execution facility shall provide each counterparty to a transaction that is entered into on or pursuant to the rules of the swap execution facility with a written record of all of the terms of the transaction which shall legally supersede any previous agreement and serve as a confirmation of the transaction. The confirmation of all terms of the transaction shall take place at the same time as execution; provided that specific customer identifiers for accounts included in bunched orders involving swaps need not be included in confirmations provided by a swap execution facility if the applicable requirements of § 1.35(b)(5) of this chapter are met.
§ 37.7 Prohibited use of data collected for regulatory purposes.
A swap execution facility shall not use for business or marketing purposes any proprietary data or personal information it collects or receives, from or on behalf of any person, for the purpose of fulfilling its regulatory obligations; provided, however, that a swap execution facility may use such data or information for business or marketing purposes if the person from whom it collects or receives such data or information clearly consents to the swap execution facility’s use of such data or information in such manner. A swap execution facility shall not condition access to its market(s) or market services on a person’s consent to the swap execution facility’s use of proprietary data or personal information for business or marketing purposes. A swap execution facility, where necessary for regulatory purposes, may share such data or information with one or more swap execution facilities or designated contract markets registered with the Commission.
§ 37.8 Boards of trade operating both a designated contract market and a swap execution facility.
(a) An entity that intends to operate both a designated contract market and a swap execution facility shall separately register the two entities pursuant to the designated contract market designation procedures set forth in part 38 of this chapter and the swap execution facility registration procedures set forth in this part. On an ongoing basis, the entity shall comply with the core principles for designated contract markets under section 5(d) of the Act and the regulations under part 38 of this chapter and the core principles for swap execution facilities under section 5h of the Act and the regulations under this part.
(b) A board of trade, as defined in section 1a(6) of the Act, that operates both a designated contract market and a swap execution facility and that uses the same electronic trade execution system for executing and trading swaps on the designated contract market and on the swap execution facility shall clearly identify to market participants for each swap whether the execution or trading of such swaps is taking place on the designated contract market or on the swap execution facility.
§ 37.9 Methods of execution for required and permitted transactions.
(a) Execution methods for required transactions. (1) Required transaction means any transaction involving a swap that is subject to the trade execution requirement in section 2(h)(8) of the Act.
(2) Execution methods. (i) Each Required Transaction that is not a block trade as defined in § 43.2 of this chapter shall be executed on a swap execution facility in accordance with one of the following methods of execution except as provided in paragraph (d) or (e) of this section:
(A) An Order Book as defined in § 37.3(a)(3); or
(B) A Request for Quote System, as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, that operates in conjunction with an Order Book as defined in § 37.3(a)(3).
(ii) In providing either one of the execution methods set forth in paragraph (a)(2)(i)(A) or (B) of this section, a swap execution facility may for purposes of execution and communication use any means of interstate commerce, including, but not limited to, the mail, internet, email, and telephone, provided that the chosen execution method satisfies the requirements provided in § 37.3(a)(3) for Order Books or in paragraph (a)(3) of this section for Request for Quote Systems.
(3) Request for quote system means a trading system or platform in which a market participant transmits a request for a quote to buy or sell a specific instrument to no less than three market participants in the trading system or platform, to which all such market participants may respond. The three market participants shall not be affiliates of or controlled by the requester and shall not be affiliates of or controlled by each other. A swap execution facility that offers a request for quote system in connection with Required Transactions shall provide the following functionality:
(i) At the same time that the requester receives the first responsive bid or offer, the swap execution facility shall communicate to the requester any firm bid or offer pertaining to the same instrument resting on any of the swap execution facility’s Order Books, as defined in § 37.3(a)(3);
(ii) The swap execution facility shall provide the requester with the ability to execute against such firm resting bids or offers along with any responsive orders; and
(iii) The swap execution facility shall ensure that its trading protocols provide each of its market participants with equal priority in receiving requests for quotes and in transmitting and displaying for execution responsive orders.
(b) Time delay requirement for required transactions on an order book—(1) Time delay requirement. A swap execution facility shall require that a broker or dealer who seeks to either execute against its customer’s order or execute two of its customers’ orders against each other through the swap execution facility’s Order Book, following some form of pre-arrangement or pre-negotiation of such orders, be subject to at least a 15 second time delay between the entry of those two orders into the Order Book, such that one side of the potential transaction is disclosed and made available to other market participants before the second side of the potential transaction, whether for the broker’s or dealer’s own account or for a second customer, is submitted for execution.
(2) Adjustment of time delay requirement. A swap execution facility may adjust the time period of the 15 second time delay requirement described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, based upon a swap’s liquidity or other product-specific considerations; however, the time delay shall be set for a sufficient period of time so that an order is exposed to the market and other market participants have a meaningful opportunity to execute against such order.
(c) Execution methods for permitted transactions. (1) Permitted transaction means any transaction not involving a swap that is subject to the trade execution requirement in section 2(h)(8) of the Act.
(2) Execution methods. A swap execution facility may offer any method of execution for each Permitted Transaction.
(d) Exceptions to required methods of execution for package transactions. (1) For purposes of this paragraph, a package transaction consists of two or more component transactions executed between two or more counterparties where:
(i) At least one component transaction is a Required Transaction;
(ii) Execution of each component transaction is contingent upon the execution of all other component transactions; and
(iii) The component transactions are priced or quoted together as one economic transaction with simultaneous or near-simultaneous execution of all components.
(2) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction that includes a component swap that is subject exclusively to the Commission’s jurisdiction, but is not subject to the clearing requirement under section 2(h)(1)(A) of the Act, may be executed on a swap execution facility in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section as if it were a Permitted Transaction;
(3) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction that includes a component that is not a swap, as defined under section 1a(47) of the Act, may be executed on a swap execution facility in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section as if it were a Permitted Transaction. This provision shall not apply to:
(i) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction in which all other non-swap components are U.S. Treasury securities;
(ii) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction in which all other non-swap components are contracts for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery;
(iii) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction in which all other non-swap components are agency mortgage-backed securities; and
(iv) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction that includes a component transaction that is the issuance of a bond in a primary market.
(4) A Required Transaction that is executed as a component of a package transaction that includes a component swap that is not exclusively subject to the Commission’s jurisdiction may be executed on a swap execution facility in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section as if it were a Permitted Transaction.
(e) Resolution of operational and clerical error trades. (1) As used in this paragraph:
(i) Correcting trade means a trade executed and submitted for clearing to a registered derivatives clearing organization, or a derivatives clearing organization that the Commission has determined is exempt from registration, with the same terms and conditions as an error trade other than any corrections to any operational or clerical error and the time of execution.
(ii) Error trade means any trade executed on or subject to the rules of a swap execution facility that contains an operational or clerical error.
(iii) Offsetting trade means a trade executed and submitted for clearing to a registered derivatives clearing organization, or a derivatives clearing organization that the Commission has determined is exempt from registration, with terms and conditions that economically reverse an error trade that was accepted for clearing.
(2) Execution of correcting trades and offsetting trades. (i) A swap execution facility shall maintain rules and procedures that facilitate the resolution of error trades. Such rules shall be fair, transparent, and consistent; allow for timely resolution; require market participants to provide prompt notice of an error trade—and, as applicable, offsetting and correcting trades—to the swap execution facility; and permit market participants to:
(A) Execute a correcting trade, in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section, regardless of whether it is a Required or Permitted Transaction, for an error trade that has been rejected from clearing as soon as technologically practicable, but no later than one hour after a registered derivatives clearing organization, or a derivatives clearing organization that the Commission has determined is exempt from registration, provides notice of the rejection; or
(B) Execute an offsetting trade and a correcting trade, in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section, regardless of whether it is a Required or Permitted Transaction, for an error trade that was accepted for clearing as soon as technologically practicable, but no later than three days after the error trade was accepted for clearing at a derivatives clearing organization or a derivatives clearing organization that the Commission has determined is exempt from registration.
(ii) If a correcting trade is rejected from clearing, then a swap execution facility shall not allow the counterparties to execute another correcting trade.
(f) Counterparty anonymity. (1) Except as otherwise required under the Act or the Commission’s regulations, a swap execution facility shall not directly or indirectly, including through a third-party service provider, disclose the identity of a counterparty to a swap that is executed anonymously and intended to be cleared.
(2) A swap execution facility shall establish and enforce rules that prohibit any person from directly or indirectly, including through a third-party service provider, disclosing the identity of a counterparty to a swap that is executed anonymously and intended to be cleared.
(3) For purposes of paragraphs (f)(1) and (2) of this section, “executed anonymously” shall include a swap that is pre-arranged or pre-negotiated anonymously, including by a participant of the swap execution facility.
(4) For a package transaction that includes a component transaction that is not a swap intended to be cleared, disclosing the identity of a counterparty shall not violate paragraph (f)(1) or (2) of this section. For purposes of this paragraph, a “package transaction” consists of two or more component transactions executed between two or more counterparties where:
(i) Execution of each component transaction is contingent upon the execution of all other component transactions; and
(ii) The component transactions are priced or quoted together as one economic transaction with simultaneous or near-simultaneous execution of all components.
§ 37.10 Process for a swap execution facility to make a swap available to trade.
(a)(1) Required submission. A swap execution facility that makes a swap available to trade in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, shall submit to the Commission its determination with respect to such swap as a rule, as that term is defined by § 40.1 of this chapter, pursuant to the procedures under part 40 of this chapter.
(2) Listing requirement. A swap execution facility that makes a swap available to trade must demonstrate that it lists or offers that swap for trading on its trading system or platform.
(b) Factors to consider. To make a swap available to trade, for purposes of section 2(h)(8) of the Act, a swap execution facility shall consider, as appropriate, the following factors with respect to such swap:
(1) Whether there are ready and willing buyers and sellers;
(2) The frequency or size of transactions;
(3) The trading volume;
(4) The number and types of market participants;
(5) The bid/ask spread; or
(6) The usual number of resting firm or indicative bids and offers.
(c) Applicability. Upon a determination that a swap is available to trade on any swap execution facility or designated contract market pursuant to part 40 of this chapter, all other swap execution facilities and designated contract markets shall comply with the requirements of section 2(h)(8)(A) of the Act in listing or offering such swap for trading.
(d) Removal—(1) Determination. The Commission may issue a determination that a swap is no longer available to trade upon determining that no swap execution facility or designated contract market lists such swap for trading.
(2) Delegation of Authority. (i) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to issue a determination that a swap is no longer available to trade.
(ii) The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this section. Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
§ 37.11 [Reserved]
§ 37.12 Trade execution compliance schedule.
(a) A swap transaction shall be subject to the requirements of section 2(h)(8) of the Act upon the later of:
(1) The applicable deadline established under the compliance schedule provided under § 50.25(b) of this chapter; or
(2) Thirty days after the available-to-trade determination submission or certification for that swap is, respectively, deemed approved under § 40.5 of this chapter or deemed certified under § 40.6 of this chapter.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit any counterparty from complying voluntarily with the requirements of section 2(h)(8) of the Act sooner than as provided in paragraph (a) of this section.
Subpart B—Compliance With Core Principles
§ 37.100 Core Principle 1—Compliance with core principles.
(a) In general. To be registered, and maintain registration, as a swap execution facility, the swap execution facility shall comply with—
(1) The core principles described in section 5h of the Act; and
(2) Any requirement that the Commission may impose by rule or regulation pursuant to section 8a(5) of the Act.
(b) Reasonable discretion of a swap execution facility. Unless otherwise determined by the Commission by rule or regulation, a swap execution facility described in paragraph (a) of this section shall have reasonable discretion in establishing the manner in which the swap execution facility complies with the core principles described in section 5h of the Act.
Subpart C—Compliance With Rules
§ 37.200 Core Principle 2—Compliance with rules.
A swap execution facility shall:
(a) Establish and enforce compliance with any rule of the swap execution facility, including the terms and conditions of the swaps traded or processed on or through the swap execution facility and any limitation on access to the swap execution facility;
(b) Establish and enforce trading, trade processing, and participation rules that will deter abuses and have the capacity to detect, investigate, and enforce those rules, including means to provide market participants with impartial access to the market and to capture information that may be used in establishing whether rule violations have occurred;
(c) Establish rules governing the operation of the facility, including rules specifying trading procedures to be used in entering and executing orders traded or posted on the facility, including block trades; and
(d) Provide by its rules that when a swap dealer or major swap participant enters into or facilitates a swap that is subject to the mandatory clearing requirement of section 2(h) of the Act, the swap dealer or major swap participant shall be responsible for compliance with the mandatory trading requirement under section 2(h)(8) of the Act.
§ 37.201 Operation of swap execution facility and compliance with rules.
(a) A swap execution facility shall establish rules governing the operation of the swap execution facility, including, but not limited to, rules specifying trading procedures to be followed by members and market participants when entering and executing orders traded or posted on the swap execution facility, including block trades, as defined in part 43 of this chapter, if offered.
(b) A swap execution facility shall establish and impartially enforce compliance with the rules of the swap execution facility, including, but not limited to—
(1) The terms and conditions of any swaps traded or processed on or through the swap execution facility;
(2) Access to the swap execution facility;
(3) Trade practice rules;
(4) Audit trail requirements;
(5) Disciplinary rules; and
(6) Mandatory trading requirements.
§ 37.202 Access requirements.
(a) Impartial access to markets and market services. A swap execution facility shall provide any eligible contract participant and any independent software vendor with impartial access to its market(s) and market services, including any indicative quote screens or any similar pricing data displays, provided that the facility has:
(1) Criteria governing such access that are impartial, transparent, and applied in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner;
(2) Procedures whereby eligible contract participants provide the swap execution facility with written or electronic confirmation of their status as eligible contract participants, as defined by the Act and Commission regulations, prior to obtaining access; and
(3) Comparable fee structures for eligible contract participants and independent software vendors receiving comparable access to, or services from, the swap execution facility.
(b) Jurisdiction. Prior to granting any eligible contract participant access to its facilities, a swap execution facility shall require that the eligible contract participant consent to its jurisdiction.
(c) Limitations on access. A swap execution facility shall establish and impartially enforce rules governing any decision to allow, deny, suspend, or permanently bar eligible contract participants’ access to the swap execution facility, including when such decisions are made as part of a disciplinary or emergency action taken by the swap execution facility.
§ 37.203 Rule enforcement program.
A swap execution facility shall establish and enforce trading, trade processing, and participation rules that will deter abuses and it shall have the capacity to detect, investigate, and enforce those rules.
(a) Abusive trading practices prohibited. A swap execution facility shall prohibit abusive trading practices on its markets by members and market participants. Swap execution facilities that permit intermediation shall prohibit customer-related abuses including, but not limited to, trading ahead of customer orders, trading against customer orders, accommodation trading, and improper cross trading. Specific trading practices that shall be prohibited include front-running, wash trading, pre-arranged trading (except for block trades permitted by part 43 of this chapter or other types of transactions certified to or approved by the Commission pursuant to the procedures under part 40 of this chapter), fraudulent trading, money passes, and any other trading practices that a swap execution facility deems to be abusive. A swap execution facility shall also prohibit any other manipulative or disruptive trading practices prohibited by the Act or by the Commission pursuant to Commission regulation.
(b) Capacity to detect and investigate rule violations. A swap execution facility shall have arrangements and resources for effective enforcement of its rules. Such arrangements shall include the authority to collect information and documents on both a routine and non-routine basis, including the authority to examine books and records kept by the swap execution facility’s members and by persons under investigation. A swap execution facility’s arrangements and resources shall also facilitate the direct supervision of the market and the analysis of data collected to determine whether a rule violation has occurred.
(c) Compliance staff and resources. A swap execution facility shall establish and maintain sufficient compliance staff and resources to ensure that it can conduct effective audit trail reviews, trade practice surveillance, market surveillance, and real-time market monitoring. The swap execution facility’s compliance staff shall also be sufficient to address unusual market or trading events as they arise, and to conduct and complete investigations in a timely manner, as set forth in § 37.203(f).
(d) Automated trade surveillance system. A swap execution facility shall maintain an automated trade surveillance system capable of detecting potential trade practice violations. The automated trade surveillance system shall load and process daily orders and trades no later than 24 hours after the completion of the trading day. The automated trade surveillance system shall have the capability to detect and flag specific trade execution patterns and trade anomalies; compute, retain, and compare trading statistics; compute trade gains, losses, and swap-equivalent positions; reconstruct the sequence of market activity; perform market analyses; and support system users to perform in-depth analyses and ad hoc queries of trade-related data.
(e) Real-time market monitoring. A swap execution facility shall conduct real-time market monitoring of all trading activity on its system(s) or platform(s) to identify disorderly trading and any market or system anomalies. A swap execution facility shall have the authority to adjust trade prices or cancel trades when necessary to mitigate market disrupting events caused by malfunctions in its system(s) or platform(s) or errors in orders submitted by members and market participants. Any trade price adjustments or trade cancellations shall be transparent to the market and subject to standards that are clear, fair, and publicly available.
(f) Investigations and investigation reports—(1) Procedures. A swap execution facility shall establish and maintain procedures that require its compliance staff to conduct investigations of possible rule violations. An investigation shall be commenced upon the receipt of a request from Commission staff or upon the discovery or receipt of information by the swap execution facility that indicates a reasonable basis for finding that a violation may have occurred or will occur.
(2) Timeliness. Each compliance staff investigation shall be completed in a timely manner. Absent mitigating factors, a timely manner is no later than 12 months after the date that an investigation is opened. Mitigating factors that may reasonably justify an investigation taking longer than 12 months to complete include the complexity of the investigation, the number of firms or individuals involved as potential wrongdoers, the number of potential violations to be investigated, and the volume of documents and data to be examined and analyzed by compliance staff.
(3) Investigation reports when a reasonable basis exists for finding a violation. Compliance staff shall submit a written investigation report for disciplinary action in every instance in which compliance staff determines from surveillance or from an investigation that a reasonable basis exists for finding a rule violation. The investigation report shall include the reason the investigation was initiated; a summary of the complaint, if any; the relevant facts; compliance staff’s analysis and conclusions; and a recommendation as to whether disciplinary action should be pursued.
(4) Investigation reports when no reasonable basis exists for finding a violation. If after conducting an investigation, compliance staff determines that no reasonable basis exists for finding a rule violation, it shall prepare a written report including the reason the investigation was initiated; a summary of the complaint, if any; the relevant facts; and compliance staff’s analysis and conclusions.
(5) Warning letters. No more than one warning letter may be issued to the same person or entity found to have committed the same rule violation within a rolling twelve month period.
(g) Additional sources for compliance. A swap execution facility may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.203.
§ 37.204 Regulatory services provided by a third party.
(a) Use of regulatory service provider permitted. A swap execution facility may choose to contract with a registered futures association or another registered entity, as such terms are defined under the Act, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (collectively, “regulatory service providers”), for the provision of services to assist in complying with the Act and Commission regulations thereunder, as approved by the Commission. Any swap execution facility that chooses to contract with a regulatory service provider shall ensure that such provider has the capacity and resources necessary to provide timely and effective regulatory services, including adequate staff and automated surveillance systems. A swap execution facility shall at all times remain responsible for the performance of any regulatory services received, for compliance with the swap execution facility’s obligations under the Act and Commission regulations, and for the regulatory service provider’s performance on its behalf.
(b) Duty to supervise regulatory service provider. A swap execution facility that elects to use the service of a regulatory service provider shall retain sufficient compliance staff to supervise the quality and effectiveness of the regulatory services provided on its behalf. Compliance staff of the swap execution facility shall hold regular meetings with the regulatory service provider to discuss ongoing investigations, trading patterns, market participants, and any other matters of regulatory concern. A swap execution facility shall also conduct periodic reviews of the adequacy and effectiveness of services provided on its behalf. Such reviews shall be documented carefully and made available to the Commission upon request.
(c) Regulatory decisions required from the swap execution facility. A swap execution facility that elects to use the service of a regulatory service provider shall retain exclusive authority in all substantive decisions made by its regulatory service provider, including, but not limited to, decisions involving the cancellation of trades, the issuance of disciplinary charges against members or market participants, and denials of access to the trading platform for disciplinary reasons. A swap execution facility shall document any instances where its actions differ from those recommended by its regulatory service provider, including the reasons for the course of action recommended by the regulatory service provider and the reasons why the swap execution facility chose a different course of action.
§ 37.205 Audit trail.
A swap execution facility shall establish procedures to capture and retain information that may be used in establishing whether rule violations have occurred.
(a) Audit trail required. A swap execution facility shall capture and retain all audit trail data necessary to detect, investigate, and prevent customer and market abuses. Such data shall be sufficient to reconstruct all indications of interest, requests for quotes, orders, and trades within a reasonable period of time and to provide evidence of any violations of the rules of the swap execution facility. An acceptable audit trail shall also permit the swap execution facility to track a customer order from the time of receipt through execution on the swap execution facility.
(b) Elements of an acceptable audit trail program—(1) Original source documents. A swap execution facility’s audit trail shall include original source documents. Original source documents include unalterable, sequentially-identified records on which trade execution information is originally recorded, whether recorded manually or electronically. Records for customer orders (whether filled, unfilled, or cancelled, each of which shall be retained or electronically captured) shall reflect the terms of the order, an account identifier that relates back to the account(s) owner(s), the time of order entry, and the time of trade execution. Swap execution facilities shall require that all orders, indications of interest, and requests for quotes be immediately captured in the audit trail.
(2) Transaction history database. A swap execution facility’s audit trail program shall include an electronic transaction history database. An adequate transaction history database includes a history of all indications of interest, requests for quotes, orders, and trades entered into a swap execution facility’s trading system or platform, including all order modifications and cancellations. An adequate transaction history database also includes:
(i) All data that are input into the trade entry or matching system for the transaction to match and clear;
(ii) The customer type indicator code;
(iii) Timing and sequencing data adequate to reconstruct trading; and
(3) Electronic analysis capability. A swap execution facility’s audit trail program shall include electronic analysis capability with respect to all audit trail data in the transaction history database. Such electronic analysis capability shall ensure that the swap execution facility has the ability to reconstruct indications of interest, requests for quotes, orders, and trades, and identify possible trading violations with respect to both customer and market abuse.
(4) Safe storage capability. A swap execution facility’s audit trail program shall include the capability to safely store all audit trail data retained in its transaction history database. Such safe storage capability shall include the capability to store all data in the database in a manner that protects it from unauthorized alteration, as well as from accidental erasure or other loss. Data shall be retained in accordance with the recordkeeping requirements of Core Principle 10 for swap execution facilities and the associated regulations in subpart K of this part.
(c) Enforcement of audit trail requirements—(1) Annual audit trail and recordkeeping reviews. A swap execution facility shall enforce its audit trail and recordkeeping requirements through at least annual reviews of all members and persons and firms subject to the swap execution facility’s recordkeeping rules to verify their compliance with the swap execution facility’s audit trail and recordkeeping requirements. Such reviews shall include, but are not limited to, reviews of randomly selected samples of front-end audit trail data for order routing systems; a review of the process by which user identifications are assigned and user identification records are maintained; a review of usage patterns associated with user identifications to monitor for violations of user identification rules; and reviews of account numbers and customer type indicator codes in trade records to test for accuracy and improper use.
(2) Enforcement program required. A swap execution facility shall establish a program for effective enforcement of its audit trail and recordkeeping requirements. An effective program shall identify members and persons and firms subject to the swap execution facility’s recordkeeping rules that have failed to maintain high levels of compliance with such requirements, and impose meaningful sanctions when deficiencies are found. Sanctions shall be sufficient to deter recidivist behavior. No more than one warning letter shall be issued to the same person or entity found to have committed the same violation of audit trail or recordkeeping requirements within a rolling twelve month period.
§ 37.206 Disciplinary procedures and sanctions.
A swap execution facility shall establish trading, trade processing, and participation rules that will deter abuses and have the capacity to enforce such rules through prompt and effective disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion of members or market participants that violate the rules of the swap execution facility.
(a) Enforcement staff. A swap execution facility shall establish and maintain sufficient enforcement staff and resources to effectively and promptly prosecute possible rule violations within the disciplinary jurisdiction of the swap execution facility.
(b) Disciplinary panels. A swap execution facility shall establish one or more disciplinary panels that are authorized to fulfill their obligations under the rules of this subpart. Disciplinary panels shall meet the composition requirements of part 40 of this chapter, and shall not include any members of the swap execution facility’s compliance staff or any person involved in adjudicating any other stage of the same proceeding.
(c) Hearings. A swap execution facility shall adopt rules that provide for the following minimum requirements for any hearing:
(1) The hearing shall be fair, shall be conducted before members of the disciplinary panel, and shall be promptly convened after reasonable notice to the respondent; and
(2) If the respondent has requested a hearing, a copy of the hearing shall be made and shall become a part of the record of the proceeding. The record shall not be required to be transcribed unless:
(i) The transcript is requested by Commission staff or the respondent;
(ii) The decision is appealed pursuant to the rules of the swap execution facility; or
(iii) The decision is reviewed by the Commission pursuant to section 8c of the Act or part 9 of this chapter. In all other instances, a summary record of a hearing is permitted.
(d) Decisions. Promptly following a hearing conducted in accordance with the rules of the swap execution facility, the disciplinary panel shall render a written decision based upon the weight of the evidence contained in the record of the proceeding and shall provide a copy to the respondent. The decision shall include:
(1) The notice of charges or a summary of the charges;
(2) The answer, if any, or a summary of the answer;
(3) A summary of the evidence produced at the hearing or, where appropriate, incorporation by reference of the investigation report;
(4) A statement of findings and conclusions with respect to each charge, and a complete explanation of the evidentiary and other basis for such findings and conclusions with respect to each charge;
(5) An indication of each specific rule that the respondent was found to have violated; and
(6) A declaration of all sanctions imposed against the respondent, including the basis for such sanctions and the effective date of such sanctions.
(e) Disciplinary sanctions. All disciplinary sanctions imposed by a swap execution facility or its disciplinary panels shall be commensurate with the violations committed and shall be clearly sufficient to deter recidivism or similar violations by other market participants. All disciplinary sanctions, including sanctions imposed pursuant to an accepted settlement offer, shall take into account the respondent’s disciplinary history. In the event of demonstrated customer harm, any disciplinary sanction shall also include full customer restitution, except where the amount of restitution or to whom it should be provided cannot be reasonably determined.
(f) Warning letters. Where a rule violation is found to have occurred, no more than one warning letter may be issued per rolling twelve month period for the same violation.
(g) Additional sources for compliance. A swap execution facility may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.206.
Subpart D—Swaps Not Readily Susceptible to Manipulation
§ 37.300 Core Principle 3—Swaps not readily susceptible to manipulation.
The swap execution facility shall permit trading only in swaps that are not readily susceptible to manipulation.
§ 37.301 General requirements.
To demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.300, a swap execution facility shall, at the time it submits a new swap contract in advance to the Commission pursuant to part 40 of this chapter, provide the applicable information as set forth in appendix C to part 38 of this chapter—Demonstration of Compliance That a Contract is not Readily Susceptible to Manipulation. A swap execution facility may also refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part.
Subpart E—Monitoring of Trading and Trade Processing
§ 37.400 Core Principle 4—Monitoring of trading and trade processing.
The swap execution facility shall:
(a) Establish and enforce rules or terms and conditions defining, or specifications detailing:
(1) Trading procedures to be used in entering and executing orders traded on or through the facilities of the swap execution facility; and
(2) Procedures for trade processing of swaps on or through the facilities of the swap execution facility; and
(b) Monitor trading in swaps to prevent manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions of the delivery or cash settlement process through surveillance, compliance, and disciplinary practices and procedures, including methods for conducting real-time monitoring of trading and comprehensive and accurate trade reconstructions.
§ 37.401 General requirements.
A swap execution facility shall:
(a) Collect and evaluate data on its market participants’ market activity on an ongoing basis in order to detect and prevent manipulation, price distortions, and, where possible, disruptions of the physical-delivery or cash-settlement process;
(b) Monitor and evaluate general market data in order to detect and prevent manipulative activity that would result in the failure of the market price to reflect the normal forces of supply and demand;
(c) Demonstrate an effective program for conducting real-time monitoring of trading for the purpose of detecting and resolving abnormalities; and
(d) Demonstrate the ability to comprehensively and accurately reconstruct daily trading activity for the purpose of detecting instances or threats of manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions.
§ 37.402 Additional requirements for physical-delivery swaps.
For physical-delivery swaps, the swap execution facility shall demonstrate that it:
(a) Monitors a swap’s terms and conditions as they relate to the underlying commodity market; and
(b) Monitors the availability of the supply of the commodity specified by the delivery requirements of the swap.
§ 37.403 Additional requirements for cash-settled swaps.
(a) For cash-settled swaps, the swap execution facility shall demonstrate that it monitors the pricing of the reference price used to determine cash flows or settlement;
(b) For cash-settled swaps listed on the swap execution facility where the reference price is formulated and computed by the swap execution facility, the swap execution facility shall demonstrate that it monitors the continued appropriateness of its methodology for deriving that price; and
(c) For cash-settled swaps listed on the swap execution facility where the reference price relies on a third-party index or instrument, including an index or instrument traded on another venue, the swap execution facility shall demonstrate that it monitors the continued appropriateness of the index or instrument.
§ 37.404 Ability to obtain information.
(a) A swap execution facility shall demonstrate that it has access to sufficient information to assess whether trading in swaps listed on its market, in the index or instrument used as a reference price, or in the underlying commodity for its listed swaps is being used to affect prices on its market.
(b) A swap execution facility shall have rules that require its market participants to keep records of their trading, including records of their activity in the index or instrument used as a reference price, the underlying commodity, and related derivatives markets, and make such records available, upon request, to the swap execution facility or, if applicable, to its regulatory service provider, and the Commission.
§ 37.405 Risk controls for trading.
The swap execution facility shall establish and maintain risk control mechanisms to prevent and reduce the potential risk of market disruptions, including, but not limited to, market restrictions that pause or halt trading under market conditions prescribed by the swap execution facility.
§ 37.406 Trade reconstruction.
The swap execution facility shall have the ability to comprehensively and accurately reconstruct all trading on its facility. All audit-trail data and reconstructions shall be made available to the Commission in a form, manner, and time that is acceptable to the Commission.
§ 37.407 Regulatory service provider.
A swap execution facility shall comply with the regulations in this subpart through a dedicated regulatory department or by contracting with a regulatory service provider pursuant to § 37.204.
§ 37.408 Additional sources for compliance.
A swap execution facility may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.400.
Subpart F—Ability to Obtain Information
§ 37.500 Core Principle 5—Ability to obtain information.
The swap execution facility shall:
(a) Establish and enforce rules that will allow the facility to obtain any necessary information to perform any of the functions described in section 5h of the Act;
(b) Provide the information to the Commission on request; and
(c) Have the capacity to carry out such international information-sharing agreements as the Commission may require.
§ 37.501 Establish and enforce rules.
A swap execution facility shall establish and enforce rules that will allow the swap execution facility to have the ability and authority to obtain sufficient information to allow it to fully perform its operational, risk management, governance, and regulatory functions and any requirements under this part, including the capacity to carry out international information-sharing agreements as the Commission may require.
§ 37.502 Collection of information.
A swap execution facility shall have rules that allow it to collect information on a routine basis, allow for the collection of non-routine data from its market participants, and allow for its examination of books and records kept by the market participants on its facility.
§ 37.503 Provide information to the Commission.
A swap execution facility shall provide information in its possession to the Commission upon request, in a form and manner that the Commission approves.
§ 37.504 Information-sharing agreements.
A swap execution facility shall share information with other regulatory organizations, data repositories, and third-party data reporting services as required by the Commission or as otherwise necessary and appropriate to fulfill its self-regulatory and reporting responsibilities. Appropriate information-sharing agreements can be established with such entities or the Commission can act in conjunction with the swap execution facility to carry out such information sharing.
Subpart G—Position Limits or Accountability
§ 37.600 Core Principle 6—Position limits or accountability.
(a) In general. To reduce the potential threat of market manipulation or congestion, especially during trading in the delivery month, a swap execution facility that is a trading facility shall adopt for each of the contracts of the facility, as is necessary and appropriate, position limitations or position accountability for speculators.
(b) Position limits. For any contract that is subject to a position limitation established by the Commission pursuant to section 4a(a) of the Act, the swap execution facility shall:
(1) Set its position limitation at a level no higher than the Commission limitation; and
(2) Monitor positions established on or through the swap execution facility for compliance with the limit set by the Commission and the limit, if any, set by the swap execution facility.
§ 37.601 Additional sources for compliance.
Until such time that compliance is required under part 151 of this chapter, a swap execution facility may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.600.
Subpart H—Financial Integrity of Transactions
§ 37.700 Core Principle 7—Financial integrity of transactions.
The swap execution facility shall establish and enforce rules and procedures for ensuring the financial integrity of swaps entered on or through the facilities of the swap execution facility, including the clearance and settlement of the swaps pursuant to section 2(h)(1) of the Act.
§ 37.701 Required clearing.
Transactions executed on or through the swap execution facility that are required to be cleared under section 2(h)(1)(A) of the Act or are voluntarily cleared by the counterparties shall be cleared through a Commission-registered derivatives clearing organization, or a derivatives clearing organization that the Commission has determined is exempt from registration.
§ 37.702 General financial integrity.
A swap execution facility shall provide for the financial integrity of its transactions:
(a) By establishing minimum financial standards for its members, which shall, at a minimum, require that members qualify as an eligible contract participant as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act;
(b) For transactions cleared by a derivatives clearing organization:
(1) By ensuring that the swap execution facility has the capacity to route transactions to the derivatives clearing organization in a manner acceptable to the derivatives clearing organization for purposes of clearing; and
(2) By coordinating with each derivatives clearing organization to which it submits transactions for clearing, in the development of rules and procedures to facilitate prompt and efficient transaction processing in accordance with the requirements of § 39.12(b)(7) of this chapter.
§ 37.703 Monitoring for financial soundness.
A swap execution facility shall monitor its members to ensure that they continue to qualify as eligible contract participants as defined in section 1a(18) of the Act.
Subpart I—Emergency Authority
The swap execution facility shall adopt rules to provide for the exercise of emergency authority, in consultation or cooperation with the Commission, as is necessary and appropriate, including the authority to liquidate or transfer open positions in any swap or to suspend or curtail trading in a swap.
§ 37.801 Additional sources for compliance.
A swap execution facility may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.800.
Subpart J—Timely Publication of Trading Information
§ 37.900 Core Principle 9—Timely publication of trading information.
(a) In general. The swap execution facility shall make public timely information on price, trading volume, and other trading data on swaps to the extent prescribed by the Commission.
(b) Capacity of swap execution facility. The swap execution facility shall be required to have the capacity to electronically capture and transmit trade information with respect to transactions executed on the facility.
§ 37.901 General requirements.
With respect to swaps traded on or through a swap execution facility, each swap execution facility shall:
(a) Report specified swap data as provided under part 43 and part 45 of this chapter; and
(b) Meet the requirements of part 16 of this chapter.
Subpart K—Recordkeeping and Reporting
§ 37.1000 Core Principle 10—Recordkeeping and reporting.
(a) In general. A swap execution facility shall:
(1) Maintain records of all activities relating to the business of the facility, including a complete audit trail, in a form and manner acceptable to the Commission for a period of five years;
(2) Report to the Commission, in a form and manner acceptable to the Commission, such information as the Commission determines to be necessary or appropriate for the Commission to perform the duties of the Commission under the Act; and
(3) Keep any such records relating to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act open to inspection and examination by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(b) Requirements. The Commission shall adopt data collection and reporting requirements for swap execution facilities that are comparable to corresponding requirements for derivatives clearing organizations and swap data repositories.
§ 37.1001 Recordkeeping.
A swap execution facility shall maintain records of all activities relating to the business of the facility, in a form and manner acceptable to the Commission, for a period of at least five years. A swap execution facility shall maintain such records, including a complete audit trail for all swaps executed on or subject to the rules of the swap execution facility, investigatory files, and disciplinary files, in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31 and part 45 of this chapter.
Subpart L—Antitrust Considerations
§ 37.1100 Core Principle 11—Antitrust considerations.
Unless necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of the Act, the swap execution facility shall not:
(a) Adopt any rules or take any actions that result in any unreasonable restraint of trade; or
(b) Impose any material anticompetitive burden on trading or clearing.
§ 37.1101 Additional sources for compliance.
A swap execution facility may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 37.1100.
Subpart M—Conflicts of Interest
§ 37.1200 Core Principle 12—Conflicts of interest.
The swap execution facility shall:
(a) Establish and enforce rules to minimize conflicts of interest in its decision-making process; and
(b) Establish a process for resolving the conflicts of interest.
Subpart N—Financial Resources
§ 37.1300 Core Principle 13—Financial resources.
(a) In general. The swap execution facility shall have adequate financial, operational, and managerial resources to discharge each responsibility of the swap execution facility.
(b) Determination of resource adequacy. The financial resources of a swap execution facility shall be considered to be adequate if the value of the financial resources exceeds the total amount that would enable the swap execution facility to cover the operating costs of the swap execution facility for a one-year period, as calculated on a rolling basis.
§ 37.1301 General requirements.
(a) A swap execution facility shall maintain financial resources on an ongoing basis that are adequate to enable it to comply with the core principles set forth in section 5h of the Act and any applicable Commission regulations. Financial resources shall be considered adequate if their value exceeds the total amount that would enable the swap execution facility to cover its projected operating costs necessary for the swap execution facility to comply with section 5h of the Act and applicable Commission regulations for a one-year period, as calculated on a rolling basis pursuant to § 37.1304.
(b) An entity that operates as both a swap execution facility and a derivatives clearing organization shall also comply with the financial resource requirements of § 39.11 of this chapter.
§ 37.1302 Types of financial resources.
Financial resources available to satisfy the requirements of § 37.1301 may include:
(a) The swap execution facility’s own capital, meaning its assets minus its liabilities calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States; and
(b) Any other financial resource deemed acceptable by the Commission.
§ 37.1303 Liquidity of financial resources.
The financial resources allocated by the swap execution facility to meet the ongoing requirements of § 37.1301 shall include unencumbered, liquid financial assets (i.e., cash and/or highly liquid securities) equal to at least the greater of three months of projected operating costs, as calculated on a rolling basis, or the projected costs needed to wind down the swap execution facility’s operations, in each case as determined under § 37.1304. If a swap execution facility lacks sufficient unencumbered, liquid financial assets to satisfy its obligations under this section, the swap execution facility may satisfy this requirement by obtaining a committed line of credit or similar facility in an amount at least equal to such deficiency.
§ 37.1304 Computation of costs to meet financial resources requirement.
A swap execution facility shall each fiscal quarter, make a reasonable calculation of its projected operating costs and wind-down costs in order to determine its applicable obligations under §§ 37.1301 and 37.1303. The swap execution facility shall have reasonable discretion in determining the methodologies used to compute such amounts. The Commission may review the methodologies and require changes as appropriate.
§ 37.1305 Valuation of financial resources.
No less than each fiscal quarter, a swap execution facility shall compute the current market value of each financial resource used to meet its obligations under §§ 37.1301 and 37.1303. Reductions in value to reflect market and credit risk (“haircuts”) shall be applied as appropriate.
§ 37.1306 Reporting to the Commission.
(a) Each fiscal quarter, or at any time upon Commission request, a swap execution facility shall provide a report to the Commission that includes:
(1) The amount of financial resources necessary to meet the requirements of §§ 37.1301 and 37.1303, computed in accordance with the requirements of § 37.1304, and the market value of each available financial resource, computed in accordance with the requirements of § 37.1305; and
(2) Financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows of the swap execution facility.
(i) The financial statements shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, prepared in English, and denominated in U.S. dollars.
(ii) The financial statements of a swap execution facility that is not domiciled in the United States, and is not otherwise required to prepare financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, may satisfy the requirement in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section if such financial statements are prepared in accordance with either International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or a comparable international standard as the Commission may otherwise accept in its discretion.
(b) The calculations required by paragraph (a) of this section shall be made as of the last business day of the swap execution facility’s applicable fiscal quarter.
(c) With each report required under paragraph (a) of this section, the swap execution facility shall also provide the Commission with sufficient documentation explaining the methodology used to compute its financial requirements under §§ 37.1301 and 37.1303. Such documentation shall:
(1) Allow the Commission to reliably determine, without additional requests for information, that the swap execution facility has made reasonable calculations pursuant to § 37.1304; and
(2) Include, at a minimum:
(i) A total list of all expenses, without any exclusion;
(ii) All expenses and the corresponding amounts, if any, that the swap execution facility excluded or prorated when determining its operating costs, calculated on a rolling basis, required under §§ 37.1301 and 37.1303, and the basis for any determination to exclude or prorate any such expenses;
(iii) Documentation demonstrating the existence of any committed line of credit or similar facility relied upon for the purpose of meeting the requirements of § 37.1303 (e.g., copies of agreements establishing or amending a credit facility or similar facility); and
(iv) All costs that a swap execution facility would incur to wind down the swap execution facility’s operations, the projected amount of time for any such wind-down period, and the basis of its determination for the estimation of its costs and timing.
(d) The reports and supporting documentation required by this section shall be filed not later than 40 calendar days after the end of the swap execution facility’s first three fiscal quarters, and not later than 90 calendar days after the end of the swap execution facility’s fourth fiscal quarter, or at such later time as the Commission may permit, in its discretion, upon request by the swap execution facility.
(e) A swap execution facility shall provide notice to the Commission no later than 48 hours after it knows or reasonably should know that it no longer meets its obligations under § 37.1301 or 37.1303.
(a) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, authority to:
(1) Determine whether a particular financial resource under § 37.1302 may be used to satisfy the requirements of § 37.1301;
(2) Review and make changes to the methodology used to compute projected operating costs and wind-down costs under § 37.1304 and the valuation of financial resources under § 37.1305;
(3) Request reports, in addition to those required in § 37.1306, or additional documentation or information under § 37.1306(a), (c), and (e); and
(4) Grant an extension of time to file fiscal quarter reports under § 37.1306(d).
(b) The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this section. Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
Subpart O—System Safeguards
§ 37.1400 Core Principle 14—System safeguards.
The swap execution facility shall:
(a) Establish and maintain a program of risk analysis and oversight to identify and minimize sources of operational risk, through the development of appropriate controls and procedures, and automated systems, that:
(1) Are reliable and secure; and
(2) Have adequate scalable capacity;
(b) Establish and maintain emergency procedures, backup facilities, and a plan for disaster recovery that allow for:
(1) The timely recovery and resumption of operations; and
(2) The fulfillment of the responsibilities and obligations of the swap execution facility; and
(c) Periodically conduct tests to verify that the backup resources of the swap execution facility are sufficient to ensure continued:
(1) Order processing and trade matching;
(2) Price reporting;
(3) Market surveillance; and
(4) Maintenance of a comprehensive and accurate audit trail.
§ 37.1401 Requirements.
(a) A swap execution facility’s program of risk analysis and oversight with respect to its operations and automated systems shall address each of the following categories of risk analysis and oversight:
(1) Enterprise risk management and governance. This category includes, but is not limited to: Assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of security and technology risk; security and technology capital planning and investment; board of directors and management oversight of technology and security; information technology audit and controls assessments; remediation of deficiencies; and any other elements of enterprise risk management and governance included in generally accepted best practices.
(2) Information security. This category includes, but is not limited to, controls relating to: Access to systems and data (including least privilege, separation of duties, account monitoring and control); user and device identification and authentication; security awareness training; audit log maintenance, monitoring, and analysis; media protection; personnel security and screening; automated system and communications protection (including network port control, boundary defenses, encryption); system and information integrity (including malware defenses, software integrity monitoring); vulnerability management; penetration testing; security incident response and management; and any other elements of information security included in generally accepted best practices.
(3) Business continuity-disaster recovery planning and resources. This category includes, but is not limited to: Regular, periodic testing and review of business continuity-disaster recovery capabilities, the controls and capabilities described in paragraph (c), (d), (j), and (k) of this section; and any other elements of business continuity-disaster recovery planning and resources included in generally accepted best practices.
(4) Capacity and performance planning. This category includes, but is not limited to: Controls for monitoring the swap execution facility’s systems to ensure adequate scalable capacity (including testing, monitoring, and analysis of current and projected future capacity and performance, and of possible capacity degradation due to planned automated system changes); and any other elements of capacity and performance planning included in generally accepted best practices.
(5) Systems operations. This category includes, but is not limited to: System maintenance; configuration management (including baseline configuration, configuration change and patch management, least functionality, inventory of authorized and unauthorized devices and software); event and problem response and management; and any other elements of system operations included in generally accepted best practices.
(6) Systems development and quality assurance. This category includes, but is not limited to: Requirements development; pre-production and regression testing; change management procedures and approvals; outsourcing and vendor management; training in secure coding practices; and any other elements of systems development and quality assurance included in generally accepted best practices.
(7) Physical security and environmental controls. This category includes, but is not limited to: Physical access and monitoring; power, telecommunication, and environmental controls; fire protection; and any other elements of physical security and environmental controls included in generally accepted best practices.
(b) In addressing the categories of risk analysis and oversight required under paragraph (a) of this section, a swap execution facility shall follow generally accepted standards and best practices with respect to the development, operation, reliability, security, and capacity of automated systems.
(c) A swap execution facility shall maintain a business continuity-disaster recovery plan and business continuity-disaster recovery resources, emergency procedures, and backup facilities sufficient to enable timely recovery and resumption of its operations and resumption of its ongoing fulfillment of its responsibilities and obligations as a swap execution facility following any disruption of its operations. Such responsibilities and obligations include, without limitation: Order processing and trade matching; transmission of matched orders to a designated clearing organization for clearing, where appropriate; price reporting; market surveillance; and maintenance of a comprehensive audit trail. A swap execution facility’s business continuity-disaster recovery plan and resources generally should enable resumption of trading and clearing of swaps executed on or pursuant to the rules of the swap execution facility during the next business day following the disruption. Swap execution facilities determined by the Commission to be critical financial markets are subject to more stringent requirements in this regard, set forth in § 40.9 of this chapter. A swap execution facility shall update its business continuity-disaster recovery plan and emergency procedures at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but at a minimum no less frequently than annually.
(d) A swap execution facility that is not determined by the Commission to be a critical financial market satisfies the requirement to be able to resume its operations and resume its ongoing fulfillment of its responsibilities and obligations during the next business day following any disruption of its operations by maintaining either:
(1) Infrastructure and personnel resources of its own that are sufficient to ensure timely recovery and resumption of its operations and resumption of its ongoing fulfillment of its responsibilities and obligations as a swap execution facility following any disruption of its operations; or
(2) Contractual arrangements with other swap execution facilities or disaster recovery service providers, as appropriate, that are sufficient to ensure continued trading and clearing of swaps executed on the swap execution facility, and ongoing fulfillment of all of the swap execution facility’s responsibilities and obligations with respect to such swaps, in the event that a disruption renders the swap execution facility temporarily or permanently unable to satisfy this requirement on its own behalf.
(e) A swap execution facility shall notify Commission staff promptly of all:
(1) Electronic trading halts and material system malfunctions;
(2) Cyber security incidents or targeted threats that actually or potentially jeopardize automated system operation, reliability, security, or capacity; and
(3) Activations of the swap execution facility’s business continuity-disaster recovery plan.
(f) A swap execution facility shall provide Commission staff timely advance notice of all material:
(1) Planned changes to automated systems that may impact the reliability, security, or adequate scalable capacity of such systems; and
(2) Planned changes to the swap execution facility’s program of risk analysis and oversight.
(g) As part of a swap execution facility’s obligation to produce books and records in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter, Core Principle 10 (Recordkeeping and Reporting), and §§ 37.1000 and 37.1001, a swap execution facility shall provide to the Commission the following system safeguards-related books and records, promptly upon the request of any Commission representative:
(1) Current copies of its business continuity-disaster recovery plans and other emergency procedures;
(2) All assessments of its operational risks or system safeguards-related controls;
(3) All reports concerning system safeguards testing and assessment required by this chapter, whether performed by independent contractors or by employees of the swap execution facility; and
(4) All other books and records requested by Commission staff in connection with Commission oversight of system safeguards pursuant to the Act or Commission regulations, or in connection with Commission maintenance of a current profile of the swap execution facility’s automated systems.
(5) Nothing in § 37.1401(g) shall be interpreted as reducing or limiting in any way a swap execution facility’s obligation to comply with Core Principle 10 (Recordkeeping and Reporting) or with § 1.31 of this chapter or with § 37.1000 or § 37.1001.
(h) A swap execution facility shall conduct regular, periodic, objective testing and review of its automated systems to ensure that they are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity. It shall also conduct regular, periodic testing and review of its business continuity-disaster recovery capabilities. Such testing and review shall include, without limitation, all of the types of testing set forth in paragraph (h) of this section.
(1) Definitions. As used in this paragraph (h):
Controls means the safeguards or countermeasures employed by the swap execution facility in order to protect the reliability, security, or capacity of its automated systems or the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its data and information, and in order to enable the swap execution facility to fulfill its statutory and regulatory responsibilities.
Controls testing means assessment of the swap execution facility’s controls to determine whether such controls are implemented correctly, are operating as intended, and are enabling the swap execution facility to meet the requirements established by this section.
Enterprise technology risk assessment means a written assessment that includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of threats and vulnerabilities in the context of mitigating controls. An enterprise technology risk assessment identifies, estimates, and prioritizes risks to swap execution facility operations or assets, or to market participants, individuals, or other entities, resulting from impairment of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and information or the reliability, security, or capacity of automated systems.
External penetration testing means attempts to penetrate the swap execution facility’s automated systems from outside the systems’ boundaries to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Methods of conducting external penetration testing include, but are not limited to, methods for circumventing the security features of an automated system.
Internal penetration testing means attempts to penetrate the swap execution facility’s automated systems from inside the systems’ boundaries, to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Methods of conducting internal penetration testing include, but are not limited to, methods for circumventing the security features of an automated system.
Key controls means those controls that an appropriate risk analysis determines are either critically important for effective system safeguards or intended to address risks that evolve or change more frequently and therefore require more frequent review to ensure their continuing effectiveness in addressing such risks.
Security incident means a cyber security or physical security event that actually jeopardizes or has a significant likelihood of jeopardizing automated system operation, reliability, security, or capacity, or the availability, confidentiality or integrity of data.
Security incident response plan means a written plan documenting the swap execution facility’s policies, controls, procedures, and resources for identifying, responding to, mitigating, and recovering from security incidents, and the roles and responsibilities of its management, staff and independent contractors in responding to security incidents. A security incident response plan may be a separate document or a business continuity-disaster recovery plan section or appendix dedicated to security incident response.
Security incident response plan testing means testing of a swap execution facility’s security incident response plan to determine the plan’s effectiveness, identify its potential weaknesses or deficiencies, enable regular plan updating and improvement, and maintain organizational preparedness and resiliency with respect to security incidents. Methods of conducting security incident response plan testing may include, but are not limited to, checklist completion, walk-through or table-top exercises, simulations, and comprehensive exercises.
Vulnerability testing means testing of a swap execution facility’s automated systems to determine what information may be discoverable through a reconnaissance analysis of those systems and what vulnerabilities may be present on those systems.
(2) Vulnerability testing. A swap execution facility shall conduct vulnerability testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A swap execution facility shall conduct such vulnerability testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis.
(ii) Such vulnerability testing shall include automated vulnerability scanning, which shall follow generally accepted best practices.
(iii) A swap execution facility shall conduct vulnerability testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the swap execution facility who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(3) External penetration testing. A swap execution facility shall conduct external penetration testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A swap execution facility shall conduct such external penetration testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis.
(ii) A swap execution facility shall conduct external penetration testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the swap execution facility who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(4) Internal penetration testing. A swap execution facility shall conduct internal penetration testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A swap execution facility shall conduct such internal penetration testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis.
(ii) A swap execution facility shall conduct internal penetration testing by engaging independent contractors, or by using employees of the swap execution facility who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(5) Controls testing. A swap execution facility shall conduct controls testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A swap execution facility shall conduct controls testing, which includes testing of each control included in its program of risk analysis and oversight, at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. Such testing may be conducted on a rolling basis.
(ii) A swap execution facility shall conduct controls testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the swap execution facility who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(6) Security incident response plan testing. A swap execution facility shall conduct security incident response plan testing sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A swap execution facility shall conduct such security incident response plan testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis.
(ii) A swap execution facility’s security incident response plan shall include, without limitation, the swap execution facility’s definition and classification of security incidents, its policies and procedures for reporting security incidents and for internal and external communication and information sharing regarding security incidents, and the hand-off and escalation points in its security incident response process.
(iii) A swap execution facility may coordinate its security incident response plan testing with other testing required by this section or with testing of its other business continuity-disaster recovery and crisis management plans.
(iv) A swap execution facility may conduct security incident response plan testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the swap execution facility.
(7) Enterprise technology risk assessment. A swap execution facility shall conduct enterprise technology risk assessment of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A swap execution facility shall conduct enterprise technology risk assessment at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. A swap execution facility that has conducted an enterprise technology risk assessment that complies with this section may conduct subsequent assessments by updating the previous assessment.
(ii) A swap execution facility may conduct enterprise technology risk assessments by using independent contractors or employees of the swap execution facility who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being assessed.
(i) To the extent practicable, a swap execution facility shall:
(1) Coordinate its business continuity-disaster recovery plan with those of the market participants it depends upon to provide liquidity, in a manner adequate to enable effective resumption of activity in its markets following a disruption causing activation of the swap execution facility’s business continuity-disaster recovery plan;
(2) Initiate and coordinate periodic, synchronized testing of its business continuity-disaster recovery plan with those of the market participants it depends upon to provide liquidity; and
(3) Ensure that its business continuity-disaster recovery plan takes into account the business continuity-disaster recovery plans of its telecommunications, power, water, and other essential service providers.
(j) Part 40 of this chapter governs the obligations of those registered entities that the Commission has determined to be critical financial markets, with respect to maintenance and geographic dispersal of disaster recovery resources sufficient to meet a same-day recovery time objective in the event of a wide-scale disruption. Section 40.9 establishes the requirements for core principle compliance in that respect.
(k) Scope of testing and assessment. The scope for all system safeguards testing and assessment required by this part shall be broad enough to include the testing of automated systems and controls that the swap execution facility’s required program of risk analysis and oversight and its current cybersecurity threat analysis indicate is necessary to identify risks and vulnerabilities that could enable an intruder or unauthorized user or insider to:
(1) Interfere with the swap execution facility’s operations or with fulfillment of its statutory and regulatory responsibilities;
(2) Impair or degrade the reliability, security, or adequate scalable capacity of the swap execution facility’s automated systems;
(3) Add to, delete, modify, exfiltrate, or compromise the integrity of any data related to the swap execution facility’s regulated activities; or
(4) Undertake any other unauthorized action affecting the swap execution facility’s regulated activities or the hardware or software used in connection with those activities.
(l) Internal reporting and review. Both the senior management and the Board of Directors of a swap execution facility shall receive and review reports setting forth the results of the testing and assessment required by this section. A swap execution facility shall establish and follow appropriate procedures for the remediation of issues identified through such review, as provided in paragraph (m) of this section, and for evaluation of the effectiveness of testing and assessment protocols.
(m) Remediation. A swap execution facility shall identify and document the vulnerabilities and deficiencies in its systems revealed by the testing and assessment required by this section. The swap execution facility shall conduct and document an appropriate analysis of the risks presented by such vulnerabilities and deficiencies, to determine and document whether to remediate or accept the associated risk. When the swap execution facility determines to remediate a vulnerability or deficiency, it must remediate in a timely manner given the nature and magnitude of the associated risk.
Subpart P—Designation of Chief Compliance Officer
§ 37.1500 Core Principle 15—Designation of chief compliance officer.
(a) In general. Each swap execution facility shall designate an individual to serve as a chief compliance officer.
(b) Duties. The chief compliance officer shall:
(1) Report directly to the board or to the senior officer of the facility;
(2) Review compliance with the core principles in this subsection;
(3) In consultation with the board of the facility, a body performing a function similar to that of a board, or the senior officer of the facility, resolve any conflicts of interest that may arise;
(4) Be responsible for establishing and administering the policies and procedures required to be established pursuant to this section;
(5) Ensure compliance with the Act and the rules and regulations issued under the Act, including rules prescribed by the Commission pursuant to section 5h of the Act; and
(6) Establish procedures for the remediation of noncompliance issues found during compliance office reviews, look backs, internal or external audit findings, self-reported errors, or through validated complaints.
(c) Requirements for procedures. In establishing procedures under paragraph (b)(6) of this section, the chief compliance officer shall design the procedures to establish the handling, management response, remediation, retesting, and closing of noncompliance issues.
(d) Annual reports—(1) In general. In accordance with rules prescribed by the Commission, the chief compliance officer shall annually prepare and sign a report that contains a description of:
(i) The compliance of the swap execution facility with the Act; and
(ii) The policies and procedures, including the code of ethics and conflict of interest policies, of the swap execution facility.
(2) Requirements. The chief compliance officer shall:
(i) Submit each report described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section with the appropriate financial report of the swap execution facility that is required to be submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5h of the Act; and
(ii) Include in the report a certification that, under penalty of law, the report is accurate and complete.
§ 37.1501 Chief compliance officer.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this part, the term—
Board of directors means the board of directors of a swap execution facility, or for those swap execution facilities whose organizational structure does not include a board of directors, a body performing a function similar to a board of directors.
Senior officer means the chief executive officer or other equivalent officer of the swap execution facility.
(b) Chief compliance officer—(1) Authority of chief compliance officer. (i) The position of chief compliance officer shall carry with it the authority and resources to develop, in consultation with the board of directors or senior officer, the policies and procedures of the swap execution facility and enforce such policies and procedures to fulfill the duties set forth for chief compliance officers in the Act and Commission regulations.
(ii) The chief compliance officer shall have supervisory authority over all staff acting at the direction of the chief compliance officer.
(2) Qualifications of chief compliance officer. (i) The individual designated to serve as chief compliance officer shall have the background and skills appropriate for fulfilling the responsibilities of the position.
(ii) No individual disqualified from registration pursuant to sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act may serve as a chief compliance officer.
(3) Appointment and removal of chief compliance officer. (i) Only the board of directors or the senior officer may appoint or remove the chief compliance officer.
(ii) The swap execution facility shall notify the Commission within two business days of the appointment or removal, whether interim or permanent, of a chief compliance officer.
(4) Compensation of the chief compliance officer. The board of directors or the senior officer shall approve the compensation of the chief compliance officer.
(5) Annual meeting with the chief compliance officer. The chief compliance officer shall meet with the board of directors or senior officer of the swap execution facility at least annually.
(6) Information requested of the chief compliance officer. The chief compliance officer shall provide any information regarding the self-regulatory program of the swap execution facility as requested by the board of directors or the senior officer.
(c) Duties of chief compliance officer. The duties of the chief compliance officer shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Overseeing and reviewing compliance of the swap execution facility with section 5h of the Act and any related rules adopted by the Commission;
(2) Taking reasonable steps, in consultation with the board of directors or the senior officer of the swap execution facility, to resolve any material conflicts of interest that may arise, including, but not limited to:
(i) Conflicts between business considerations and compliance requirements;
(ii) Conflicts between business considerations and the requirement that the swap execution facility provide fair, open, and impartial access as set forth in § 37.202; and;
(iii) Conflicts between a swap execution facility’s management and members of the board of directors;
(3) Establishing and administering written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Act and the rules of the Commission;
(4) Taking reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the Act and the rules of the Commission;
(5) Establishing procedures reasonably designed to handle, respond, remediate, retest, and resolve noncompliance issues identified by the chief compliance officer through any means, including any compliance office review, look-back, internal or external audit finding, self-reported error, or validated complaint;
(6) Establishing and administering a compliance manual designed to promote compliance with the applicable laws, rules, and regulations and a written code of ethics for the swap execution facility designed to prevent ethical violations and to promote honesty and ethical conduct by personnel of the swap execution facility;
(7) Supervising the self-regulatory program of the swap execution facility with respect to trade practice surveillance; market surveillance; real time market monitoring; compliance with audit trail requirements; enforcement and disciplinary proceedings; audits, examinations, and other regulatory responsibilities (including taking reasonable steps to ensure compliance with, if applicable, financial integrity, financial reporting, sales practice, recordkeeping, and other requirements); and
(8) Supervising the effectiveness and sufficiency of any regulatory services provided to the swap execution facility by a regulatory service provider in accordance with § 37.204.
(d) Preparation of annual compliance report. The chief compliance officer shall, not less than annually, prepare and sign an annual compliance report that covers the prior fiscal year. The report shall, at a minimum, contain:
(1) A description and self-assessment of the effectiveness of the written policies and procedures of the swap execution facility, including the code of ethics and conflict of interest policies, to reasonably ensure compliance with the Act and applicable Commission regulations;
(2) Any material changes made to compliance policies and procedures during the coverage period for the report and any areas of improvement or recommended changes to the compliance program;
(3) A description of the financial, managerial, and operational resources set aside for compliance with the Act and applicable Commission regulations;
(4) Any material non-compliance matters identified and an explanation of the corresponding action taken to resolve such non-compliance matters; and
(5) A certification by the chief compliance officer that, to the best of his or her knowledge and reasonable belief, and under penalty of law, the annual compliance report is accurate and complete in all material respects.
(e) Submission of annual compliance report and related matters—(1) Furnishing the annual compliance report prior to submission to the Commission. Prior to submission to the Commission, the chief compliance officer shall provide the annual compliance report for review to the board of directors of the swap execution facility or, in the absence of a board of directors, to the senior officer of the swap execution facility. Members of the board of directors and the senior officer shall not require the chief compliance officer to make any changes to the report.
(2) Submission of annual compliance report to the Commission. The annual compliance report shall be submitted electronically to the Commission not later than 90 calendar days after the end of the swap execution facility’s fiscal year. The swap execution facility shall concurrently file the annual compliance report with the fourth-quarter financial report pursuant to § 37.1306.
(3) Amendments to annual compliance report. (i) Promptly upon discovery of any material error or omission made in a previously filed annual compliance report, the chief compliance officer shall file an amendment with the Commission to correct the material error or omission. The chief compliance officer shall submit the amended annual compliance report to the board of directors, or in the absence of a board of directors, to the senior officer of the swap execution facility, pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section.
(ii) An amendment shall contain the certification required under paragraph (d)(5) of this section.
(4) Request for extension. A swap execution facility may request an extension of time to file its annual compliance report from the Commission. Reasonable and valid requests for extensions of the filing deadline may be granted at the discretion of the Commission.
(f) Recordkeeping. The swap execution facility shall maintain all records demonstrating compliance with the duties of the chief compliance officer and the preparation and submission of annual compliance reports consistent with §§ 37.1000 and 37.1001.
(g) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to grant or deny a request for an extension of time for a swap execution facility to file its annual compliance report under paragraph (e)(4) of this section. The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
Appendix A to Part 37—Form SEF
Intentional misstatements or omissions of material fact may constitute federal criminal violations (7 U.S.C. § 13 and 18 U.S.C. § 1001) or grounds for disqualification from registration.
Unless the context requires otherwise, all terms used in this Form SEF have the same meaning as in the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“Act”), and in the General Rules and Regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“Commission”) thereunder.
For the purposes of this Form SEF, the term “Applicant” shall include any applicant for registration as a swap execution facility, any applicant amending a pending application, or any registered swap execution facility that is applying for an amendment to its order of registration.
1. This Form SEF, which includes instructions, a Cover Sheet, and required Exhibits (together, “Form SEF”), is to be filed with the Commission by all Applicants, pursuant to section 5h of the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder. Applicants may prepare their own Form SEF but must follow the format prescribed herein. Upon the filing of an application for registration or a registration amendment in accordance with the instructions provided herein, the Commission will publish notice of the filing and afford interested persons an opportunity to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning such application. No application for registration or registration amendment shall be effective unless the Commission, by order, grants such registration or amended registration.
2. Individuals’ names, except the executing signature, shall be given in full (Last Name, First Name, Middle Name).
3. Signatures on all copies of the Form SEF filed with the Commission can be executed electronically. If this Form SEF is filed by a corporation, it shall be signed in the name of the corporation by a principal officer duly authorized; if filed by a limited liability company, it shall be signed in the name of the limited liability company by a manager or member duly authorized to sign on the limited liability company’s behalf; if filed by a partnership, it shall be signed in the name of the partnership by a general partner duly authorized; if filed by an unincorporated organization or association which is not a partnership, it shall be signed in the name of such organization or association by the managing agent, i.e., a duly authorized person who directs or manages or who participates in the directing or managing of its affairs.
4. If this Form SEF is being filed as an application for registration, all applicable items must be answered in full. If any item is inapplicable, indicate by “none,” “not applicable,” or “N/A,” as appropriate.
5. Under section 5h of the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder, the Commission is authorized to solicit the information required to be supplied by this Form SEF from any Applicant seeking registration as a swap execution facility and from any registered swap execution facility. Disclosure by the Applicant of the information specified on this Form SEF is mandatory prior to the start of the processing of an application for, or an amendment to, registration as a swap execution facility. The information provided in this Form SEF will be used for the principal purpose of determining whether the Commission should grant or deny registration to an Applicant. The Commission may determine that additional information is required from the Applicant in order to process its application. A Form SEF which is not prepared and executed in compliance with applicable requirements and instructions may be returned as not acceptable for filing. Acceptance of this Form SEF, however, shall not constitute a finding that the Form SEF has been filed as required or that the information submitted is true, current, or complete.
6. Except in cases where confidential treatment is requested by the Applicant and granted by the Commission pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and the rules of the Commission thereunder, information supplied on this Form SEF will be included routinely in the public files of the Commission and will be available for inspection by any interested person.
1. An Applicant amending a pending application for registration as a swap execution facility or requesting an amendment to an order of registration shall file an amended Form SEF electronically with the Secretary of the Commission in the manner specified by the Commission. Otherwise, a swap execution facility shall file any amendment to this Form SEF as a submission under part 40 of the Commission’s regulations or as specified by the Commission.
2. When filing this Form SEF for purposes of amending a pending application or requesting an amendment to an order of registration, Applicants must re-file the Cover Sheet, amended if necessary and including an executing signature, and attach thereto revised Exhibits or other materials marked to show changes, as applicable. The submission of an amendment represents that the remaining items and Exhibits that are not amended remain true, current, and complete as previously filed.
This Form SEF must be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission in the manner specified by the Commission.
If this is an APPLICATION for registration, complete in full and check here.
If this is an AMENDMENT to an application, or to an existing order of registration, list all items that are amended and check here.
1. Name under which the business of the swap execution facility is or will be conducted, if different than name specified above (include acronyms, if any):
2. If name of swap execution facility is being amended, state previous swap execution facility name:
3. Contact information, including mailing address if different than address specified above:
4. List of principal office(s) and address(es) where swap execution facility activities are/will be conducted:
5. If the Applicant is a successor to a previously registered swap execution facility, please complete the following:
a. Date of succession
b. Full name and address of predecessor registrant
6. Applicant is a:
7. Date of incorporation or formation:
8. State of incorporation or jurisdiction of organization:
9. The Applicant agrees and consents that the notice of any proceeding before the Commission in connection with this application may be given by sending such notice by certified mail to the person named below at the address given.
10. The Applicant has duly caused this application or amendment to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized, this ______ day of ____________, 20____. The Applicant and the undersigned represent hereby that all information contained herein is true, current, and complete. It is understood that all required items and Exhibits are considered integral parts of this Form SEF and that the submission of any amendment represents that all unamended items and Exhibits remain true, current, and complete as previously filed.
The following Exhibits must be filed with the Commission by each Applicant applying for registration as a swap execution facility, or by a registered swap execution facility amending its registration, pursuant to section 5h of the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder. The Exhibits must be labeled according to the items specified in this Form SEF.
The application must include a Table of Contents listing each Exhibit required by this Form SEF and indicating which, if any, Exhibits are inapplicable. For any Exhibit that is inapplicable, next to the Exhibit letter specify “none,” “not applicable,” or “N/A,” as appropriate.
If the Applicant is a newly formed enterprise and does not have the financial statements required pursuant to Items 9 and 10 (Exhibits I and J) of this Form SEF, the Applicant should provide pro forma financial statements for the most recent six months or since inception, whichever is less.
1. Attach as Exhibit A, the name of any person who owns ten percent (10%) or more of the Applicant’s stock or who, either directly or indirectly, through agreement or otherwise, in any other manner, may control or direct the management or policies of the Applicant.
Provide as part of Exhibit A the full name and address of each such person and attach a copy of the agreement or, if there is none written, describe the agreement or basis upon which such person exercises or may exercise such control or direction.
2. Attach as Exhibit B, a list of the present officers, directors, governors (and, in the case of an Applicant that is not a corporation, the members of all standing committees, grouped by committee), or persons performing functions similar to any of the foregoing, of the swap execution facility or of any entity that performs the regulatory activities of the Applicant, indicating for each:
(1) Any order of the Commission with respect to such person pursuant to section 5e of the Act;
(2) Any conviction or injunction against such person within the past ten (10) years;
(3) Any disciplinary action with respect to such person within the last five (5) years;
(4) Any disqualification under sections 8b and 8d of the Act;
(5) Any disciplinary action under section 8c of the Act; and
(6) Any violation pursuant to section 9 of the Act.
3. Attach as Exhibit C, a narrative that sets forth the fitness standards for the Board of Directors and its composition including the number and percentage of public directors.
4. Attach as Exhibit D, a narrative or graphic description of the organizational structure of the Applicant. Include a list of all affiliates of the Applicant and indicate the general nature of the affiliation. Note: If the swap execution facility activities of the Applicant are or will be conducted primarily by a division, subdivision, or other separate entity within the Applicant, corporation, or organization, describe the relationship of such entity within the overall organizational structure and attach as Exhibit D a description only as it applies to the division, subdivision, or separate entity, as applicable. Additionally, provide any relevant jurisdictional information, including any and all jurisdictions in which the Applicant or any affiliated entity are doing business, and registration status, including pending applications (e.g., country, regulator, registration category, date of registration). Provide the address for legal service of process for each jurisdiction, which cannot be a post office box.
5. Attach as Exhibit E, a description of the personnel qualifications for each category of professional employees employed by the Applicant or the division, subdivision, or other separate entity within the Applicant as described in Item 4.
6. Attach as Exhibit F, an analysis of staffing requirements necessary to carry out the operations of the Applicant as a swap execution facility and the name and qualifications of each key staff person.
7. Attach as Exhibit G, a copy of the constitution, articles of incorporation, formation, or association with all amendments thereto, partnership or limited liability agreements, and existing by-laws, operating agreement, rules or instruments corresponding thereto, of the Applicant. Include any additional governance fitness information not included in Exhibit C. Provide a certificate of good standing dated within one week of the date of this Form SEF.
8. Attach as Exhibit H, a brief description of any material pending legal proceeding(s), other than ordinary and routine litigation incidental to the business, to which the Applicant or any of its affiliates is a party or to which any of its or their property is the subject. Include the name of the court or agency where the proceeding(s) are pending, the date(s) instituted, the principal parties involved, a description of the factual basis alleged to underlie the proceeding(s), and the relief sought. Include similar information as to any proceeding(s) known to be contemplated by the governmental agencies.
9. Attach as Exhibit I:
a. (i) Balance sheet, (ii) Statement of income and expenses, (iii) Statement of cash flows, and (iv) Statement of sources and application of revenues and all notes or schedules thereto, as of the most recent fiscal year of the Applicant, or of its parent company, if applicable. If a balance sheet and any statement(s) certified by an independent public accountant are available, that balance sheet and statement(s) should be submitted as Exhibit I.
b. Provide a narrative of how the value of the financial resources of the Applicant is at least equal to a total amount that would enable the Applicant to cover its operating costs for a period of at least one year, calculated on a rolling basis, and whether such financial resources include unencumbered, liquid financial assets (i.e., cash and/or highly liquid securities) equal to at least six months’ operating costs.
c. Attach copies of any agreements establishing or amending a credit facility, insurance coverage, or other arrangement evidencing or otherwise supporting the Applicant’s conclusions regarding the liquidity of its financial assets.
d. Representations regarding sources and estimates for future ongoing operational resources.
10. Attach as Exhibit J, a balance sheet and an income and expense statement for each affiliate of the swap execution facility that also engages in swap execution facility activities or that engages in designated contract market activities as of the end of the most recent fiscal year of each such affiliate.
11. Attach as Exhibit K, the following:
a. A complete list of all dues, fees, and other charges imposed, or to be imposed, by or on behalf of the Applicant for its swap execution facility services that are provided on an exclusive basis and identify the service or services provided for each such due, fee, or other charge.
b. A description of the basis and methods used in determining the level and structure of the dues, fees, and other charges listed in paragraph (a) of this item.
c. If the Applicant differentiates, or proposes to differentiate, among its customers or classes of customers in the amount of any dues, fees, or other charges imposed for the same or similar exclusive services, describe and indicate the amount of each differential. In addition, identify and describe any differences in the cost of providing such services and any other factors that account for such differentiations.
12. Attach as Exhibit L, a narrative and any other form of documentation that may be provided under other Exhibits herein, that describes the manner in which the Applicant is able to comply with each core principle. Such documentation must include a regulatory compliance chart setting forth each core principle and providing citations to the Applicant’s relevant rules, policies, and procedures that address each core principle. To the extent that the application raises issues that are novel or for which compliance with a core principle is not self-evident, include an explanation of how that item and the application satisfy the core principles.
13. Attach as Exhibit M, a copy of the Applicant’s rules (as defined in § 40.1 of the Commission’s regulations) and any technical manuals, other guides, or instructions for users of, or participants in, the market, including minimum financial standards for members or market participants. Include rules citing applicable federal position limits and aggregation standards in part 151 of the Commission’s regulations and any facility set position limit rules. Include rules on publication of daily trading information with regards to the requirements of part 16 of the Commission’s regulations. The Applicant should include an explanation and any other form of documentation that the Applicant thinks will be helpful to its explanation, demonstrating how its rules, technical manuals, other guides, or instructions for users of, or participants in, the market, or minimum financial standards for members or market participants as provided in this Exhibit M help support the swap execution facility’s compliance with the core principles.
14. Attach as Exhibit N, executed or executable copies of any agreements or contracts entered into or to be entered into by the Applicant, including third party regulatory service provider or member or user agreements that enable or empower the Applicant to comply with applicable core principles. Identify: (1) the services that will be provided; and (2) the core principles addressed by such agreement.
15. Attach as Exhibit O, a copy of any compliance manual and any other documents that describe with specificity the manner in which the Applicant will conduct trade practice, market, and financial surveillance.
16. Attach as Exhibit P, a description of the Applicant’s disciplinary and enforcement protocols, tools, and procedures and, if applicable, the arrangements for alternative dispute resolution.
17. Attach as Exhibit Q, an explanation regarding the operation of the Applicant’s trading system(s) or platform(s) and the manner in which the system(s) or platform(s) satisfy any Commission rules, interpretations, or guidelines regarding a swap execution facility’s execution methods, including the minimum trading functionality requirement in § 37.3(a)(2) of the Commission’s regulations. This explanation should include, as applicable, the following:
a. For trading systems or platforms that enable market participants to engage in transactions through an order book:
(1) How the trading system or platform displays all orders and trades in an electronic or other form, and the timeliness in which the trading system or platform does so;
(2) How all market participants have the ability to see and have the ability to transact on all bids and offers; and
(3) An explanation of the trade matching algorithm, if applicable, and examples of how that algorithm works in various trading scenarios involving various types of orders.
b. For trading systems or platforms that enable market participants to engage in transactions through a request for quote system:
(1) How a market participant transmits a request for a quote to buy or sell a specific instrument to no less than three market participants in the trading system or platform, to which all such market participants may respond;
(2) How resting bids or offers from the Applicant’s Order Book are communicated to the requester; and
(3) How a requester may transact on resting bids or offers along with the responsive orders.
c. How the timing delay described under § 37.9 of the Commission’s regulations is incorporated into the trading system or platform.
18. Attach as Exhibit R, a list of rules prohibiting specific trade practice violations.
19. Attach as Exhibit S, a discussion of how trading data will be maintained by the swap execution facility.
20. Attach as Exhibit T, a list of the name of the clearing organization(s) that will be clearing the Applicant’s trades, and a representation that clearing members of that organization will be guaranteeing such trades.
21. Attach as Exhibit U, any information (described with particularity) included in the application that will be subject to a request for confidential treatment pursuant to § 145.9 of the Commission’s regulations.
22. Attach as Exhibit V, information responsive to the Technology Questionnaire. This questionnaire focuses on information pertaining to the Applicant’s program of risk analysis and oversight. Main topic areas include: information security; business continuity-disaster recovery planning and resources; capacity and performance planning; systems operations; systems development and quality assurance; and physical security and environmental controls. The questionnaire will be provided to Applicants on the Commission’s Web site.
Appendix B to Part 37—Guidance on, and Acceptable Practices in, Compliance with Core Principles
1. This appendix provides guidance on complying with core principles, both initially and on an ongoing basis, to maintain registration under section 5h of the Act and this part 37. Where provided, guidance is set forth in paragraph (a) following the relevant heading and can be used to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the selected requirements of a core principle of this part 37. The guidance for the core principle is illustrative only of the types of matters a swap execution facility may address, as applicable, and is not intended to be used as a mandatory checklist. Addressing the issues set forth in this appendix would help the Commission in its consideration of whether the swap execution facility is in compliance with the selected requirements of a core principle; provided however, that the guidance is not intended to diminish or replace, in any event, the obligations and requirements of applicants and swap execution facilities to comply with the regulations provided under this part 37.
2. Where provided, acceptable practices meeting selected requirements of core principles are set forth in paragraph (b) following the guidance. Swap execution facilities that follow specific practices outlined in the acceptable practices for a core principle in this appendix will meet the selected requirements of the applicable core principle; provided however, that the acceptable practice is not intended to diminish or replace, in any event, the obligations and requirements of applicants and swap execution facilities to comply with the regulations provided under this part 37. The acceptable practices are for illustrative purposes only and do not state the exclusive means for satisfying a core principle.
(A) In general. To be registered, and maintain registration, as a swap execution facility, the swap execution facility shall comply with—the core principles described in section 5h of the Act; and any requirement that the Commission may impose by rule or regulation pursuant to section 8a(5) of the Act.
(B) Reasonable discretion of swap execution facility. Unless otherwise determined by the Commission by rule or regulation, a swap execution facility described in paragraph (A) shall have reasonable discretion in establishing the manner in which the swap execution facility complies with the core principles described in section 5h of the Act.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
A swap execution facility shall:
(A) Establish and enforce compliance with any rule of the swap execution facility, including the terms and conditions of the swaps traded or processed on or through the swap execution facility and any limitation on access to the swap execution facility;
(B) Establish and enforce trading, trade processing, and participation rules that will deter abuses and have the capacity to detect, investigate, and enforce those rules, including means to provide market participants with impartial access to the market and to capture information that may be used in establishing whether rule violations have occurred;
(C) Establish rules governing the operation of the facility, including rules specifying trading procedures to be used in entering and executing orders traded or posted on the facility, including block trades; and
(D) Provide by its rules that when a swap dealer or major swap participant enters into or facilitates a swap that is subject to the mandatory clearing requirement of section 2(h) of the Act, the swap dealer or major swap participant shall be responsible for compliance with the mandatory trading requirement under section 2(h)(8) of the Act.
(a) Guidance. (1) Investigations and investigation reports—Warning letters. The rules of a swap execution facility may authorize its compliance staff to issue a warning letter to a person or entity under investigation or to recommend that a disciplinary panel take such an action.
(2) Additional rules required. A swap execution facility should adopt and enforce any additional rules that it believes are necessary to comply with the requirements of § 37.203.
(3) Enforcement staff. A swap execution facility’s enforcement staff should not include either members of the swap execution facility or persons whose interests conflict with their enforcement duties. A member of the enforcement staff should not operate under the direction or control of any person or persons with trading privileges at the swap execution facility. A swap execution facility’s enforcement staff may operate as part of the swap execution facility’s compliance department.
(4) Notice of charges. If compliance staff authorized by a swap execution facility or a swap execution facility disciplinary panel determines, based upon reviewing an investigation report pursuant to § 37.203(f)(3), that a reasonable basis exists for finding a violation and adjudication is warranted, it should direct that the person or entity alleged to have committed the violation be served with a notice of charges and should proceed in accordance with this guidance. A notice of charges should adequately state the acts, conduct, or practices in which the respondent is alleged to have engaged; state the rule, or rules, alleged to have been violated (or about to be violated); advise the respondent that it is entitled, upon request, to a hearing on the charges; and prescribe the period within which a hearing on the charges may be requested. If the rules of the swap execution facility so provide, a notice may also advise:
(i) That failure to request a hearing within the period prescribed in the notice, except for good cause, may be deemed a waiver of the right to a hearing; and
(ii) That failure to answer or to deny expressly a charge may be deemed to be an admission of such charge.
(5) Right to representation. Upon being served with a notice of charges, a respondent should have the right to be represented by legal counsel or any other representative of its choosing in all succeeding stages of the disciplinary process, except by any member of the swap execution facility’s board of directors or disciplinary panel, any employee of the swap execution facility, or any person substantially related to the underlying investigations, such as a material witness or respondent.
(6) Answer to charges. A respondent should be given a reasonable period of time to file an answer to a notice of charges. The rules of a swap execution facility governing the requirements and timeliness of a respondent’s answer to a notice of charges should be fair, equitable, and publicly available.
(7) Admission or failure to deny charges. The rules of a swap execution facility may provide that if a respondent admits or fails to deny any of the charges, a disciplinary panel may find that the violations alleged in the notice of charges for which the respondent admitted or failed to deny any of the charges have been committed. If the swap execution facility’s rules so provide, then:
(i) The disciplinary panel should impose a sanction for each violation found to have been committed;
(ii) The disciplinary panel should promptly notify the respondent in writing of any sanction to be imposed pursuant to paragraph (7)(i) of this guidance and shall advise the respondent that it may request a hearing on such sanction within the period of time, which shall be stated in the notice;
(iii) The rules of a swap execution facility may provide that if a respondent fails to request a hearing within the period of time stated in the notice, the respondent will be deemed to have accepted the sanction.
(8) Denial of charges and right to hearing. In every instance where a respondent has requested a hearing on a charge that is denied, or on a sanction set by the disciplinary panel, the respondent should be given an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the rules of the swap execution facility.
(9) Settlement offers. (i) The rules of a swap execution facility may permit a respondent to submit a written offer of settlement at any time after an investigation report is completed. The disciplinary panel presiding over the matter may accept the offer of settlement, but may not alter the terms of a settlement offer unless the respondent agrees.
(ii) The rules of a swap execution facility may provide that, in its discretion, a disciplinary panel may permit the respondent to accept a sanction without either admitting or denying the rule violations upon which the sanction is based.
(iii) If an offer of settlement is accepted, the panel accepting the offer should issue a written decision specifying the rule violations it has reason to believe were committed, including the basis or reasons for the panel’s conclusions, and any sanction to be imposed, which should include full customer restitution where customer harm is demonstrated, except where the amount of restitution or to whom it should be provided cannot be reasonably determined. If an offer of settlement is accepted without the agreement of the enforcement staff, the decision should adequately support the disciplinary panel’s acceptance of the settlement. Where applicable, the decision should also include a statement that the respondent has accepted the sanctions imposed without either admitting or denying the rule violations.
(iv) The respondent may withdraw his or her offer of settlement at any time before final acceptance by a disciplinary panel. If an offer is withdrawn after submission, or is rejected by a disciplinary panel, the respondent should not be deemed to have made any admissions by reason of the offer of settlement and should not be otherwise prejudiced by having submitted the offer of settlement.
(10) Hearings. (i) The swap execution facility need not apply the formal rules of evidence for a hearing; nevertheless, the procedures for the hearing may not be so informal as to deny a fair hearing. No member of the disciplinary panel for the matter may have a financial, personal, or other direct interest in the matter under consideration.
(ii) In advance of the hearing, the respondent should be entitled to examine all books, documents, or other evidence in the possession or under the control of the swap execution facility. The swap execution facility may withhold documents that: Are privileged or constitute attorney work product; were prepared by an employee of the swap execution facility but will not be offered in evidence in the disciplinary proceedings; may disclose a technique or guideline used in examinations, investigations, or enforcement proceedings; or disclose the identity of a confidential source.
(iii) The swap execution facility’s enforcement and compliance staffs should be parties to the hearing, and the enforcement staff should present their case on those charges and sanctions that are the subject of the hearing.
(iv) The respondent should be entitled to appear personally at the hearing, should be entitled to cross-examine any persons appearing as witnesses at the hearing, and should be entitled to call witnesses and to present such evidence as may be relevant to the charges.
(v) The swap execution facility should require persons within its jurisdiction who are called as witnesses to participate in the hearing and produce evidence. The swap execution facility should make reasonable efforts to secure the presence of all other persons called as witnesses whose testimony would be relevant.
(vi) The rules of a swap execution facility may provide that a sanction may be summarily imposed upon any person within its jurisdiction whose actions impede the progress of a hearing.
(11) Right to appeal. The rules of a swap execution facility may permit the parties to a proceeding to appeal promptly an adverse decision of a disciplinary panel in all or in certain classes of cases. Such rules may require a party’s notice of appeal to be in writing and to specify the findings, conclusions, or sanctions to which objection are taken. If the rules of a swap execution facility permit appeals, then both the respondent and the enforcement staff should have the opportunity to appeal and the swap execution facility should provide for the following:
(i) The swap execution facility should establish an appellate panel that should be authorized to hear appeals of respondents. In addition, the rules of a swap execution facility may provide that the appellate panel may, on its own initiative, order review of a decision by a disciplinary panel within a reasonable period of time after the decision has been rendered.
(ii) The composition of the appellate panel should be consistent with part 40 of this chapter, and should not include any members of the swap execution facility’s compliance staff or any person involved in adjudicating any other stage of the same proceeding. The rules of a swap execution facility should provide for the appeal proceeding to be conducted before all of the members of the appellate panel or a panel thereof.
(iii) Except for good cause shown, the appeal or review should be conducted solely on the record before the disciplinary panel, the written exceptions filed by the parties, and the oral or written arguments of the parties.
(iv) Promptly following the appeal or review proceeding, the appellate panel should issue a written decision and should provide a copy to the respondent. The decision issued by the appellate panel should adhere to all the requirements of § 37.206(d) to the extent that a different conclusion is reached from that issued by the disciplinary panel.
(12) Final decisions. Each swap execution facility should establish rules setting forth when a decision rendered pursuant to its rules will become the final decision of such swap execution facility.
(13) Summary fines for violations of rules regarding timely submission of records. A swap execution facility may adopt a summary fine schedule for violations of rules relating to the failure to timely submit accurate records required for clearing or verifying each day’s transactions. A swap execution facility may permit its compliance staff, or a designated panel of swap execution facility officials, to summarily impose minor sanctions against persons within the swap execution facility’s jurisdiction for violating such rules. A swap execution facility’s summary fine schedule may allow for warning letters to be issued for first-time violations or violators. If adopted, a summary fine schedule should provide for progressively larger fines for recurring violations.
(14) Emergency disciplinary actions. (i) A swap execution facility may impose a sanction, including suspension, or take other summary action against a person or entity subject to its jurisdiction upon a reasonable belief that such immediate action is necessary to protect the best interest of the marketplace.
(ii) Any emergency disciplinary action should be taken in accordance with a swap execution facility’s procedures that provide for the following:
(A) If practicable, a respondent should be served with a notice before the action is taken, or otherwise at the earliest possible opportunity. The notice should state the action, briefly state the reasons for the action, and state the effective time and date, and the duration of the action.
(B) The respondent should have the right to be represented by legal counsel or any other representative of its choosing in all proceedings subsequent to the emergency action taken. The respondent should be given the opportunity for a hearing as soon as reasonably practicable and the hearing should be conducted before the disciplinary panel pursuant to the rules of the swap execution facility.
(C) Promptly following the hearing provided for in paragraph (14)(ii)(B) of this guidance, the swap execution facility should render a written decision based upon the weight of the evidence contained in the record of the proceeding and should provide a copy to the respondent. The decision should include a description of the summary action taken; the reasons for the summary action; a summary of the evidence produced at the hearing; a statement of findings and conclusions; a determination that the summary action should be affirmed, modified, or reversed; and a declaration of any action to be taken pursuant to the determination, and the effective date and duration of such action.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
The swap execution facility shall permit trading only in swaps that are not readily susceptible to manipulation.
(a) Guidance. (1) In general, a swap contract is an agreement to exchange a series of cash flows over a period of time based on some reference price, which could be a single price, such as an absolute level or a differential, or a price index calculated based on multiple observations. Moreover, such a reference price may be reported by the swap execution facility itself or by an independent third party. When listing a swap for trading, a swap execution facility shall ensure a swap’s compliance with Core Principle 3, paying special attention to the reference price used to determine the cash flow exchanges. Specifically, Core Principle 3 requires that the reference price used by a swap not be readily susceptible to manipulation. As a result, when identifying a reference price, a swap execution facility should either: Calculate its own reference price using suitable and well-established acceptable methods or carefully select a reliable third-party index.
(2) The importance of the reference price’s suitability for a given swap is similar to that of the final settlement price for a cash-settled futures contract. If the final settlement price is manipulated, then the futures contract does not serve its intended price discovery and risk management functions. Similarly, inappropriate reference prices cause the cash flows between the buyer and seller to differ from the proper amounts, thus benefitting one party and disadvantaging the other. Thus, careful consideration should be given to the potential for manipulation or distortion of the reference price.
(3) For swaps that are settled by physical delivery or by cash settlement refer to the guidance in appendix C to part 38 of this chapter—Demonstration of Compliance That a Contract is not Readily Susceptible to Manipulation, section b(2) and section c(4), respectively.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
The swap execution facility shall:
(A) Establish and enforce rules or terms and conditions defining, or specifications detailing:
(1) Trading procedures to be used in entering and executing orders traded on or through the facilities of the swap execution facility; and
(2) Procedures for trade processing of swaps on or through the facilities of the swap execution facility; and
(B) Monitor trading in swaps to prevent manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions of the delivery or cash settlement process through surveillance, compliance, and disciplinary practices and procedures, including methods for conducting real-time monitoring of trading and comprehensive and accurate trade reconstructions.
(a) Guidance. The monitoring of trading activity in listed swaps should be designed to prevent manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions of the physical-delivery and cash settlement processes. The swap execution facility should have rules in place that allow it to intervene to prevent or reduce such market disruptions. Once a threatened or actual disruption is detected, the swap execution facility should take steps to prevent the market disruption or reduce its severity.
(1) General requirements. Real-time monitoring for market anomalies is the most effective, but the swap execution facility may also demonstrate that it has an acceptable program if some of the monitoring is accomplished on a T+1 basis. The monitoring of trading should use automated alerts to detect abnormal price movements and unusual trading volumes in real-time and instances or threats of manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions on at least a T+1 basis. The T+1 detection and analysis should incorporate any additional data that becomes available on a T+1 basis, including the trade reconstruction data. In some cases, a swap execution facility may demonstrate that its manual processes are effective. The swap execution facility should continually monitor the appropriateness of its swaps’ terms and conditions, including the physical-delivery requirements or reference prices used to determine cash flows or settlement. The swap execution facility should act promptly to address the conditions that are causing price distortions or market disruptions, including, when appropriate, changes to contract terms. The swap execution facility should be mindful that changes to contract terms may affect whether a product is subject to the trade execution and clearing requirements of the Act.
(2) Physical-delivery swaps. For physical-delivery swaps, the swap execution facility should monitor for conditions that may cause the swap to become susceptible to price manipulation or distortion, including: The general availability of the commodity specified by the swap, the commodity’s characteristics, and the delivery locations; and if available, information related to the size and ownership of deliverable supplies.
(3) Cash-settled swaps. For cash-settled swaps, the swap execution facility should monitor for pricing abnormalities in the index or instrument used to calculate the reference price. If the swap execution facility computes its own reference price used for cash flows or settlement, it should promptly amend any methodologies that result, or are likely to result, in manipulation, price distortions, or market disruptions, or impose new methodologies to resolve the threat of disruptions or distortions. If the swap execution facility relies upon a third-party index or instrument, including an index or instrument traded on another venue for the swap reference price, it should conduct due diligence to ensure that the reference price is not susceptible to manipulation and that the terms and conditions of the swap continue to comply with § 37.300.
(4) Ability to obtain information. The swap execution facility shall demonstrate that it has access to sufficient information to assess whether trading in swaps listed on its market, in the index or instrument used as a reference price, or the underlying commodity for its listed swaps is being used to affect prices on its market. The swap execution facility should demonstrate that it can obtain position and trading information directly from the market participants that conduct substantial trading on its facility or through an information sharing agreement with other venues or a third-party regulatory service provider. If the position and trading information is not available directly from the market participants in its markets, but is available through information sharing agreements with other trading venues or a third-party regulatory service provider, the swap execution facility should cooperate in such information sharing agreements. The swap execution facility may limit the application of the requirement for market participants to keep and provide records of their activity in the index or instrument used as a reference price, the underlying commodity, and related derivatives markets, to only those market participants that conduct substantial trading on its facility.
(5) Risk controls for trading. An acceptable program for preventing market disruptions shall demonstrate appropriate trading risk controls, in addition to pauses and halts. Risk controls should be adapted to the unique characteristics of the trading platform and of the markets to which they apply and should be designed to avoid market disruptions without unduly interfering with that market’s price discovery function. The swap execution facility may choose from among controls that include: pre-trade limits on order size, price collars or bands around the current price, message throttles, daily price limits, and intraday position limits related to financial risk to the clearing member, or design other types of controls, as well as clear error-trade and order-cancellation policies. Within the specific array of controls that are selected, the swap execution facility should set the parameters for those controls, so that the specific parameters are reasonably likely to serve the purpose of preventing market disruptions and price distortions. If a swap is fungible with, linked to, or a substitute for other swaps on the swap execution facility or on other trading venues, such risk controls should, to the extent practicable, be coordinated with any similar controls placed on those other swaps. If a swap is based on the level of an equity index, such risk controls should, to the extent practicable, be coordinated with any similar controls placed on national security exchanges.
(b) Acceptable practices. [Reserved]
The swap execution facility shall:
(A) Establish and enforce rules that will allow the facility to obtain any necessary information to perform any of the functions described in section 5h of the Act;
(B) Provide the information to the Commission on request; and
(C) Have the capacity to carry out such international information-sharing agreements as the Commission may require.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
(A) In general. To reduce the potential threat of market manipulation or congestion, especially during trading in the delivery month, a swap execution facility that is a trading facility shall adopt for each of the contracts of the facility, as is necessary and appropriate, position limitations or position accountability for speculators.
(B) Position limits. For any contract that is subject to a position limitation established by the Commission pursuant to section 4a(a) of the Act, the swap execution facility shall:
(1) Set its position limitation at a level no higher than the Commission limitation; and
(2) Monitor positions established on or through the swap execution facility for compliance with the limit set by the Commission and the limit, if any, set by the swap execution facility.
(a) Guidance. Until such time that compliance is required under part 151 of this chapter, a swap execution facility should have reasonable discretion to comply with § 37.600, including considering part 150 of this chapter. For Required Transactions as defined in § 37.9, a swap execution facility may demonstrate compliance with § 37.600 by setting and enforcing position limitations or position accountability levels only with respect to trading on the swap execution facility’s own market. For Permitted Transactions as defined in § 37.9, a swap execution facility may demonstrate compliance with § 37.600 by setting and enforcing position accountability levels or sending the Commission a list of Permitted Transactions traded on the swap execution facility.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
The swap execution facility shall establish and enforce rules and procedures for ensuring the financial integrity of swaps entered on or through the facilities of the swap execution facility, including the clearance and settlement of the swaps pursuant to section 2(h)(1) of the Act.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
The swap execution facility shall adopt rules to provide for the exercise of emergency authority, in consultation or cooperation with the Commission, as is necessary and appropriate, including the authority to liquidate or transfer open positions in any swap or to suspend or curtail trading in a swap.
(a) Guidance. (1) A swap execution facility should have rules that authorize it to take certain actions in the event of an emergency, as defined in § 40.1(h) of this chapter. A swap execution facility should have the authority to intervene as necessary to maintain markets with fair and orderly trading and to prevent or address manipulation or disruptive trading practices, whether the need for intervention arises exclusively from the swap execution facility’s market or as part of a coordinated, cross-market intervention. A swap execution facility should have the flexibility and independence to address market emergencies in an effective and timely manner consistent with the nature of the emergency, as long as all such actions taken by the swap execution facility are made in good faith to protect the integrity of the markets. However, the swap execution facility should also have rules that allow it to take market actions as may be directed by the Commission. Additionally, in situations where a swap is traded on more than one platform, emergency action to liquidate or transfer open interest shall be as directed, or agreed to, by the Commission or the Commission’s staff. Swap execution facility rules should include procedures and guidelines for decision-making and implementation of emergency intervention that avoid conflicts of interest in accordance with the provisions of section 40.9 of this chapter, and include alternate lines of communication and approval procedures to address emergencies associated with real time events. To address perceived market threats, the swap execution facility should have rules that allow it to take emergency actions, including imposing or modifying position limits, imposing or modifying price limits, imposing or modifying intraday market restrictions, imposing special margin requirements, ordering the liquidation or transfer of open positions in any contract, ordering the fixing of a settlement price, extending or shortening the expiration date or the trading hours, suspending or curtailing trading in any contract, transferring customer contracts and the margin, or altering any contract’s settlement terms or conditions, or, if applicable, providing for the carrying out of such actions through its agreements with its third-party provider of clearing or regulatory services.
(2) A swap execution facility should promptly notify the Commission of its exercise of emergency action, explaining its decision-making process, the reasons for using its emergency authority, and how conflicts of interest were minimized, including the extent to which the swap execution facility considered the effect of its emergency action on the underlying markets and on markets that are linked or referenced to the contracts traded on its facility, including similar markets on other trading venues. Information on all regulatory actions carried out pursuant to a swap execution facility’s emergency authority should be included in a timely submission of a certified rule pursuant to part 40 of this chapter.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
(A) In general. The swap execution facility shall make public timely information on price, trading volume, and other trading data on swaps to the extent prescribed by the Commission.
(B) Capacity of swap execution facility. The swap execution facility shall be required to have the capacity to electronically capture and transmit trade information with respect to transactions executed on the facility.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
(A) In general. A swap execution facility shall:
(1) Maintain records of all activities relating to the business of the facility, including a complete audit trail, in a form and manner acceptable to the Commission for a period of five years;
(2) Report to the Commission, in a form and manner acceptable to the Commission, such information as the Commission determines to be necessary or appropriate for the Commission to perform the duties of the Commission under the Act; and
(3) Keep any such records relating to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act open to inspection and examination by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(B) Requirements. The Commission shall adopt data collection and reporting requirements for swap execution facilities that are comparable to corresponding requirements for derivatives clearing organizations and swap data repositories.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Unless necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of the Act, the swap execution facility shall not:
(A) Adopt any rules or take any actions that result in any unreasonable restraint of trade; or
(B) Impose any material anticompetitive burden on trading or clearing.
(a) Guidance. An entity seeking registration as a swap execution facility may request that the Commission consider under the provisions of section 15(b) of the Act, any of the entity’s rules, including trading protocols or policies, and including both operational rules and the terms or conditions of products listed for trading, at the time of registration or thereafter. The Commission intends to apply section 15(b) of the Act to its consideration of issues under this core principle in a manner consistent with that previously applied to contract markets.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
The swap execution facility shall:
(A) Establish and enforce rules to minimize conflicts of interest in its decision-making process; and
(B) Establish a process for resolving the conflicts of interest.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
(A) In general. The swap execution facility shall have adequate financial, operational, and managerial resources to discharge each responsibility of the swap execution facility.
(B) Determination of resource adequacy. The financial resources of a swap execution facility shall be considered to be adequate if the value of the financial resources exceeds the total amount that would enable the swap execution facility to cover the operating costs of the swap execution facility for a one-year period, as calculated on a rolling basis.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices—(1) Reasonable calculation of projected operating costs. In connection with a swap execution facility calculating its projected operating costs, the Commission has determined that a reasonable calculation should include all expenses necessary for the swap execution facility to comply with the core principles set forth in section 5h of the Act and any applicable Commission regulations. This calculation should be based on the swap execution facility’s current level of business and business model, and should take into account any projected modification to its business model (e.g., the addition or subtraction of business lines or operations or other changes), and any projected increase or decrease in its level of business over the next 12 months. The Commission believes, however, that it may be reasonable for a swap execution facility to exclude the following expenses (“excludable expenses”) from its projected operating cost calculations:
(i) Costs attributable solely to sales, marketing, business development, product development, or recruitment and any related travel, entertainment, event, or conference costs;
(ii) Compensation and related taxes and benefits for swap execution facility personnel who are not necessary to ensure that the swap execution facility is able to comply with the core principles set forth in section 5h of the Act and any applicable Commission regulations;
(iii) Costs for acquiring and defending patents and trademarks for swap execution facility products and related intellectual property;
(iv) Magazine, newspaper, and online periodical subscription fees;
(v) Tax preparation and audit fees;
(vi) To the extent not covered by paragraphs (b)(1)(ii) or (iii) of this Core Principle 13 of Section 5h of the Act—Financial Resources, the variable commissions that a voice-based swap execution facility may pay to its SEF trading specialists (as defined under § 37.201(c)), calculated as a percentage of transaction revenue generated by the voice-based swap execution facility. Unlike fixed salaries or compensation, such variable commissions are not payable unless and until revenue is collected by the swap execution facility; and
(vii) Any non-cash costs, including depreciation and amortization.
(2) Prorated expenses. The Commission recognizes that, in the normal course of a swap execution facility’s business, there may be an expense (e.g., typically related to overhead) that is only partially attributable to a swap execution facility’s ability to comply with the core principles set forth in section 5h of the Act and any applicable Commission regulations; accordingly, such expense may need to be only partially attributed to the swap execution facility’s projected operating costs. For example, if a swap execution facility’s office rental space includes marketing personnel and compliance personnel, the swap execution facility may exclude the prorated office rental expense attributable to the marketing personnel. In order to prorate an expense, a swap execution facility should:
(i) Maintain sufficient documentation that reasonably shows the extent to which an expense is partially attributable to an excludable expense;
(ii) Identify any prorated expense in the financial reports that it submits to the Commission pursuant to § 37.1306; and
(iii) Sufficiently explain why it prorated any expense. Common allocation methodologies that can be used include actual use, headcount, or square footage. A swap execution facility may provide documentation, such as copies of service agreements, other legal documents, firm policies, audit statements, or allocation methodologies to support its determination to prorate an expense.
(3) Expenses allocated among affiliates. The Commission recognizes that a swap execution facility may share certain expenses with affiliated entities, such as parent entities or other subsidiaries of the parent. For example, a swap execution facility may share employees (including employees on secondment from an affiliate) that perform similar tasks for the affiliated entities or may share office space with its affiliated entities. Accordingly, the Commission believes that it would be reasonable, for purposes of calculating its projected operating costs, for a swap execution facility to prorate any shared expense that the swap execution facility pays for, but only to the extent that such shared expense is actually attributable to the affiliate and for which the swap execution facility is reimbursed. Similarly, a reasonable calculation of a swap execution facility’s projected operating costs must include the prorated amount of any expense paid for by an affiliated entity to the extent that the shared expense is attributable to the swap execution facility. In order to prorate a shared expense, the swap execution facility should:
(i) Maintain sufficient documentation that reasonably shows the extent to which the shared expense is attributable to and paid for by the swap execution facility and/or affiliated entity;
(ii) Identify any shared expense in the financial reports that it submits to the Commission; and
(iii) Sufficiently explain why it prorated any shared expense. A swap execution facility may provide documentation, such as copies of service agreements, other legal documents, firm policies, audit statements, or allocation methodologies, that reasonably shows how expenses are attributable to, and paid for by, the swap execution facility and/or its affiliated entities to support its determination to prorate an expense.
(A) In general. Each swap execution facility shall designate an individual to serve as a chief compliance officer.
(B) Duties. The chief compliance officer shall:
(1) Report directly to the board or to the senior officer of the facility;
(2) Review compliance with the core principles in this subsection;
(3) In consultation with the board of the facility, a body performing a function similar to that of a board, or the senior officer of the facility, resolve any conflicts of interest that may arise;
(4) Be responsible for establishing and administering the policies and procedures required to be established pursuant to this section;
(5) Ensure compliance with the Act and the rules and regulations issued under the Act, including rules prescribed by the Commission pursuant to section 5h of the Act; and
(6) Establish procedures for the remediation of noncompliance issues found during compliance office reviews, look backs, internal or external audit findings, self-reported errors, or through validated complaints.
(C) Requirements for procedures. In establishing procedures under paragraph (B)(6) of this section, the chief compliance officer shall design the procedures to establish the handling, management response, remediation, retesting, and closing of noncompliance issues.
(D) Annual reports—(1) In general. In accordance with rules prescribed by the Commission, the chief compliance officer shall annually prepare and sign a report that contains a description of:
(i) The compliance of the swap execution facility with the Act; and
(ii) The policies and procedures, including the code of ethics and conflict of interest policies, of the swap execution facility.
(2) Requirements. The chief compliance officer shall:
(i) Submit each report described in clause (1) with the appropriate financial report of the swap execution facility that is required to be submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5h of the Act; and
(ii) Include in the report a certification that, under penalty of law, the report is accurate and complete.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices—(1) Qualifications of chief compliance officer. In determining whether the background and skills of a potential chief compliance officer are appropriate for fulfilling the responsibilities of the role of the chief compliance officer, the swap execution facility has the discretion to base its determination on the totality of the qualifications of the potential chief compliance officer, including, but not limited to, compliance experience, related career experience, training, and any other relevant factors to the position. A swap execution facility should be especially vigilant regarding potential conflicts of interest when appointing a chief compliance officer.
(2) [Reserved]
PART 38—DESIGNATED CONTRACT MARKETS
Subpart A—General Provisions
§ 38.1 Scope.
The provisions of this part 38 shall apply to every board of trade that has been designated or is applying to become designated as a contract market under Sections 5 and 6 of the Act. Provided, however, nothing in this provision affects the eligibility of designated contract markets to operate under the provisions of parts 37 or 49 of this chapter.
§ 38.2 Exempt provisions.
A designated contract market, the designated contract market’s operator and transactions traded on or through a designated contract market under section 5 of the Act shall comply with all applicable regulations under Title 17 of the Code of Federal Regulations, except for the requirements of § 1.39(b), § 1.44, § 1.53, § 1.54, § 1.59(b) and (c), § 1.62, § 1.63(a) and (b) and (d) through (f), § 1.64, § 1.69, part 8, § 100.1, § 155.2, and part 156.
§ 38.3 Procedures for designation.
(a) Application procedures. (1) A board of trade seeking designation as a contract market must file electronically, in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission, the Form DCM provided in appendix A of this part, with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters at [email protected] and the Division of Market Oversight at [email protected]. The Commission will review the application for designation as a contract market pursuant to the 180-day timeframe and procedures specified in section 6(a) of the Act. The Commission shall approve or deny the application or, if deemed appropriate, designate the applicant as a contract market subject to conditions.
(2) The application must include information sufficient to demonstrate compliance with the core principles specified in section 5(d) of the Act. Form DCM consists of instructions, general questions and a list of exhibits (documents, information and evidence) required by the Commission in order to determine whether an applicant is able to comply with the core principles. An application will not be considered to be materially complete unless the applicant has submitted, at a minimum, the exhibits required in Form DCM. If the application is not materially complete, the Commission shall notify the applicant that the application will not be deemed to have been submitted for purposes of starting the 180-day review period set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(3) The applicant must identify with particularity any information in the application that will be subject to a request for confidential treatment pursuant to § 145.9 of this chapter.
(4) Section 40.8 of this chapter sets forth those sections of the application that will be made publicly available, notwithstanding a request for confidential treatment pursuant to § 145.9 of this chapter.
(5) If any information contained in the application or in any exhibit is or becomes inaccurate for any reason, an amendment to the application or a submission filed under part 40 of this chapter must be filed promptly correcting such information.
(b) Reinstatement of dormant designation. Before listing or relisting products for trading, a dormant designated contract market as defined in § 40.1 of this chapter must reinstate its designation under the procedures of paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section; provided, however, that an application for reinstatement may rely upon previously submitted materials that still pertain to, and accurately describe, current conditions.
(c) Delegation of authority. (1) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, upon consultation with the General Counsel or the General Counsel’s designee, authority to notify the applicant seeking designation under section 6(a) of the Act that the application is materially incomplete and the running of the 180-day period is stayed.
(2) The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this paragraph.
(3) Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(d) Request for transfer of designation—(1) Request for transfer of designation, listed contracts and open interest. A designated contract market that wants to request the transfer of its designation from its current legal entity to a new legal entity, as a result of a corporate reorganization or otherwise, must file a request with the Commission for approval to transfer the designation, listed contracts and positions comprising all associated open interest. Such request must be filed electronically, in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission, with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters at [email protected] and the Division of Market Oversight at [email protected].
(2) Timing of submission. The request must be filed no later than three months prior to the anticipated corporate change; provided that the designated contract market may file a request with the Commission later than three months prior to the anticipated corporate change if the designated contract market does not know and reasonably could not have known of the anticipated change three months prior to the anticipated corporate change. In such event, the designated contract market shall be required to immediately file the request with the Commission as soon as it knows of such change, with an explanation as to the timing of the request.
(3) Required information. The request shall include the following:
(i) The underlying agreement that governs the corporate change;
(ii) A narrative description of the corporate change, including the reason for the change and its impact on the designated contract market, including its governance and operations, and its impact on the rights and obligations of market participants holding the open interest positions;
(iii) A discussion of the transferee’s ability to comply with the Act, including the core principles applicable to designated contract markets, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder;
(iv) The governing documents of the transferee including, but not limited to, articles of incorporation and bylaws;
(v) The transferee’s rules marked to show changes from the current rules of the designated contract market;
(vi) A list of contracts, agreements, transactions or swaps for which the designated contract market requests transfer of open interest;
(vii) A representation by the transferee that it:
(A) Will be the surviving legal entity and successor-in-interest to the transferor designated contract market and will retain and assume, without limitation, all the assets and liabilities of the transferor;
(B) Will assume responsibility for complying with all applicable provisions of the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder, including part 38 and Appendices thereto;
(C) Will assume, maintain and enforce all rules implementing and complying with these core principles, including the adoption of the transferor’s rulebook, as amended in the request, and that any such amendments will be submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5c(c) of the Act and part 40 of the Commission’s regulations; and
(D) Will comply with all self-regulatory responsibilities except if otherwise indicated in the request, and will maintain and enforce all self-regulatory programs.
(viii) A representation by the transferee that upon the transfer:
(A) All open interest in all contracts listed on the transferor will be transferred to and represent equivalent open interest in all such contracts listed on the transferee;
(B) It will assume responsibility for and maintain compliance with the core principles for all contracts previously listed for trading through the transferor, whether by certification or approval; and
(C) That none of the proposed rule changes will affect the rights and obligations of any market participant with open positions transferred to it and that the proposed rule changes do not modify the manner in which such contracts are settled or cleared.
(ix) A representation by the transferee that market participants will be notified of all changes to the transferor’s rulebook prior to the transfer and will be further notified of the concurrent transfer of the contract market designation, and the related transfer of all listed contracts and all associated open interest, to the transferee upon Commission approval and issuance of an order permitting this transfer.
(4) Commission determination. The Commission will review a request as soon as practicable and such request will be approved or denied pursuant to a Commission order and based on the Commission’s determination as to the transferee’s ability to continue to operate the designated contract market in compliance with the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder.
(e) Request for withdrawal of application for designation. An applicant for designation may withdraw its application submitted pursuant to paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section by filing such a request with the Commission. Such request must be filed electronically, in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission, with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters, at [email protected], and the Division of Market Oversight, at [email protected]. Withdrawal of an application for designation shall not affect any action taken or to be taken by the Commission based upon actions, activities or events occurring during the time that the application for designation was pending with the Commission.
(f) Request for vacation of designation. A designated contract market may vacate its designation under section 7 of the Act by filing a request electronically, in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission, with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters at [email protected] and the Division of Market Oversight at [email protected]. Vacation of designation shall not affect any action taken or to be taken by the Commission based upon actions, activities or events occurring during the time that the facility was designated by the Commission.
§ 38.4 Procedures for listing products and implementing contract market rules.
(a) Request for Commission approval of rules and products. (1) An applicant for designation, or a designated contract market, may request that the Commission approve under section 5c(c) of the Act, any or all of its rules and contract terms and conditions, and subsequent amendments thereto, prior to their implementation or, notwithstanding the provisions of section 5c(c)(4) of the Act, at any time thereafter, under the procedures of § 40.3 or § 40.5 of this chapter, as applicable. A designated contract market may label a future, swap or options product in its rules as “Listed for trading pursuant to Commission approval,” if the future, swap or options product and its terms or conditions have been approved by the Commission, and it may label as “Approved by the Commission” only those rules that have been so approved.
(2) Notwithstanding the timeline under §§ 40.3(c) and 40.5(c) of this chapter, the operating rules, and terms and conditions of futures, swaps and option products that have been submitted for Commission approval at the same time as an application for contract market designation or an application under § 38.3(b) of this part to reinstate the designation of a dormant designated contract market, as defined in § 40.1 of this chapter, or while one of the foregoing is pending, will be deemed approved by the Commission no earlier than when the facility is deemed to be designated or reinstated.
(b) Self-certification of rules and products. Rules of a designated contract market and subsequent amendments thereto, including both operational rules and the terms or conditions of futures, swaps and option products listed for trading on the facility, not voluntarily submitted for prior Commission approval pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, must be submitted to the Commission with a certification that the rule, rule amendment or futures, swap or options product complies with the Act or rules thereunder pursuant to the procedures of § 40.6 of this chapter, as applicable. Provided, however, any rule or rule amendment that would, for a delivery month having open interest, materially change a term or condition of a swap or a contract for future delivery in an agricultural commodity enumerated in section 1a(9) of the Act, or of an option on such contract or commodity, must be submitted to the Commission prior to its implementation for review and approval under § 40.4 of this chapter.
(c) An applicant for designation, or a designated contract market, may request that the Commission consider under the provisions of section 15(b) of the Act any of the contract market’s rules or policies, including both operational rules and the terms or conditions of products listed for trading.
§ 38.5 Information relating to contract market compliance.
(a) Requests for information. Upon request by the Commission, a designated contract market must file with the Commission information related to its business as a designated contract market, including information relating to data entry and trade details, in the form and manner and within the time specified by the Commission in its request.
(b) Demonstration of compliance. Upon request by the Commission, a designated contract market must file with the Commission a written demonstration, containing supporting data, information and documents, in the form and manner and within the time specified by the Commission, that the designated contract market is in compliance with one or more core principles as specified in the request, or that is requested by the Commission to show that the designated contract market satisfies its obligations under the Act.
(c) Equity interest transfers—(1) Equity interest transfer notification. A designated contract market shall file with the Commission a notification of each transaction that the designated contract market enters into involving the transfer of ten percent or more of the equity interest in the designated contract market.
(2) Timing of Notification. The equity transfer notice described in paragraph (1) shall be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission at its Washington, DC headquarters at [email protected] and the Division of Market Oversight at [email protected], at the earliest possible time but in no event later than the open of business ten business days following the date upon which the designated contract market enters into a firm obligation to transfer the equity interest.
(3) Rule filing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any aspect of an equity interest transfer described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section that necessitates the filing of a rule as defined in part 40 of this chapter shall comply with the requirements of 5c(c) of the Act and part 40 of this chapter, and all other applicable Commission regulations.
(d) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, the authority set forth in paragraph (b) of this section to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time. The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
§ 38.6 Enforceability.
An agreement, contract or transaction entered into on or pursuant to the rules of a designated contract market shall not be void, voidable, subject to rescission or otherwise invalidated or rendered unenforceable as a result of:
(a) A violation by the designated contract market of the provisions of section 5 of the Act or this part 38; or
(b) Any Commission proceeding to alter or supplement a rule, term or condition under section 8a(7) of the Act, to declare an emergency under section 8a(9) of the Act, or any other proceeding the effect of which is to alter, supplement, or require a designated contract market to adopt a specific term or condition, trading rule or procedure, or to take or refrain from taking a specific action.
§ 38.7 Prohibited use of data collected for regulatory purposes.
A designated contract market may not use for business or marketing purposes any proprietary data or personal information it collects or receives, from or on behalf of any person, for the purpose of fulfilling its regulatory obligations; provided however, that a designated contract market may use such data or information for business or marketing purposes if the person from whom it collects or receives such data or information clearly consents to the designated contract market’s use of such data or information in such manner. A designated contract market, where necessary, for regulatory purposes, may share such data or information with one or more designated contract markets or swap execution facilities registered with the Commission. A designated contract market may not condition access to its trading facility on a market participant’s consent to the use of proprietary data or personal information for business or marketing purposes.
§ 38.8 Listing of swaps on a designated contract market.
(a) A designated contract market that lists for the first time a swap contract for trading on its contract market must, either prior to or at the time of such listing, file with the Commission a written demonstration detailing how the designated contract market is addressing its self-regulatory obligations and is fulfilling its statutory and regulatory obligations with respect to swap transactions.
(b)(1) Prior to listing swaps for trading on or through a designated contract market, each designated contract market must obtain from the Commission a unique, alphanumeric code assigned to the designated contract market by the Commission for the purpose of identifying the designated contract market with respect to unique swap identifier creation. (2) Each designated contract market must generate and assign a unique swap identifier at, or as soon as technologically practicable following, the time of execution of the swap, in a manner consistent with the requirements of part 45.
§ 38.9 Boards of trade operating both a designated contract market and a swap execution facility.
(a) A board of trade that operates a designated contract market and that intends to also operate a swap execution facility must separately register, pursuant to the swap execution facility registration requirements set forth in part 37 of this chapter, and on an ongoing basis, comply with the core principles under section 5h of the Act, and the swap execution facility rules under part 37 of this chapter.
(b) A board of trade that operates both a designated contract market and a swap execution facility, and that uses the same electronic trade execution system for executing and trading swaps that it uses in its capacity as a designated contract market, must clearly identify to market participants for each swap whether the execution or trading of such swap is taking place on the designated contract market or on the swap execution facility.
§ 38.10 Reporting of swaps traded on a designated contract market.
With respect to swaps traded on and/or pursuant to the rules of a designated contract market, each designated contract market must maintain and report specified swap data as provided under parts 43 and 45 of this chapter.
§ 38.11 Trade execution compliance schedule.
(a) A swap transaction shall be subject to the requirements of section 2(h)(8) of the Act upon the later of:
(1) The applicable deadline established under the compliance schedule provided under § 50.25(b) of this chapter; or
(2) Thirty days after the available-to-trade determination submission or certification for that swap is, respectively, deemed approved under § 40.5 of this chapter or deemed certified under § 40.6 of this chapter.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit any counterparty from complying voluntarily with the requirements of section 2(h)(8) of the Act sooner than as provided in paragraph (a) of this section.
§ 38.12 Process for a designated contract market to make a swap available to trade.
(a)(1) Required submission. A designated contract market that makes a swap available to trade in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, shall submit to the Commission its determination with respect to such swap as a rule, as that term is defined by § 40.1 of this chapter, pursuant to the procedures under part 40 of this chapter.
(2) Listing requirement. A designated contract market that makes a swap available to trade must demonstrate that it lists or offers that swap for trading on its trading system or platform.
(b) Factors to consider. To make a swap available to trade, for purposes of section 2(h)(8) of the Act, a designated contract market shall consider, as appropriate, the following factors with respect to such swap:
(1) Whether there are ready and willing buyers and sellers;
(2) The frequency or size of transactions;
(3) The trading volume;
(4) The number and types of market participants;
(5) The bid/ask spread; or
(6) The usual number of resting firm or indicative bids and offers.
(c) Applicability. (1) Upon a determination that a swap is available to trade on any designated contract market or swap execution facility pursuant to part 40 of this chapter, all other designated contract markets and swap execution facilities shall comply with the requirements of section 2(h)(8)(A) of the Act in listing or offering such swap for trading.
(d) Removal—(1) Determination. The Commission may issue a determination that a swap is no longer available to trade upon determining that no swap execution facility or designated contract market lists such swap for trading.
(2) Delegation of Authority. (i) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to issue a determination that a swap is no longer available to trade.
(ii) The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this section. Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
Subpart B—Designation as Contract Market
§ 38.100 Core Principle 1.
(a) In general. To be designated, and maintain a designation, as a contract market, a board of trade shall comply with:
(1) Any core principle described in section 5(d) of the Act, and
(2) Any requirement that the Commission may impose by rule or regulation pursuant to section 8a(5) of the Act.
(b) Reasonable discretion of the contract market. Unless otherwise determined by the Commission by rule or regulation, a board of trade described in paragraph (a) of this section shall have reasonable discretion in establishing the manner in which the board of trade complies with the core principles described in this subsection.
Subpart C—Compliance With Rules
§ 38.150 Core Principle 2.
(a) In general. The board of trade shall establish, monitor, and enforce compliance with the rules of the contract market, including:
(1) Access requirements;
(2) The terms and conditions of any contracts to be traded on the contract market; and
(3) Rules prohibiting abusive trade practices on the contract market.
(b) Capacity of contract market. The board of trade shall have the capacity to detect, investigate, and apply appropriate sanctions to any person that violates any rule of the contract market.
(c) Requirement of rules. The rules of the contract market shall provide the board of trade with the ability and authority to obtain any necessary information to perform any function described in this section, including the capacity to carry out such international information-sharing agreements, as the Commission may require.
§ 38.151 Access requirements.
(a) Jurisdiction. Prior to granting any member or market participant access to its markets, a designated contract market must require that the member or market participant consent to its jurisdiction.
(b) Impartial access by members, persons with trading privileges and independent software vendors. A designated contract market must provide its members, persons with trading privileges, and independent software vendors with impartial access to its markets and services, including:
(1) Access criteria that are impartial, transparent, and applied in a non-discriminatory manner; and
(2) Comparable fee structures for members, persons with trading privileges and independent software vendors receiving equal access to, or services from, the designated contract market.
(c) Limitations on access. A designated contract market must establish and impartially enforce rules governing denials, suspensions, and revocations of a member’s and a person with trading privileges’ access privileges to the designated contract market, including when such actions are part of a disciplinary or emergency action by the designated contract market.
§ 38.152 Abusive trading practices prohibited.
A designated contract market must prohibit abusive trading practices on its markets by members and market participants. Designated contract markets that permit intermediation must prohibit customer-related abuses including, but not limited to, trading ahead of customer orders, trading against customer orders, accommodation trading, and improper cross trading. Specific trading practices that must be prohibited by all designated contract markets include front-running, wash trading, pre-arranged trading (except for certain transactions specifically permitted under part 38 of this chapter), fraudulent trading, money passes, and any other trading practices that a designated contract market deems to be abusive. In addition, a designated contract market also must prohibit any other manipulative or disruptive trading practices prohibited by the Act or by the Commission pursuant to Commission regulation.
§ 38.153 Capacity to detect and investigate rule violations.
A designated contract market must have arrangements and resources for effective enforcement of its rules. Such arrangements must include the authority to collect information and documents on both a routine and non-routine basis, including the authority to examine books and records kept by the designated contract market’s members and by persons under investigation. A designated contract market’s arrangements and resources must also facilitate the direct supervision of the market and the analysis of data collected to determine whether a rule violation occurred.
§ 38.154 Regulatory services provided by a third party.
(a) Use of third-party provider permitted. A designated contract market may choose to utilize a registered futures association or another registered entity, as such terms are defined under the Act, (collectively, “regulatory service provider”), for the provision of services to assist in complying with the core principles, as approved by the Commission. Any designated contract market that chooses to utilize a regulatory service provider must ensure that its regulatory service provider has the capacity and resources necessary to provide timely and effective regulatory services, including adequate staff and automated surveillance systems. A designated contract market will at all times remain responsible for the performance of any regulatory services received, for compliance with the designated contract market’s obligations under the Act and Commission regulations, and for the regulatory service provider’s performance on its behalf.
(b) Duty to supervise third party. A designated contract market that elects to utilize a regulatory service provider must retain sufficient compliance staff to supervise the quality and effectiveness of the services provided on its behalf. Compliance staff of the designated contract market must hold regular meetings with the regulatory service provider to discuss ongoing investigations, trading patterns, market participants, and any other matters of regulatory concern. A designated contract market also must conduct periodic reviews of the adequacy and effectiveness of services provided on its behalf. Such reviews must be documented carefully and made available to the Commission upon request.
(c) Regulatory decisions required from the designated contract market. A designated contract market that elects to utilize a regulatory service provider must retain exclusive authority in decisions involving the cancellation of trades, the issuance of disciplinary charges against members or market participants, and the denials of access to the trading platform for disciplinary reasons. A designated contract market may also retain exclusive authority in other areas of its choosing. A designated contract market must document any instances where its actions differ from those recommended by its regulatory service provider, including the reasons for the course of action recommended by the regulatory service provider and the reasons why the designated contract market chose a different course of action.
§ 38.155 Compliance staff and resources.
(a) Sufficient compliance staff. A designated contract market must establish and maintain sufficient compliance department resources and staff to ensure that it can conduct effective audit trail reviews, trade practice surveillance, market surveillance, and real-time market monitoring. The designated contract market’s compliance staff also must be sufficient to address unusual market or trading events as they arise, and to conduct and complete investigations in a timely manner, as set forth in § 38.158(b) of this part.
(b) Ongoing monitoring of compliance staff resources. A designated contract market must monitor the size and workload of its compliance staff annually, and ensure that its compliance resources and staff are at appropriate levels. In determining the appropriate level of compliance resources and staff, the designated contract market should consider trading volume increases, the number of new products or contracts to be listed for trading, any new responsibilities to be assigned to compliance staff, the results of any internal review demonstrating that work is not completed in an effective or timely manner, and any other factors suggesting the need for increased resources and staff.
§ 38.156 Automated trade surveillance system.
A designated contract market must maintain an automated trade surveillance system capable of detecting and investigating potential trade practice violations. The automated system must load and process daily orders and trades no later than 24 hours after the completion of the trading day. In addition, the automated trade surveillance system must have the capability to detect and flag specific trade execution patterns and trade anomalies; compute, retain, and compare trading statistics; compute trade gains, losses, and futures-equivalent positions; reconstruct the sequence of market activity; perform market analyses; and support system users to perform in-depth analyses and ad hoc queries of trade-related data.
§ 38.157 Real-time market monitoring.
A designated contract market must conduct real-time market monitoring of all trading activity on its electronic trading platform(s) to identify disorderly trading and any market or system anomalies. A designated contract market must have the authority to adjust trade prices or cancel trades when necessary to mitigate market disrupting events caused by malfunctions in its electronic trading platform(s) or errors in orders submitted by members and market participants. Any trade price adjustments or trade cancellations must be transparent to the market and subject to standards that are clear, fair, and publicly available.
§ 38.158 Investigations and investigation reports.
(a) Procedures. A designated contract market must establish and maintain procedures that require its compliance staff to conduct investigations of possible rule violations. An investigation must be commenced upon the receipt of a request from Commission staff or upon the discovery or receipt of information by the designated contract market that indicates a reasonable basis for finding that a violation may have occurred or will occur.
(b) Timeliness. Each compliance staff investigation must be completed in a timely manner. Absent mitigating factors, a timely manner is no later than 12 months after the date that an investigation is opened. Mitigating factors that may reasonably justify an investigation taking longer than 12 months to complete include the complexity of the investigation, the number of firms or individuals involved as potential wrongdoers, the number of potential violations to be investigated, and the volume of documents and data to be examined and analyzed by compliance staff.
(c) Investigation reports when a reasonable basis exists for finding a violation. Compliance staff must submit a written investigation report for disciplinary action in every instance in which compliance staff determines from surveillance or from an investigation that a reasonable basis exists for finding a rule violation. The investigation report must include the reason the investigation was initiated; a summary of the complaint, if any; the relevant facts; compliance staff’s analysis and conclusions; and a recommendation as to whether disciplinary action should be pursued.
(d) Investigation reports when no reasonable basis exists for finding a violation. If after conducting an investigation, compliance staff determines that no reasonable basis exists for finding a violation, it must prepare a written report including the reason(s) the investigation was initiated; a summary of the complaint, if any; the relevant facts; and compliance staff’s analysis and conclusions.
(e) Warning letters. No more than one warning letter may be issued to the same person or entity found to have committed the same rule violation within a rolling twelve month period.
§ 38.159 Ability to obtain information.
A designated contract market must have the ability and authority to obtain any necessary information to perform any function required under this subpart C of the Commission’s regulations, including the capacity to carry out international information-sharing agreements as the Commission may require. Appropriate information-sharing agreements can be established with other designated contract markets and swap execution facilities, or the Commission can act in conjunction with the designated contract market to carry out such information sharing.
§ 38.160 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.150 of this part.
Subpart D—Contracts Not Readily Subject to Manipulation
§ 38.200 Core Principle 3.
The board of trade shall list on the contract market only contracts that are not readily susceptible to manipulation.
§ 38.201 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance in appendix C of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.200 of this part.
Subpart E—Prevention of Market Disruption
§ 38.250 Core Principle 4.
The board of trade shall have the capacity and responsibility to prevent manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions of the delivery or cash-settlement process through market surveillance, compliance, and enforcement practices and procedures, including:
(a) Methods for conducting real-time monitoring of trading; and
(b) Comprehensive and accurate trade reconstructions.
§ 38.251 General requirements.
A designated contract market must:
(a) Collect and evaluate data on individual traders’ market activity on an ongoing basis in order to detect and prevent manipulation, price distortions and, where possible, disruptions of the physical-delivery or cash-settlement process;
(b) Monitor and evaluate general market data in order to detect and prevent manipulative activity that would result in the failure of the market price to reflect the normal forces of supply and demand;
(c) Demonstrate an effective program for conducting real-time monitoring of market conditions, price movements and volumes, in order to detect abnormalities and, when necessary, make a good-faith effort to resolve conditions that are, or threaten to be, disruptive to the market; and
(d) Demonstrate the ability to comprehensively and accurately reconstruct daily trading activity for the purposes of detecting trading abuses and violations of exchange-set position limits, including those that may have occurred intraday.
(e) Adopt and implement rules governing market participants subject to its jurisdiction to prevent, detect, and mitigate market disruptions or system anomalies associated with electronic trading;
(f) Subject all electronic orders to exchange-based pre-trade risk controls to prevent, detect, and mitigate market disruptions or system anomalies associated with electronic trading; and
(g) Promptly notify Commission staff of any significant market disruptions on its electronic trading platform(s) and provide timely information on the causes and remediation.
§ 38.252 Additional requirements for physical-delivery contracts.
For physical-delivery contracts, the designated contract market must demonstrate that it:
(a) Monitors a contract’s terms and conditions as they relate to the underlying commodity market and to the convergence between the contract price and the price of the underlying commodity and show a good-faith effort to resolve conditions that are interfering with convergence; and
(b) Monitors the supply of the commodity and its adequacy to satisfy the delivery requirements and make a good-faith effort to resolve conditions that threaten the adequacy of supplies or the delivery process.
§ 38.253 Additional requirements for cash-settled contracts.
(a) For cash-settled contracts, the designated contract market must demonstrate that it:
(1) Monitors the pricing of the index to which the contract will be settled; and
(2) Monitors the continued appropriateness of the methodology for deriving the index and makes a good-faith effort to resolve conditions, including amending contract terms where necessary, where there is a threat of market manipulation, disruptions, or distortions.
(b) If a contract listed on a designated contract market is settled by reference to the price of a contract or commodity traded in another venue, including a price or index derived from prices on another designated contract market, the designated contract market must have rules or agreements that allow the designated contract market access to information on the activities of its traders in the reference market.
§ 38.254 Ability to obtain information.
(a) The designated contract market must have rules that require traders in its contracts to keep records of their trading, including records of their activity in the underlying commodity and related derivatives markets, and make such records available, upon request, to the designated contract market.
(b) A designated contract market with participants trading through intermediaries must either use a comprehensive large-trader reporting system (LTRS) or be able to demonstrate that it can obtain position data from other sources in order to conduct an effective surveillance program.
§ 38.255 Risk controls for trading.
The designated contract market must establish and maintain risk control mechanisms to prevent and reduce the potential risk of price distortions and market disruptions, including, but not limited to, market restrictions that pause or halt trading in market conditions prescribed by the designated contract market.
§ 38.256 Trade reconstruction.
The designated contract market must have the ability to comprehensively and accurately reconstruct all trading on its trading facility. All audit-trail data and reconstructions must be made available to the Commission in a form, manner, and time that is acceptable to the Commission.
§ 38.257 Regulatory service provider.
A designated contract market must comply with the regulations in this subpart through a dedicated regulatory department, or by delegation of that function to a registered futures association or a registered entity (collectively, “regulatory service provider”), as such terms are defined in the Act and over which the designated contract market has supervisory authority.
§ 38.258 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance and acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.250 of this part.
Subpart F—Position Limitations or Accountability
§ 38.300 Core Principle 5.
To reduce the potential threat of market manipulation or congestion (especially during trading in the delivery month), the board of trade shall adopt for each contract of the board of trade, as is necessary and appropriate, position limitations or position accountability for speculators. For any contract that is subject to a position limitation established by the Commission, pursuant to section 4a(a), the board of trade shall set the position limitation of the board of trade at a level not higher than the position limitation established by the Commission.
§ 38.301 Position limitations and accountability.
A designated contract market must meet the requirements of parts 150 and 151 of this chapter, as applicable.
Subpart G—Emergency Authority
§ 38.350 Core Principle 6.
The board of trade, in consultation or cooperation with the Commission, shall adopt rules to provide for the exercise of emergency authority, as is necessary and appropriate, including the authority:
(a) To liquidate or transfer open positions in any contract;
(b) To suspend or curtail trading in any contract; and
(c) To require market participants in any contract to meet special margin requirements.
§ 38.351 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.350.
Subpart H—Availability of General Information
§ 38.400 Core Principle 7.
The board of trade shall make available to market authorities, market participants, and the public accurate information concerning:
(a) The terms and conditions of the contracts of the contract market; and
(b)(1) The rules, regulations and mechanisms for executing transactions on or through the facilities of the contract market, and
(2) The rules and specifications describing the operation of the contract market’s:
(i) Electronic matching platform, or
(ii) Trade execution facility.
§ 38.401 General requirements.
(a) General. (1) A designated contract market must have procedures, arrangements and resources for disclosing to the Commission, market participants and the public accurate information pertaining to:
(i) Contract terms and conditions;
(ii) Rules and regulations pertaining to the trading mechanisms; and
(iii) Rules and specifications pertaining to operation of the electronic matching platform or trade execution facility.
(2) Through the procedures, arrangements and resources required in paragraph (a) of this section, the designated contract market must ensure public dissemination of information pertaining to new product listings, new rules, rule amendments or other changes to previously-disclosed information, in accordance with the timeline provided in paragraph (c) of this section.
(3) A designated contract market shall meet the requirements of this paragraph (a), by placing the information described in this paragraph (a) on the designated contract market’s Web site within the time prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) Accuracy requirement. With respect to any communication with the Commission, and any information required to be transmitted or made available to market participants and the public, including on its Web site or otherwise, a designated contract market must provide information that it believes, to the best of its knowledge, is accurate and complete, and must not omit material information.
(c) Notice of regulatory submissions. (1) A designated contract market, in making available on its Web site information pertaining to new product listings, new rules, rule amendments or other changes to previously-disclosed information, must place such information and submissions on its Web site concurrent with the filing of such information or submissions with the Secretary of the Commission.
(2) To the extent that a designated contract market requests confidential treatment of any information filed with the Secretary of the Commission, the designated contract market must post on its Web site the public version of such filing or submission.
(d) Rulebook. A designated contract market must ensure that the rulebook posted on its Web site is accurate, complete, current and readily accessible to the public. A designated contract market must publish or post in its rulebook all new or amended rules, both substantive and non-substantive, on the date of implementation of such new or amended rule, on the date a new product is listed, or on the date any changes to previously-disclosed information take effect.
Subpart I—Daily Publication of Trading Information
§ 38.450 Core Principle 8.
The board of trade shall make public daily information on settlement prices, volume, open interest, and opening and closing ranges for actively traded contracts on the contract market.
§ 38.451 Reporting of trade information.
A designated contract market must meet the reporting requirements set forth in part 16 of this chapter.
Subpart J—Execution of Transactions
§ 38.500 Core Principle 9.
The board of trade shall provide a competitive, open, and efficient market and mechanism for executing transactions that protects the price discovery process of trading in the centralized market of the board of trade. The rules of the board of trade may authorize, for bona fide business purposes:
(a) Transfer trades or office trades;
(b) An exchange of:
(1) Futures in connection with a cash commodity transaction;
(2) Futures for cash commodities; or
(3) Futures for swaps; or
(c) A futures commission merchant, acting as principal or agent, to enter into or confirm the execution of a contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery if the contract is reported, recorded, or cleared in accordance with the rules of the contract market or a derivatives clearing organization.
Subpart K—Trade Information
§ 38.550 Core Principle 10.
The board of trade shall maintain rules and procedures to provide for the recording and safe storage of all identifying trade information in a manner that enables the contract market to use the information:
(a) To assist in the prevention of customer and market abuses; and
(b) To provide evidence of any violations of the rules of the contract market.
§ 38.551 Audit trail required.
A designated contract market must capture and retain all audit trail data necessary to detect, investigate, and prevent customer and market abuses. Such data must be sufficient to reconstruct all transactions within a reasonable period of time and to provide evidence of any violations of the rules of the designated contract market. An acceptable audit trail must also permit the designated contract market to track a customer order from the time of receipt through fill, allocation, or other disposition, and must include both order and trade data.
§ 38.552 Elements of an acceptable audit trail program.
(a) Original source documents. A designated contract market’s audit trail must include original source documents. Original source documents include unalterable, sequentially identified records on which trade execution information is originally recorded, whether recorded manually or electronically. Records for customer orders (whether filled, unfilled, or cancelled, each of which shall be retained or electronically captured) must reflect the terms of the order, an account identifier that relates back to the account(s) owner(s), and the time of order entry. For open-outcry trades, the time of report of execution of the order shall also be captured.
(b) Transaction history database. A designated contract market’s audit trail program must include an electronic transaction history database. An adequate transaction history database includes a history of all trades executed via open outcry or via entry into an electronic trading system, and all orders entered into an electronic trading system, including all order modifications and cancellations. An adequate transaction history database also includes:
(1) All data that are input into the trade entry or matching system for the transaction to match and clear;
(2) The customer type indicator code;
(3) Timing and sequencing data adequate to reconstruct trading; and
(4) Identification of each account to which fills are allocated.
(c) Electronic analysis capability. A designated contract market’s audit trail program must include electronic analysis capability with respect to all audit trail data in the transaction history database. Such electronic analysis capability must ensure that the designated contract market has the ability to reconstruct trading and identify possible trading violations with respect to both customer and market abuse.
(d) Safe storage capability. A designated contract market’s audit trail program must include the capability to safely store all audit trail data retained in its transaction history database. Such safe storage capability must include the capability to store all data in the database in a manner that protects it from unauthorized alteration, as well as from accidental erasure or other loss. Data must be retained in accordance with the recordkeeping requirements of Core Principle 18 and the associated regulations in subpart S of this part.
§ 38.553 Enforcement of audit trail requirements.
(a) Annual audit trail and recordkeeping reviews. A designated contract market must enforce its audit trail and recordkeeping requirements through at least annual reviews of all members and persons and firms subject to designated contract market recordkeeping rules to verify their compliance with the contract market’s audit trail and recordkeeping requirements. Such reviews must include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) For electronic trading, audit trail and recordkeeping reviews must include reviews of randomly selected samples of front-end audit trail data for order routing systems; a review of the process by which user identifications are assigned and user identification records are maintained; a review of usage patterns associated with user identifications to monitor for violations of user identification rules; and reviews of account numbers and customer type indicator codes in trade records to test for accuracy and improper use.
(2) For open outcry trading, audit trail and recordkeeping reviews must include reviews of members’ and market participants’ compliance with the designated contract market’s trade timing, order ticket, and trading card requirements.
(b) Enforcement program required. A designated contract market must establish a program for effective enforcement of its audit trail and recordkeeping requirements for both electronic and open-outcry trading, as applicable. An effective program must identify members and persons and firms subject to designated contract market recordkeeping rules that have failed to maintain high levels of compliance with such requirements, and levy meaningful sanctions when deficiencies are found. Sanctions must be sufficient to deter recidivist behavior. No more than one warning letter may be issued to the same person or entity found to have committed the same rule violation within a rolling twelve month period.
Subpart L—Financial Integrity of Transactions
§ 38.600 Core Principle 11.
The board of trade shall establish and enforce:
(a) Rules and procedures for ensuring the financial integrity of transactions entered into on or through the facilities of the contract market (including the clearance and settlement of the transactions with a derivatives clearing organization); and
(b) Rules to ensure:
(1) The financial integrity of any:
(i) Futures commission merchant, and
(ii) Introducing broker; and
(2) The protection of customer funds.
§ 38.601 Mandatory clearing.
(a) Transactions executed on or through the designated contract market must be cleared through a Commission-registered derivatives clearing organization, in accordance with the provisions of part 39 of this chapter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, transactions in security futures products executed on or through the designated contract market may alternatively be cleared through a clearing agency, registered pursuant to section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
(b) A designated contract market must coordinate with each derivatives clearing organization to which it submits transactions for clearing, in the development of rules and procedures to facilitate prompt and efficient transaction processing in accordance with the requirements of § 39.12(b)(7) of this chapter.
§ 38.602 General financial integrity.
A designated contract market must provide for the financial integrity of its transactions by establishing and maintaining appropriate minimum financial standards for its members and non-intermediated market participants.
§ 38.603 Protection of customer funds.
A designated contract market must have rules concerning the protection of customer funds. These rules shall address appropriate minimum financial standards for intermediaries, the segregation of customer and proprietary funds, the custody of customer funds, the investment standards for customer funds, intermediary default procedures and related recordkeeping. A designated contract market must review the default rules and procedures of the derivatives clearing organization that clears for such designated contract market to wind down operations, transfer customers, or otherwise protect customers in the event of a default of a clearing member or the derivatives clearing organization.
§ 38.604 Financial surveillance.
A designated contract market must monitor members’ compliance with the designated contract market’s minimum financial standards and, therefore, must routinely receive and promptly review financial and related information from its members, as well as continuously monitor the positions of members and their customers. A designated contract market must have rules that prescribe minimum capital requirements for member futures commission merchants and introducing brokers. A designated contract market must:
(a) Continually survey the obligations of each futures commission merchant created by the positions of its customers;
(b) As appropriate, compare those obligations to the financial resources of the futures commission merchant; and
(c) Take appropriate steps to use this information to protect customer funds.
§ 38.605 Requirements for financial surveillance program.
A designated contract market’s financial surveillance program for futures commission merchants, retail foreign exchange dealers, and introducing brokers must comply with the requirements of § 1.52 of this chapter to assess the compliance of such entities with applicable contract market rules and Commission regulations.
§ 38.606 Financial regulatory services provided by a third party.
A designated contract market may comply with the requirements of § 38.604 (Financial Surveillance) and § 38.605 (Requirements for Financial Surveillance Program) of this part through the regulatory services of a registered futures association or a registered entity (collectively, “regulatory service provider”), as such terms are defined under the Act. A designated contract market must ensure that its regulatory service provider has the capacity and resources necessary to provide timely and effective regulatory services, including adequate staff and appropriate surveillance systems. A designated contract market will at all times remain responsible for compliance with its obligations under the Act and Commission regulations, and for the regulatory service provider’s performance on its behalf. Regulatory services must be provided under a written agreement with a regulatory services provider that shall specifically document the services to be performed as well as the capacity and resources of the regulatory service provider with respect to the services to be performed.
§ 38.607 Direct access.
A designated contract market that permits direct electronic access by customers (i.e., allowing customers of futures commission merchants to enter orders directly into a designated contract market’s trade matching system for execution) must have in place effective systems and controls reasonably designed to facilitate the FCM’s management of financial risk, such as automated pre-trade controls that enable member futures commission merchants to implement appropriate financial risk limits. A designated contract market must implement and enforce rules requiring the member futures commission merchants to use the provided systems and controls.
Subpart M—Protection of Markets and Market Participants
§ 38.650 Core Principle 12.
The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules:
(a) To protect markets and market participants from abusive practices committed by any party, including abusive practices committed by a party acting as an agent for a participant; and
(b) To promote fair and equitable trading on the contract market.
§ 38.651 Protection of markets and market participants.
A designated contract market must have and enforce rules that are designed to promote fair and equitable trading and to protect the market and market participants from abusive practices including fraudulent, noncompetitive or unfair actions, committed by any party. The designated contract market must have methods and resources appropriate to the nature of the trading system and the structure of the market to detect trade practice and market abuses and to discipline such behavior, in accordance with Core Principles 2 and 4, and the associated regulations in subparts C and E of this part, respectively. The designated contract market also must provide a competitive, open and efficient market and mechanism for executing transactions in accordance with Core Principle 9 and the associated regulations under subpart J of this part.
Subpart N—Disciplinary Procedures
§ 38.700 Core Principle 13.
The board of trade shall establish and enforce disciplinary procedures that authorize the board of trade to discipline, suspend, or expel members or market participants that violate the rules of the board of trade, or similar methods for performing the same functions, including delegation of the functions to third parties.
§ 38.701 Enforcement staff.
A designated contract market must establish and maintain sufficient enforcement staff and resources to effectively and promptly prosecute possible rule violations within the disciplinary jurisdiction of the contract market. A designated contract market must also monitor the size and workload of its enforcement staff annually, and ensure that its enforcement resources and staff are at appropriate levels. The enforcement staff may not include either members of the designated contract market or persons whose interests conflict with their enforcement duties. A member of the enforcement staff may not operate under the direction or control of any person or persons with trading privileges at the contract market. A designated contract market’s enforcement staff may operate as part of the designated contract market’s compliance department.
§ 38.702 Disciplinary panels.
A designated contract market must establish one or more disciplinary panels that are authorized to fulfill their obligations under the rules of this subpart. Disciplinary panels must meet the composition requirements of part 40 of this chapter, and must not include any members of the designated contract market’s compliance staff or any person involved in adjudicating any other stage of the same proceeding.
§ 38.703 Notice of charges.
If compliance staff authorized by a designated contract market or a designated contract market disciplinary panel determines that a reasonable basis exists for finding a violation and that adjudication is warranted, it must direct that the person or entity alleged to have committed the violation be served with a notice of charges and must proceed in accordance with the rules of this section. A notice of charges must adequately state the acts, conduct, or practices in which the respondent is alleged to have engaged; state the rule, or rules, alleged to have been violated (or about to be violated); and prescribe the period within which a hearing on the charges may be requested. The notice must also advise that the charged respondent is entitled, upon request, to a hearing on the charges.
§ 38.704 Right to representation.
Upon being served with a notice of charges, a respondent must have the right to be represented by legal counsel or any other representative of its choosing in all succeeding stages of the disciplinary process, except any member of the designated contract market’s board of directors or disciplinary panel, any employee of the designated contract market, or any person substantially related to the underlying investigations, such as material witness or respondent.
§ 38.705 Answer to charges.
A respondent must be given a reasonable period of time to file an answer to a notice of charges. The rules of a designated contract market governing the requirements and timeliness of a respondent’s answer to charges must be fair, equitable, and publicly available.
§ 38.706 Denial of charges and right to hearing.
In every instance where a respondent has requested a hearing on a charge that is denied, or on a sanction set by the disciplinary panel, the respondent must be given an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the requirements of § 38.707 of this part.
§ 38.707 Hearings.
(a) A designated contract market must adopt rules that provide for the following minimum requirements for any hearing conducted pursuant to a notice of charges:
(1) The hearing must be fair, must be conducted before members of the disciplinary panel, and must be promptly convened after reasonable notice to the respondent. The formal rules of evidence need not apply; nevertheless, the procedures for the hearing may not be so informal as to deny a fair hearing. No member of the disciplinary panel for the matter may have a financial, personal, or other direct interest in the matter under consideration.
(2) In advance of the hearing, the respondent must be entitled to examine all books, documents, or other evidence in the possession or under the control of the designated contract market. The designated contract market may withhold documents that are privileged or constitute attorney work product, documents that were prepared by an employee of the designated contract market but will not be offered in evidence in the disciplinary proceedings, documents that may disclose a technique or guideline used in examinations, investigations, or enforcements proceedings, and documents that disclose the identity of a confidential source.
(3) The designated contract market’s enforcement and compliance staffs must be parties to the hearing, and the enforcement staff must present their case on those charges and sanctions that are the subject of the hearing.
(4) The respondent must be entitled to appear personally at the hearing, must be entitled to cross-examine any persons appearing as witnesses at the hearing, and must be entitled to call witnesses and to present such evidence as may be relevant to the charges.
(5) The designated contract market must require persons within its jurisdiction who are called as witnesses to participate in the hearing and to produce evidence. It must make reasonable efforts to secure the presence of all other persons called as witnesses whose testimony would be relevant.
(6) If the respondent has requested a hearing, a copy of the hearing must be made and must become a part of the record of the proceeding. The record must be one that is capable of being accurately transcribed; however, it need not be transcribed unless the transcript is requested by Commission staff or the respondent, the decision is appealed pursuant to the rules of the designated contract market, or is reviewed by the Commission pursuant to section 8c of the Act or part 9 of this chapter. In all other instances a summary record of a hearing is permitted.
(b) [Reserved]
§ 38.708 Decisions.
Promptly following a hearing conducted in accordance with § 38.707 of this part, the disciplinary panel must render a written decision based upon the weight of the evidence contained in the record of the proceeding and must provide a copy to the respondent. The decision must include:
(a) The notice of charges or a summary of the charges;
(b) The answer, if any, or a summary of the answer;
(c) A summary of the evidence produced at the hearing or, where appropriate, incorporation by reference of the investigation report;
(d) A statement of findings and conclusions with respect to each charge, and a complete explanation of the evidentiary and other basis for such findings and conclusions with respect to each charge;
(e) An indication of each specific rule that the respondent was found to have violated; and
(f) A declaration of all sanctions imposed against the respondent, including the basis for such sanctions and the effective date of such sanctions.
§ 38.709 Final decisions.
Each designated contract market must establish rules setting forth when a decision rendered pursuant to this section will become the final decision of such designated contract market.
§ 38.710 Disciplinary sanctions.
All disciplinary sanctions imposed by a designated contract market or its disciplinary panels must be commensurate with the violations committed and must be clearly sufficient to deter recidivism or similar violations by other market participants. All disciplinary sanctions, including sanctions imposed pursuant to an accepted settlement offer, must take into account the respondent’s disciplinary history. In the event of demonstrated customer harm, any disciplinary sanction must also include full customer restitution, except where the amount of restitution, or to whom it should be provided, cannot be reasonably determined.
§ 38.711 Warning letters.
Where a rule violation is found to have occurred, no more than one warning letter may be issued per rolling 12-month period for the same violation.
§ 38.712 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.700 of this part.
Subpart O—Dispute Resolution
§ 38.750 Core Principle 14.
The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules regarding, and provide facilities for alternative dispute resolution as appropriate for, market participants and any market intermediaries.
§ 38.751 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance and acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.750 of this part.
Subpart P—Governance Fitness Standards
§ 38.800 Core Principle 15.
The board of trade shall establish and enforce appropriate fitness standards for directors, members of any disciplinary committee, members of the contract market, and any other person with direct access to the facility (including any party affiliated with any person described in this paragraph).
§ 38.801 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.800 of this part.
Subpart Q—Conflicts of Interest
§ 38.850 Core Principle 16.
The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules:
(a) To minimize conflicts of interest in the decision-making process of the contract market; and
(b) To establish a process for resolving conflicts of interest described in paragraph (a) of this section.
§ 38.851 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.850 of this part.
Subpart R—Composition of Governing Boards of Contract Markets
§ 38.900 Core Principle 17.
The governance arrangements of the board of trade shall be designed to permit consideration of the views of market participants.
Subpart S—Recordkeeping
§ 38.950 Core Principle 18.
The board of trade shall maintain records of all activities relating to the business of the contract market:
(a) In a form and manner that is acceptable to the Commission; and
(b) For a period of at least 5 years.
§ 38.951 Additional sources for compliance.
A designated contract market must maintain such records, including trade records and investigatory and disciplinary files, in accordance with the requirements of § 1.31 of this chapter, and in accordance with part 45 of this chapter, if applicable.
Subpart T—Antitrust Considerations
§ 38.1000 Core Principle 19.
Unless necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Act, the board of trade shall not:
(a) Adopt any rule or taking any action that results in any unreasonable restraint of trade; or
(b) Impose any material anticompetitive burden on trading on the contract market.
§ 38.1001 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance and acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.1000 of this part.
Subpart U—System Safeguards
§ 38.1050 Core Principle 20.
Each designated contract market shall:
(a) Establish and maintain a program of risk analysis and oversight to identify and minimize sources of operational risk, through the development of appropriate controls and procedures, and the development of automated systems, that are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity;
(b) Establish and maintain emergency procedures, backup facilities, and a plan for disaster recovery that allow for the timely recovery and resumption of operations and the fulfillment of the responsibilities and obligations of the board of trade; and
(c) Periodically conduct tests to verify that backup resources are sufficient to ensure continued order processing and trade matching, transmission of matched orders to a designated clearing organization for clearing, price reporting, market surveillance, and maintenance of a comprehensive and accurate audit trail.
§ 38.1051 General requirements.
(a) A designated contract market’s program of risk analysis and oversight with respect to its operations and automated systems shall address each of the following categories of risk analysis and oversight:
(1) Enterprise risk management and governance. This category includes, but is not limited to: Assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of security and technology risk; security and technology capital planning and investment; board of directors and management oversight of technology and security; information technology audit and controls assessments; remediation of deficiencies; and any other elements of enterprise risk management and governance included in generally accepted best practices.
(2) Information security. This category includes, but is not limited to, controls relating to: Access to systems and data (including least privilege, separation of duties, account monitoring and control); user and device identification and authentication; security awareness training; audit log maintenance, monitoring, and analysis; media protection; personnel security and screening; automated system and communications protection (including network port control, boundary defenses, encryption); system and information integrity (including malware defenses, software integrity monitoring); vulnerability management; penetration testing; security incident response and management; and any other elements of information security included in generally accepted best practices.
(3) Business continuity-disaster recovery planning and resources. This category includes, but is not limited to: Regular, periodic testing and review of business continuity-disaster recovery capabilities, the controls and capabilities described in paragraphs (c), (d), (j), and (k) of this section; and any other elements of business continuity-disaster recovery planning and resources included in generally accepted best practices.
(4) Capacity and performance planning. This category includes, but is not limited to: Controls for monitoring the designated contract market’s systems to ensure adequate scalable capacity (including testing, monitoring, and analysis of current and projected future capacity and performance, and of possible capacity degradation due to planned automated system changes); and any other elements of capacity and performance planning included in generally accepted best practices.
(5) Systems operations. This category includes, but is not limited to: System maintenance; configuration management (including baseline configuration, configuration change and patch management, least functionality, inventory of authorized and unauthorized devices and software); event and problem response and management; and any other elements of system operations included in generally accepted best practices.
(6) Systems development and quality assurance. This category includes, but is not limited to: Requirements development; pre-production and regression testing; change management procedures and approvals; outsourcing and vendor management; training in secure coding practices; and any other elements of systems development and quality assurance included in generally accepted best practices.
(7) Physical security and environmental controls. This category includes, but is not limited to: Physical access and monitoring; power, telecommunication, and environmental controls; fire protection; and any other elements of physical security and environmental controls included in generally accepted best practices.
(b) In addressing the categories of risk analysis and oversight required under paragraph (a) of this section, a designated contract market shall follow generally accepted standards and best practices with respect to the development, operation, reliability, security, and capacity of automated systems.
(c) A designated contract market shall maintain a business continuity-disaster recovery plan and business continuity-disaster recovery resources, emergency procedures, and backup facilities sufficient to enable timely recovery and resumption of its operations and resumption of its ongoing fulfillment of its responsibilities and obligations as a designated contract market following any disruption of its operations. Such responsibilities and obligations include, without limitation: Order processing and trade matching; transmission of matched orders to a designated clearing organization for clearing; price reporting; market surveillance; and maintenance of a comprehensive audit trail. The designated contract market’s business continuity-disaster recovery plan and resources generally should enable resumption of trading and clearing of the designated contract market’s products during the next business day following the disruption. Designated contract markets determined by the Commission to be critical financial markets are subject to more stringent requirements in this regard, set forth in § 40.9 of this chapter. Electronic trading is an acceptable backup for open outcry trading in the event of a disruption. A designated contract market shall update its business continuity-disaster recovery plan and emergency procedures at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but at a minimum no less frequently than annually.
(d) A designated contract market that is not determined by the Commission to be a critical financial market satisfies the requirement to be able to resume trading and clearing during the next business day following a disruption by maintaining either:
(1) Infrastructure and personnel resources of its own that are sufficient to ensure timely recovery and resumption of its operations and resumption of its ongoing fulfillment of its responsibilities and obligations as a designated contract market following any disruption of its operations; or
(2) Contractual arrangements with other designated contract markets or disaster recovery service providers, as appropriate, that are sufficient to ensure continued trading and clearing of the designated contract market’s products, and ongoing fulfillment of all of the designated contract market’s responsibilities and obligations with respect to those products, in the event that a disruption renders the designated contract market temporarily or permanently unable to satisfy this requirement on its own behalf.
(e) A designated contract market must notify Commission staff promptly of all:
(1) Electronic trading halts and significant systems malfunctions;
(2) Cyber security incidents or targeted threats that actually or potentially jeopardize automated system operation, reliability, security, or capacity; and
(3) Activation of the designated contract market’s business continuity-disaster recovery plan.
(f) A designated contract market must give Commission staff timely advance notice of all material:
(1) Planned changes to automated systems that may impact the reliability, security, or adequate scalable capacity of such systems; and
(2) Planned changes to the designated contract market’s program of risk analysis and oversight.
(g) As part of a designated contract market’s obligation to produce books and records in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter, Core Principle 18 (Recordkeeping), and §§ 38.950 and 38.951, a designated contract market shall provide to the Commission the following system safeguards-related books and records, promptly upon the request of any Commission representative:
(1) Current copies of its business continuity-disaster recovery plans and other emergency procedures;
(2) All assessments of its operational risks or system safeguards-related controls;
(3) All reports concerning system safeguards testing and assessment required by this chapter, whether performed by independent contractors or by employees of the designated contract market; and
(4) All other books and records requested by Commission staff in connection with Commission oversight of system safeguards pursuant to the Act or Commission regulations, or in connection with Commission maintenance of a current profile of the designated contract market’s automated systems.
(5) Nothing in this paragraph (g) shall be interpreted as reducing or limiting in any way a designated contract market’s obligation to comply with Core Principle 18 (Recordkeeping) or with § 1.31 of this chapter, or with § 38.950 or § 38.951.
(h) A designated contract market shall conduct regular, periodic, objective testing and review of its automated systems to ensure that they are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity. It shall also conduct regular, periodic testing and review of its business continuity-disaster recovery capabilities. Such testing and review shall include, without limitation, all of the types of testing set forth in this paragraph (h). A covered designated contract market, as defined in this section, shall be subject to the additional requirements regarding minimum testing frequency and independent contractor testing set forth in this paragraph (h).
(1) Definitions. As used in paragraph (h) of this section:
Controls means the safeguards or countermeasures employed by the designated contract market in order to protect the reliability, security, or capacity of its automated systems or the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its data and information, and in order to enable the designated contract market to fulfill its statutory and regulatory responsibilities.
Controls testing means assessment of the designated contract market’s controls to determine whether such controls are implemented correctly, are operating as intended, and are enabling the designated contract market to meet the requirements established by this section.
Covered designated contract market means a designated contract market whose annual total trading volume in calendar year 2015, or in any subsequent calendar year, is five percent (5%) or more of the combined annual total trading volume of all designated contract markets regulated by the Commission for the year in question, based on annual total trading volume information provided to the Commission by each designated contract market pursuant to the procedure set forth in this chapter. A covered designated contract market that has annual total trading volume of less than five percent (5%) of the combined annual total trading volume of all designated contract markets regulated by the Commission for three consecutive calendar years ceases to be a covered designated contract market as of March 1 of the calendar year following such three consecutive calendar years.
Enterprise technology risk assessment means a written assessment that includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of threats and vulnerabilities in the context of mitigating controls. An enterprise technology risk assessment identifies, estimates, and prioritizes risks to designated contract market operations or assets, or to market participants, individuals, or other entities, resulting from impairment of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and information or the reliability, security, or capacity of automated systems.
External penetration testing means attempts to penetrate the designated contract market’s automated systems from outside the systems’ boundaries to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Methods of conducting external penetration testing include, but are not limited to, methods for circumventing the security features of an automated system.
Internal penetration testing means attempts to penetrate the designated contract market’s automated systems from inside the systems’ boundaries, to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Methods of conducting internal penetration testing include, but are not limited to, methods for circumventing the security features of an automated system.
Key controls means those controls that an appropriate risk analysis determines are either critically important for effective system safeguards or intended to address risks that evolve or change more frequently and therefore require more frequent review to ensure their continuing effectiveness in addressing such risks.
Security incident means a cyber security or physical security event that actually jeopardizes or has a significant likelihood of jeopardizing automated system operation, reliability, security, or capacity, or the availability, confidentiality or integrity of data.
Security incident response plan means a written plan documenting the designated contract market’s policies, controls, procedures, and resources for identifying, responding to, mitigating, and recovering from security incidents, and the roles and responsibilities of its management, staff and independent contractors in responding to security incidents. A security incident response plan may be a separate document or a business continuity-disaster recovery plan section or appendix dedicated to security incident response.
Security incident response plan testing means testing of a designated contract market’s security incident response plan to determine the plan’s effectiveness, identify its potential weaknesses or deficiencies, enable regular plan updating and improvement, and maintain organizational preparedness and resiliency with respect to security incidents. Methods of conducting security incident response plan testing may include, but are not limited to, checklist completion, walk-through or table-top exercises, simulations, and comprehensive exercises.
Vulnerability testing means testing of a designated contract market’s automated systems to determine what information may be discoverable through a reconnaissance analysis of those systems and what vulnerabilities may be present on those systems.
(2) Vulnerability testing. A designated contract market shall conduct vulnerability testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A designated contract market shall conduct such vulnerability testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. At a minimum, a covered designated contract market shall conduct such vulnerability testing no less frequently than quarterly.
(ii) Such vulnerability testing shall include automated vulnerability scanning, which shall follow generally accepted best practices.
(iii) A designated contract market shall conduct vulnerability testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(3) External penetration testing. A designated contract market shall conduct external penetration testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A designated contract market shall conduct such external penetration testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. At a minimum, a covered designated contract market shall conduct such external penetration testing no less frequently than annually.
(ii) A covered designated contract market shall engage independent contractors to conduct the required annual external penetration test. The covered designated contract market may conduct other external penetration testing by using employees of the covered designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(iii) A designated contract market which is not a covered designated contract market shall conduct external penetration testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(4) Internal penetration testing. A designated contract market shall conduct internal penetration testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A designated contract market shall conduct such internal penetration testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. At a minimum, a covered designated contract market shall conduct such internal penetration testing no less frequently than annually.
(ii) A designated contract market shall conduct internal penetration testing by engaging independent contractors, or by using employees of the designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(5) Controls testing. A designated contract market shall conduct controls testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A designated contract market shall conduct controls testing, which includes testing of each control included in its program of risk analysis and oversight, at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. Such testing may be conducted on a rolling basis. At a minimum, a covered designated contract market shall conduct testing of its key controls no less frequently than every three years. The covered designated contract market may conduct testing of its key controls on a rolling basis over the course of three years or the period determined by such risk analysis, whichever is shorter.
(ii) A covered designated contract market shall engage independent contractors to test and assess the key controls included in its program of risk analysis and oversight no less frequently than every three years. The covered designated contract market may conduct any other controls testing required by this section by using independent contractors or employees of the covered designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(iii) A designated contract market which is not a covered designated contract market shall conduct controls testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(6) Security incident response plan testing. A designated contract market shall conduct security incident response plan testing sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A designated contract market shall conduct such security incident response plan testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. At a minimum, a covered designated contract market shall conduct such security incident response plan testing no less frequently than annually.
(ii) A designated contract market’s security incident response plan shall include, without limitation, the designated contract market’s definition and classification of security incidents, its policies and procedures for reporting security incidents and for internal and external communication and information sharing regarding security incidents, and the hand-off and escalation points in its security incident response process.
(iii) A designated contract market may coordinate its security incident response plan testing with other testing required by this section or with testing of its other business continuity-disaster recovery and crisis management plans.
(iv) A designated contract market may conduct security incident response plan testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the designated contract market.
(7) Enterprise technology risk assessment. A designated contract market shall conduct enterprise technology risk assessment of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (k) of this section.
(i) A designated contract market shall conduct an enterprise technology risk assessment at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis. At a minimum, a covered designated contract market shall conduct an enterprise technology risk assessment no less frequently than annually. A designated contract market that has conducted an enterprise technology risk assessment that complies with this section may conduct subsequent assessments by updating the previous assessment.
(ii) A designated contract market may conduct enterprise technology risk assessments by using independent contractors or employees of the designated contract market who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being assessed.
(i) To the extent practicable, a designated contract market shall:
(1) Coordinate its business continuity-disaster recovery plan with those of the members and other market participants upon whom it depends to provide liquidity, in a manner adequate to enable effective resumption of activity in its markets following a disruption causing activation of the designated contract market’s business continuity-disaster recovery plan;
(2) Initiate and coordinate periodic, synchronized testing of its business continuity-disaster recovery plan and the business continuity-disaster recovery plans of the members and other market participants upon whom it depends to provide liquidity; and
(3) Ensure that its business continuity-disaster recovery plan takes into account the business continuity-disaster recovery plans of its telecommunications, power, water, and other essential service providers.
(j) Part 46 of this chapter governs the obligations of those registered entities that the Commission has determined to be critical financial markets, with respect to maintenance and geographic dispersal of disaster recovery resources sufficient to meet a same-day recovery time objective in the event of a wide-scale disruption. Section 40.9 of this chapter establishes the requirements for core principle compliance in that respect.
(k) Scope of testing and assessment. The scope for all system safeguards testing and assessment required by this part shall be broad enough to include the testing of automated systems and controls that the designated contract market’s required program of risk analysis and oversight and its current cybersecurity threat analysis indicate is necessary to identify risks and vulnerabilities that could enable an intruder or unauthorized user or insider to:
(1) Interfere with the designated contract market’s operations or with fulfillment of its statutory and regulatory responsibilities;
(2) Impair or degrade the reliability, security, or adequate scalable capacity of the designated contract market’s automated systems;
(3) Add to, delete, modify, exfiltrate, or compromise the integrity of any data related to the designated contract market’s regulated activities; or
(4) Undertake any other unauthorized action affecting the designated contract market’s regulated activities or the hardware or software used in connection with those activities.
(l) Internal reporting and review. Both the senior management and the Board of Directors of a designated contract market shall receive and review reports setting forth the results of the testing and assessment required by this section. A designated contract market shall establish and follow appropriate procedures for the remediation of issues identified through such review, as provided in paragraph (m) of this section, and for evaluation of the effectiveness of testing and assessment protocols.
(m) Remediation. A designated contract market shall identify and document the vulnerabilities and deficiencies in its systems revealed by the testing and assessment required by this section. The designated contract market shall conduct and document an appropriate analysis of the risks presented by such vulnerabilities and deficiencies, to determine and document whether to remediate or accept the associated risk. When the designated contract market determines to remediate a vulnerability or deficiency, it must remediate in a timely manner given the nature and magnitude of the associated risk.
(n) Required production of annual total trading volume. (1) As used in this paragraph, annual total trading volume means the total number of all contracts traded on or pursuant to the rules of a designated contract market during a calendar year.
(2) Each designated contract market shall provide to the Commission for calendar year 2015 and each calendar year thereafter its annual total trading volume, providing this information for 2015 within 30 calendar days of the effective date of the final version of this rule, and for 2016 and subsequent years by January 31 of the following calendar year. For calendar year 2015 and each calendar year thereafter, the Commission shall provide to each designated contract market the percentage of the combined annual total trading volume of all designated contract markets regulated by the Commission which is constituted by that designated contract market’s annual total trading volume, providing this information for 2015 within 60 calendar days of the effective date of the final version of this rule, and for 2016 and subsequent years by February 28 of the following calendar year.
(3) Delegation of authority. The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, the authority to provide each designated contract market with its percentage of the total annual trading volume of all designated contract markets regulated by the Commission, as set forth in paragraph (n)(2) of this section. The Director of the Division of Market Oversight may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated pursuant to this section. Nothing in this section prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this section.
Subpart V—Financial Resources
§ 38.1100 Core Principle 21.
(a) In General. The board of trade shall have adequate financial, operational, and managerial resources to discharge each responsibility of the board of trade.
(b) Determination of adequacy. The financial resources of the board of trade shall be considered to be adequate if the value of the financial resources exceeds the total amount that would enable the contract market to cover the operating costs of the contract market for a 1-year period, as calculated on a rolling basis.
§ 38.1101 General requirements.
(a) General rule. (1) A designated contract market must maintain financial resources sufficient to enable it to perform its functions in compliance with the core principles set forth in section 5 of the Act and regulations thereunder.
(2) Financial resources shall be considered sufficient if their value is at least equal to a total amount that would enable the designated contract market, or applicant for designation as such, to cover its operating costs for a period of at least one year, calculated on a rolling basis.
(3) An entity that is registered with the Commission as both a designated contract market and a derivatives clearing organization also shall comply with the financial resource requirements of § 39.11 of this chapter, demonstrating that it has sufficient financial resources to operate the single, combined entity as both a designated contract market and a derivatives clearing organization. In lieu of filing separate quarterly reports under paragraph (a)(2) of this section and § 39.11(f) of this chapter, such entity shall file single quarterly reports in accordance with § 39.11.
(b) Types of financial resources. Financial resources available to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section may include:
(1) The designated contract market’s own capital, calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; and
(2) Any other financial resource deemed acceptable by the Commission.
(c) Computation of financial resource requirement. A designated contract market must, on a quarterly basis, based upon its fiscal year, make a reasonable calculation of its projected operating costs over a 12-month period in order to determine the amount needed to meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section. The designated contract market shall have reasonable discretion in determining the methodology used to compute such projected operating costs. The Commission may review the methodology and require changes as appropriate.
(d) Valuation of financial resources. At appropriate intervals, but not less than quarterly, a designated contract market must compute the current market value of each financial resource used to meet its obligations under paragraph (a) of this section. Reductions in value to reflect market and credit risk (“haircuts”) must be applied as appropriate.
(e) Liquidity of financial resources. The financial resources allocated by the designated contract market to meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section must include unencumbered, liquid financial assets (i.e., cash and/or highly liquid securities) equal to at least six months’ operating costs. If any portion of such financial resources is not sufficiently liquid, the designated contract market may take into account a committed line of credit or similar facility for the purpose of meeting this requirement.
(f) Reporting requirements. (1) Each fiscal quarter, or at any time upon Commission request, a designated contract market must:
(i) Report to the Commission:
(A) The amount of financial resources necessary to meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section; and
(B) The value of each financial resource available, computed in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section; and
(ii) Provide the Commission with a financial statement, including the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows of the designated contract market or of its parent company.
(2) The calculations required by this paragraph shall be made as of the last business day of the designated contract market’s fiscal quarter.
(3) The designated contract market must provide the Commission with:
(i) Sufficient documentation explaining the methodology used to compute its financial requirements under paragraph (a) of this section;
(ii) Sufficient documentation explaining the basis for its determinations regarding the valuation and liquidity requirements set forth in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section; and
(iii) Copies of any agreements establishing or amending a credit facility, insurance coverage, or other arrangement evidencing or otherwise supporting the designated contract market’s conclusions.
(4) The reports shall be filed not later than 40 calendar days after the end of the designated contract market’s first three fiscal quarters, and not later than 60 calendar days after the end of the designated contract market’s fourth fiscal quarter, or at such later time as the Commission may permit, in its discretion, upon request by the designated contract market.
(g) Delegation of authority. (1) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, the authority to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight or such other employee or employees as the Director may designate from time to time, to:
(i) Determine whether a particular financial resource under paragraph (b)(2) may be used to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) and (2) of this section;
(ii) Review and make changes to the methodology used to compute the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section;
(iii) Request financial reporting from a designated contract market (in addition to quarterly reports) under paragraph (f)(1) of this section; and
(iv) Grant an extension of time for a designated contract market to file its quarterly financial report under paragraph (f)(4) of this section.
(2) The Director may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated in this paragraph. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in this paragraph.
Subpart W—Diversity of Board of Directors
§ 38.1150 Core Principle 22.
The board of trade, if a publicly traded company, shall endeavor to recruit individuals to serve on the board of directors and the other decision-making bodies (as determined by the Commission) of the board of trade from among, and to have the composition of the bodies reflect, a broad and culturally diverse pool of qualified candidates.
Subpart X—Securities and Exchange Commission
§ 38.1200 Core Principle 23.
The board of trade shall keep any such records relating to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act open to inspection and examination by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
§ 38.1201 Additional sources for compliance.
Applicants and designated contract markets may refer to the guidance and/or acceptable practices in appendix B of this part to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the requirements of § 38.1200 of this part.
Appendix A to Part 38—Form DCM
Appendix B to Part 38—Guidance on, and Acceptable Practices in, Compliance With Core Principles
1. This appendix provides guidance on complying with core principles, both initially and on an ongoing basis, to obtain and maintain designation under section 5(d) of the Act and this part 38. Where provided, guidance is set forth in paragraph (a) following the relevant heading and can be used to demonstrate to the Commission compliance with the selected requirements of a core principle, under §§ 38.3 and 38.5 of this part. The guidance for the core principle is illustrative only of the types of matters a designated contract market may address, as applicable, and is not intended to be used as a mandatory checklist. Addressing the issues set forth in this appendix would help the Commission in its consideration of whether the designated contract market is in compliance with the selected requirements of a core principle; provided however, that the guidance is not intended to diminish or replace, in any event, the obligations and requirements of applicants and designated contract markets to comply with the regulations provided under this part.
2. Where provided, acceptable practices meeting selected requirements of core principles are set forth in paragraph (b) following guidance. Designated contract markets that follow specific practices outlined in the acceptable practices for a core principle in this appendix will meet the selected requirements of the applicable core principle; provided however, that the acceptable practice is not intended to diminish or replace, in any event, the obligations and requirements of applicants and designated contract markets to comply with the regulations provided under this part 38. The acceptable practices are for illustrative purposes only and do not state the exclusive means for satisfying a core principle.
Core Principle 1 of section 5(d) of the Act: DESIGNATION AS CONTRACT MARKET.—(A) IN GENERAL.—To be designated, and maintain a designation, as a contract market, a board of trade shall comply with—
(i) Any core principle described in this subsection; and
(ii) Any requirement that the Commission may impose by rule or regulation pursuant to section 8a(5).
(B) REASONABLE DISCRETION OF CONTRACT MARKET.—Unless otherwise determined by the Commission by rule or regulation, a board of trade described in subparagraph (A) shall have reasonable discretion in establishing the manner in which the board of trade complies with the core principles described in this subsection.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 2 of section 5(d) of the Act: COMPLIANCE WITH RULES—(A) IN GENERAL.—The board of trade shall establish, monitor, and enforce compliance with the rules of the contract market, including—
(i) Access requirements;
(ii) The terms and conditions of any contracts to be traded on the contract market; and
(iii) Rules prohibiting abusive trade practices on the contract market.
(B) CAPACITY OF CONTRACT MARKET.—The board of trade shall have the capacity to detect, investigate, and apply appropriate sanctions to any person that violates any rule of the contract market.
(C) REQUIREMENT OF RULES.—The rules of the contract market shall provide the board of trade with the ability and authority to obtain any necessary information to perform any function described in this subsection, including the capacity to carry out such international information-sharing agreements as the Commission may require.
(a) Guidance—(1) Investigations and investigation reports—Warning letters. The rules of a designated contract market may authorize compliance staff to issue a warning letter to a person or entity under investigation or to recommend that a disciplinary panel take such an action.
(2) Additional rules required. A designated contract market should adopt and enforce any additional rules that it believes are necessary to comply with the requirements of subpart C of this chapter
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 3 of section 5(d) of the Act: CONTRACTS NOT READILY SUBJECT TO MANIPULATION.—The board of trade shall list on the contract market only contracts that are not readily susceptible to manipulation.
(a) Guidance. (1) Designated contract markets may list new products for trading by self-certification under § 40.2 of this chapter or may submit products for Commission approval under § 40.3 of this chapter.
(2) Guidance in appendix C to this part may be used as guidance in meeting this core principle for both new products listings and existing listed contracts.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 4 of section 5(d) of the Act: PREVENTION OF MARKET DISRUPTION.—The board of trade shall have the capacity and responsibility to prevent manipulation, price distortion, and disruptions of the delivery or cash-settlement process through market surveillance, compliance, and enforcement practices and procedures, including—
(A) Methods for conducting real-time monitoring of trading; and
(B) Comprehensive and accurate trade reconstructions.
(a) Guidance. The detection and prevention of market manipulation, disruptions, and distortions should be incorporated into the design of programs for monitoring trading activity. Monitoring of intraday trading should include the capacity to detect developing market anomalies, including abnormal price movements and unusual trading volumes, and position-limit violations. The designated contract market should have rules in place that allow it broad powers to intervene to prevent or reduce market disruptions. Once a threatened or actual disruption is detected, the designated contract market should take steps to prevent the disruption or reduce its severity.
(2) Additional rules required. A designated contract market should adopt and enforce any additional rules that it believes are necessary to comply with the requirements of subpart E of this part.
(b) Acceptable Practices—(1) General Requirements. Real-time monitoring for market anomalies and position-limit violations are the most effective, but the designated contract market may also demonstrate that it has an acceptable program if some of the monitoring is accomplished on a T+1 basis. An acceptable program must include automated trading alerts to detect market anomalies and position-limit violations as they develop and before market disruptions occur or become more serious. In some cases, a designated contract market may demonstrate that its manual processes are effective.
(2) Physical-delivery contracts. For physical-delivery contracts, the designated contract market must demonstrate that it is monitoring the adequacy and availability of the deliverable supply, which, if such information is available, includes the size and ownership of those supplies and whether such supplies are likely to be available to short traders and saleable by long traders at the market value of those supplies under normal cash marketing conditions. Further, for physical-delivery contracts, the designated contract market must continually monitor the appropriateness of a contract’s terms and conditions, including the delivery instrument, the delivery locations and location differentials, and the commodity characteristics and related differentials. The designated contract market must demonstrate that it is making a good-faith effort to resolve conditions that are interfering with convergence of its physical-delivery contract to the price of the underlying commodity or causing price distortions or market disruptions, including, when appropriate, changes to contract terms.
(3) Cash-settled contracts. At a minimum, an acceptable program for monitoring cash-settled contracts must include access, either directly or through an information-sharing agreement, to traders’ positions and transactions in the reference market for traders of a significant size in the designated contract market near the settlement of the contract.
(4) Ability to obtain information. With respect to the designated contract market’s ability to obtain information, a designated contract market may limit the application of the requirement to keep and provide such records only to those that are reportable under its large-trader reporting system or otherwise hold substantial positions.
(5) Risk controls for trading. An acceptable program for preventing market disruptions must demonstrate appropriate trade risk controls, in addition to pauses and halts. Such controls must be adapted to the unique characteristics of the markets to which they apply and must be designed to avoid market disruptions without unduly interfering with that market’s price discovery function. The designated contract market may choose from among controls that include: pre-trade limits on order size, price collars or bands around the current price, message throttles, and daily price limits, or design other types of controls. Within the specific array of controls that are selected, the designated contract market also must set the parameters for those controls, so long as the types of controls and their specific parameters are reasonably likely to serve the purpose of preventing market disruptions and price distortions. If a contract is linked to, or is a substitute for, other contracts, either listed on its market or on other trading venues, the designated contract market must, to the extent practicable, coordinate its risk controls with any similar controls placed on those other contracts. If a contract is based on the price of an equity security or the level of an equity index, such risk controls must, to the extent practicable, be coordinated with any similar controls placed on national security exchanges.
(6) Market disruptions and system anomalies associated with electronic trading. To comply with § 38.251(e), the contract market must adopt and implement rules that are reasonably designed to prevent, detect, and mitigate market disruptions or system anomalies associated with electronic trading. To comply with § 38.251(f), the contract market must subject all electronic orders to exchange-based pre-trade risk controls that are reasonably designed to prevent, detect, and mitigate market disruptions or system anomalies.
Core Principle 5 of section 5(d) of the Act: POSITION LIMITATIONS OR ACCOUNTABILITY—(A) IN GENERAL.—To reduce the potential threat of market manipulation or congestion (especially during trading in the delivery month), the board of trade shall adopt for each contract of the board of trade, as is necessary and appropriate, position limitations or position accountability for speculators.
(B) MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE POSITION LIMITATION.—For any contract that is subject to a position limitation established by the Commission pursuant to section 4a(a), the board of trade shall set the position limitation of the board of trade at a level not higher than the position limitation established by the Commission.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 6 of section 5(d) of the Act: EMERGENCY AUTHORITY—The board of trade, in consultation or cooperation with the Commission, shall adopt rules to provide for the exercise of emergency authority, as is necessary and appropriate, including the authority—
(A) To liquidate or transfer open positions in any contract;
(B) To suspend or curtail trading in any contract; and
(C) To require market participants in any contract to meet special margin requirements.
(a) Guidance. In consultation and cooperation with the Commission, a designated contract market should have the authority to intervene as necessary to maintain markets with fair and orderly trading and to prevent or address manipulation or disruptive trading practices, whether the need for intervention arises exclusively from the DCM’s market or as part of a coordinated, cross-market intervention. DCM rules should include procedures and guidelines to avoid conflicts of interest in accordance with the provisions of § 40.9 of this chapter, and include alternate lines of communication and approval procedures to address emergencies associated with real-time events. To address perceived market threats, the designated contract market should have rules that allow it to take certain actions in the event of an emergency, as defined in § 40.1(h) of this chapter, including: imposing or modifying position limits, price limits, and intraday market restrictions; imposing special margin requirements; ordering the liquidation or transfer of open positions in any contract; ordering the fixing of a settlement price; extending or shortening the expiration date or the trading hours; suspending or curtailing trading in any contract; transferring customer contracts and the margin or altering any contract’s settlement terms or conditions; and, where applicable, providing for the carrying out of such actions through its agreements with its third-party provider of clearing or regulatory services. In situations where a contract is fungible with a contract on another platform, emergency action to liquidate or transfer open interest must be as directed, or agreed to, by the Commission or the Commission’s staff. The DCM has the authority to independently respond to emergencies in an effective and timely manner consistent with the nature of the emergency, as long as all such actions taken by the DCM are made in good faith to protect the integrity of the markets. The Commission should be notified promptly of the DCM’s exercise of emergency action, explaining how conflicts of interest were minimized, including the extent to which the DCM considered the effect of its emergency action on the underlying markets and on markets that are linked or referenced to the contract market and similar markets on other trading venues. Information on all regulatory actions carried out pursuant to a DCM’s emergency authority should be included in a timely submission of a certified rule pursuant to part 40 of this chapter.
(b) Acceptable Practices. A designated contract market must have procedures and guidelines for decision-making and implementation of emergency intervention in the market. At a minimum, the DCM must have the authority to liquidate or transfer open positions in the market, suspend or curtail trading in any contract, and require market participants in any contract to meet special margin requirements. In situations where a contract is fungible with a contract on another platform, emergency action to liquidate or transfer open interest must be directed, or agreed to, by the Commission or the Commission’s staff. The DCM must promptly notify the Commission of the exercise of its emergency authority, documenting its decision-making process, including how conflicts of interest were minimized, and the reasons for using its emergency authority. The DCM must also have rules that allow it to take such market actions as may be directed by the Commission.
Core Principle 7 of section 5(d) of the Act: AVAILABILITY OF GENERAL INFORMATION.—The board of trade shall make available to market authorities, market participants, and the public accurate information concerning—
(A) The terms and conditions of the contracts of the contract market; and
(B)(i) The rules, regulations, and mechanisms for executing transactions on or through the facilities of the contract market; and
(ii) The rules and specifications describing the operation of the contract market’s—
(I) Electronic matching platform; or
(II) Trade execution facility.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 8 of section 5(d) of the Act: DAILY PUBLICATION OF TRADING INFORMATION.—The board of trade shall make public daily information on settlement prices, volume, open interest, and opening and closing ranges for actively traded contracts on the contract market.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 9 of section 5(d) of the Act: EXECUTION OF TRANSACTIONS.—“(A) IN GENERAL.—The board of trade shall provide a competitive, open, and efficient market and mechanism for executing transactions that protects the price discovery process of trading in the centralized market of the board of trade.
(B) RULES.—The rules of the board of trade may authorize, for bona fide business purposes—
(i) Transfer trades or office trades;
(ii) An exchange of—
(I) Futures in connection with a cash commodity transaction;
(II) Futures for cash commodities; or
(III) Futures for swaps; or
(iii) A futures commission merchant, acting as principal or agent, to enter into or confirm the execution of a contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery if the contract is reported, recorded, or cleared in accordance with the rules of the contract market or a derivatives clearing organization.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 10 of section 5(d) of the Act: TRADE INFORMATION.—The board of trade shall maintain rules and procedures to provide for the recording and safe storage of all identifying trade information in a manner that enables the contract market to use the information—
(A) To assist in the prevention of customer and market abuses; and
(B) To provide evidence of any violations of the rules of the contract market.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 11 of section 5(d) of the Act: FINANCIAL INTEGRITY OF TRANSACTIONS.—The board of trade shall establish and enforce—
(A) Rules and procedures for ensuring the financial integrity of transactions entered into on or through the facilities of the contract market (including the clearance and settlement of the transactions with a derivatives clearing organization); and
(B) Rules to ensure—
(i) The financial integrity of any—
(I) Futures commission merchant; and
(II) Introducing broker; and
(ii) The protection of customer funds.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 12 of section 5(d) of the Act: PROTECTION OF MARKETS AND MARKET PARTICIPANTS—The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules—
(A) To protect markets and market participants from abusive practices committed by any party, including abusive practices committed by a party acting as an agent for a participant; and
(B) To promote fair and equitable trading on the contract market.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 13 of section 5(d) of the Act: DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES.—The board of trade shall establish and enforce disciplinary procedures that authorize the board of trade to discipline, suspend, or expel members or market participants that violate the rules of the board of trade, or similar methods for performing the same functions, including delegation of the functions to third parties.
(a) Guidance—(1) Notice of charges. If the rules of the designated contract market so provide, a notice may also advise: (i) That failure to request a hearing within the period prescribed in the notice, except for good cause, may be deemed a waiver of the right to a hearing; and (ii) That failure to answer or to deny expressly a charge may be deemed to be an admission of such charge.
(2) Admission or failure to deny charges. The rules of a designated contract market may provide that if a respondent admits or fails to deny any of the charges, a disciplinary panel may find that the violations alleged in the notice of charges for which the respondent admitted or failed to deny any of the charges have been committed. If the designated contract market’s rules so provide, then:
(i) The disciplinary panel should impose a sanction for each violation found to have been committed;
(ii) The disciplinary panel should promptly notify the respondent in writing of any sanction to be imposed pursuant to paragraph (2)(i) of this section and shall advise the respondent that it may request a hearing on such sanction within the period of time, which shall be stated in the notice;
(iii) The rules of a designated contract market may provide that if a respondent fails to request a hearing within the period of time stated in the notice, the respondent will be deemed to have accepted the sanction.
(3) Settlement offers. (i) The rules of a designated contract market may permit a respondent to submit a written offer of settlement at any time after an investigation report is completed. The disciplinary panel presiding over the matter may accept the offer of settlement, but may not alter the terms of a settlement offer unless the respondent agrees.
(ii) The rules of a designated contract market may provide that, in its discretion, a disciplinary panel may permit the respondent to accept a sanction without either admitting or denying the rule violations upon which the sanction is based.
(iii) If an offer of settlement is accepted, the panel accepting the offer should issue a written decision specifying the rule violations it has reason to believe were committed, including the basis or reasons for the panel’s conclusions, and any sanction to be imposed, which should include full customer restitution where customer harm is demonstrated, except where the amount of restitution and to whom it should be provided cannot be reasonably determined. If an offer of settlement is accepted without the agreement of the enforcement staff, the decision should adequately support the disciplinary panel’s acceptance of the settlement. Where applicable, the decision should also include a statement that the respondent has accepted the sanctions imposed without either admitting or denying the rule violations.
(iv) The respondent may withdraw his or her offer of settlement at any time before final acceptance by a disciplinary panel. If an offer is withdrawn after submission, or is rejected by a disciplinary panel, the respondent should not be deemed to have made any admissions by reason of the offer of settlement and should not be otherwise prejudiced by having submitted the offer of settlement.
(4) Hearings. The rules of a designated contract market may provide that a sanction may be summarily imposed upon any person within its jurisdiction whose actions impede the progress of a hearing.
(5) Right to appeal. The rules of a designated contract market may permit the parties to a proceeding to appeal promptly an adverse decision of a disciplinary panel in all or in certain classes of cases. Such rules may require a party’s notice of appeal to be in writing and to specify the findings, conclusions, or sanctions to which objection are taken. If the rules of a designated contract market permit appeals, then both the respondent and the enforcement staff should have the opportunity to appeal and the designated contract market should provide for the following:
(i) The designated contract market should establish an appellate panel that should be authorized to hear appeals of respondents. In addition, the rules of a designated contract market may provide that the appellate panel may, on its own initiative, order review of a decision by a disciplinary panel within a reasonable period of time after the decision has been rendered.
(ii) The composition of the appellate panel should be consistent with the requirements set forth in part 40 of this chapter and paragraph (4) of the acceptable practices for Core Principle 16, and should not include any members of the designated contract market’s compliance staff, or any person involved in adjudicating any other stage of the same proceeding. The rules of a designated contract market should provide for the appeal proceeding to be conducted before all of the members of the appellate panel or a panel thereof.
(iii) Except for good cause shown, the appeal or review should be conducted solely on the record before the disciplinary panel, the written exceptions filed by the parties, and the oral or written arguments of the parties.
(iv) Promptly following the appeal or review proceeding, the appellate panel should issue a written decision and should provide a copy to the respondent. The decision issued by the appellate panel should adhere to all the requirements of § 38.708 of this part, to the extent that a different conclusion is reached from that issued by the disciplinary panel.
(6) Summary fines for violations of rules regarding timely submission of records, decorum, or other similar activities. A designated contract market may adopt a summary fine schedule for violations of rules relating to the timely submission of accurate records required for clearing or verifying each day’s transactions, decorum, attire, or other similar activities. A designated contract market may permit its compliance staff, or a designated panel of contract market officials, to summarily impose minor sanctions against persons within the designated contract market’s jurisdiction for violating such rules. A designated contract market’s summary fine schedule may allow for warning letters to be issued for first-time violations or violators. If adopted, a summary fine schedule should provide for progressively larger fines for recurring violations.
(7) Emergency disciplinary actions. (i) A designated contract market may impose a sanction, including suspension, or take other summary action against a person or entity subject to its jurisdiction upon a reasonable belief that such immediate action is necessary to protect the best interest of the marketplace.
(ii) Any emergency disciplinary action should be taken in accordance with a designated contract market’s procedures that provide for the following:
(A) If practicable, a respondent should be served with a notice before the action is taken, or otherwise at the earliest possible opportunity. The notice should state the action, briefly state the reasons for the action, and state the effective time and date, and the duration of the action.
(B) The respondent should have the right to be represented by legal counsel or any other representative of its choosing in all proceedings subsequent to the emergency action taken. The respondent should be given the opportunity for a hearing as soon as reasonably practicable and the hearing should be conducted before the disciplinary panel pursuant to the requirements of § 38.707 of this part.
(C) Promptly following the hearing provided for in this rule, the designated contract market should render a written decision based upon the weight of the evidence contained in the record of the proceeding and should provide a copy to the respondent. The decision should include a description of the summary action taken; the reasons for the summary action; a summary of the evidence produced at the hearing; a statement of findings and conclusions; a determination that the summary action should be affirmed, modified, or reversed; and a declaration of any action to be taken pursuant to the determination, and the effective date and duration of such action.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 14 of section 5(d) of the Act: DISPUTE RESOLUTION.—The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules regarding, and provide facilities for alternative dispute resolution as appropriate for, market participants and any market intermediaries.
(a) Guidance. A designated contract market should provide customer dispute resolution procedures that are: appropriate to the nature of the market; fair and equitable; and available on a voluntary basis, either directly or through another self-regulatory organization, to customers that are non-eligible contract participants.
(b) Acceptable Practices. (1) Fair and equitable procedure. Every contract market shall provide customer dispute resolution procedures that are fair and equitable. An acceptable customer dispute resolution mechanism would:
(i) Provide the customer with an opportunity to have his or her claim decided by an objective and impartial decisionmaker;
(ii) Provide each party with the right to be represented by counsel at the commencement of the procedure, at the party’s own expense;
(iii) Provide each party with adequate notice of the claims presented against such party, an opportunity to be heard on all claims, defenses and permitted counterclaims, and an opportunity for a prompt hearing;
(iv) Authorize prompt, written, final settlement awards that are not subject to appeal within the designated contract market; and
(v) Notify the parties of the fees and costs that may be assessed.
(2) Voluntary Procedures. The use of dispute settlement procedures shall be voluntary for customers other than eligible contract participants as defined in section 1a(18) of the Dodd-Frank Act, and may permit counterclaims as provided in § 166.5 of this chapter.
(3) Member-to-Member Procedures. If the designated contract market also provides procedures for the resolution of disputes that do not involve customers (i.e., member-to-member disputes), the procedures for resolving such disputes must be independent of and shall not interfere with or delay the resolution of customers’ claims or grievances.
(4) Delegation. A designated contract market may delegate to another self-regulatory organization or to a registered futures association its responsibility to provide for customer dispute resolution mechanisms, provided, however, that in the event of such delegation, the designated contract market shall in all respects treat any decision issued by such other organization or association with respect to such dispute as if the decision were its own, including providing for the appropriate enforcement of any award issued against a delinquent member.
Core Principle 15 of section 5(d) of the Act: GOVERNANCE FITNESS STANDARDS.—The board of trade shall establish and enforce appropriate fitness standards for directors, members of any disciplinary committee, members of the contract market, and any other person with direct access to the facility (including any party affiliated with any person described in this paragraph).
(a) Guidance. (1) A designated contract market should have appropriate eligibility criteria for the categories of persons set forth in the Core Principle that should include standards for fitness and for the collection and verification of information supporting compliance with such standards. Minimum standards of fitness for persons who have member voting privileges, governing obligations or responsibilities, or who exercise disciplinary authority are those bases for refusal to register a person under section 8a(2) of the Act. In addition, persons who have governing obligations or responsibilities, or who exercise disciplinary authority, should not have a significant history of serious disciplinary offenses, such as those that would be disqualifying under § 1.63 of this chapter. Members with trading privileges but having no, or only nominal, equity, in the facility and non-member market participants who are not intermediated and do not have these privileges, obligations, responsibilities or disciplinary authority could satisfy minimum fitness standards by meeting the standards that they must meet to qualify as a “market participant.” Natural persons who directly or indirectly have greater than a ten percent ownership interest in a designated contract market should meet the fitness standards applicable to members with voting rights.
(2) The Commission believes that such standards should include providing the Commission with fitness information for such persons, whether registration information, certification to the fitness of such persons, an affidavit of such persons’ fitness by the contract market’s counsel or other information substantiating the fitness of such persons. If a contract market provides certification of the fitness of such a person, the Commission believes that such certification should be based on verified information that the person is fit to be in his or her position.
(b) Applicable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 16 of section 5(d) of the Act: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—The board of trade shall establish and enforce rules—
(A) to minimize conflicts of interest in the decisionmaking process of the contract market; and
(B) to establish a process for resolving conflicts of interest described in subparagraph (A).
(a) Guidance. The means to address conflicts of interest in decisionmaking of a contract market should include methods to ascertain the presence of conflicts of interest and to make decisions in the event of such a conflict. In addition, the Commission believes that the contract market should provide for appropriate limitations on the use or disclosure of material non-public information gained through the performance of official duties by board members, committee members and contract market employees or gained through an ownership interest in the contract market.
(b) Acceptable Practices. All designated contract markets (“DCMs” or “contract markets”) bear special responsibility to regulate effectively, impartially, and with due consideration of the public interest, as provided for in section 3 of the Act. Under Core Principle 15, they are also required to minimize conflicts of interest in their decisionmaking processes. To comply with this Core Principle, contract markets should be particularly vigilant for such conflicts between and among any of their self-regulatory responsibilities, their commercial interests, and the several interests of their management, members, owners, customers and market participants, other industry participants, and other constituencies. Acceptable practices for minimizing conflicts of interest shall include the following elements:
(1) Board composition for contract markets
(i) At least thirty-five percent of the directors on a contract market’s board of directors shall be public directors; and
(ii) The executive committees (or similarly empowered bodies) shall be at least thirty-five percent public.
(2) Public director
(i) To qualify as a public director of a contract market, an individual must first be found, by the board of directors, on the record, to have no material relationship with the contract market. A “material relationship” is one that reasonably could affect the independent judgment or decisionmaking of the director.
(ii) In addition, a director shall be considered to have a “material relationship” with the contract market if any of the following circumstances exist:
(A) The director is an officer or employee of the contract market or an officer or employee of its affiliate. In this context, “affiliate” includes parents or subsidiaries of the contract market or entities that share a common parent with the contract market;
(B) The director is a member of the contract market, or an officer or director of a member. “Member” is defined according to section 1a(34) of the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission Regulation 1.3;
(C) The director, or a firm with which the director is an officer, director, or partner, receives more than $100,000 in combined annual payments from the contract market, or any affiliate of the contract market (as defined in subsection (2)(ii)(A)), for legal, accounting, or consulting services. Compensation for services as a director of the contract market or as a director of an affiliate of the contract market does not count toward the $100,000 payment limit, nor does deferred compensation for services prior to becoming a director, so long as such compensation is in no way contingent, conditioned, or revocable;
(D) Any of the relationships above apply to a member of the director’s “immediate family,” i.e., spouse, parents, children and siblings.
(iii) All of the disqualifying circumstances described in subsection (2)(ii) shall be subject to a one-year look back.
(iv) A contract market’s public directors may also serve as directors of the contract market’s affiliate (as defined in subsection (2)(ii)(A)) if they otherwise meet the definition of public director in this section (2).
(v) A contract market shall disclose to the Commission which members of its board are public directors, and the basis for those determinations.
(3) Regulatory oversight committee
(i) A board of directors of any contract market shall establish a Regulatory Oversight Committee (“ROC”) as a standing committee, consisting of only public directors as defined in section (2), to assist it in minimizing actual and potential conflicts of interest. The ROC shall oversee the contract market’s regulatory program on behalf of the board. The board shall delegate sufficient authority, dedicate sufficient resources, and allow sufficient time for the ROC to fulfill its mandate.
(ii) The ROC shall:
(A) Monitor the contract market’s regulatory program for sufficiency, effectiveness, and independence;
(B) Oversee all facets of the program, including trade practice and market surveillance; audits, examinations, and other regulatory responsibilities with respect to member firms (including ensuring compliance with financial integrity, financial reporting, sales practice, recordkeeping, and other requirements); and the conduct of investigations;
(C) Review the size and allocation of the regulatory budget and resources; and the number, hiring and termination, and compensation of regulatory personnel;
(D) Supervise the contract market’s chief regulatory officer, who will report directly to the ROC;
(E) Prepare an annual report assessing the contract market’s self-regulatory program for the board of directors and the Commission, which sets forth the regulatory program’s expenses, describes its staffing and structure, catalogues disciplinary actions taken during the year, and reviews the performance of disciplinary committees and panels;
(F) Recommend changes that would ensure fair, vigorous, and effective regulation; and
(G) Review regulatory proposals and advise the board as to whether and how such changes may impact regulation.
(4) Disciplinary panels
All contract markets shall minimize conflicts of interest in their disciplinary processes through disciplinary panel composition rules that preclude any group or class of industry participants from dominating or exercising disproportionate influence on such panels. Contract markets can further minimize conflicts of interest by including in all disciplinary panels at least one person who would qualify as a public director, as defined in subsections (2)(ii) and (2)(iii) above, except in cases limited to decorum, attire, or the timely submission of accurate records required for clearing or verifying each day’s transactions. If contract market rules provide for appeal to the board of directors, or to a committee of the board, then that appellate body shall also include at least one person who would qualify as a public director as defined in subsections (2)(ii) and (2)(iii) above.
Core Principle 17 of section 5(d) of the Act: COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING BOARDS OF CONTRACT MARKETS.—The governance arrangements of the board of trade shall be designed to permit consideration of the views of market participants.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 18 of section 5(d) of the Act: RECORDKEEPING.—The board of trade shall maintain records of all activities relating to the business of the contract market—
(A) In a form and manner that is acceptable to the Commission; and
(B) For a period of at least 5 years.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 19 of section 5(d) of the Act: ANTITRUST CONSIDERATIONS.—Unless necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Act, the board of trade shall not—
(A) Adopt any rule or taking any action that results in any unreasonable restraint of trade; or
(B) Impose any material anticompetitive burden on trading on the contract market.
(a) Guidance. An entity seeking designation as a contract market may request that the Commission consider under the provisions of section 15(b) of the Act, any of the entity’s rules, including trading protocols or policies, and including both operational rules and the terms or conditions of products listed for trading, at the time of designation or thereafter. The Commission intends to apply section 15(b) of the Act to its consideration of issues under this core principle in a manner consistent with that previously applied to contract markets.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 20 of section 5(d) of the Act: SYSTEM SAFEGUARDS.—The board of trade shall—
(A) Establish and maintain a program of risk analysis and oversight to identify and minimize sources of operational risk, through the development of appropriate controls and procedures, and the development of automated systems, that are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity;
(B) Establish and maintain emergency procedures, backup facilities, and a plan for disaster recovery that allow for the timely recovery and resumption of operations and the fulfillment of the responsibilities and obligations of the board of trade; and
(C) Periodically conduct tests to verify that backup resources are sufficient to ensure continued order processing and trade matching, price reporting, market surveillance, and maintenance of a comprehensive and accurate audit trail.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 21 of section 5(d) of the Act: FINANCIAL RESOURCES.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The board of trade shall have adequate financial, operational, and managerial resources to discharge each responsibility of the board of trade.
(B) DETERMINATION OF ADEQUACY.—The financial resources of the board of trade shall be considered to be adequate if the value of the financial resources exceeds the total amount that would enable the contract market to cover the operating costs of the contract market for a 1-year period, as calculated on a rolling basis.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 22 of section 5(d) of the Act: DIVERSITY OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—The board of trade, if a publicly traded company, shall endeavor to recruit individuals to serve on the board of directors and the other decision-making bodies (as determined by the Commission) of the board of trade from among, and to have the composition of the bodies reflect, a broad and culturally diverse pool of qualified candidates.
(a) Guidance. [Reserved]
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Core Principle 23 of section 5(d) of the Act: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.—The board of trade shall keep any such records relating to swaps defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) open to inspection and examination by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(a) Guidance. A designated contract market should have arrangements and resources for collecting and maintaining accurate records pertaining to any swaps agreements defined in section 1a(47)(A)(v) of the Act, and should leave them open to inspection and examination for a period of five years.
(b) Acceptable Practices. [Reserved]
Appendix C to Part 38—Demonstration of Compliance That a Contract Is Not Readily Susceptible to Manipulation
(a) Futures Contracts—General Information. When a designated contract market certifies or submits for approval contract terms and conditions for a new futures contract, that submission should include the following information:
(1) A narrative describing the contract, including data and information to support the contract’s terms and conditions, as set by the designated contract market. When designing a futures contract, the designated contract market should conduct market research so that the contract design meets the risk management needs of prospective users and promotes price discovery of the underlying commodity. The designated contract market should consult with market users to obtain their views and opinions during the contract design process to ensure the contract’s term and conditions reflect the underlying cash market and that the futures contract will perform the intended risk management and/or price discovery functions. A designated contract market should provide a statement indicating that it took such steps to ensure the usefulness of the submitted contract.
(2) A detailed cash market description for physical and cash-settled contracts. Such descriptions should be based on government and/or other publicly-available data whenever possible and be formulated for both the national and regional/local market relevant to the underlying commodity. For tangible commodities, the cash market descriptions for the relevant market (i.e., national and regional/local) should incorporate at least three full years of data that may include, among other factors, production, consumption, stocks, imports, exports, and prices. Each of those cash market variables should be fully defined and the data sources should be fully specified and documented to permit Commission staff to replicate the estimates of deliverable supply (defined in paragraph (b)(1)(A) of this appendix C). Whenever possible, the Commission requests that monthly or daily prices (depending on the contract) underlying the cash settlement index be submitted for the most recent three full calendar years and for as many of the current year’s months for which data are available. For contracts that are cash settled to an index, the index’s methodology should be provided along with supporting information showing how the index is reflective of the underlying cash market, is not readily subject to manipulation or distortion, and is based on a cash price series that is reliable, acceptable, publicly available and timely (defined in paragraphs (c)(2) and (c)(3) of this appendix C). The Commission recognizes that the data necessary for accurate and cogent cash market analyses for an underlying commodity vary with the nature of the underlying commodity. The Commission may require that the designated contract market submit a detailed report on commodity definitions and uses.
(b) Futures Contracts Settled by Physical Delivery. (1) For listed contracts that are settled by physical delivery, the terms and conditions of the contract should conform to the most common commercial practices and conditions in the cash market for the commodity underlying the futures contract. The terms and conditions should be designed to avoid any impediments to the delivery of the commodity so as to promote convergence between the price of the futures contract and the cash market value of the commodity at the expiration of a futures contract.
(i) Estimating Deliverable Supplies.
(A) General definition. The specified terms and conditions, considered as a whole, should result in a “deliverable supply” that is sufficient to ensure that the contract is not susceptible to price manipulation or distortion. In general, the term “deliverable supply” means the quantity of the commodity meeting the contract’s delivery specifications that reasonably can be expected to be readily available to short traders and salable by long traders at its market value in normal cash marketing channels at the contract’s delivery points during the specified delivery period, barring abnormal movement in interstate commerce. Typically, deliverable supply reflects the quantity of the commodity that potentially could be made available for sale on a spot basis at current prices at the contract’s delivery points. For a non-financial physical-delivery commodity contract, this estimate might represent product which is in storage at the delivery point(s) specified in the futures contract or can be moved economically into or through such points consistent with the delivery procedures set forth in the contract and which is available for sale on a spot basis within the marketing channels that normally are tributary to the delivery point(s). Furthermore, an estimate of deliverable supply would not include supply that is committed for long-term agreements (i.e., the amount of deliverable supply that would not be available to fulfill the delivery obligations arising from current trading). The size of commodity supplies that are committed to long-term agreements may be estimated by consulting with market participants. However, if the estimated deliverable supply that is committed for long-term agreements, or significant portion thereof, can be demonstrated by the designated contract market to be consistently and regularly made available to the spot market for shorts to acquire at prevailing economic values, then those “available” supplies committed for long-term contracts may be included in the designated contract market’s estimate of deliverable supply for that commodity. An adequate measure of deliverable supply would be an amount of the commodity that would meet the normal or expected range of delivery demand without causing futures prices to become distorted relative to cash market prices. Given the availability of acceptable data, deliverable supply should be estimated on a monthly basis for at least the most recent three years for which data are available. To the extent possible and that data resources permit, deliverable supply estimates should be constructed such that the data reflect, as close as possible, the market defined by the contract’s terms and conditions, and should be formulated, whenever possible, with government or publicly available data. All deliverable supply estimates should be fully defined, have all underlying assumptions explicitly stated, and have documentation of all data/information sources in order to permit estimate replication by Commission staff.
(B) Accounting for variations in deliverable supplies. To assure the availability of adequate deliverable supplies and acceptable levels of commercial risk management utility, contract terms and conditions should account for variations in the patterns of production, consumption and supply over a period of years of sufficient length to assess adequately the potential range of deliverable supplies. This assessment also should consider seasonality, growth, and market concentration in the production/consumption of the underlying cash commodity. Deliverable supply implications of seasonal effects are more straightforwardly delineated when deliverable supply estimates are calculated on a monthly basis and when such monthly estimates are provided for at least the most recent three years for which data resources permit. In addition, consideration should be given to the relative roles of producers, merchants, and consumers in the production, distribution, and consumption of the cash commodity and whether the underlying commodity exhibits a domestic or international export focus. Careful consideration also should be given to the quality of the cash commodity and to the movement or flow of the cash commodity in normal commercial channels and whether there exist external factors or regulatory controls that could affect the price or supply of the cash commodity.
(C) Calculation of deliverable supplies. Designated contract markets should derive a quantitative estimate of the deliverable supplies for the delivery period specified in the proposed contract. For commodities with seasonal supply or demand characteristics, the deliverable supply analysis should include that period when potential supplies typically are at their lowest levels. The estimate should be based on statistical data, when reasonably available, covering a period of time that is representative of the underlying commodity’s actual patterns of production, patterns of consumption, and patterns of seasonal effects (if relevant). Often, such a relevant time period should include at least three years of monthly deliverable supply estimates permitted by available data resources. Deliverable supply estimates should also exclude the amount of the commodity that would not be otherwise deliverable on the futures contract. For example, deliverable supplies should exclude quantities that at current price levels are not economically obtainable or deliverable or were previously committed for long-term agreements.
(2) Contract terms and conditions requirements for futures contracts settled by physical delivery.
(i) For physical delivery contracts, an acceptable specification of terms and conditions would include, but may not be limited to, rules that address, as appropriate, the following criteria and comply with the associated standards:
(A) Quality Standards. The terms and conditions of a commodity contract should describe or define all of the economically significant characteristics or attributes of the commodity underlying the contract. In particular, the quality standards should be described or defined so that such standards reflect those used in transactions in the commodity in normal cash marketing channels. Documentation establishing that the quality standards of the contract’s underlying commodity comply with those accepted/established by the industry, by government regulations, and/or by relevant laws should also be submitted. For any particular commodity contract, the specific attributes that should be enumerated depend upon the individual characteristics of the underlying commodity. These may include, for example, the following items: grade, quality, purity, weight, class, origin, growth, issuer, originator, maturity window, coupon rate, source, hours of trading, etc. If the terms of the contract provide for the delivery of multiple qualities of a specific attribute of the commodity having different cash market values, then a “par” quality should be specified with price differentials applicable to the “non-par” qualities that reflect discounts or premiums commonly observed or expected to occur in the cash market for that commodity.
(B) Delivery Points and Facilities. Delivery point/area specifications should provide for futures delivery at a single location or at multiple locations where the underlying cash commodity is normally transacted or stored and where there exists a viable cash market(s). If multiple delivery points are specified and the value of the commodity differs between these locations, contract terms should include price differentials that reflect usual differences in value between the different delivery locations. If the price relationships among the delivery points are unstable and a designated contract market chooses to adopt fixed locational price differentials, such differentials should fall within the range of commonly observed or expected commercial price differences. In this regard, any price differentials should be supported with cash price data for the delivery location(s). The terms and conditions of the contracts also should specify, as appropriate, any conditions the delivery facilities and/or delivery facility operators should meet in order to be eligible for delivery. Specification of any requirements for delivery facilities also should consider the extent to which ownership of such facilities is concentrated and whether the level of concentration would be susceptible to manipulation of the futures contract’s prices. Commodity contracts also should specify appropriately detailed delivery procedures that describe the responsibilities of deliverers, receivers and any required third parties in carrying out the delivery process. Such responsibilities could include allocation between buyer and seller of all associated costs such as load-out, document preparation, sampling, grading, weighing, storage, taxes, duties, fees, drayage, stevedoring, demurrage, dispatch, etc. Required accreditation for third-parties also should be detailed. These procedures should seek to minimize or eliminate any impediments to making or taking delivery by both deliverers and takers of delivery to help ensure convergence of cash and futures at the expiration of a futures delivery month.
(C) Delivery Period and Last Trading Day. An acceptable specification of the delivery period would allow for sufficient time for deliverers to acquire the deliverable commodity and make it available for delivery, considering any restrictions or requirements imposed by the designated contract market. Specification of the last trading day for expiring contracts should consider whether adequate time remains after the last trading day to allow for delivery on the contract.
(D) Contract Size and Trading Unit. An acceptable specification of the delivery unit and/or trading unit would be a contract size that is consistent with customary transactions, transportation or storage amounts in the cash market (e.g., the contract size may be reflective of the amount of the commodity that represents a pipeline, truckload or railcar shipment). For purposes of increasing market liquidity, a designated contract market may elect to specify a contract size that is smaller than the typical commercial transaction size, storage unit or transportation size. In such cases, the commodity contract should include procedures that allow futures traders to easily take or make delivery on such a contract with a smaller size, or, alternatively, the designated contract market may adopt special provisions requiring that delivery be made only in multiple contracts to accommodate reselling the commodity in the cash market. If the latter provision is adopted, contract terms should be adopted to minimize the potential for default in the delivery process by ensuring that all contracts remaining open at the close of trading in expiring delivery months can be combined to meet the required delivery unit size. Generally, contract sizes and trading units should be determined after a careful analysis of relevant cash market trading practices, conditions and deliverable supply estimates, so as to ensure that the underlying market commodity market and available supply sources are able to support the contract sizes and trading units at all times.
(E) Delivery Pack. The term “delivery pack” refers to the packaging standards (e.g., product may be delivered in burlap or polyethylene bags stacked on wooden pallets) or non-quality related standards regarding the composition of commodity within a delivery unit (e.g., product must all be imported from the same country or origin). An acceptable specification of the delivery pack or composition of a contract’s delivery unit should reflect, to the extent possible, specifications commonly applied to the commodity traded or transacted in the cash market.
(F) Delivery Instrument. An acceptable specification of the delivery instrument (e.g., warehouse receipt, depository certificate or receipt, shipping certificate, bill of lading, in-line transfer, book transfer of securities, etc.) would provide for its conversion into the cash commodity at a commercially-reasonable cost. Transportation terms (e.g., FOB, CIF, freight prepaid to destination) as well as any limits on storage or certificate daily premium fees should be specified. These terms should reflect cash market practices and the customary provision for allocating delivery costs between buyer and seller.
(G) Inspection Provisions. Any inspection/certification procedures for verifying compliance with quality requirements or any other related delivery requirements (e.g., discounts relating to the age of the commodity, etc.) should be specified in the contract rules. An acceptable specification of inspection procedures would include the establishment of formal procedures that are consistent with procedures used in the cash market. To the extent that formal inspection procedures are not used in the cash market, an acceptable specification would contain provisions that assure accuracy in assessing the commodity, that are available at a low cost, that do not pose an obstacle to delivery on the contract and that are performed by a reputable, disinterested third party or by qualified designated contract market employees. Inspection terms also should detail which party pays for the service, particularly in light of the possibility of varying inspection results.
(H) Delivery (Trading) Months. Delivery months should be established based on the risk management needs of commercial entities as well as the availability of deliverable supplies in the specified months.
(I) Minimum Price Fluctuation (Minimum Tick). The minimum price increment (tick) should be set at a level that is equal to, or less than, the minimum price increment commonly observed in cash market transactions for the underlying commodity. Specifying a futures’ minimum tick that is greater than the minimum price increment in the cash market can undermine the risk management utility of the futures contract by preventing hedgers from efficiently establishing and liquidating futures positions that are used to hedge anticipated cash market transactions or cash market positions.
(J) Maximum Price Fluctuation Limits. Designated contract markets may adopt price limits to: (1) Reduce or constrain price movements in a trading day that may not be reflective of true market conditions but might be caused by traders overreacting to news; (2) Allow additional time for the collection of margins in times of large price movements; and (3) Provide a “cooling-off” period for futures market participants to respond to bona fide changes in market supply and demand fundamentals that would lead to large cash and futures price changes. If price limit provisions are adopted, the limits should be set at levels that are not overly restrictive in relation to price movements in the cash market for the commodity underlying the futures contract.
(K) Speculative Limits. Specific information regarding the establishment of speculative position limits are set forth in part 150, and/or part 151, as applicable, of the Commission’s regulations.
(L) Reportable Levels. Refer to § 15.03 of the Commission’s regulations.
(M) Trading Hours. Should be set by the designated contract market to delineate each trading day.
(c) Futures Contracts Settled by Cash Settlement. (1) Cash settlement is a method of settling certain futures or option contracts whereby, at contract expiration, the contract is settled by cash payment in lieu of physical delivery of the commodity or instrument underlying the contract. An acceptable specification of the cash settlement price for commodity futures and option contracts would include rules that fully describe the essential economic characteristics of the underlying commodity (e.g., grade, quality, weight, class, growth, issuer, maturity, source, rating, description of the underlying index and index’s calculation methodology, etc.), as well as how the final settlement price is calculated. In addition, the rules should clearly specify the trading months and hours of trading, the last trading day, contract size, minimum price change (tick size) and any limitations on price movements (e.g., price limits or trading halts).
(2) Cash settled contracts may be susceptible to manipulation or price distortion. In evaluating the susceptibility of a cash-settled contract to manipulation, a designated contract market should consider the size and liquidity of the cash market that underlies the listed contract in a manner that follows the determination of deliverable supply as noted above in (b)(1). In particular, situations susceptible to manipulation include those in which the volume of cash market transactions and/or the number of participants contacted in determining the cash-settlement price are very low. Cash-settled contracts may create an incentive to manipulate or artificially influence the data from which the cash-settlement price is derived or to exert undue influence on the cash-settlement price’s computation in order to profit on a futures position in that commodity. The utility of a cash-settled contract for risk management and price discovery would be significantly impaired if the cash settlement price is not a reliable or robust indicator of the value of the underlying commodity or instrument. Accordingly, careful consideration should be given to the potential for manipulation or distortion of the cash settlement price, as well as the reliability of that price as an indicator of cash market values. Appropriate consideration also should be given to the commercial acceptability, public availability, and timeliness of the price series that is used to calculate the cash settlement price. Documentation demonstrating that the settlement price index is a reliable indicator of market values and conditions and is commonly used as a reference index by industry/market agents should be provided. Such documentation may take on various forms, including carefully documented interview results with knowledgeable agents.
(3) Where an independent, private-sector third party calculates the cash settlement price series, a designated contract market should consider the need for a licensing agreement that will ensure the designated contract market’s rights to the use of the price series to settle the listed contract.
(i) Where an independent, private-sector third party calculates the cash settlement price series, the designated contract market should verify that the third party utilizes business practices that minimize the opportunity or incentive to manipulate the cash-settlement price series. Such safeguards may include lock-downs, prohibitions against derivatives trading by employees, or public dissemination of the names of sources and the price quotes they provide. Because a cash-settled contract may create an incentive to manipulate or artificially influence the underlying market from which the cash-settlement price is derived or to exert undue influence on the cash-settlement computation in order to profit on a futures position in that commodity, a designated contract market should, whenever practicable, enter into an information-sharing agreement with the third-party provider which would enable the designated contract market to better detect and prevent manipulative behavior.
(ii) Where a designated contract market itself generates the cash settlement price series, the designated contract market should establish calculation procedures that safeguard against potential attempts to artificially influence the price. For example, if the cash settlement price is derived by the designated contract market based on a survey of cash market sources, the designated contract market should maintain a list of such entities which all should be reputable sources with knowledge of the cash market. In addition, the sample of sources polled should be representative of the cash market, and the poll should be conducted at a time when trading in the cash market is active.
(iii) The cash-settlement calculation should involve computational procedures that eliminate or reduce the impact of potentially unrepresentative data.
(iv) The cash settlement price should be an accurate and reliable indicator of prices in the underlying cash market. The cash settlement price also should be acceptable to commercial users of the commodity contract. The registered entity should fully document that the settlement price is accurate, reliable, highly regarded by industry/market agents, and fully reflects the economic and commercial conditions of the relevant designated contract market.
(v) To the extent possible, the cash settlement price should be based on cash price series that are publicly available and available on a timely basis for purposes of calculating the cash settlement price at the expiration of a commodity contract. A designated contract market should make the final cash settlement price and any other supporting information that is appropriate for release to the public, available to the public when cash settlement is accomplished by the derivatives clearing organization. If the cash settlement price is based on cash prices that are obtained from non-public sources (e.g., cash market surveys conducted by the designated contract market or by third parties on behalf of the designated contract market), a designated contract market should make available to the public as soon as possible after a contract month’s expiration the final cash settlement price as well as any other supporting information that is appropriate or feasible to make available to the public.
(4) Contract terms and conditions requirements for futures contracts settled by cash settlement.
(i) An acceptable specification of the terms and conditions of a cash-settled commodity contract will also set forth the trading months, last trading day, contract size, minimum price change (tick size) and daily price limits, if any.
(A) Commodity Characteristics: The terms and conditions of a commodity contract should describe the commodity underlying the contract.
(B) Contract Size and Trading Unit: An acceptable specification of the trading unit would be a contract size that is consistent with customary transactions in the cash market. A designated contract market may opt to set the contract size smaller than that of standard cash market transactions.
(C) Cash Settlement Procedure: The cash settlement price should be reliable, acceptable, publicly available, and reported in a timely manner as described in paragraphs (c)(3)(iv) and (c)(3)(v) of this appendix C.
(D) Pricing Basis and Minimum Price Fluctuation (Minimum Tick): The minimum price increment (tick) should be set a level that is equal to, or less than, the minimum price increment commonly observed in cash market transactions for the underlying commodity. Specifying a futures’ minimum tick that is greater than the minimum price increment in the cash market can undermine the risk management utility of the futures contract by preventing hedgers from efficiently establishing and liquidating futures positions that are used to hedge anticipated cash market transactions or cash market positions.
(E) Maximum Price Fluctuation Limits: Designated contract markets may adopt price limits to: (1) Reduce or constrain price movements in a trading day that may not be reflective of true market conditions but might be caused by traders overreacting to news; (2) Allow additional time for the collection of margins in times of large price movements; and (3) Provide a “cooling-off” period for futures market participants to respond to bona fide changes in market supply and demand fundamentals that would lead to large cash and futures price changes. If price-limit provisions are adopted, the limits should be set at levels that are not overly restrictive in relation to price movements in the cash market for the commodity underlying the futures contract. For broad-based stock index futures contracts, rules should be adopted that coordinate with New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) declared Circuit Breaker Trading Halts (or other market coordinated Circuit Breaker mechanism) and would recommence trading in the futures contract only after trading in the majority of the stocks underlying the index has recommenced.
(F) Last Trading Day: Specification of the last trading day for expiring contracts should be established such that it occurs before publication of the underlying third-party price index or determination of the final settlement price. If the designated contract market chooses to allow trading to occur through the determination of the final settlement price, then the designated contract market should show that futures trading would not distort the final settlement price calculation.
(G) Trading Months: Trading months should be established based on the risk management needs of commercial entities as well as the availability of price and other data needed to calculate the cash settlement price in the specified months. Specification of the last trading day should take into consideration whether the volume of transactions underlying the cash settlement price would be unduly limited by occurrence of holidays or traditional holiday periods in the cash market. Moreover, a contract should not be listed past the date for which the designated contract market has access to use a proprietary price index for cash settlement.
(H) Speculative Limits: Specific rules and policies for speculative position limits are set forth in part 150 and/or part 151, as applicable, of the Commission’s regulations.
(I) Reportable Levels: Refer to § 15.03 of the Commission’s regulations.
(J) Trading Hours: Should be set by the designated contract market to delineate each trading day.
(d) Options on a Futures Contract. (1) The Commission’s experience with the oversight of trading in futures option contracts indicates that most of the terms and conditions associated with such trading do not raise any regulatory concerns or issues. The Commission has found that the following terms do not affect an option contract’s susceptible to manipulation or its utility for risk management. Thus, the Commission believes that, in most cases, any specification of the following terms would be acceptable; the only requirement is that such terms be specified in an automatic and objective manner in the option contract’s rules:
○ Exercise method;
○ Exercise procedure (if positions in the underlying futures contract are established via book entry);
○ Strike price listing provisions, including provisions for listing strike prices on a discretionary basis;
○ Strike price intervals;
○ Automatic exercise provisions;
○ Contract size (unless not set equal to the size of the underlying futures contract); and
○ Option minimum tick should be equal to or smaller than that of the underlying futures contract.
(2) Option Expiration & Last Trading Day. For options on futures contracts, specification of expiration dates should consider the relationship of the option expiration date to the delivery period for the underlying futures contract. In particular, an assessment should be made of liquidity in the underlying futures market to assure that any futures contracts acquired through exercise can be liquidated without adversely affecting the orderly liquidation of futures positions or increasing the underlying futures contract’s susceptibility to manipulation. When the underlying futures contract exhibits a very low trading activity during an expiring delivery month’s final trading days or has a greater risk of price manipulation than other contracts, the last trading day and expiration day of the option should occur prior to the delivery period or the settlement date of the underlying future. For example, the last trading day and option expiration day might appropriately be established prior to first delivery notice day for option contracts with underlying futures contracts that have very limited deliverable supplies. Similarly, if the futures contract underlying an option contract is cash settled using cash prices from a very limited number of underlying cash market transactions, the last trading and option expiration days for the option contract might appropriately be established prior to the last trading day for the futures contract.
(3) Speculative Limits. In cases where the terms of an underlying futures contract specify a spot-month speculative position limit and the option contract expires during, or at the close of, the futures contract’s delivery period, the option contract should include a spot-month speculative position limit provision that requires traders to combine their futures and option position and be subject to the limit established for the futures contract. Specific rules and policies for speculative position limits are set forth in part 150 and/or part 151, as applicable, of the Commission’s regulations.
(4) Options on Physicals Contracts.
(i) Under the Commission’s regulations, the term “option on physicals” refers to option contracts that do not provide for exercise into an underlying futures contract. Upon exercise, options on physicals can be settled via physical delivery of the underlying commodity or by a cash payment. Thus, options on physicals raise many of the same issues associated with trading in futures contracts regarding adequacy of deliverable supplies or acceptability of the cash settlement price series. In this regard, an option that is cash settled based on the settlement price of a futures contract would be considered an “option on physicals” and the futures settlement price would be considered the cash price series.
(ii) In view of the above, acceptable practices for the terms and conditions of options on physicals contracts include, as appropriate, those practices set forth above for physical-delivery or cash-settled futures contracts plus the practices set forth for options on futures contracts.
(e) Security Futures Products. The listing of security futures products are governed by the special requirements of part 41 of the Commission’s regulations.
(f) Non-Price Based Futures Contracts. (1) Non-price based contracts are typically construed as binary options, but also may be designed to function similar to traditional futures or option contracts.
(2) Where the contract is settled to a third party cash-settlement series, the designated contract market should consider the nature and sources of the data comprising the cash-settlement calculation, the computational procedures, and the mechanisms in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the index value. The evaluation also considers the extent to which the third party has, or will adopt, safeguards against unauthorized or premature release of the index value itself or any key data used in deriving the index value.
(3) The designated contract market should follow the guidance in paragraph (c)(4) (Contract Terms and Conditions Requirements for Futures Contracts Settled by Cash Settlement) of this appendix C to meet compliance.
(g) Swap Contracts. (1) In general, swap contracts are an agreement to exchange a series of cash flows over a period of time based on reference price indices. When listing a swap for trading, a swap execution facility or designated contract market should determine that the reference price indices used for its contracts are not readily susceptible to manipulation. Accordingly, careful consideration should be given to the potential for manipulation or distortion of the cash settlement price, as well as the reliability of that price as an indicator of cash market values. Appropriate consideration also should be given to the commercial acceptability, public availability, and timeliness of the price series that is used to calculate the cash settlement price. Documentation demonstrating that the settlement price index is a reliable indicator of market values and conditions and is highly regarded by industry/market agents should be provided. Such documentation may take on various forms, including carefully documented interviews with principal market trading agents, pricing experts, marketing agents, etc. Appropriate consideration also should be given to the commercial acceptability, public availability, and timeliness of the price series that is used to calculate the cash flows of the swap.
(i) Where an independent, private-sector third party calculates the referenced price index, the designated contract market should verify that the third party utilizes business practices that minimize the opportunity or incentive to manipulate the cash-settlement price series. Such safeguards may include lock-downs, prohibitions against derivatives trading by employees, or public dissemination of the names of sources and the price quotes they provide. Because a cash-settled contract may create an incentive to manipulate or artificially influence the underlying market from which the cash-settlement price is derived or to exert undue influence on the cash-settlement computation in order to profit on a futures position in that commodity, a designated contract market should, whenever practicable, enter into an information-sharing agreement with the third-party provider which would enable the designated contract market to better detect and prevent manipulative behavior.
(ii) Where a designated contract market itself generates the cash settlement price series, the designated contract market should establish calculation procedures that safeguard against potential attempts to artificially influence the price. For example, if the cash settlement price is derived by the designated contract market based on a survey of cash market sources, the designated contract market should maintain a list of such entities which all should be reputable sources with knowledge of the cash market. In addition, the sample of sources polled should be representative of the cash market, and the poll should be conducted at a time when trading in the cash market is active.
(iii) The cash-settlement calculation should involve appropriate computational procedures that eliminate or reduce the impact of potentially unrepresentative data.
(2) Speculative Limits: Specific rules and policies for speculative position limits are set forth in part 151 and/or part 151, as applicable, of the Commission’s regulations.
(3) Intraday Market Restrictions: Designated contract markets or swap execution facilities should have in place intraday market restrictions that pause or halt trading in the event of extraordinary price moves that may result in distorted prices. Such restrictions need to be coordinated with other markets that may be a proxy or a substitute for the contracts traded on their facility. For example, coordination with NYSE rule 80.B Circuit Breaker Trading Halts. The designated contract market or swap execution facility should adopt rules to specifically address who is authorized to declare an emergency; how the designated contract market or swap execution facility will notify the Commission of its decision that an emergency exists; how it will address conflicts of interest in the exercise of emergency authority; and how it will coordinate trading halts with markets that trade the underlying price reference index or product.
(4) Settlement Method. The designated contract market or swap execution facility should follow the guidance in paragraph (c)(4) (Contract Terms and Conditions Requirements for Futures Contracts Settled by Cash Settlement) of this appendix C to meet compliance, or paragraph (b)(2) (Contract Terms and Conditions Requirements for Futures Contracts Settled by Physical Delivery) of this appendix C, as appropriate.
PART 39—DERIVATIVES CLEARING ORGANIZATIONS
Subpart A—General Provisions Applicable to Derivatives Clearing Organizations
§ 39.1 Scope.
The provisions of this subpart A apply to any derivatives clearing organization, as defined under section 1a(15) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter, that is registered or is required to register with the Commission as a derivatives clearing organization pursuant to section 5b(a) of the Act, or that is applying for an exemption from registration pursuant to section 5b(h) of the Act.
§ 39.2 Definitions.
For the purposes of this part:
Activity with a more complex risk profile includes:
(1) Clearing credit default swaps, credit default futures, or derivatives that reference either credit default swaps or credit default futures and
(2) Any other activity designated as such by the Commission pursuant to § 39.33(a)(3).
Backtest means a test that compares a derivatives clearing organization’s initial margin requirements with historical price changes to determine the extent of actual margin coverage.
Business day means the intraday period of time starting at the business hour of 8:15 a.m. and ending at the business hour of 4:45 p.m., on all days except Saturdays, Sundays, and any holiday on which a derivatives clearing organization and its domestic financial markets are closed, including a Federal holiday in the United States, as established under 5 U.S.C. 6103.
Customer account or customer origin means “customer account” as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter.
Depository institution has the meaning set forth in section 19(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 461(b)(1)(A)).
Enterprise risk management means an enterprise-wide strategic business process intended to identify potential events that may affect the enterprise and to manage the probability or impact of those events on the enterprise as a whole, such that the overall risk remains within the enterprise’s risk appetite and provides reasonable assurance that the derivatives clearing organization can continue to achieve its objectives.
Exempt derivatives clearing organization means a derivatives clearing organization that the Commission has exempted from registration under section 5b(a) of the Act, pursuant to section 5b(h) of the Act and § 39.6.
Fully collateralized position means a contract cleared by a derivatives clearing organization that requires the derivatives clearing organization to hold, at all times, funds in the form of the required payment sufficient to cover the maximum possible loss that a party or counterparty could incur upon liquidation or expiration of the contract.
Good regulatory standing means, with respect to a derivatives clearing organization that is organized outside of the United States, and is licensed, registered, or otherwise authorized to act as a clearing organization in its home country, that:
(1) In the case of an exempt derivatives clearing organization, either there has been no finding by the home country regulator of material non-observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures or other relevant home country legal requirements, or there has been a finding by the home country regulator of material non-observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures or other relevant home country legal requirements but any such finding has been or is being resolved to the satisfaction of the home country regulator by means of corrective action taken by the derivatives clearing organization; or
(2) In the case of a derivatives clearing organization registered subject to compliance with subpart D of this part, either there has been no finding by the home country regulator of material non-observance of the relevant home country legal requirements, or there has been a finding by the home country regulator of material non-observance of the relevant home country legal requirements but any such finding has been or is being resolved to the satisfaction of the home country regulator by means of corrective action taken by the derivatives clearing organization.
Home country means, with respect to a derivatives clearing organization that is organized outside of the United States, the jurisdiction in which the derivatives clearing organization is organized.
Home country regulator means, with respect to a derivatives clearing organization that is organized outside of the United States, an appropriate government authority which licenses, regulates, supervises, or oversees the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing activities in the home country.
House account or house origin means a clearing member account which is not subject to section 4d(a) or 4d(f) of the Act.
Key personnel means derivatives clearing organization personnel who play a significant role in the operations of the derivatives clearing organization, the provision of clearing and settlement services, risk management, or oversight of compliance with the Act and Commission regulations in this chapter, and orders promulgated thereunder. Key personnel include, but are not limited to, those persons who are or perform the functions of any of the following: Chief executive officer; president; chief compliance officer; chief operating officer; chief risk officer; chief financial officer; chief technology officer; chief information security officer; and emergency contacts or persons who are responsible for business continuity or disaster recovery planning or program execution.
Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures means the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures jointly published by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the Technical Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions in April 2012.
Stress test means a test that compares the impact of potential extreme price moves, changes in option volatility, and/or changes in other inputs that affect the value of a position, to the financial resources of a derivatives clearing organization, clearing member, or large trader, to determine the adequacy of the financial resources of such entities.
Subpart C derivatives clearing organization means any derivatives clearing organization, as defined in section 1a(15) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter, which:
(1) Is registered as a derivatives clearing organization under section 5b of the Act;
(2) Is not a systemically important derivatives clearing organization; and
(3) Has become subject to the provisions of subpart C of this part, pursuant to § 39.31.
Substantial risk to the U.S. financial system means, with respect to a derivatives clearing organization organized outside of the United States, that—
(1) The derivatives clearing organization holds 20% or more of the required initial margin of U.S. clearing members for swaps across all registered and exempt derivatives clearing organizations; and
(2) Twenty percent or more of the initial margin requirements for swaps at that derivatives clearing organization is attributable to U.S. clearing members; provided, however, where one or both of these thresholds are identified as being close to 20%, the Commission may exercise discretion in determining whether an identified threshold is satisfied for the purpose of determining whether the derivatives clearing organization poses substantial risk to the U.S. financial system. For purposes of this definition and § 39.51, U.S. clearing member means a clearing member organized in the United States, a clearing member whose ultimate parent company is organized in the United States, or a futures commission merchant.
Systemically important derivatives clearing organization means a financial market utility that is a derivatives clearing organization registered under section 5b of the Act, which is currently designated by the Financial Stability Oversight Council to be systemically important and for which the Commission acts as the Supervisory Agency pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 5462(8).
Trust company means a trust company that is a member of the Federal Reserve System, under section 1 of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 221), but that does not meet the definition of depository institution as set out in this section.
U.S. branch or agency of a foreign banking organization means the U.S. branch or agency of a foreign banking organization as defined in section 1(b) of the International Banking Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3101).
§ 39.3 Procedures for registration.
(a) Application for registration—(1) General procedure. An entity seeking to register as a derivatives clearing organization shall file an application for registration with the Secretary of the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission. The Commission will review the application for registration as a derivatives clearing organization pursuant to the 180-day timeframe and procedures specified in section 6(a) of the Act, and may approve or deny the application. If the Commission approves the application, the Commission will register the applicant as a derivatives clearing organization subject to conditions as appropriate.
(2) Application. Any entity seeking to register as a derivatives clearing organization shall submit to the Commission a completed Form DCO, which shall include a cover sheet, all applicable exhibits, and any supplemental materials, as provided in appendix A to this part (application). The Commission will not commence processing an application unless the applicant has filed the application as required by this section. Failure to file a completed application will preclude the Commission from determining that an application is materially complete, as provided in section 6(a) of the Act. Upon its own initiative, an applicant may file with its completed application additional information that may be necessary or helpful to the Commission in processing the application.
(3) Alternative application procedures. An entity that is organized outside of the United States, is seeking to register as a derivatives clearing organization for the clearing of swaps, and does not pose substantial risk to the U.S. financial system may apply for registration in accordance with the terms of this paragraph in lieu of filing the application described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. If the application is approved by the Commission, the derivatives clearing organization’s compliance with its home country regulatory regime would satisfy the core principles set forth in section 5b(c)(2) of the Act, subject to the requirements of subpart D of this part. The applicant shall submit to the Commission the following sections of Form DCO, as provided in appendix A to this part: Cover sheet, Exhibit A-1 (regulatory compliance chart), Exhibit A-2 (proposed rulebook), Exhibit A-3 (narrative summary of proposed clearing activities), Exhibit A-4 (detailed business plan), Exhibit A-7 (documents setting forth the applicant’s corporate organizational structure), Exhibit A-8 (documents establishing the applicant’s legal status and certificate(s) of good standing or its equivalent), Exhibit A-9 (description of pending legal proceedings or governmental investigations), Exhibit A-10 (agreements with outside service providers with respect to the treatment of customer funds), Exhibits F-1 through F-3 (documents that demonstrate compliance with the treatment of funds requirements with respect to customers of futures commission merchants), and Exhibit R (ring-fencing memorandum). For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant must demonstrate to the Commission, in Exhibit A-1, the extent to which compliance with the applicable legal requirements in its home country would constitute compliance with the core principles set forth in section 5b(c)(2) of the Act. To satisfy this requirement, the applicant shall provide in Exhibit A-1 the citation and full text of each applicable legal requirement in its home country that corresponds with each core principle and an explanation of how the applicant satisfies those requirements. If there is no applicable legal requirement for a particular core principle, the applicant shall provide an explanation of how it would satisfy the core principle.
(4) Submission of supplemental information. The filing of a completed application is a minimum requirement and does not create a presumption that the application is materially complete or that supplemental information will not be required. At any time during the application review process, the Commission may request that the applicant provide supplemental information in order for the Commission to process the application. The applicant shall provide supplemental information in the format and manner specified by the Commission.
(5) Application amendments. An applicant shall promptly amend its application if it discovers a material omission or error, or if there is a material change in the information provided to the Commission in the application or other information provided in connection with the application. An applicant is only required to submit exhibits and other information that are relevant to the application amendment.
(6) Public information. The following sections of an application for registration as a derivatives clearing organization will be public: First page of the Form DCO cover sheet (up to and including the General Information section), Exhibit A-1 (regulatory compliance chart), Exhibit A-2 (proposed rulebook), Exhibit A-3 (narrative summary of proposed clearing activities), Exhibit A-7 (documents setting forth the applicant’s corporate organizational structure), Exhibit A-8 (documents establishing the applicant’s legal status and certificate(s) of good standing or its equivalent), and any other part of the application not covered by a request for confidential treatment, subject to § 145.9 of this chapter.
(7) Extension of time for review. The Commission may further extend the review period in paragraph (a)(1) of this section for any period of time to which the applicant agrees in writing.
(b) Stay of application review. (1) The Commission may stay the running of the 180-day review period if an application is materially incomplete, in accordance with section 6(a) of the Act.
(2) Delegation of authority.
(i) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk or the Director’s designee, with the concurrence of the General Counsel or the General Counsel’s designee, the authority to notify an applicant seeking registration as a derivatives clearing organization that the application is materially incomplete and the running of the 180-day period under section 6(a) of the Act is stayed.
(ii) The Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter which has been delegated in this paragraph.
(iii) Nothing in this paragraph prohibits the Commission, at its election, from exercising the authority delegated in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section.
(c) Withdrawal of application for registration. An applicant for registration may withdraw its application submitted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section by filing such a request with the Secretary of the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission. Withdrawal of an application for registration shall not affect any action taken or to be taken by the Commission based upon actions, activities, or events occurring during the time that the application for registration was pending with the Commission.
(d) Amendment of an order of registration. (1) A derivatives clearing organization requesting an amendment to an order of registration shall file the request with the Secretary of the Commission in the form and manner specified by the Commission.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission, upon the Commission’s request, any additional information and documentation necessary to review a request to amend an order of registration.
(3) The Commission shall issue an amended order of registration upon a Commission determination, in its own discretion, that the derivatives clearing organization would maintain compliance with the Act and the Commission’s regulations in this chapter upon amendment to the order. If deemed appropriate, the Commission may issue an amended order of registration subject to conditions.
(4) The Commission may decline to issue an amended order based upon a Commission determination, in its own discretion, that the derivatives clearing organization would not continue to maintain compliance with the Act and the Commission’s regulations in this chapter upon amendment to the order.
(e) Reinstatement of dormant registration. Before accepting products for clearing, a dormant derivatives clearing organization as defined in § 40.1 of this chapter must reinstate its registration under the procedures of paragraph (a) of this section; provided, however, that an application for reinstatement may rely upon previously submitted materials that still pertain to, and accurately describe, current conditions.
(f) Vacation of registration—(1) Request. A derivatives clearing organization may have its registration vacated pursuant to section 7 of the Act by submitting a request to the Secretary of the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission. A vacation of registration shall not affect any action taken or to be taken by the Commission based upon actions, activities or events occurring during the time that the derivatives clearing organization was registered with the Commission. The request shall include:
(i) The date that the vacation should take effect, which must be at least ninety days after the request was submitted;
(ii) A description of how the derivatives clearing organization intends to transfer or otherwise unwind all open positions at the derivatives clearing organization and how such actions reflect the interests of affected clearing members and their customers;
(iii) A statement that the derivatives clearing organization will continue to maintain its books and records for the requisite statutory and regulatory retention periods after its registration has been vacated; and
(iv) A statement that the derivatives clearing organization will continue to make its books and records available for inspection by any representative of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice after its registration has been vacated, as required by § 1.31 of this chapter.
(2) Notice to registered entities. The Commission shall fulfill its obligation to send a copy of the request and the order of vacation to all other registered entities by posting the documents on the Commission website.
(g) Request for transfer of open interest—(1) Submission. A derivatives clearing organization seeking to transfer its positions comprising open interest for clearing and settlement to another clearing organization shall submit rules for Commission approval pursuant to § 40.5 of this chapter.
(2) Required information. The rule submission shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(i) The underlying agreement that governs the transfer;
(ii) A description of the transfer, including the reason for the transfer and the impact of the transfer on the rights and obligations of clearing members and market participants holding the positions that comprise the derivatives clearing organization’s open interest;
(iii) A discussion of the transferee’s ability to comply with the Act, including the core principles applicable to derivatives clearing organizations, and the Commission’s regulations in this chapter, as applicable;
(iv) The transferee’s rules marked to show changes that would result from acceptance of the transferred positions;
(v) A list of products for which the derivatives clearing organization requests transfer of open interest; and
(vi) A representation by the transferee that it is in and will maintain compliance with any applicable provisions of the Act, including the core principles applicable to derivatives clearing organizations, and the Commission’s regulations upon the transfer of the open interest.
(3) Commission action. The Commission may request additional information in support of a rule submission filed under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, and may grant approval of the rules in accordance with § 40.5 of this chapter.
§ 39.4 Procedures for implementing derivatives clearing organization rules and clearing new products.
(a) Request for approval of rules. A registered derivatives clearing organization may request, pursuant to the procedures of § 40.5 of this chapter, that the Commission approve any or all of its rules and subsequent amendments thereto, including operational rules, prior to their implementation or, notwithstanding the provisions of section 5c(c)(2) of the Act, at any time thereafter, under the procedures of § 40.5 of this chapter. A derivatives clearing organization may label as “approved by the Commission” only those rules that have been so approved.
(b) Self-certification of rules. Proposed new or amended rules of a derivatives clearing organization not voluntarily submitted for prior Commission approval pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section must be submitted to the Commission with a certification that the proposed new rule or rule amendment complies with the Act and rules thereunder pursuant to the procedures of § 40.6 of this chapter.
(c) Exemption from self-certification of rules. Notwithstanding the rule certification requirements of section 5c(c)(1) of the Act and § 40.6 of this chapter, a derivatives clearing organization that is subject to subpart D of this part is not required to certify a rule unless the rule relates to the requirements under section 4d(f) of the Act, parts 1, 22, or 45 of this chapter, or § 39.15.
(d) Acceptance of new products for clearing. (1) A dormant derivatives clearing organization within the meaning of § 40.1 of this chapter may not accept for clearing a new product until its registration as a derivatives clearing organization is reinstated under the procedures of § 39.3 of this part; provided however, that an application for reinstatement may rely upon previously submitted materials that still pertain to, and accurately describe, current conditions.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization that accepts for clearing a new product that is a swap shall comply with the requirements of § 39.5 of this part.
(e) Orders regarding competition. An applicant for registration or a registered derivatives clearing organization may request that the Commission issue an order concerning whether a rule or practice of the organization is the least anticompetitive means of achieving the objectives, purposes, and policies of the Act.
(f) Holding securities in a futures portfolio margining account. A derivatives clearing organization seeking to provide a portfolio margining program under which securities would be held in a futures account as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter, shall submit rules to implement such portfolio margining program for Commission approval in accordance with § 40.5 of this chapter. Concurrent with the submission of such rules for Commission approval, the derivatives clearing organization shall petition the Commission for an order under section 4d(a) of the Act.
§ 39.5 Review of swaps for Commission determination on clearing requirement.
(a) Eligibility to clear swaps. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall be presumed eligible to accept for clearing any swap that is within a group, category, type, or class of swaps that the derivatives clearing organization already clears. Such presumption of eligibility, however, is subject to review by the Commission.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization that wishes to accept for clearing any swap that is not within a group, category, type, or class of swaps that the derivatives clearing organization already clears shall request a determination by the Commission of the derivatives clearing organization’s eligibility to clear such a swap before accepting the swap for clearing. The request, which shall be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission, shall address the derivatives clearing organization’s ability, if it accepts the swap for clearing, to maintain compliance with section 5b(c)(2) of the Act, specifically:
(i) The sufficiency of the derivatives clearing organization’s financial resources; and
(ii) The derivative clearing organization’s ability to manage the risks associated with clearing the swap, especially if the Commission determines that the swap is required to be cleared.
(b) Swap submissions. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall submit to the Commission each swap, or any group, category, type, or class of swaps that it plans to accept for clearing. The derivatives clearing organization making the submission must be eligible under paragraph (a) of this section to accept for clearing the submitted swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall submit swaps to the Commission, to the extent reasonable and practicable to do so, by group, category, type, or class of swaps. The Commission may in its reasonable discretion consolidate multiple submissions from one derivatives clearing organization or subdivide a derivatives clearing organization’s submission as appropriate for review.
(3) The submission shall be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission and shall include:
(i) A statement that the derivatives clearing organization is eligible to accept the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps for clearing and describes the extent to which, if the Commission were to determine that the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps is required to be cleared, the derivatives clearing organization will be able to maintain compliance with section 5b(c)(2) of the Act;
(ii) A statement that includes, but is not limited to, information that will assist the Commission in making a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the following factors:
(A) The existence of significant outstanding notional exposures, trading liquidity, and adequate pricing data;
(B) The availability of rule framework, capacity, operational expertise and resources, and credit support infrastructure to clear the contract on terms that are consistent with the material terms and trading conventions on which the contract is then traded;
(C) The effect on the mitigation of systemic risk, taking into account the size of the market for such contract and the resources of the derivatives clearing organization available to clear the contract;
(D) The effect on competition, including appropriate fees and charges applied to clearing; and
(E) The existence of reasonable legal certainty in the event of the insolvency of the relevant derivatives clearing organization or one or more of its clearing members with regard to the treatment of customer and swap counterparty positions, funds, and property;
(iii) Product specifications, including copies of any standardized legal documentation, generally accepted contract terms, standard practices for managing any life cycle events associated with the swap, and the extent to which the swap is electronically confirmable;
(iv) Participant eligibility standards, if different from the derivatives clearing organization’s general participant eligibility standards;
(v) Pricing sources, models, and procedures, demonstrating an ability to obtain sufficient price data to measure credit exposures in a timely and accurate manner, including any agreements with clearing members to provide price data and copies of executed agreements with third-party price vendors, and information about any price reference index used, such as the name of the index, the source that calculates it, the methodology used to calculate the price reference index and how often it is calculated, and when and where it is published publicly;
(vi) Risk management procedures, including measurement and monitoring of credit exposures, initial and variation margin methodology, methodologies for stress testing and backtesting, settlement procedures, and default management procedures;
(vii) Applicable rules, manuals, policies, or procedures;
(viii) A description of the manner in which the derivatives clearing organization has provided notice of the submission to its members and a summary of any views on the submission expressed by the members (a copy of the notice to members shall be included with the submission); and
(ix) Any additional information specifically requested by the Commission.
(4) The Commission must have received the submission by the open of business on the business day preceding the acceptance of the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps for clearing.
(5) The submission will be made available to the public and posted on the Commission Web site for a 30-day public comment period. A derivatives clearing organization that wishes to request confidential treatment for portions of its submission may do so in accordance with the procedures set out in § 145.9(d) of this chapter.
(6) The Commission will review the submission and determine whether the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps described in the submission is required to be cleared. The Commission will make its determination not later than 90 days after a complete submission has been received, unless the submitting derivatives clearing organization agrees to an extension. The determination of when such submission is complete shall be at the sole discretion of the Commission. In making a determination that a clearing requirement shall apply, the Commission may impose such terms and conditions to the clearing requirement as the Commission determines to be appropriate.
(c) Commission-initiated reviews. (1) The Commission, on an ongoing basis, will review swaps that have not been accepted for clearing by a derivatives clearing organization to make a determination as to whether the swaps should be required to be cleared. In undertaking such reviews, the Commission will use information obtained pursuant to Commission regulations from swap data repositories, swap dealers, and major swap participants, and any other available information.
(2) Notice regarding any determination made under paragraph (c)(1) of this section will be made available to the public and posted on the Commission Web site for a 30-day public comment period.
(3) If no derivatives clearing organization has accepted for clearing a particular swap, group, category, type, or class of swaps that the Commission finds would otherwise be subject to a clearing requirement, the Commission will:
(i) Investigate the relevant facts and circumstances;
(ii) Within 30 days of the completion of its investigation, issue a public report containing the results of the investigation; and
(iii) Take such actions as the Commission determines to be necessary and in the public interest, which may include requiring the retaining of adequate margin or capital by parties to the swap, group, category, type, or class of swaps.
(d) Stay of clearing requirement. (1) After making a determination that a swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps is required to be cleared, the Commission, on application of a counterparty to a swap or on its own initiative, may stay the clearing requirement until the Commission completes a review of the terms of the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps and the clearing arrangement.
(2) A counterparty to a swap that wishes to apply for a stay of the clearing requirement for that swap shall submit a written request to the Secretary of the Commission that includes:
(i) The identity and contact information of the counterparty to the swap;
(ii) The terms of the swap subject to the clearing requirement;
(iii) The name of the derivatives clearing organization clearing the swap;
(iv) A description of the clearing arrangement; and
(v) A statement explaining why the swap should not be subject to a clearing requirement.
(3) A derivatives clearing organization that has accepted for clearing a swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps that is subject to a stay of the clearing requirement shall provide any information requested by the Commission in the course of its review.
(4) The Commission will complete its review not later than 90 days after issuance of the stay, unless the derivatives clearing organization that clears the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps agrees to an extension.
(5) Upon completion of its review, the Commission may:
(i) Determine, subject to any terms and conditions as the Commission determines to be appropriate, that the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps must be cleared; or
(ii) Determine that the clearing requirement will not apply to the swap, or group, category, type, or class of swaps, but clearing may continue on a non-mandatory basis.
§ 39.6 Exemption from derivatives clearing organization registration.
(a) Eligibility for exemption. A derivatives clearing organization that is organized outside of the United States shall be eligible for an exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization for the clearing of swaps for U.S. persons, and thereby exempt from compliance with provisions of the Act and Commission regulations applicable to derivatives clearing organizations, if:
(1) The derivatives clearing organization is subject to comparable, comprehensive supervision and regulation by a home country regulator as demonstrated by the following:
(i) The derivatives clearing organization is organized in a jurisdiction in which a home country regulator applies to the derivatives clearing organization, on an ongoing basis, statutes, rules, regulations, policies, or a combination thereof that, taken together, are consistent with the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures;
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization observes the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures in all material respects; and
(iii) The derivatives clearing organization is in good regulatory standing in its home country; and
(2) A memorandum of understanding or similar arrangement satisfactory to the Commission is in effect between the Commission and the derivatives clearing organization’s home country regulator, pursuant to which, among other things, the home country regulator agrees to provide to the Commission any information that the Commission deems necessary to evaluate the initial and continued eligibility of the derivatives clearing organization for exemption from registration or to review its compliance with any conditions of such exemption.
(b) Conditions of exemption. An exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization shall be subject to any conditions the Commission may prescribe including, but not limited to:
(1) Clearing by or for U.S. persons and futures commission merchants. The exempt derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that limit swaps clearing services for U.S. persons and futures commission merchants to the following circumstances:
(i) A U.S. person that is a clearing member of the exempt derivatives clearing organization may clear swaps for itself and those persons identified in the definition of “proprietary account” set forth in § 1.3 of this chapter;
(ii) A non-U.S. person that is a clearing member of the exempt derivatives clearing organization may clear swaps for any affiliated U.S. person identified in the definition of “proprietary” account set forth in § 1.3 of this chapter; and
(iii) An entity that is registered with the Commission as a futures commission merchant may be a clearing member of the exempt derivatives clearing organization, or otherwise maintain an account with an affiliated broker that is a clearing member, for the purpose of clearing swaps only for itself and those persons identified in the definition of “proprietary account” set forth in § 1.3 of this chapter; and
(2) Open access. The exempt derivatives clearing organization shall have rules with respect to swaps to which one or more of the counterparties is a U.S. person that shall:
(i) Provide that all swaps with the same terms and conditions, as defined by product specifications established under the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s rules, submitted to the exempt derivatives clearing organization for clearing are economically equivalent within the exempt derivatives clearing organization and may be offset with each other within the exempt derivatives clearing organization, to the extent offsetting is permitted by the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s rules; and
(ii) Provide that there shall be non-discriminatory clearing of a swap executed bilaterally or on or subject to the rules of an unaffiliated electronic matching platform or trade execution facility.
(3) Consent to jurisdiction; designation of agent for service of process. The exempt derivatives clearing organization shall:
(i) Consent to jurisdiction in the United States;
(ii) Designate, authorize, and identify to the Commission, an agent in the United States who shall accept any notice or service of process, pleadings, or other documents, including any summons, complaint, order, subpoena, request for information, or any other written or electronic documentation or correspondence issued by or on behalf of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice to the exempt derivatives clearing organization, in connection with any actions or proceedings brought against, or investigations relating to, the exempt derivatives clearing organization or any U.S. person or futures commission merchant that is a clearing member, or that clears swaps through a clearing member, of the exempt derivatives clearing organization; and
(iii) Promptly inform the Commission of any change in its designated and authorized agent.
(4) Compliance. The exempt derivatives clearing organization shall comply, and shall demonstrate compliance as requested by the Commission, with any condition of its exemption.
(5) Inspection of books and records. The exempt derivatives clearing organization shall make all documents, books, records, reports, and other information related to its operation as an exempt derivatives clearing organization open to inspection and copying by any representative of the Commission; and in response to a request by any representative of the Commission, the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall, promptly and in the form specified, make the requested books and records available and provide them directly to Commission representatives.
(6) Observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures. On an annual basis, within 60 days following the end of its fiscal year, the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission a certification that it continues to observe the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures in all material respects. To the extent the exempt derivatives clearing organization is unable to provide to the Commission an unconditional certification, it must identify the underlying material non-observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures and identify whether and how such non-observance has been or is being resolved by means of corrective action taken by the exempt derivatives clearing organization.
(7) Representation of good regulatory standing. On an annual basis, within 60 days following the end of its fiscal year, an exempt derivatives clearing organization shall request and the Commission must receive from a home country regulator a written representation that the exempt derivatives clearing organization is in good regulatory standing.
(8) Other conditions. The Commission may condition an exemption on any other facts and circumstances it deems relevant.
(c) General reporting requirements. (1) An exempt derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission the information specified in this paragraph and any other information that the Commission deems necessary, including, but not limited to, information for the purpose of the Commission evaluating the continued eligibility of the exempt derivatives clearing organization for exemption from registration, reviewing compliance by the exempt derivatives clearing organization with any conditions of the exemption, or conducting oversight of U.S. persons and their affiliates, and the swaps that are cleared by such persons through the exempt derivatives clearing organization. Information provided to the Commission under this paragraph shall be submitted in accordance with § 39.19(b).
(2) Each exempt derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission the following information:
(i) A report compiled as of the end of each trading day and submitted to the Commission by 10:00 a.m. U.S. Central time on the following business day, containing:
(A) Initial margin requirements and initial margin on deposit for each U.S. person, with respect to swaps, provided however if a clearing member margins on a portfolio basis its own positions and the positions of its affiliates, and either the clearing member or any of its affiliates is a U.S. person, the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall report initial margin on deposit for all such positions on a combined basis for each such clearing member; and
(B) Daily variation margin, separately listing the mark-to-market amount collected from or paid to each U.S. person, with respect to swaps; provided, however, if a clearing member margins on a portfolio basis its own positions and the positions of its affiliates, and either the clearing member or any of its affiliates is a U.S. person, the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall separately list the mark-to-market amount collected from or paid to each such clearing member, on a combined basis.
(ii) A report compiled as of the last day of each fiscal quarter of the exempt derivatives clearing organization and submitted to the Commission no later than 17 business days after the end of the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal quarter, containing:
(A) The aggregate clearing volume of U.S. persons during the fiscal quarter, with respect to swaps. If a clearing member is a U.S. person, the volume figure shall include the transactions of the clearing member and all affiliates. If a clearing member is not a U.S. person, the volume figure shall include only transactions of affiliates that are U.S. persons.
(B) The average open interest of U.S. persons during the fiscal quarter, with respect to swaps. If a clearing member is a U.S. person, the open interest figure shall include the positions of the clearing member and all affiliates. If a clearing member is not a U.S. person, the open interest figure shall include only positions of affiliates that are U.S. persons.
(C) A list of U.S. persons and futures commission merchants that are either clearing members or affiliates of any clearing member, with respect to the clearing of swaps, as of the last day of the fiscal quarter.
(iii) Prompt notice regarding any change in the home country regulatory regime that is material to the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s continuing observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures or compliance with any of the requirements set forth in this section or in the order of exemption issued by the Commission;
(iv) As available to the exempt derivatives clearing organization, any assessment of the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s or the home country regulator’s observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures, or any portion thereof, by a home country regulator or other national authority, or an international financial institution or international organization;
(v) As available to the exempt derivatives clearing organization, any examination report, examination findings, or notification of the commencement of any enforcement or disciplinary action by a home country regulator;
(vi) Immediate notice of any change with respect to the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s licensure, registration, or other authorization to act as a derivatives clearing organization in its home country;
(vii) In the event of a default by a U.S. person or futures commission merchant clearing swaps, with such event of default determined in accordance with the rules of the exempt derivatives clearing organization, immediate notice of the default including the name of the U.S. person or futures commission merchant clearing swaps, a list of the positions held by the U.S. person or futures commission merchant, and the amount of the U.S. person’s or futures commission merchant’s financial obligation; and
(viii) Notice of action taken against a U.S. person or futures commission merchant clearing swaps by an exempt derivatives clearing organization, no later than two business days after the exempt derivatives clearing organization takes such action against a U.S. person or futures commission merchant.
(d) Swap data reporting requirements. If an exempt derivatives clearing organization accepts for clearing a swap that has been reported to a swap data repository pursuant to part 45 of this chapter, the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall report to a swap data repository data regarding the two swaps resulting from the novation of the original swap. The exempt derivatives clearing organization shall also report the termination of the original swap to the swap data repository to which the original swap was reported. In order to avoid duplicative reporting for such transactions, the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that prohibit the reporting, pursuant to part 45 of this chapter, of the two new swaps by the counterparties to the original swap.
(e) Application procedures. (1) An entity seeking to be exempt from registration as a derivatives clearing organization shall file an application for exemption with the Secretary of the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission. The Commission will review the application for exemption and may approve or deny the application or, if deemed appropriate, exempt the applicant from registration as a derivatives clearing organization subject to conditions in addition to those set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) Application. An applicant for exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization shall submit to the Commission the information and documentation described in this section. Such information and documentation shall be clearly labeled as outlined in this section. The Commission will not commence processing an application unless the applicant has filed a complete application. Upon its own initiative, an applicant may file with its completed application for exemption additional information that may be necessary or helpful to the Commission in processing the application. The application shall include:
(i) A cover letter containing the following information:
(A) Exact name of applicant as specified in its charter, and the name under which business will be conducted (including acronyms);
(B) Address of applicant’s principal office;
(C) List of principal office(s) and address(es) where clearing activities are/will be conducted;
(D) A list of all regulatory licenses or registrations of the applicant (or exemptions from any licensing requirement) and the regulator granting such license or registration;
(E) Date of the applicant’s fiscal year end;
(F) Contact information for the person or persons to whom the Commission should address questions and correspondence regarding the application; and
(G) A signature and date by a duly authorized representative of the applicant.
(ii) A description of the applicant’s business plan for providing clearing services as an exempt derivatives clearing organization, including information as to the classes of swaps that will be cleared and whether the swaps are subject to a clearing requirement issued by the Commission or the applicant’s home country regulator;
(iii) Documents that demonstrate that the applicant is organized in a jurisdiction in which its home country regulator applies to the applicant, on an ongoing basis, statutes, rules, regulations, policies, or a combination thereof that, taken together, are consistent with the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures;
(iv) A written representation from the applicant’s home country regulator that the applicant is in good regulatory standing;
(v) Copies of the applicant’s most recent disclosures that are necessary to observe the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures, including the financial market infrastructure disclosure template set forth in Annex A to the Disclosure Framework and Assessment Methodology for the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures, any other such disclosure framework issued under the authority of the International Organization of Securities Commissions that is required for observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures, and the URL to the specific page(s) on the applicant’s website where such disclosures may be found;
(vi) A representation that the applicant will comply with each of the requirements and conditions of exemption set forth in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, and the terms and conditions of its order of exemption as issued by the Commission;
(vii) A copy of the applicant’s rules that meet the requirements of paragraphs (b)(2) and (d) of this section, as applicable; and
(viii) The applicant’s consent to jurisdiction in the United States, and the name and address of the applicant’s designated agent in the United States, pursuant to paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
(3) Submission of supplemental information. At any time during its review of the application for exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization, the Commission may request that the applicant submit supplemental information in order for the Commission to process the application, and the applicant shall file such supplemental information in the format and manner specified by the Commission.
(4) Amendments to pending application. An applicant for exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization shall promptly amend its application if it discovers a material omission or error, or if there is a material change in the information provided to the Commission in the application or other information provided in connection with the application.
(5) Public information. The following sections of an application for exemption from registration as a derivatives clearing organization will be public: The cover letter set forth in paragraph (e)(2)(i) of this section; the documentation required in paragraphs (e)(2)(iii) and (e)(2)(v) of this section; rules that meet the requirements of paragraphs (b)(2) and (d) of this section, as applicable; and any other part of the application not covered by a request for confidential treatment, subject to § 145.9 of this chapter.
(f) Modification or termination of exemption upon Commission initiative. (1) The Commission may, in its discretion and upon its own initiative, terminate or modify the terms and conditions of an order of exemption from derivatives clearing organization registration if the Commission determines that there are changes to or omissions in material facts or circumstances pursuant to which the order of exemption was issued, or that any of the terms and conditions of its order of exemption have not been met, including, but not limited to, the requirement that:
(i) The exempt derivatives clearing organization observes the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures in all material respects; or
(ii) The exempt derivatives clearing organization is subject to comparable, comprehensive supervision and regulation by its home country regulator.
(2) The Commission shall provide written notification to an exempt derivatives clearing organization that it is considering whether to terminate or modify an exemption pursuant to this paragraph and the basis for that consideration.
(3) The exempt derivatives clearing organization may respond to the notification in writing no later than 30 business days following receipt of the notification, or at such later time as the Commission permits in writing.
(4) Following receipt of a response from the exempt derivatives clearing organization, or after expiration of the time permitted for a response, the Commission may:
(i) Issue an order of termination, effective as of a date to be specified therein. Such specified date shall be intended to provide the exempt derivatives clearing organization with a reasonable amount of time to wind down its swap clearing services for U.S. persons;
(ii) Issue an amended order of exemption that modifies the terms and conditions of the exemption; or
(iii) Provide written notification to the exempt derivatives clearing organization that the exemption will remain in effect without modification to the terms and conditions of the exemption.
(g) Termination of exemption upon request by an exempt derivatives clearing organization. (1) An exempt derivatives clearing organization may petition the Commission to terminate its exemption if:
(i) Changed circumstances result in the exempt derivatives clearing organization no longer qualifying for an exemption;
(ii) The exempt derivatives clearing organization intends to cease clearing swaps for U.S. persons; or
(iii) In conjunction with the petition, the exempt derivatives clearing organization submits an application for registration in accordance with § 39.3(a)(2) or § 39.3(a)(3), as applicable, to become a registered derivatives clearing organization pursuant to section 5b(a) of the Act.
(2) The petition for termination of exemption shall include a detailed explanation of the facts and circumstances supporting the request and the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s plans for, as may be applicable, the liquidation or transfer of the swaps positions and related collateral of U.S. persons.
(3) The Commission shall issue an order of termination within a reasonable time appropriate to the circumstances or, as applicable, in conjunction with the issuance of an order of registration.
(h) Notice to clearing members of termination of exemption. Following the Commission’s issuance of an order of termination (unless issued in conjunction with the issuance of an order of registration), the exempt derivatives clearing organization shall provide immediate notice of such termination to its clearing members. Such notice shall include:
(1) A copy of the Commission’s order of termination;
(2) A description of the procedures for orderly disposition of any open swaps positions that were cleared for U.S. persons; and
(3) An instruction to clearing members, requiring that they provide the exempt derivatives clearing organization’s notice of such termination to all U.S. persons clearing swaps through such clearing members.
§ 39.7 Enforceability.
An agreement, contract or transaction submitted to a derivatives clearing organization for clearing shall not be void, voidable, subject to rescission, or otherwise invalidated or rendered unenforceable as a result of:
(a) A violation by the derivatives clearing organization of the provisions of the Act or of Commission regulations; or
(b) Any Commission proceeding to alter or supplement a rule under section 8a(7) of the Act, to declare an emergency under section 8a(9) of the Act, or any other proceeding the effect of which is to alter, supplement, or require a derivatives clearing organization to adopt a specific rule or procedure, or to take or refrain from taking a specific action.
§ 39.8 Fraud in connection with the clearing of transactions on a derivatives clearing organization.
It shall be unlawful for any person, directly or indirectly, in or in connection with the clearing of transactions by a derivatives clearing organization:
(a) To cheat or defraud or attempt to cheat or defraud any person;
(b) Willfully to make or cause to be made to any person any false report or statement or cause to be entered for any person any false record; or
(c) Willfully to deceive or attempt to deceive any person by any means whatsoever.
Subpart B—Compliance with Core Principles
§ 39.9 Scope.
Except as otherwise provided by Commission order, the provisions of this subpart B apply to any derivatives clearing organization, as defined under section 1a(15) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter, that is registered with the Commission as a derivatives clearing organization pursuant to section 5b of the Act. The provisions of this subpart B do not apply to any exempt derivatives clearing organization, as defined under § 39.2.
§ 39.10 Compliance with core principles.
(a) To be registered and to maintain registration as a derivatives clearing organization, a derivatives clearing organization shall comply with each core principle set forth in section 5b(c)(2) of the Act and any requirement that the Commission may impose by rule or regulation pursuant to section 8a(5) of the Act; and
(b) Subject to any rule or regulation prescribed by the Commission, a registered derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in establishing the manner by which it complies with each core principle.
(c) Chief compliance officer—(1) Designation. Each derivatives clearing organization shall establish the position of chief compliance officer, designate an individual to serve as the chief compliance officer, and provide the chief compliance officer with the full responsibility and authority to develop and enforce, in consultation with the board of directors or the senior officer, appropriate compliance policies and procedures, to fulfill the duties set forth in the Act and Commission regulations.
(i) The individual designated to serve as chief compliance officer shall have the background and skills appropriate for fulfilling the responsibilities of the position. No individual who would be disqualified from registration under sections 8a(2) or 8a(3) of the Act may serve as a chief compliance officer.
(ii) The chief compliance officer shall report to the board of directors or the senior officer of the derivatives clearing organization or, if the derivatives clearing organization engages in substantial activities not related to clearing, the senior officer responsible for the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing activities. The board of directors or the senior officer shall approve the compensation of the chief compliance officer.
(iii) The chief compliance officer shall meet with the board of directors or the senior officer at least once a year.
(iv) A change in the designation of the individual serving as the chief compliance officer of the derivatives clearing organization shall be reported to the Commission in accordance with the requirements of § 39.19(c)(4)(x).
(2) Chief compliance officer duties. The chief compliance officer’s duties shall include, but are not limited to:
(i) Reviewing the derivatives clearing organization’s compliance with the core principles set forth in section 5b of the Act, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder;
(ii) In consultation with the board of directors or the senior officer, resolving any conflicts of interest that may arise;
(iii) Establishing and administering written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the Act;
(iv) Taking reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the Act and Commission regulations relating to agreements, contracts, or transactions, and with Commission regulations prescribed under section 5b of the Act;
(v) Establishing procedures for the remediation of noncompliance issues identified by the chief compliance officer through any compliance office review, look-back, internal or external audit finding, self-reported error, or validated complaint; and
(vi) Establishing and following appropriate procedures for the handling, management response, remediation, retesting, and closing of noncompliance issues.
(3) Annual report. The chief compliance officer shall, not less than annually, prepare and sign a written report that covers the most recently completed fiscal year of the derivatives clearing organization. The annual report shall, at a minimum:
(i) Contain a description of the derivatives clearing organization’s written policies and procedures, including the code of ethics and conflict of interest policies; provided that, to the extent that the derivatives clearing organization’s written policies and procedures have not materially changed since they were most recently described in an annual report to the Commission, and if the annual report containing the most recent description was submitted within the last five years, the annual report may instead incorporate by reference the relevant descriptions from the most recent annual report containing the description;
(ii) Review each core principle and applicable Commission regulation in this chapter including, in the case of systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations, regulations in subpart C of this part, and with respect to each:
(A) Identify, by name, rule number, or other identifier, the compliance policies and procedures that are designed to ensure compliance with each core principle and applicable regulation in this chapter;
(B) Provide an assessment as to the effectiveness of these policies and procedures;
(C) Discuss areas for improvement, and recommend potential or prospective changes or improvements to the derivatives clearing organization’s compliance program and resources allocated to compliance;
(iii) List any material changes to compliance policies and procedures since the last annual report;
(iv) Describe the financial, managerial, and operational resources set aside for compliance with the Act and Commission regulations; and
(v) Describe any material compliance matters, including incidents of noncompliance, since the date of the last annual report, and describe the corresponding action taken.
(4) Submission of annual report to the Commission. (i) Prior to submitting the annual report to the Commission, the chief compliance officer shall provide the annual report to the board of directors or the senior officer of the derivatives clearing organization or, if the derivatives clearing organization engages in substantial activities not related to clearing, the senior officer responsible for the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing activities, for review. Submission of the report to the board of directors or the senior officer shall be recorded in the board minutes or otherwise, as evidence of compliance with the requirement in this paragraph (c)(4)(i). The annual report shall describe the process by which it was submitted to the board of directors or the senior officer. When submitted to the Commission, the annual report shall be accompanied by a cover letter, notice, or other document that specifies the date on which it was submitted to the board of directors or the senior officer.
(ii) The annual report shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission not more than 90 days after the end of the derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal year. The report shall include a certification by the chief compliance officer that, to the best of his or her knowledge and reasonable belief, and under penalty of law, the annual report is accurate and complete.
(iii) The derivatives clearing organization shall promptly submit an amended annual report if material errors or omissions in the report are identified after submission. An amendment must contain the certification required under paragraph (c)(4)(ii) of this section.
(iv) A derivatives clearing organization may request from the Commission an extension of time to submit its annual report in accordance with § 39.19(c)(3) of this part.
(5) Recordkeeping. (i) The derivatives clearing organization shall maintain:
(A) A copy of all compliance policies and procedures and all other policies and procedures adopted in furtherance of compliance with the Act and Commission regulations;
(B) Copies of materials, including written reports provided to the board of directors or the senior officer in connection with the review of the annual report under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section; and
(C) Any records relevant to the annual report, including, but not limited to, work papers and other documents that form the basis of the report, and memoranda, correspondence, other documents, and records that are created, sent, or received in connection with the annual report and contain conclusions, opinions, analyses, or financial data related to the annual report.
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization shall maintain records in accordance with § 1.31 of this chapter and § 39.20 of this part.
(d) Enterprise risk management—(1) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall have an enterprise risk management program that identifies and assesses sources of risk and their potential impact on the operations and services of the derivatives clearing organization. The derivatives clearing organization shall measure, monitor, and manage identified sources of risk on an ongoing basis, including through the development and use of appropriate information systems. The derivatives clearing organization shall test the effectiveness of any mitigating controls employed to reduce identified sources of risk to ensure that the risks are properly mitigated.
(2) Enterprise risk management framework. A derivatives clearing organization shall establish and maintain written policies and procedures, approved by its board of directors or a committee of the board of directors that establish an appropriate enterprise risk management framework. The framework shall be reviewed at least annually by the board of directors or committee of the board of directors and updated as necessary.
(3) Standards for enterprise risk management framework. A derivatives clearing organization shall follow generally accepted standards and industry best practices in the development and review of its enterprise risk management framework, assessment of the performance of its enterprise risk management program, and management and mitigation of risk to the derivatives clearing organization.
(4) Enterprise risk officer. A derivatives clearing organization shall identify as its enterprise risk officer an appropriate individual that exercises the full responsibility and authority to manage the enterprise risk management program of the derivatives clearing organization. The enterprise risk officer shall have the authority, independence, resources, expertise, and access to relevant information necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, including access to the board of directors of the organization for which the enterprise risk officer is responsible for managing the risks or an appropriate committee thereof, consistent with the requirements of this section.
§ 39.11 Financial resources.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall have adequate financial, operational, and managerial resources, as determined by the Commission, to discharge each responsibility of the derivatives clearing organization. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain sufficient financial resources to cover its exposures with a high degree of confidence. At a minimum, each derivatives clearing organization shall possess financial resources that exceed the total amount that would:
(1) Enable the derivatives clearing organization to meet its financial obligations to its clearing members notwithstanding a default by the clearing member creating the largest financial exposure for the derivatives clearing organization in extreme but plausible market conditions; Provided that if a clearing member controls another clearing member or is under common control with another clearing member, the affiliated clearing members shall be deemed to be a single clearing member for purposes of this provision; and
(2) Enable the derivatives clearing organization to cover its operating costs for a period of at least one year, calculated on a rolling basis. A derivatives clearing organization shall identify and adequately manage its general business risks and hold sufficient liquid resources to cover potential business losses that are not related to clearing members’ defaults, so that the derivatives clearing organization can continue to provide services as a going concern.
(b) Types of financial resources. (1) Financial resources available to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section may include:
(i) The derivatives clearing organization’s own capital;
(ii) Guaranty fund deposits;
(iii) Default insurance;
(iv) Potential assessments for additional guaranty fund contributions, if permitted by the derivatives clearing organization’s rules; and
(v) Any other financial resource deemed acceptable by the Commission.
(2) Financial resources available to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section may include:
(i) The derivatives clearing organization’s own capital; and
(ii) Any other financial resource deemed acceptable by the Commission.
(3) A financial resource may be allocated, in whole or in part, to satisfy the requirements of either paragraph (a)(1) or paragraph (a)(2) of this section, but not both paragraphs, and only to the extent the use of such financial resource is not otherwise limited by the Act, Commission regulations, the derivatives clearing organization’s rules, or any contractual arrangements to which the derivatives clearing organization is a party.
(c) Calculation of financial resources requirements. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall, on a monthly basis, perform stress tests that will allow it to make a reasonable calculation of the financial resources needed to meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in determining the methodology used to calculate the requirements, subject to the limitations identified in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, and provided that the methodology must take into account both historical data and hypothetical scenarios. The Commission may review the methodology and require changes as appropriate. The requirements of this paragraph (c) do not apply to fully collateralized positions.
(2) When calculating its largest financial exposure, a derivatives clearing organization:
(i) In netting its exposure against the clearing member’s initial margin, shall:
(A) Use only that portion of the margin amount on deposit (including initial margin and any add-ons) that is required; and
(B) Use customer margin (including initial margin and any add-ons) only to the extent permitted by parts 1 and 22 of this chapter, as applicable;
(ii) Shall combine the customer and house stress test losses of each clearing member using the same stress test scenarios;
(iii) May net any gains in the house account with losses in the customer account, if permitted by the derivatives clearing organization’s rules, but shall not net losses in the house account with gains in the customer account; and
(iv) With respect to a clearing member’s cleared swaps customer account, may net customer gains against customer losses only to the extent permitted by the derivatives clearing organization’s rules.
(3) A derivatives clearing organization shall, on a monthly basis, make a reasonable calculation of its projected operating costs over a 12-month period in order to determine the amount needed to meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section. The derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in determining the methodology used to compute such projected operating costs. The Commission may review the methodology and require changes as appropriate.
(d) Valuation of financial resources. (1) At appropriate intervals, but not less than monthly, a derivatives clearing organization shall compute the current market value of each financial resource used to meet its obligations under paragraph (a) of this section. Reductions in value to reflect credit, market, and liquidity risks (haircuts) shall be applied as appropriate and evaluated on a monthly basis.
(2) If assessments for additional guaranty fund contributions are permitted by the derivatives clearing organization’s rules, in calculating the financial resources available to meet its obligations under paragraph (a)(1) of this section:
(i) The derivatives clearing organization shall have rules requiring that its clearing members have the ability to meet an assessment within the time frame of a normal end-of-day variation settlement cycle;
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization shall monitor the financial and operational capacity of its clearing members to meet potential assessments;
(iii) The derivatives clearing organization shall apply a 30 percent haircut to the value of potential assessments, and
(iv) The derivatives clearing organization shall only count the value of assessments, after the haircut, to meet up to 20 percent of the total amount required under paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The value of the assessments may be determined by using the largest financial exposure in extreme but plausible market conditions prior to netting against required initial margin on deposit.
(e) Liquidity of financial resources. (1) (i) The derivatives clearing organization shall effectively measure, monitor, and manage its liquidity risks, maintaining sufficient liquid resources such that it can, at a minimum, fulfill its cash obligations when due. The derivatives clearing organization shall hold assets in a manner where the risk of loss or of delay in its access to them is minimized.
(ii) The financial resources allocated by the derivatives clearing organization to meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall be sufficiently liquid to enable the derivatives clearing organization to fulfill its obligations as a central counterparty during a one-day settlement cycle. The derivatives clearing organization shall maintain cash, U.S. Treasury obligations, or high quality, liquid, general obligations of a sovereign nation, in an amount greater than or equal to an amount calculated as follows:
(A) Calculate the average daily settlement variation pay for each clearing member over the last fiscal quarter;
(B) Calculate the sum of those average daily settlement variation pays; and
(C) Using that sum, calculate the average of its clearing members’ average daily settlement variation pays.
(iii) If the total amount of the financial resources required pursuant to the calculation set forth in paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this section is insufficient to enable the derivatives clearing organization to fulfill its obligations during a one-day settlement cycle, the derivatives clearing organization may take into account a committed line of credit or similar facility for the purpose of meeting the remainder of the requirement of this paragraph (e) (subject to the limitation in paragraph (e)(3) of this section).
(iv) A derivatives clearing organization is not subject to paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this section for fully collateralized positions.
(2) The financial resources allocated by the derivatives clearing organization to meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section must include unencumbered, liquid financial assets (i.e., cash and/or highly liquid securities) sufficient to enable the derivatives clearing organization to cover its operating costs for a period of at least six months. If the financial resources allocated to meet the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section do not include such assets in a sufficient amount, the derivatives clearing organization may take into account a committed line of credit or similar facility for the purpose of meeting the requirements of this paragraph (subject to the limitation in paragraph (e)(3) of this section).
(3) A committed line of credit or similar facility may be allocated, in whole or in part, to satisfy the requirements of either paragraph (e)(1)(ii) or (e)(2) of this section, but not both paragraphs.
(4)(i) Assets in a guaranty fund shall have minimal credit, market, and liquidity risks and shall be readily accessible on a same-day basis;
(ii) Cash balances shall be invested or placed in safekeeping in a manner that bears little or no principal risk; and
(iii) Letters of credit shall not be a permissible asset for a guaranty fund.
(f) Reporting requirements. (1) Quarterly reporting. Each fiscal quarter, or at any time upon Commission request, a derivatives clearing organization shall:
(i) Report to the Commission;
(A) The amount of financial resources necessary to meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section and §§ 39.33(a) and 39.39(d), if applicable;
(B) The value of each financial resource available, computed in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section; and
(C) The manner in which the derivatives clearing organization meets the liquidity requirements of paragraph (e) of this section;
(ii) Provide the Commission with a financial statement, including the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, of the derivatives clearing organization; provided, however, that for a derivatives clearing organization that is incorporated or organized under the laws of any foreign country, the financial statement may be prepared in accordance with either U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board; and
(iii) Report to the Commission the value of each individual clearing member’s guaranty fund deposit, if the derivatives clearing organization reports having guaranty fund deposits as a financial resource available to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section and §§ 39.33(a) and 39.39(d), if applicable.
(iv) The calculations required by this paragraph (f) shall be made as of the last business day of the derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal quarter. The report shall be submitted not later than 17 business days after the end of the derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal quarter, or at such later time as the Commission may permit, in its discretion, upon request by the derivatives clearing organization.
(2) Annual reporting. (i) A derivatives clearing organization shall submit to the Commission an audited year-end financial statement of the derivatives clearing organization calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; provided, however, that for a derivatives clearing organization that is incorporated or organized under the laws of any foreign country, the financial statement may be prepared in accordance with either U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or the International Financial Reporting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
(ii) The report required by paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section shall be submitted not later than 90 days after the end of the derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal year, or at such later time as the Commission may permit, in its discretion, upon request by the derivatives clearing organization.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization shall submit concurrently with the audited year-end financial statement required by paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section:
(A) A reconciliation, including appropriate explanations, of its balance sheet in the audited year-end financial statement with the balance sheet in the derivatives clearing organization’s financial statement for the last quarter of the fiscal year when material differences exist or, if no material differences exist, a statement so indicating; and
(B) Such further information as may be necessary to make the statements not misleading.
(3) Other reporting. (i) A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission as part of its first report under paragraph (f)(1) of this section, and in the event of any change thereafter:
(A) Sufficient documentation explaining the methodology used to compute its financial resources requirements under paragraph (a) of this section and §§ 39.33(a) and 39.39(d), if applicable; and
(B) Sufficient documentation explaining the basis for its determinations regarding the valuation and liquidity requirements set forth in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission copies of any agreements establishing or amending a credit facility, insurance coverage, or other arrangement evidencing or otherwise supporting the derivatives clearing organization’s conclusions regarding its:
(A) Financial resources available to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section and §§ 39.33(a) and 39.39(d), if applicable; and
(B) Liquidity resources available to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section and § 39.33(c), if applicable.
(4) Certification. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide with each report submitted pursuant to this section a certification by the person responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the report that, to the best of his or her knowledge and reasonable belief, and under penalty of law, the information contained in the report is accurate and complete.
§ 39.12 Participant and product eligibility.
(a) Participant eligibility. A derivatives clearing organization shall have appropriate admission and continuing participation requirements for clearing members of the derivatives clearing organization that are objective, publicly disclosed, and risk-based.
(1) Fair and open access for participation. The participation requirements shall permit fair and open access;
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall not have restrictive clearing member standards if less restrictive requirements that achieve the same objective and that would not materially increase risk to the derivatives clearing organization or clearing members could be adopted;
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall allow all market participants who satisfy participation requirements to become clearing members;
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization shall not exclude or limit clearing membership of certain types of market participants unless the derivatives clearing organization can demonstrate that the restriction is necessary to address credit risk or deficiencies in the participants’ operational capabilities that would prevent them from fulfilling their obligations as clearing members.
(iv) A derivatives clearing organization shall not require that clearing members be swap dealers.
(v) A derivatives clearing organization shall not require that clearing members maintain a swap portfolio of any particular size, or that clearing members meet a swap transaction volume threshold.
(vi) No derivatives clearing organization shall require as a condition of accepting a swap for clearing that a futures commission merchant enter into an arrangement with a customer that:
(A) Discloses to the futures commission merchant or any swap dealer or major swap participant the identity of a customer’s original executing counterparty;
(B) Limits the number of counterparties with whom a customer may enter into trades;
(C) Restricts the size of the position a customer may take with any individual counterparty, apart from an overall limit for all positions held by the customer at the futures commission merchant;
(D) Impairs a customer’s access to execution of a trade on terms that have a reasonable relationship to the best terms available; or
(E) Prevents compliance with the time frames set forth in § 1.74(b), § 23.610(b), or § 39.12(b)(7) of this chapter.
(2) Financial resources. (i) The participation requirements shall require clearing members to have access to sufficient financial resources to meet obligations arising from participation in the derivatives clearing organization in extreme but plausible market conditions. A derivatives clearing organization may permit such financial resources to include, without limitation, a clearing member’s capital, a guarantee from the clearing member’s parent, or a credit facility funding arrangement. For purposes of this paragraph, “capital” means adjusted net capital as defined in § 1.17 of this chapter, for futures commission merchants, and net capital as defined in § 240.15c3-1of this title, for broker-dealers, or any similar risk adjusted capital calculation for all other clearing members.
(ii) The participation requirements shall set forth capital requirements that are based on objective, transparent, and commonly accepted standards that appropriately match capital to risk. Capital requirements shall be scalable to the risks posed by clearing members.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization shall not set a minimum capital requirement of more than $50 million for any person that seeks to become a clearing member in order to clear swaps.
(3) Operational requirements. The participation requirements shall require clearing members to have adequate operational capacity to meet obligations arising from participation in the derivatives clearing organization. The requirements shall include, but are not limited to: the ability to process expected volumes and values of transactions cleared by a clearing member within required time frames, including at peak times and on peak days; the ability to fulfill collateral, payment, and delivery obligations imposed by the derivatives clearing organization; and the ability to participate in default management activities under the rules of the derivatives clearing organization and in accordance with § 39.16 of this part.
(4) Monitoring. A derivatives clearing organization shall have procedures to verify, on an ongoing basis, the compliance of each clearing member with each participation requirement of the derivatives clearing organization.
(5) Reporting. (i) A derivatives clearing organization shall require all clearing members, including non-futures commission merchants, to provide to the derivatives clearing organization periodic financial reports that contain any financial information that the derivatives clearing organization determines is necessary to assess whether participation requirements are being met on an ongoing basis.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall require clearing members that are futures commission merchants to provide the financial reports that are specified in § 1.10 of this chapter to the derivatives clearing organization.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization shall require clearing members that are not futures commission merchants to make the periodic financial reports provided pursuant to paragraph (a)(5)(i) of this section available to the Commission upon the Commission’s request or, in lieu of imposing the requirement in this paragraph (a)(5)(iii), a derivatives clearing organization may provide such financial reports directly to the Commission upon the Commission’s request.
(iv) A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that require clearing members to provide to the derivatives clearing organization, in a timely manner, information that concerns any financial or business developments that may materially affect the clearing members’ ability to continue to comply with participation requirements under this section.
(v) The requirements in paragraphs (a)(5)(i) and (iii) of this section shall not apply with respect to non-futures commission merchant clearing members of a derivatives clearing organization that only clear fully collateralized positions.
(6) Enforcement. A derivatives clearing organization shall have the ability to enforce compliance with its participation requirements and shall have procedures for the suspension and orderly removal of clearing members that no longer meet the requirements.
(b) Product eligibility. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall have appropriate requirements for determining the eligibility of agreements, contracts, or transactions submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing, taking into account the derivatives clearing organization’s ability to manage the risks associated with such agreements, contracts, or transactions. Factors to be considered in determining product eligibility include, but are not limited to:
(i) Trading volume;
(ii) Liquidity;
(iii) Availability of reliable prices;
(iv) Ability of market participants to use portfolio compression with respect to a particular swap product;
(v) Ability of the derivatives clearing organization and clearing members to gain access to the relevant market for purposes of creating, liquidating, transferring, auctioning, and/or allocating positions;
(vi) Ability of the derivatives clearing organization to measure risk for purposes of setting margin requirements; and
(vii) Operational capacity of the derivatives clearing organization and clearing members to address any unusual risk characteristics of a product.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization that clears swaps shall have rules providing that all swaps with the same terms and conditions, as defined by product specifications established under derivatives clearing organization rules, submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing are economically equivalent within the derivatives clearing organization and may be offset with each other within the derivatives clearing organization.
(3) A derivatives clearing organization shall provide for non-discriminatory clearing of a swap executed bilaterally or on or subject to the rules of an unaffiliated swap execution facility or designated contract market.
(4) A derivatives clearing organization shall not require that one of the original executing parties be a clearing member in order for a product to be eligible for clearing.
(5) A derivatives clearing organization shall select product unit sizes and other terms and conditions that maximize liquidity, facilitate transparency in pricing, promote open access, and allow for effective risk management. To the extent appropriate to further these objectives, a derivatives clearing organization shall select product units for clearing purposes that are smaller than the product units in which trades submitted for clearing were executed.
(6) A derivatives clearing organization that clears swaps shall have rules providing that, upon acceptance of a swap by the derivatives clearing organization for clearing:
(i) The original swap is extinguished;
(ii) The original swap is replaced by an equal and opposite swap between the derivatives clearing organization and each clearing member acting as principal for a house trade or acting as agent for a customer trade;
(iii) All terms of a cleared swap must conform to product specifications established under derivatives clearing organization rules; and
(iv) If a swap is cleared by a clearing member on behalf of a customer, all terms of the swap, as carried in the customer account on the books of the clearing member, must conform to the terms of the cleared swap established under the derivatives clearing organization’s rules.
(7) Time frame for clearing—(i) Coordination with markets and clearing members. (A) Each derivatives clearing organization shall coordinate with each designated contract market and swap execution facility that lists for trading a product that is cleared by the derivatives clearing organization in developing rules and procedures to facilitate prompt, efficient, and accurate processing of all transactions submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing.
(B) Each derivatives clearing organization shall coordinate with each clearing member that is a futures commission merchant, swap dealer, or major swap participant to establish systems that enable the clearing member, or the derivatives clearing organization acting on its behalf, to accept or reject each trade submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing by or for the clearing member or a customer of the clearing member as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used.
(ii) Transactions executed competitively on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or swap execution facility. A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that provide that the derivatives clearing organization will accept or reject for clearing as quickly after execution as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used, all contracts that are listed for clearing by the derivatives clearing organization and are executed competitively on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility. The derivatives clearing organization shall accept all trades:
(A) For which the executing parties have clearing arrangements in place with clearing members of the derivatives clearing organization;
(B) For which the executing parties identify the derivatives clearing organization as the intended clearinghouse; and
(C) That satisfy the criteria of the derivatives clearing organization, including but not limited to applicable risk filters; provided that such criteria are non-discriminatory across trading venues and are applied as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used.
(iii) Swaps not executed on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility or executed non-competitively on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility. A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that provide that the derivatives clearing organization will accept or reject for clearing as quickly after submission to the derivatives clearing organization as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used, all swaps that are listed for clearing by the derivatives clearing organization and are not executed on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility or executed non-competitively on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility. The derivatives clearing organization shall accept all trades:
(A) That are submitted by the parties to the derivatives clearing organization, in accordance with § 23.506 of this chapter;
(B) For which the executing parties have clearing arrangements in place with clearing members of the derivatives clearing organization;
(C) For which the executing parties identify the derivatives clearing organization as the intended clearinghouse; and
(D) That satisfy the criteria of the derivatives clearing organization, including but not limited to applicable risk filters; provided that such criteria are non-discriminatory across trading venues and are applied as quickly as would be technologically practicable if fully automated systems were used.
(8) Confirmation. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide each clearing member carrying a cleared swap with a definitive written record of the terms of the transaction which shall legally supersede any previous agreement and serve as a confirmation of the swap. The confirmation of all terms of the transaction shall take place at the same time as the swap is accepted for clearing.
§ 39.13 Risk management.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall ensure that it possesses the ability to manage the risks associated with discharging the responsibilities of the derivatives clearing organization through the use of appropriate tools and procedures.
(b) Risk management framework. A derivatives clearing organization shall have and implement written policies, procedures, and controls, approved by its board of directors, that establish an appropriate risk management framework that, at a minimum, clearly identifies and documents the range of risks to which the derivatives clearing organization is exposed, addresses the monitoring and management of the entirety of those risks, and provides a mechanism for internal audit. The risk management framework shall be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.
(c) Chief risk officer. A derivatives clearing organization shall have a chief risk officer who shall be responsible for implementing the risk management framework, including the procedures, policies and controls described in paragraph (b) of this section, and for making appropriate recommendations to the derivatives clearing organization’s risk management committee or board of directors, as applicable, regarding the derivatives clearing organization’s risk management functions.
(d) [Reserved]
(e) Measurement of credit exposure. A derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Measure its credit exposure to each clearing member and mark to market such clearing member’s open house and customer positions at least once each business day; and
(2) Monitor its credit exposure to each clearing member periodically during each business day.
(f) Limitation of exposure to potential losses from defaults. A derivatives clearing organization shall limit its exposure to potential losses from defaults by its clearing members through margin requirements and other risk control mechanisms reasonably designed to ensure that:
(1) The operations of the derivatives clearing organization would not be disrupted; and
(2) Non-defaulting clearing members would not be exposed to losses that non-defaulting clearing members cannot anticipate or control.
(g) Margin requirements—(1) General. Each model and parameter used in setting initial margin requirements shall be risk-based and reviewed on a regular basis.
(2) Methodology and coverage.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall have initial margin requirements that are commensurate with the risks of each product and portfolio, including any unusual characteristics of, or risks associated with, particular products or portfolios.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall use models that generate initial margin requirements sufficient to cover the derivatives clearing organization’s potential future exposures to clearing members based on price movements in the interval between the last collection of variation margin and the time within which the derivatives clearing organization estimates that it would be able to liquidate a defaulting clearing member’s positions (liquidation time); provided, however, that a derivatives clearing organization shall use:
(A) A minimum liquidation time that is one day for futures and options;
(B) A minimum liquidation time that is one day for swaps on agricultural commodities, energy commodities, and metals;
(C) A minimum liquidation time that is five days for all other swaps; or
(D) Such longer liquidation time as is appropriate based on the specific characteristics of a particular product or portfolio; provided further that the Commission, by order, may establish shorter or longer liquidation times for particular products or portfolios.
(iii) The actual coverage of the initial margin requirements produced by such models, along with projected measures of the models’ performance, shall meet an established confidence level of at least 99 percent, based on data from an appropriate historic time period, for:
(A) Each product for which the derivatives clearing organization uses a product-based margin methodology;
(B) Each spread within or between products for which there is a defined spread margin rate;
(C) Each account held by a clearing member at the derivatives clearing organization, by house origin and by each customer origin; and
(D) Each swap portfolio, including any portfolio containing futures and/or options and held in a commingled account pursuant to § 39.15(b)(2) of this part, by beneficial owner.
(iv) A derivatives clearing organization shall determine the appropriate historic time period based on the characteristics, including volatility patterns, as applicable, of each product, spread, account, or portfolio.
(3) Independent validation. A derivatives clearing organization shall have its systems for generating initial margin requirements, including its theoretical models, reviewed and validated by a qualified and independent party on an annual basis. Where no material changes to the margin model have occurred, previous validations can be reviewed and affirmed as part of the annual review process. Qualified and independent parties may be independent contractors or employees of the derivatives clearing organization, or of an affiliate of the derivatives clearing organization, but shall not be persons responsible for development or operation of the systems and models being tested.
(4) Spread and portfolio margins. (i) A derivatives clearing organization may allow reductions in initial margin requirements for related positions if the price risks with respect to such positions are significantly and reliably correlated. The price risks of different positions will only be considered to be reliably correlated if there is a conceptual basis for the correlation in addition to an exhibited statistical correlation. That conceptual basis may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) The products on which the positions are based are complements of, or substitutes for, each other;
(B) One product is a significant input into the other product(s);
(C) The products share a significant common input; or
(D) The prices of the products are influenced by common external factors.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall regularly review its margin reductions and the correlations on which they are based.
(5) Price data. A derivatives clearing organization shall have a reliable source of timely price data in order to measure the derivatives clearing organization’s credit exposure accurately. A derivatives clearing organization shall also have written procedures and sound valuation models for addressing circumstances where pricing data is not readily available or reliable.
(6) Daily review. On a daily basis, a derivatives clearing organization shall determine the adequacy of its initial margin requirements.
(7) Backtests. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct backtests, as defined in § 39.2 of this part, using an appropriate time period but not less than the previous 30 days, as follows:
(i) On a daily basis, a derivatives clearing organization shall conduct back tests with respect to products or swap portfolios that are experiencing significant market volatility, to test the adequacy of its initial margin requirements, as follows:
(A) For that product if the derivatives clearing organization uses a product-based margin methodology;
(B) For each spread involving that product if there is a defined spread margin rate;
(C) For each account held by a clearing member at the derivatives clearing organization that contains a significant position in that product, by house origin and by each customer origin; and
(D) For each such swap portfolio, including any portfolio containing futures and/or options and held in a commingled account pursuant to § 39.15(b)(2) of this part, by beneficial owner.
(ii) On at least a monthly basis, a derivatives clearing organization shall conduct back tests to test the adequacy of its initial margin requirements, as follows:
(A) For each product for which the derivatives clearing organization uses a product-based margin methodology;
(B) For each spread for which there is a defined spread margin rate;
(C) For each account held by a clearing member at the derivatives clearing organization, by house origin and by each customer origin; and
(D) For each swap portfolio, including any portfolio containing futures and/or options and held in a commingled account pursuant to § 39.15(b)(2) of this part, by beneficial owner.
(iii) In conducting back tests of initial margin requirements, a derivatives clearing organization shall compare portfolio losses only to those components of initial margin that capture changes in market risk factors.
(8) Customer margin—(i) Gross margin. (A) During the end-of-day settlement cycle, a derivatives clearing organization shall collect initial margin on a gross basis for each clearing member’s customer account(s) equal to the sum of the initial margin amounts that would be required by the derivatives clearing organization for each individual customer within that account if each individual customer were a clearing member.
(B) For purposes of calculating the gross initial margin requirement for each clearing member’s customer account(s), a derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that require its clearing members to provide to the derivatives clearing organization reports each day setting forth end-of-day gross positions of each individual customer account within each customer origin of the clearing member.
(C) A derivatives clearing organization may not, and may not permit its clearing members to, net positions of different customers against one another.
(D) A derivatives clearing organization may collect initial margin for its clearing members’ house accounts on a net basis.
(ii) Customer initial margin requirements. A derivatives clearing organization shall require its clearing members to collect customer initial margin at a level that is not less than 100 percent of the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing initial margin requirements with respect to each product and portfolio and commensurate with the risk presented by each customer account. The derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in determining clearing initial margin requirements for products or portfolios. The derivatives clearing organization shall also have reasonable discretion in determining whether and by how much customer initial margin requirements shall, at a minimum, exceed clearing initial margin requirements for categories of customers determined by the clearing member to have heightened risk profiles. The Commission may review such customer initial margin levels and require different levels if the Commission deems the levels insufficient to protect the financial integrity of the derivatives clearing organization or its clearing members.
(iii) Withdrawal of customer initial margin. A derivatives clearing organization shall require its clearing members to ensure that their customers do not withdraw funds from their accounts with such clearing members unless the net liquidating value plus the margin deposits remaining in a customer’s account after such withdrawal are sufficient to meet the customer initial margin requirements with respect to all products and swap portfolios held in such customer’s account which are cleared by the derivatives clearing organization.
(9) Time deadlines. A derivatives clearing organization shall establish and enforce time deadlines for initial and variation margin payments to the derivatives clearing organization by its clearing members.
(10) Types of assets. A derivatives clearing organization shall limit the assets it accepts as initial margin to those that have minimal credit, market, and liquidity risks. A derivatives clearing organization may take into account the specific risk-reducing properties that particular assets have in a particular portfolio. A derivatives clearing organization may accept letters of credit as initial margin for futures and options on futures but shall not accept letters of credit as initial margin for swaps.
(11) Valuation. A derivatives clearing organization shall use prudent valuation practices to value assets posted as initial margin on a daily basis.
(12) Haircuts. A derivatives clearing organization shall apply appropriate reductions in value to reflect credit, market, and liquidity risks (haircuts), to the assets that it accepts in satisfaction of initial margin obligations, taking into consideration stressed market conditions, and shall evaluate the appropriateness of the haircuts on at least a monthly basis.
(13) Concentration limits or charges. A derivatives clearing organization shall apply appropriate limitations or charges on the concentration of assets posted as initial margin, as necessary, in order to ensure its ability to liquidate such assets quickly with minimal adverse price effects, and shall evaluate the appropriateness of any such concentration limits or charges, on at least a monthly basis.
(14) Pledged assets. If a derivatives clearing organization permits its clearing members to pledge assets for initial margin while retaining such assets in accounts in the names of such clearing members, the derivatives clearing organization shall ensure that such assets are unencumbered and that such a pledge has been validly created and validly perfected in the relevant jurisdiction.
(h) Other risk control mechanisms— (1) Risk limits.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall impose risk limits on each clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin, in order to prevent a clearing member from carrying positions for which the risk exposure exceeds a specified threshold relative to the clearing member’s and/or the derivatives clearing organization’s financial resources. The derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in determining:
(A) The method of computing risk exposure;
(B) The applicable threshold(s); and
(C) The applicable financial resources under this provision; provided however, that the ratio of exposure to capital must remain the same across all capital levels. The Commission may review such methods, thresholds, and financial resources and require the application of different methods, thresholds, or financial resources, as appropriate.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization may permit a clearing member to exceed the threshold(s) applied pursuant to paragraph (h)(1)(i) of this section provided that the derivatives clearing organization requires the clearing member to post additional initial margin that the derivatives clearing organization deems sufficient to appropriately eliminate excessive risk exposure at the clearing member. The Commission may review the amount of additional initial margin and require a different amount of additional initial margin, as appropriate.
(2) Large trader reports. A derivatives clearing organization shall obtain from its clearing members or from a relevant designated contract market or swap execution facility, copies of all reports that are required to be filed with the Commission by, or on behalf of, such clearing members pursuant to parts 17 and 20 of this chapter. A derivatives clearing organization shall review such reports on a daily basis to ascertain the risk of the overall portfolio of each large trader, including futures, options, and swaps cleared by the derivatives clearing organization, which are held by all clearing members carrying accounts for each such large trader, and shall take additional actions with respect to such clearing members, when appropriate, as specified in paragraph (h)(6) of this section, in order to address any risks posed by any such large trader.
(3) Stress tests. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct stress tests, as defined in § 39.2 of this part, as follows:
(i) On a daily basis, a derivatives clearing organization shall conduct stress tests with respect to each large trader who poses significant risk to a clearing member or the derivatives clearing organization, including futures, options, and swaps cleared by the derivatives clearing organization, which are held by all clearing members carrying accounts for each such large trader. The derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in determining which traders to test and the methodology used to conduct such stress tests. The Commission may review the selection of accounts and the methodology and require changes, as appropriate.
(ii) On at least a weekly basis, a derivatives clearing organization shall conduct stress tests with respect to each clearing member account, by house origin and by each customer origin, and each swap portfolio, including any portfolio containing futures and/or options and held in a commingled account pursuant to § 39.15(b)(2) of this part, by beneficial owner, under extreme but plausible market conditions. The derivatives clearing organization shall have reasonable discretion in determining the methodology used to conduct such stress tests. The Commission may review the methodology and require changes, as appropriate.
(iii) The requirements in paragraphs (h)(3)(i) and (ii) of this section do not apply with respect to clearing member accounts that hold only fully collateralized positions.
(4) Portfolio compression. A derivatives clearing organization shall make portfolio compression exercises available, on a regular and voluntary basis, for its clearing members that clear swaps, to the extent that such exercises are appropriate for those swaps that it clears; provided, however, a derivatives clearing organization is not required to develop its own portfolio compression services, and is only required to make such portfolio compression exercises available, if applicable portfolio compression services have been developed by a third party.
(5) Clearing members’ risk management policies and procedures.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that:
(A) Require its clearing members to maintain current written risk management policies and procedures, which address the risks that such clearing members may pose to the derivatives clearing organization; and
(B) Require its clearing members to provide to the derivatives clearing organization or the Commission, upon request, information and documents regarding their risk management policies, procedures, and practices, including, but not limited to, information and documents relating to the liquidity of their financial resources and their settlement procedures.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall review the risk management policies, procedures, and practices of each of its clearing members, which address the risks that such clearing members may pose to the derivatives clearing organization, on a periodic basis, take appropriate action to address concerns identified in such reviews, and document such reviews and the basis for determining what action was appropriate to take.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization that clears fully collateralized positions may exclude from the requirements of paragraphs (h)(5)(i) and (ii) of this section those clearing members that clear only fully collateralized positions.
(6) Additional authority. A derivatives clearing organization shall take additional actions with respect to particular clearing members, when appropriate, based on the application of objective and prudent risk management standards including, but not limited to:
(i) Imposing enhanced capital requirements;
(ii) Imposing enhanced margin requirements;
(iii) Imposing position limits;
(iv) Prohibiting an increase in positions;
(v) Requiring a reduction of positions;
(vi) Liquidating or transferring positions; and
(vii) Suspending or revoking clearing membership.
(i) Cross-margining. (1) A derivatives clearing organization that seeks to implement or modify a cross-margining program with one or more clearing organizations shall submit rules for Commission approval pursuant to § 40.5 of this chapter. The submission shall include information sufficient for the Commission to understand the risks that would be posed by the program and the means by which the derivatives clearing organization would address and mitigate those risks.
(2) The Commission may request additional information in support of a rule submission filed under this paragraph (i), and may approve such rules in accordance with § 40.5 of this chapter.
§ 39.14 Settlement procedures.
(a) Definitions—(1) Settlement. For purposes of this section, “settlement” means:
(i) Payment and receipt of variation margin for futures, options, and swaps;
(ii) Payment and receipt of option premiums;
(iii) Deposit and withdrawal of initial margin for futures, options, and swaps;
(iv) All payments due in final settlement of futures, options, and swaps on the final settlement date with respect to such positions; and
(v) All other cash flows collected from or paid to each clearing member, including but not limited to, payments related to swaps such as coupon amounts.
(2) Settlement bank. For purposes of this section, “settlement bank” means a bank that maintains an account either for the derivatives clearing organization or for any of its clearing members, which is used for the purpose of any settlement described in paragraph (a)(1) above.
(b) Daily settlements. Except as otherwise provided by Commission order, a derivatives clearing organization shall effect a settlement with each clearing member at least once each business day, and shall have the authority and operational capacity to effect a settlement with each clearing member, on an intraday basis, either routinely, when thresholds specified by the derivatives clearing organization are breached, or in times of extreme market volatility.
(c) Settlement banks. A derivatives clearing organization shall employ settlement arrangements that eliminate or strictly limit its exposure to settlement bank risks, including the credit and liquidity risks arising from the use of such bank(s) to effect settlements with its clearing members, as follows:
(1) A derivatives clearing organization shall have documented criteria that must be met by any settlement bank used by the derivatives clearing organization or its clearing members, including criteria addressing the capitalization, creditworthiness, access to liquidity, operational reliability, and regulation or supervision of such bank(s).
(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall monitor each approved settlement bank on an ongoing basis to ensure that such bank continues to meet the criteria established pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
(3) A derivatives clearing organization shall monitor the full range and concentration of its exposures to its own and its clearing members’ settlement bank(s) and assess its own and its clearing members’ potential losses and liquidity pressures in the event that the settlement bank with the largest share of settlement activity were to fail. A derivatives clearing organization shall take any one or more of the following actions, to the extent that any such action or actions are reasonably necessary in order to eliminate or strictly limit such exposures:
(i) Maintain settlement accounts at one or more additional settlement banks; and/or
(ii) Approve one or more additional settlement banks that its clearing members could choose to use; and/or
(iii) Impose concentration limits with respect to one or more of its own or its clearing members’ settlement banks; and/or
(iv) Take any other appropriate actions.
(d) Settlement finality. A derivatives clearing organization shall ensure that settlements are final when effected by ensuring that it has entered into legal agreements that state that settlement fund transfers are irrevocable and unconditional no later than when the derivatives clearing organization’s accounts are debited or credited; provided, however, a derivatives clearing organization’s legal agreements with its settlement banks may provide for the correction of errors. A derivatives clearing organization’s legal agreements with its settlement banks shall state clearly when settlement fund transfers will occur and a derivatives clearing organization shall routinely confirm that its settlement banks are effecting fund transfers as and when required by such legal agreements.
(e) Recordkeeping. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain an accurate record of the flow of funds associated with each settlement.
(f) Netting arrangements. A derivatives clearing organization shall possess the ability to comply with each term and condition of any permitted netting or offset arrangement with any other clearing organization.
(g) Physical delivery. With respect to products that are settled by physical transfers of the underlying instruments or commodities, a derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Establish rules that clearly state each obligation that the derivatives clearing organization has assumed with respect to physical deliveries, including whether it has an obligation to make or receive delivery of a physical instrument or commodity, or whether it indemnifies clearing members for losses incurred in the delivery process; and
(2) Ensure that the risks of each such obligation are identified and managed.
§ 39.15 Treatment of funds.
(a) Required standards and procedures. A derivatives clearing organization shall establish standards and procedures that are designed to protect and ensure the safety of funds and assets belonging to clearing members and their customers.
(b) Customer funds— (1) Segregation. A derivatives clearing organization shall comply with the applicable segregation requirements of section 4d of the Act and Commission regulations in this part, or any other applicable Commission regulation in this chapter or order requiring that customer funds and assets, including money, securities, and property, be segregated, set aside, or held in a separate account.
(2) Commingling. In order for a derivatives clearing organization and its clearing members to commingle customer positions in futures, options, foreign futures, foreign options, and swaps, or any combination thereof, and any money, securities, or property received to margin, guarantee or secure such positions, in an account subject to the requirements of sections 4d(a) or 4d(f) of the Act, the derivatives clearing organization shall file rules for Commission approval pursuant to the requirements and standard of review of § 40.5 of this chapter. Such rule submission shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(i) Identification of the products that would be commingled, including product specifications or the criteria that would be used to define eligible products;
(ii) Analysis of the risk characteristics of the eligible products and of the derivatives clearing organization’s ability to manage those risks, addressing any characteristics that are unusual in relation to the other products cleared by the derivatives clearing organization, such as margining, liquidity, default management, pricing, or other risk characteristics;
(iii) Analysis of the liquidity of the respective markets for the eligible products, the ability of clearing members and the derivatives clearing organization to offset or mitigate the risk of such eligible products in a timely manner, without compromising the financial integrity of the account, and, as appropriate, proposed means for addressing insufficient liquidity;
(iv) A description of any additional requirements that would apply to clearing members permitted to commingle eligible products;
(v) A description of any risk management changes that the derivatives clearing organization will implement to oversee its clearing members’ risk management of eligible products, or an analysis of why existing risk management systems and procedures are adequate in connection with the proposed commingling;
(vi) An analysis of the ability of the derivatives clearing organization to manage a potential default with respect to any of the eligible products that would be commingled, including a discussion of any default management procedures that are unique to the products eligible for commingling;
(vii) A discussion of the extent to which the derivatives clearing organization anticipates allowing portfolio margining of commingled positions, including a description and analysis of any margin reduction applied to correlated positions and the language of any applicable clearing rules or procedures, and an express confirmation that any portfolio margining will be allowed only as permitted under § 39.13(g)(4); and
(viii) Any other information necessary for the Commission to determine the rule submission’s compliance with the Act and the Commission’s regulations in this chapter, which the Commission may request as supplemental information if not provided in the initial submission. The Commission may extend the review period for the rule submission in accordance with § 40.5(d) of this chapter in order to request and obtain supplemental information as necessary.
(c) Holding of funds and assets. A derivatives clearing organization shall hold funds and assets belonging to clearing members and their customers in a manner which minimizes the risk of loss or of delay in the access by the derivatives clearing organization to such funds and assets.
(d) Transfer of customer positions. A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules providing that the derivatives clearing organization will promptly transfer all or a portion of a customer’s portfolio of positions, and related funds as necessary, from the carrying clearing member of the derivatives clearing organization to another clearing member of the derivatives clearing organization, without requiring the close-out and re-booking of the positions prior to the requested transfer, subject to the following conditions:
(1) The customer has instructed the carrying clearing member to make the transfer;
(2) The customer is not currently in default to the carrying clearing member;
(3) The transferred positions will have appropriate margin at the receiving clearing member;
(4) Any remaining positions will have appropriate margin at the carrying clearing member; and
(5) The receiving clearing member has consented to the transfer.
(e) Permitted investments. Funds and assets belonging to clearing members and their customers that are invested by a derivatives clearing organization shall be held in instruments with minimal credit, market, and liquidity risks. Any investment of customer funds or assets, including cleared swaps customer collateral, as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter, by a derivatives clearing organization shall comply with § 1.25 of this chapter.
§ 39.16 Default rules and procedures.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules and procedures designed to allow for the efficient, fair, and safe management of events during which clearing members become insolvent or default on the obligations of such clearing members to the derivatives clearing organization.
(b) Default management plan. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain a current written default management plan that delineates the roles and responsibilities of its board of directors, its risk management committee, any other committee that a derivatives clearing organization may have that has responsibilities for default management, and the derivatives clearing organization’s management, in addressing a default, including any necessary coordination with, or notification of, other entities and regulators. Such plan shall address any differences in procedures with respect to highly liquid products and less liquid products. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct and document a test of its default management plan at least on an annual basis. The derivatives clearing organization shall include clearing members and participants in a test of its default management plan at least on an annual basis to the extent the plan relies on their participation.
(c) Default procedures.(1) A derivatives clearing organization shall have procedures that would permit the derivatives clearing organization to take timely action to contain losses and liquidity pressures and to continue meeting its obligations in the event of a default on the obligations of a clearing member to the derivatives clearing organization.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that set forth its default procedures, including:
(i) The derivatives clearing organization’s definition of a default;
(ii) The actions that the derivatives clearing organization may take upon a default, which shall include public notice of a declaration of default on its website and the prompt transfer, liquidation, or hedging of the customer or house positions of the defaulting clearing member, as applicable, and which may include, in the discretion of the derivatives clearing organization, the auctioning or allocation of such positions to other clearing members;
(iii) Any obligations that the derivatives clearing organization imposes on its clearing members to participate in auctions, or to accept allocations, of the customer or house positions of the defaulting clearing member, provided that:
(A) The derivatives clearing organization shall permit a clearing member to outsource to a qualified third party, authority to act in the clearing member’s place in any auction, subject to appropriate safeguards imposed by the derivatives clearing organization;
(B) The derivatives clearing organization shall permit a clearing member to outsource to a qualified third party, authority to act in the clearing member’s place in any allocations, subject to appropriate safeguards imposed by the derivatives clearing organization; and
(C) The derivatives clearing organization shall not require a clearing member to bid for a portion of, or accept an allocation of, the defaulting clearing member’s positions that is not proportional to the size of the bidding or accepting clearing member’s positions in the same product class at the derivatives clearing organization;
(iv) The sequence in which the funds and assets of the defaulting clearing member and its customers and the financial resources maintained by the derivatives clearing organization would be applied in the event of a default;
(v) A provision that the funds and assets of a defaulting clearing member’s customers shall not be applied to cover losses with respect to a house default;
(vi) A provision that the excess house funds and assets of a defaulting clearing member shall be applied to cover losses with respect to a customer default, if the relevant customer funds and assets are insufficient to cover the shortfall; and
(3) A derivatives clearing organization shall make its default rules publicly available as provided in § 39.21 of this part.
(d) Insolvency of a clearing member.
(1) A derivatives clearing organization shall have rules that require a clearing member to provide prompt notice to the derivatives clearing organization if it becomes the subject of a bankruptcy petition, receivership proceeding, or the equivalent;
(2) No later than upon receipt of such notice, a derivatives clearing organization shall review the continuing eligibility of the clearing member for clearing membership; and
(3) No later than upon receipt of such notice, a derivatives clearing organization shall take any appropriate action, in its discretion, with respect to such clearing member or its house or customer positions, including but not limited to liquidation or transfer of positions, suspension, or revocation of clearing membership.
(e) Fully collateralized positions. A derivatives clearing organization may satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section by having rules that permit it to clear only fully collateralized positions.
§ 39.17 Rule enforcement.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Maintain adequate arrangements and resources for the effective monitoring and enforcement of compliance (by itself and its clearing members) with the rules of the derivatives clearing organization and the resolution of disputes;
(2) Have the authority and ability to discipline, limit, suspend, or terminate the activities of a clearing member due to a violation by the clearing member of any rule of the derivatives clearing organization; and
(3) Report to the Commission regarding rule enforcement activities and sanctions imposed against clearing members as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, in accordance with § 39.19(c)(4)(xvi).
(b) Authority to enforce rules. The board of directors of the derivatives clearing organization may delegate responsibility for compliance with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section to an appropriate committee, unless the responsibilities are otherwise required to be carried out by the chief compliance officer pursuant to the Act or this part.
§ 39.18 System safeguards.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section and § 39.34:
Controls mean the safeguards or countermeasures employed by the derivatives clearing organization in order to protect the reliability, security, or capacity of its automated systems or the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its data and information, and in order to enable the derivatives clearing organization to fulfill its statutory and regulatory responsibilities.
Controls testing means assessment of the derivatives clearing organization’s controls to determine whether such controls are implemented correctly, are operating as intended, and are enabling the derivatives clearing organization to meet the requirements established by this section.
Enterprise technology risk assessment means a written assessment that includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of threats and vulnerabilities in the context of mitigating controls. An enterprise technology risk assessment identifies, estimates, and prioritizes risks to a derivatives clearing organization’s operations or assets, or to market participants, individuals, or other entities, resulting from impairment of the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data and information or the reliability, security, or capacity of automated systems.
External penetration testing means attempts to penetrate a derivatives clearing organization’s automated systems from outside the systems’ boundaries to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Methods of conducting external penetration testing include, but are not limited to, methods for circumventing the security features of an automated system.
Internal penetration testing means attempts to penetrate a derivatives clearing organization’s automated systems from inside the systems’ boundaries to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Methods of conducting internal penetration testing include, but are not limited to, methods for circumventing the security features of an automated system.
Key controls means those controls that an appropriate risk analysis determines are either critically important for effective system safeguards or intended to address risks that evolve or change more frequently and therefore require more frequent review to ensure their continuing effectiveness in addressing such risks.
Recovery time objective means the time period within which a derivatives clearing organization should be able to achieve recovery and resumption of processing, clearing, and settlement of transactions, after those capabilities become temporarily inoperable for any reason up to or including a wide-scale disruption.
Relevant area means the metropolitan or other geographic area within which a derivatives clearing organization has physical infrastructure or personnel necessary for it to conduct activities necessary to the processing, clearing, and settlement of transactions. The term “relevant area” also includes communities economically integrated with, adjacent to, or within normal commuting distance of that metropolitan or other geographic area.
Security incident means a cybersecurity or physical security event that actually jeopardizes or has a significant likelihood of jeopardizing automated system operation, reliability, security, or capacity, or the availability, confidentiality or integrity of data.
Security incident response plan means a written plan documenting the derivatives clearing organization’s policies, controls, procedures, and resources for identifying, responding to, mitigating, and recovering from security incidents, and the roles and responsibilities of its management, staff, and independent contractors in responding to security incidents. A security incident response plan may be a separate document or a business continuity-disaster recovery plan section or appendix dedicated to security incident response.
Security incident response plan testing means testing of a derivatives clearing organization’s security incident response plan to determine the plan’s effectiveness, identify its potential weaknesses or deficiencies, enable regular plan updating and improvement, and maintain organizational preparedness and resiliency with respect to security incidents. Methods of conducting security incident response plan testing may include, but are not limited to, checklist completion, walk-through or table-top exercises, simulations, and comprehensive exercises.
Vulnerability testing means testing of a derivatives clearing organization’s automated systems to determine what information may be discoverable through a reconnaissance analysis of those systems and what vulnerabilities may be present on those systems.
Wide-scale disruption means an event that causes a severe disruption or destruction of transportation, telecommunications, power, water, or other critical infrastructure components in a relevant area, or an event that results in an evacuation or unavailability of the population in a relevant area.
(b) Program of risk analysis and oversight—(1) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall establish and maintain a program of risk analysis and oversight with respect to its operations and automated systems to identify and minimize sources of operational risk through:
(i) The development of appropriate controls and procedures; and
(ii) The development of automated systems that are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity.
(2) Elements of program. A derivatives clearing organization’s program of risk analysis and oversight with respect to its operations and automated systems, as described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, shall address each of the following elements:
(i) Information security, including, but not limited to, controls relating to: Access to systems and data (including, least privilege, separation of duties, account monitoring and control); user and device identification and authentication; security awareness training; audit log maintenance, monitoring, and analysis; media protection; personnel security and screening; automated system and communications protection (including, network port control, boundary defenses, encryption); system and information integrity (including, malware defenses, software integrity monitoring); vulnerability management; penetration testing; security incident response and management; and any other elements of information security included in generally accepted best practices;
(ii) Business continuity and disaster recovery planning and resources, including, but not limited to the controls and capabilities described in paragraph (c) of this section; and any other elements of business continuity and disaster recovery planning and resources included in generally accepted best practices;
(iii) Capacity and performance planning, including, but not limited to, controls for monitoring the derivatives clearing organization’s systems to ensure adequate scalable capacity (including, testing, monitoring, and analysis of current and projected future capacity and performance, and of possible capacity degradation due to planned automated system changes); and any other elements of capacity and performance planning included in generally accepted best practices;
(iv) Systems operations, including, but not limited to, system maintenance; configuration management (including, baseline configuration, configuration change and patch management, least functionality, inventory of authorized and unauthorized devices and software); event and problem response and management; and any other elements of system operations included in generally accepted best practices;
(v) Systems development and quality assurance, including, but not limited to, requirements development; pre-production and regression testing; change management procedures and approvals; outsourcing and vendor management; training in secure coding practices; and any other elements of systems development and quality assurance included in generally accepted best practices; and
(vi) Physical security and environmental controls, including, but not limited to, physical access and monitoring; power, telecommunication, and environmental controls; fire protection; and any other elements of physical security and environmental controls included in generally accepted best practices.
(3) Standards for program. In addressing the elements listed under paragraph (b)(2) of this section, a derivatives clearing organization shall follow generally accepted standards and industry best practices with respect to the development, operation, reliability, security, and capacity of automated systems.
(4) Resources. A derivatives clearing organization shall establish and maintain resources that allow for the fulfillment of each obligation and responsibility of the derivatives clearing organization, including the daily processing, clearing, and settlement of transactions, in light of any risk to its operations and automated systems. The derivatives clearing organization shall periodically verify the adequacy of such resources.
(c) Business continuity and disaster recovery—(1) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall establish and maintain a business continuity and disaster recovery plan, emergency procedures, and physical, technological, and personnel resources sufficient to enable the timely recovery and resumption of operations and the fulfillment of each obligation and responsibility of the derivatives clearing organization, including, but not limited to, the daily processing, clearing, and settlement of transactions, following any disruption of its operations.
(2) Recovery time objective. A derivatives clearing organization’s business continuity and disaster recovery plan, as described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, shall have, and the derivatives clearing organization shall maintain physical, technological, and personnel resources sufficient to meet, a recovery time objective of no later than the next business day following a disruption.
(3) Coordination of plans. A derivatives clearing organization shall, to the extent practicable:
(i) Coordinate its business continuity and disaster recovery plan with those of its clearing members, in a manner adequate to enable effective resumption of daily processing, clearing, and settlement of transactions following a disruption;
(ii) Initiate and coordinate periodic, synchronized testing of its business continuity and disaster recovery plan with those of its clearing members; and
(iii) Ensure that its business continuity and disaster recovery plan takes into account the plans of its providers of essential services, including telecommunications, power, and water.
(d) Outsourcing. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain the resources required under paragraphs (b)(4) and (c)(1) of this section either:
(i) Using its own employees as personnel, and property that it owns, licenses, or leases; or
(ii) Through written contractual arrangements with another derivatives clearing organization or other service provider.
(2) Retention of responsibility. A derivatives clearing organization that enters into a contractual outsourcing arrangement shall retain complete responsibility for any failure to meet the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. The derivatives clearing organization must employ personnel with the expertise necessary to enable it to supervise the service provider’s delivery of the services.
(3) Testing of resources. The testing referred to in paragraph (e) of this section shall apply to all of the derivatives clearing organization’s own and outsourced resources, and shall verify that all such resources will work together effectively. Where testing is required to be conducted by an independent contractor, the derivatives clearing organization shall engage a contractor that is independent from both the derivatives clearing organization and any outside service provider used to design, develop, or maintain the resources being tested.
(e) Testing—(1) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct regular, periodic, and objective testing and review of:
(i) Its automated systems to ensure that they are reliable, secure, and have adequate scalable capacity; and
(ii) Its business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities, using testing protocols adequate to ensure that the derivatives clearing organization’s backup resources are sufficient to meet the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section.
(2) Vulnerability testing. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct vulnerability testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (e)(8) of this section.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct such vulnerability testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but no less frequently than quarterly.
(ii) Such vulnerability testing shall include automated vulnerability scanning, which shall follow generally accepted best practices.
(iii) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct vulnerability testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the derivatives clearing organization who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(3) External penetration testing. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct external penetration testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (e)(8) of this section.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct such external penetration testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but no less frequently than annually.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall engage independent contractors to conduct the required annual external penetration test. A derivatives clearing organization may conduct other external penetration testing by using employees of the derivatives clearing organization who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(4) Internal penetration testing. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct internal penetration testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (e)(8) of this section.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct such internal penetration testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but no less frequently than annually.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct internal penetration testing by engaging independent contractors, or by using employees of the derivatives clearing organization who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(5) Controls testing. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct controls testing of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (e)(8) of this section.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct controls testing, which includes testing of each control included in its program of risk analysis and oversight, at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but shall test and assess key controls no less frequently than every three years. A derivatives clearing organization may conduct such testing on a rolling basis over the course of the required period.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization shall engage independent contractors to test and assess the key controls included in the derivatives clearing organization’s program of risk analysis and oversight no less frequently than every three years. A derivatives clearing organization may conduct any other controls testing required by this section by using independent contractors or employees of the derivatives clearing organization who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being tested.
(6) Security incident response plan testing. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct security incident response plan testing sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (e)(8) of this section.
(i) The derivatives clearing organization shall conduct such security incident response plan testing at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but no less frequently than annually.
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization’s security incident response plan shall include, without limitation, the derivatives clearing organization’s definition and classification of security incidents, its policies and procedures for reporting security incidents and for internal and external communication and information sharing regarding security incidents, and the hand-off and escalation points in its security incident response process.
(iii) The derivatives clearing organization may coordinate its security incident response plan testing with other testing required by this section or with testing of its other business continuity-disaster recovery and crisis management plans.
(iv) The derivatives clearing organization may conduct security incident response plan testing by engaging independent contractors or by using employees of the derivatives clearing organization.
(7) Enterprise technology risk assessment. A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct enterprise technology risk assessments of a scope sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in paragraph (e)(8) of this section.
(i) A derivatives clearing organization shall conduct an enterprise technology risk assessment at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but no less frequently than annually. A derivatives clearing organization that has conducted an enterprise technology risk assessment that complies with this section may conduct subsequent assessments by updating the previous assessment.
(ii) A derivatives clearing organization may conduct enterprise technology risk assessments by using independent contractors or employees of the derivatives clearing organization who are not responsible for development or operation of the systems or capabilities being assessed.
(8) Scope of testing and assessment. The scope of testing and assessment required by this section shall be broad enough to include the testing of automated systems and controls that a derivatives clearing organization’s required program of risk analysis and oversight and its current cybersecurity threat analysis indicate is necessary to identify risks and vulnerabilities that could enable an intruder or unauthorized user or insider to:
(i) Interfere with the derivatives clearing organization’s operations or with fulfillment of its statutory and regulatory responsibilities;
(ii) Impair or degrade the reliability, security, or capacity of the derivatives clearing organization’s automated systems;
(iii) Add to, delete, modify, exfiltrate, or compromise the integrity of any data related to the derivatives clearing organization’s regulated activities; or
(iv) Undertake any other unauthorized action affecting the derivatives clearing organization’s regulated activities or the hardware or software used in connection with those activities.
(9) Internal reporting and review. Both the senior management and the board of directors of the derivatives clearing organization shall receive and review reports setting forth the results of the testing and assessment required by this section. The derivatives clearing organization shall establish and follow appropriate procedures for the remediation of issues identified through such review, as provided in paragraph (e)(10) of this section, and for evaluation of the effectiveness of testing and assessment protocols.
(10) Remediation. A derivatives clearing organization shall identify and document the vulnerabilities and deficiencies in its systems revealed by the testing and assessment required by this section. The derivatives clearing organization shall conduct and document an appropriate analysis of the risks presented by each vulnerability or deficiency to determine and document whether to remediate the vulnerability or deficiency or accept the associated risk. When a derivatives clearing organization determines to remediate a vulnerability or deficiency, it must remediate in a timely manner given the nature and magnitude of the associated risk.
(f) Recordkeeping. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain, and provide to staff of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor division, promptly upon request, pursuant to § 1.31 of this chapter:
(1) Current copies of the derivatives clearing organization’s business continuity and disaster recovery plan and other emergency procedures. Such plan and procedures shall be updated at a frequency determined by an appropriate risk analysis, but no less frequently than annually;
(2) All assessments of the derivatives clearing organization’s operational risks or system safeguards-related controls;
(3) All reports concerning testing and assessment required by this section, whether conducted by independent contractors or by employees of the derivatives clearing organization; and
(4) All other documents requested by staff of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor division, in connection with Commission oversight of system safeguards pursuant to the Act or Commission regulations, or in connection with Commission maintenance of a current profile of the derivatives clearing organization’s automated systems.
(5) Nothing in paragraph (f) of this section shall be interpreted as reducing or limiting in any way a derivatives clearing organization’s obligation to comply with § 1.31 of this chapter.
(g) Notice of exceptional events. A derivatives clearing organization shall notify staff of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor division, promptly of:
(1) Any hardware or software malfunction, security incident, or targeted threat that materially impairs, or creates a significant likelihood of material impairment, of automated system operation, reliability, security, or capacity; or
(2) Any activation of the derivatives clearing organization’s business continuity and disaster recovery plan.
(h) Notice of planned changes. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide staff of the Division of Clearing and Risk, or any successor division, timely advance notice of all material:
(1) Planned changes to the derivatives clearing organization’s automated systems that may impact the reliability, security, or capacity of such systems; and
(2) Planned changes to the derivatives clearing organization’s program of risk analysis and oversight.
§ 39.19 Reporting.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission the information specified in this section and any other information that the Commission determines to be necessary to conduct oversight of the derivatives clearing organization.
(b) Submission of reports—(1) General requirement. A derivatives clearing organization shall submit the information required by this section to the Commission in a format and manner specified by the Commission.
(2) Certification. When making a submission pursuant to this section, an employee of the derivatives clearing organization must certify that he or she is duly authorized to make such a submission on behalf of the derivatives clearing organization.
(3) Time zones. Unless otherwise specified by the Commission or its designee, any stated time in this section is Central time for information concerning derivatives clearing organizations located in that time zone, and Eastern time for information concerning all other derivatives clearing organizations.
(c) Reporting requirements. Each registered derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission or other person as may be required or permitted by this paragraph (c) the information specified as follows:
(1) Daily reporting. (i) A derivatives clearing organization shall compile as of the end of each trading day, and submit to the Commission by 10 a.m. on the next business day, a report containing the results of the backtesting required under § 39.13(g)(7)(i), and the following information related to all positions, other than fully collateralized positions, in accordance with the data fields set forth in appendix C to this part:
(A) Initial margin requirements and initial margin on deposit for each clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin, and by each individual customer account. The derivatives clearing organization shall identify each individual customer account, using both a legal entity identifier, where available, and any internally-generated identifier, within each customer origin for each clearing member;
(B) Daily variation margin, separately listing the mark-to-market amount collected from or paid to each clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin;
(C) All other daily cash flows relating to clearing and settlement including, but not limited to, option premiums and payments related to swaps such as coupon amounts, collected from or paid to each clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin; and
(D) End-of-day positions, including as appropriate the risk sensitivities and valuation data that the derivatives clearing organization generates, creates, or calculates in connection with managing the risks associated with such positions, for each clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin, and by each individual customer account. The derivatives clearing organization shall identify each individual customer account, using both a legal entity identifier, where available, and any internally-generated identifier, within each customer origin for each clearing member.
(ii) The report shall contain the information required by paragraphs (c)(1)(i)(A) through (D) of this section for each of the following, other than fully collateralized positions:
(A) All futures positions, and options positions, as applicable;
(B) All swaps positions; and
(C) All securities positions that are:
(1) Held in a customer account subject to section 4d of the Act; or
(2) Subject to a cross-margining agreement.
(iii) Notwithstanding the specific fields set forth in appendix C to this part, a derivatives clearing organization may choose to submit, after consultation with staff of the Division of Clearing and Risk, any additional data field that is necessary or appropriate to better capture the information that is being reported.
(2) Quarterly reporting. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission each fiscal quarter, or at any time upon Commission request, a report of the derivatives clearing organization’s financial resources as required by § 39.11(f)(1).
(3) Annual reporting. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission each year:
(i) The annual report of the chief compliance officer required by § 39.10; and
(ii) Audited year-end financial statements of the derivatives clearing organization as required by § 39.11(f)(2).
(iii) [Reserved]
(iv) The reports required by this paragraph (c)(3) shall be filed not later than 90 days after the end of the derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal year, or at such later time as the Commission may permit, in its discretion, upon request by the derivatives clearing organization.
(4) Event-specific reporting—(i) Decrease in financial resources. If there is a decrease of 25 percent or more in the total value of the financial resources available to satisfy the requirements under § 39.11(a)(1) or § 39.33(a), as applicable, either from the last quarterly report submitted under § 39.11(f) or from the value as of the close of the previous business day, a derivatives clearing organization shall report such decrease to the Commission no later than one business day following the day the 25 percent threshold was reached. The report shall include:
(A) The total value of the financial resources as of the close of business the day the 25 percent threshold was reached;
(B) If reporting a decrease in value from the previous business day, the total value of the financial resources immediately prior to the 25 percent decline;
(C) A breakdown of the value of each financial resource reported in each of paragraphs (c)(4)(i)(A) and (B) of this section, calculated in accordance with the requirements of § 39.11(d) or § 39.33(b), as applicable, including the value of each individual clearing member’s guaranty fund deposit if the derivatives clearing organization reports guaranty fund deposits as a financial resource; and
(D) A detailed explanation for the decrease.
(ii) Decrease in liquidity resources. If there is a decrease of 25 percent or more in the total value of the liquidity resources available to satisfy the requirements under § 39.11(e) or § 39.33(c), as applicable, either from the last quarterly report submitted under § 39.11(f) or from the value as of the close of the previous business day, a derivatives clearing organization shall report such decrease to the Commission no later than one business day following the day the 25 percent threshold was reached. The report shall include:
(A) The total value of the liquidity resources as of the close of business the day the 25 percent threshold was reached;
(B) If reporting a decrease in value from the previous business day, the total value of the liquidity resources immediately prior to the 25 percent decline;
(C) A breakdown of the value of each liquidity resource reported in each of paragraphs (c)(4)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section, calculated in accordance with the requirements of § 39.11(e) or § 39.33(c), as applicable, including the value of each individual clearing member’s guaranty fund deposit if the derivatives clearing organization reports guaranty fund deposits as a liquidity resource; and
(D) A detailed explanation for the decrease.
(iii) Decrease in ownership equity. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than two business days prior to an event which the derivatives clearing organization knows or reasonably should know will cause a decrease of 20 percent or more in ownership equity from the last reported ownership equity balance as reported on a quarterly or audited financial statement required to be submitted by paragraph (c)(2) or (c)(3)(ii), respectively, of this section; but in any event no later than two business days after such decrease in ownership equity for events that caused the decrease about which the derivatives clearing organization did not know and reasonably could not have known prior to the event. The report shall include:
(A) Pro forma financial statements reflecting the derivatives clearing organization’s estimated future financial condition following the anticipated decrease for reports submitted prior to the anticipated decrease and current financial statements for reports submitted after such a decrease; and
(B) A detailed explanation for the decrease or anticipated decrease in the balance.
(iv) Six-month liquid asset requirement. A derivatives clearing organization shall notify the Commission immediately when the derivatives clearing organization knows or reasonably should know of a deficit in the six-month liquid asset requirement of § 39.11(e)(2).
(v) Change in current assets. A derivatives clearing organization shall notify the Commission no later than two business days after the derivatives clearing organization’s current liabilities exceed its current assets. The notice shall include a balance sheet that reflects the derivatives clearing organization’s current assets and current liabilities and an explanation as to the reason for the negative balance.
(vi) Request to clearing member to reduce its positions. A derivatives clearing organization shall notify the Commission immediately of a request by the derivatives clearing organization to one of its clearing members to reduce the clearing member’s positions. The notice shall include:
(A) The name of the clearing member;
(B) The time the clearing member was contacted;
(C) The number of positions for futures and options, and for swaps, the number of outstanding trades and notional amount, by which the derivatives clearing organization requested the reduction;
(D) All products that are the subject of the request; and
(E) The reason for the request.
(vii) Determination to transfer or liquidate positions. A derivatives clearing organization shall notify the Commission immediately of a determination by the derivatives clearing organization that a position it carries for one of its clearing members must be liquidated immediately or transferred immediately, or that the trading of any account of a clearing member shall be only for the purpose of liquidation because that clearing member has failed to meet an initial or variation margin call or has failed to fulfill any other financial obligation to the derivatives clearing organization. The notice shall include:
(A) The name of the clearing member;
(B) The time the clearing member was contacted;
(C) The products that are subject to the determination;
(D) The number of positions for futures and options, and for swaps, the number of outstanding trades and notional amount, that are subject to the determination; and
(E) The reason for the determination.
(viii) Default of a clearing member. A derivatives clearing organization shall notify the Commission immediately of the default of a clearing member. An event of default shall be determined in accordance with the rules of the derivatives clearing organization. The notice of default shall include:
(A) The name of the clearing member;
(B) The products the clearing member defaulted upon;
(C) The number of positions for futures and options, and for swaps, the number of outstanding trades and notional amount, the clearing member defaulted upon; and
(D) The amount of the financial obligation.
(ix) Change in ownership or corporate or organizational structure—(A) Reporting requirement. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission any anticipated change in the ownership or corporate or organizational structure of the derivatives clearing organization or its parent(s) that would:
(1) Result in at least a 10 percent change of ownership of the derivatives clearing organization or a change to the entity or person holding a controlling interest in the derivatives clearing organization, whether through an increase in direct ownership or voting interest in the derivatives clearing organization or in a direct or indirect corporate parent entity of the derivatives clearing organization;
(2) Create a new subsidiary or eliminate a current subsidiary of the derivatives clearing organization; or
(3) Result in the transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the derivatives clearing organization to another legal entity.
(B) Required information. The report shall include: A chart outlining the new ownership or corporate or organizational structure; a brief description of the purpose and impact of the change; and any relevant agreements effecting the change and corporate documents such as articles of incorporation and bylaws.
(C) Time of report. The report shall be submitted to the Commission no later than three months prior to the anticipated change, provided that the derivatives clearing organization may report the anticipated change to the Commission later than three months prior to the anticipated change if the derivatives clearing organization does not know and reasonably could not have known of the anticipated change three months prior to the anticipated change. In such event, the derivatives clearing organization shall immediately report such change to the Commission as soon as it knows of such change.
(D) Confirmation of change report. The derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission the consummation of the change no later than two business days following the effective date of the change.
(x) Change in key personnel. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than two business days following the departure or addition of persons who are key personnel as defined in § 39.2. The report shall include, as applicable, the name and contact information of the person who will assume the duties of the position permanently or the person who will assume the duties on a temporary basis until a permanent replacement fills the position.
(xi) Change in legal name. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than two business days following a legal name change of the derivatives clearing organization.
(xii) Change in credit facility funding arrangement. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than one business day after the derivatives clearing organization enters into, terminates, or changes a credit facility funding arrangement, or is notified that such arrangement has changed, including but not limited to a change in lender, change in the size of the facility, change in expiration date, or any other material changes or conditions.
(xiii) Change in liquidity funding arrangement. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than one business day after the derivatives clearing organization enters into, terminates, or changes a liquidity funding arrangement, or is notified that such arrangement has changed, including but not limited to a change in provider, change in the size of the arrangement, change in expiration date, or any other material changes or conditions.
(xiv) Change in settlement bank arrangements. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than three business days after the derivatives clearing organization enters into a new relationship with, or terminates a relationship with, any settlement bank used by the derivatives clearing organization or approved for use by the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing members.
(xv) Issues with credit facility funding arrangements, liquidity funding arrangements, custodian banks, or settlement banks. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than one business day after it becomes aware of any material issues or concerns regarding the performance, stability, liquidity, or financial resources of any credit facility funding arrangement, liquidity funding arrangement, custodian bank, or settlement bank used by the derivatives clearing organization or approved for use by the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing members.
(xvi) Sanctions against a clearing member. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide notice to the Commission no later than two business days after the derivatives clearing organization imposes sanctions against a clearing member.
(xvii) Financial condition and events. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission immediate notice after the derivatives clearing organization knows or reasonably should have known of:
(A) The institution of any legal proceedings which may have a material adverse financial impact on the derivatives clearing organization;
(B) Any event, circumstance or situation that materially impedes the derivatives clearing organization’s ability to comply with this part and is not otherwise required to be reported under this section; or
(C) A material adverse change in the financial condition of any clearing member that is not otherwise required to be reported under this section.
(xviii) Financial statements material inadequacies. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide notice to the Commission within 24 hours if the derivatives clearing organization discovers or is notified by an independent public accountant of the existence of any material inadequacy in a financial statement, and within 48 hours after giving such notice provide a written report stating what steps have been and are being taken to correct the material inadequacy.
(xix) Change in fiscal year. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than two business days after any change to the start and end dates of its fiscal year.
(xx) Change in independent accounting firm. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than 15 days after any change in the derivatives clearing organization’s independent public accounting firm. The report shall include the date of such change, the name and contact information of the new firm, and the reason for the change.
(xxi) Major decision of the board of directors. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission any major decision of the derivatives clearing organization’s board of directors as required by § 39.24(a)(3)(i).
(xxii) System safeguards. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission:
(A) Exceptional events as required by § 39.18(g); or
(B) Planned changes as required by § 39.18(h).
(xxiii) Margin model issues. A derivatives clearing organization shall report to the Commission no later than one business day after any issue occurs with a DCO’s margin model, including margin models for cross-margined portfolios, that materially affects the DCO’s ability to calculate or collect initial margin or variation margin.
(xxiv) Recovery and wind-down plans. A derivatives clearing organization that is required to maintain recovery and wind-down plans pursuant to § 39.39(b) shall submit its plans to the Commission no later than the date on which the derivatives clearing organization is required to have the plans. A derivatives clearing organization that is not required to maintain recovery and wind-down plans pursuant to § 39.39(b), but which nonetheless maintains such plans, may choose to submit its plans to the Commission. A derivatives clearing organization that has submitted its recovery and wind-down plans to the Commission shall, upon making any revisions to the plans, submit the revised plans to the Commission along with a description of the changes and the reason for those changes.
(xxv) Updates to responses to the Disclosure Framework for Financial Market Infrastructures. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization or a subpart C derivatives clearing organization that updates its responses to the Disclosure Framework for Financial Market Infrastructures published by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions pursuant to § 39.37(b)(1) must provide to the Commission, within ten business days after such update, a copy of the text of the responses that shows all deletions and additions made to the immediately preceding version of the responses, as required by § 39.37(b)(2).
(5) Requested reporting. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide upon request by the Commission and within the time specified in the request:
(i) Any information related to its business as a clearing organization, including information relating to trade and clearing details.
(ii) A written demonstration, containing supporting data, information and documents, that the derivatives clearing organization is in compliance with one or more core principles and relevant provisions of this part.
§ 39.20 Recordkeeping.
(a) Requirement to maintain information. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain records of all activities related to its business as a derivatives clearing organization. Such records shall include, but are not limited to, records of:
(1) All cleared transactions, including swaps;
(2) All information necessary to record allocation of bunched orders for cleared swaps;
(3) All information required to be created, generated, or reported under this part 39, including but not limited to the results of and methodology used for all tests, reviews, and calculations in connection with setting and evaluating margin levels, determining the value and adequacy of financial resources, and establishing settlement prices;
(4) All rules and procedures required to be submitted pursuant to this part 39 and part 40 of this chapter, including all proposed changes in rules, procedures or operations subject to § 40.10 of this chapter; and
(5) Any data or documentation required by the Commission or by the derivatives clearing organization to be submitted to the derivatives clearing organization by its clearing members, or by any other person in connection with the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing and settlement activities.
(b) Form and manner of maintaining information—(1) General. The records required to be maintained by this chapter shall be maintained in accordance with the provisions of § 1.31 of this chapter, for a period of not less than 5 years, except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(2) Exception for swap data. A derivatives clearing organization that clears swaps must maintain swap data in accordance with the requirements of part 45 of this chapter.
§ 39.21 Public information.
(a) General. A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to market participants sufficient information to enable the market participants to identify and evaluate accurately the risks and costs associated with using the services of the derivatives clearing organization. In furtherance of the objective in this paragraph (a), a derivatives clearing organization shall have clear and comprehensive rules and procedures.
(b) Availability of information. A derivatives clearing organization shall make information concerning the rules and the operating and default procedures governing the clearing and settlement systems of the derivatives clearing organization available to market participants.
(c) Public disclosure. A derivatives clearing organization shall make the following information readily available to the general public, in a timely manner, by posting such information on the derivatives clearing organization’s website, unless otherwise permitted by the Commission:
(1) The terms and conditions of each contract, agreement, and transaction cleared and settled by the derivatives clearing organization;
(2) Each clearing and other fee that the derivatives clearing organization charges its clearing members;
(3) Information concerning its margin-setting methodology, except that a derivatives clearing organization that clears only fully collateralized positions instead may disclose that it does not employ a margin-setting methodology because it clears only fully collateralized positions;
(4) The size and composition of the financial resource package available in the event of a clearing member default, updated as of the end of the most recent fiscal quarter or upon Commission request and posted as promptly as practicable after submission of the report to the Commission under § 39.11(f)(1)(i)(A), except that a derivatives clearing organization that clears only fully collateralized positions instead may disclose that it does not maintain a financial resource package to be used in the event of a clearing member default because it clears only fully collateralized positions;
(5) Daily settlement prices, volume, and open interest for each contract, agreement, or transaction cleared or settled by the derivatives clearing organization, posted no later than the business day following the day to which the information pertains;
(6) The derivatives clearing organization’s rulebook, including rules and procedures for defaults in accordance with § 39.16;
(7) A current list of all clearing members, except that a derivatives clearing organization may omit any clearing member that clears only fully collateralized positions and is not a futures commission merchant;
(8) A list of all swaps that the derivatives clearing organization will accept for clearing that identifies which swaps on the list are required to be cleared, in accordance with § 50.3(a) of this chapter; and
(9) Any other information that is relevant to participation in the clearing and settlement activities of the derivatives clearing organization.
§ 39.22 Information sharing.
A derivatives clearing organization shall enter into, and abide by the terms of, each appropriate and applicable domestic and international information-sharing agreement, and shall use relevant information obtained from each such agreement in carrying out the risk management program of the derivatives clearing organization.
§ 39.23 Antitrust considerations.
Unless necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of the Act, a derivatives clearing organization shall not adopt any rule or take any action that results in any unreasonable restraint of trade, or impose any material anticompetitive burden.
§ 39.24 Governance.
(a) General. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall have governance arrangements that:
(i) Are written;
(ii) Are clear and transparent;
(iii) Place a high priority on the safety and efficiency of the derivatives clearing organization; and
(iv) Explicitly support the stability of the broader financial system and other relevant public interest considerations of clearing members, customers of clearing members, and other relevant stakeholders.
(2) The board of directors shall make certain that the derivatives clearing organization’s design, rules, overall strategy, and major decisions appropriately reflect the legitimate interests of clearing members, customers of clearing members, and other relevant stakeholders.
(3) To the extent consistent with other statutory and regulatory requirements on confidentiality and disclosure:
(i) Major decisions of the board of directors shall be clearly disclosed to clearing members, other relevant stakeholders, and to the Commission; and
(ii) Major decisions of the board of directors having a broad market impact shall be clearly disclosed to the public.
(b) Governance arrangement requirements. A derivatives clearing organization shall have governance arrangements that:
(1) Are clear and documented;
(2) To an extent consistent with other statutory and regulatory requirements on confidentiality and disclosure, are disclosed, as appropriate, to the Commission, other relevant authorities, clearing members, customers of clearing members, owners of the derivatives clearing organization, and to the public;
(3) Describe the structure pursuant to which the board of directors, committees, and management operate;
(4) Include clear and direct lines of responsibility and accountability;
(5) Clearly specify the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors and its committees, including the establishment of a clear and documented risk management framework;
(6) Clearly specify the roles and responsibilities of management;
(7) Describe procedures pursuant to which the board of directors oversees the chief risk officer, risk management committee, and material risk decisions;
(8) Provide risk management and internal control personnel with sufficient independence, authority, resources, and access to the board of directors so that the operations of the derivatives clearing organization are consistent with the risk management framework established by the board of directors;
(9) Assign responsibility and accountability for risk decisions, including in crises and emergencies;
(10) Assign responsibility for implementing the:
(i) Default rules and procedures required by §§ 39.16 and 39.35, as applicable;
(ii) System safeguard rules and procedures required by §§ 39.18 and 39.34, as applicable; and
(iii) Recovery and wind-down plans required by § 39.39, as applicable;
(11) Establish one or more risk management committees and require the board of directors to consult with, and consider and respond to input from, the risk management committee(s) on all matters that could materially affect the risk profile of the derivatives clearing organization, including any material change to the derivatives clearing organization’s margin model, default procedures, participation requirements, and risk monitoring practices, as well as the clearing of new products that could materially affect the risk profile of the derivatives clearing organization. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain written policies and procedures to make certain that:
(i) The risk management committee consultation process is described in detail, and includes requirements for the derivatives clearing organization to document the board’s consideration of and response to risk management committee input and create and maintain minutes of each risk management committee meeting;
(ii) A risk management committee includes at least two clearing member representatives and, if applicable, at least two representatives of customers of clearing members; and
(iii) Membership of a risk management committee is rotated on a regular basis; and
(12) Establish one or more market participant risk advisory working groups as a forum to seek risk-based input from a broad array of market participants, such that a diverse cross-section of the derivatives clearing organization’s clearing members and customers of clearing members are represented, regarding all matters that could materially affect the risk profile of the derivatives clearing organization. A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain written policies and procedures related to the formation and role of each risk advisory working group, and include requirements for the derivatives clearing organization to document and provide to the risk management committee, at a minimum, a summary of the topics discussed and the main points raised during each meeting of the risk advisory working group. Each market participant risk advisory working group shall convene at least two times per year.
(c) Fitness standards. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall establish and enforce appropriate fitness standards for:
(i) Directors;
(ii) Members of any disciplinary committee;
(iii) Members of the derivatives clearing organization;
(iv) Members of risk management committee(s);
(v) Any other individual or entity with direct access to the settlement or clearing activities of the derivatives clearing organization; and
(vi) Any other party affiliated with any individual or entity described in this paragraph.
(2) A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain policies to make certain that:
(i) The board of directors consists of suitable individuals having appropriate skills and incentives;
(ii) The performance of the board of directors and the performance of individual directors is reviewed on a regular basis; and
(iii) Managers have the appropriate experience, skills, and integrity necessary to discharge operational and risk management responsibilities.
(3) A derivatives clearing organization shall maintain policies designed to enable members of risk management committee(s) to provide informed opinions in the form of risk-based input on all matters presented to the risk management committee for consideration, and perform their duties in a manner that supports the safety and efficiency of the derivatives clearing organization and the stability of the broader financial system.
(d) Fully collateralized positions. A derivatives clearing organization may satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (b)(11), (b)(12), (c)(1)(iv), and (c)(3) of this section by having rules that permit it to clear only fully collateralized positions.
§ 39.25 Conflicts of interest.
A derivatives clearing organization shall:
(a) Establish and enforce rules to minimize conflicts of interest in the decision-making process of the derivatives clearing organization;
(b) Establish a process for resolving such conflicts of interest; and
(c) Have procedures for identifying, addressing, and managing conflicts of interest involving members of the board of directors.
§ 39.26 Composition of governing boards.
A derivatives clearing organization shall ensure that the composition of the governing board or board-level committee of the derivatives clearing organization includes market participants and individuals who are not executives, officers, or employees of the derivatives clearing organization or an affiliate thereof.
§ 39.27 Legal risk considerations.
(a) Legal authorization. A derivatives clearing organization shall be duly organized, legally authorized to conduct business, and remain in good standing at all times in the relevant jurisdictions. If the derivatives clearing organization provides clearing services outside the United States, it shall be duly organized to conduct business and remain in good standing at all times in the relevant jurisdictions, and be authorized by the appropriate foreign licensing authority.
(b) Legal framework. A derivatives clearing organization shall operate pursuant to a well-founded, transparent, and enforceable legal framework that addresses each aspect of the activities of the derivatives clearing organization. As applicable, the framework shall provide for:
(1) The derivatives clearing organization to act as a counterparty, including novation;
(2) Netting arrangements;
(3) The derivatives clearing organization’s interest in collateral;
(4) The steps that a derivatives clearing organization would take to address a default of a clearing member, including but not limited to, the unimpeded ability to liquidate collateral and close out or transfer positions in a timely manner;
(5) Finality of settlement and funds transfers that are irrevocable and unconditional when effected (no later than when a derivatives clearing organization’s accounts are debited and credited); and
(6) Other significant aspects of the derivatives clearing organization’s operations, risk management procedures, and related requirements.
(c) Conflict of laws. If a derivatives clearing organization provides clearing services outside the United States:
(1) The derivatives clearing organization shall identify and address any material conflict of law issues. The derivatives clearing organization’s contractual agreements shall specify a choice of law.
(2) The derivatives clearing organization shall be able to demonstrate the enforceability of its choice of law in relevant jurisdictions and that its rules, procedures, and contracts are enforceable in all relevant jurisdictions.
(3) The derivatives clearing organization shall ensure on an ongoing basis that the memorandum required in paragraph (b) of Exhibit R to appendix A to this part is accurate and up to date and shall submit an updated memorandum to the Commission promptly following all material changes to the analysis or content contained in the memorandum.
§§ 39.28-39.29 [Reserved]
Subpart C—Provisions Applicable to Systemically Important Derivatives Clearing Organizations and Derivatives Clearing Organizations That Elect To Be Subject to the Provisions of This Subpart
§ 39.30 Scope.
(a) The provisions of this subpart apply to each of the following: a subpart C derivatives clearing organization, a systemically important derivatives clearing organization, and any derivatives clearing organization, as defined under section 1a(15) of the Act and § 1.3 of this chapter, seeking to become a subpart C derivatives clearing organization pursuant to § 39.31.
(b) A systemically important derivatives clearing organization is subject to the provisions of subparts A and B of this part in addition to the provisions of this subpart.
(c) A subpart C derivatives clearing organization is subject to the provisions of subparts A and B of this part in addition to the provisions of this subpart except for §§ 39.41 and 39.42.
§ 39.31 Election to become subject to the provisions of this subpart.
(a) Election eligibility. (1) A derivatives clearing organization that is registered with the Commission and that is not a systemically important derivatives clearing organization may elect to become a subpart C derivatives clearing organization subject to the provisions of this subpart, using the procedures set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) An applicant for registration as a derivatives clearing organization pursuant to § 39.3 may elect to become a subpart C derivatives clearing organization subject to the provisions of this subpart as part of its application for registration using the procedures set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) Election and withdrawal procedures applicable to registered derivatives clearing organizations—(1) Election. A derivatives clearing organization that is registered with the Commission and that is not a systemically important derivatives clearing organization may request that the Commission accept its election to become a subpart C derivatives clearing organization by filing with the Commission a completed Subpart C Election Form. The Subpart C Election Form shall include the election and all certifications, disclosures and exhibits, as provided in appendix B to this part and any amendments or supplements thereto filed with the Commission pursuant to paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section.
(2) Submission of supplemental information. The filing of a Subpart C Election Form does not create a presumption that the Subpart C Election Form is materially complete or that supplemental information will not be required. The Commission, at any time prior to the effective date, as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, may request that the derivatives clearing organization submit supplemental information in order for the Commission to process the Subpart C Election Form, and the derivatives clearing organization shall file such supplemental information with the Commission.
(3) Amendments. A derivatives clearing organization shall promptly amend its Subpart C Election Form if it discovers a material omission or error in, or if there is a material change in, the information provided to the Commission in the Subpart C Election Form or other information provided in connection with the Subpart C Election Form.
(4) Effective date. A derivatives clearing organization’s election to become a subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall become effective:
(i) Upon the later of the following, provided the Commission has neither stayed nor denied such election as set forth in paragraph (b)(5) of this section.
(A) The effective date specified by the derivatives clearing organization in its Subpart C Election Form; or
(B) Ten business days after the derivatives clearing organization files its Subpart C Election Form with the Commission;
(ii) Or upon the effective date set forth in written notification from the Commission that it shall permit the election to take effect after a stay issued pursuant to paragraph (b)(5) of this section.
(5) Stay or denial of election. Prior to the effective date set forth in paragraph (b)(4)(i) of this section, the Commission may stay or deny a derivatives clearing organization’s election to become a subpart C derivatives clearing organization by issuing a written notification thereof to the derivatives clearing organization.
(6) Commission acknowledgement. The Commission may acknowledge, in writing, that it has received a Subpart C Election Form filed by a derivatives clearing organization and that it has permitted the derivatives clearing organization’s election to become subject to the provisions of this subpart to take effect, and the effective date of such election.
(7) Withdrawal of election. A derivatives clearing organization that has filed a Subpart C Election Form may withdraw an election to become subject to the provisions of this subpart at any time prior to the date that the election is permitted to take effect by filing with the Commission a notice of the withdrawal of election.
(c) Election and withdrawal procedures applicable to applicants for registration as derivatives clearing organization—(1) Election. An applicant for registration as a derivatives clearing organization that requests an election to become subject to the provisions of this subpart may make that request by attaching a completed Subpart C Election Form to the Form DCO that it files pursuant to § 39.3. The Subpart C Election Form shall include the election and all certifications, disclosures and exhibits, as provided in appendix B of this part, and any amendments or supplements thereto filed with the Commission pursuant to paragraphs (c)(3) or (4) of this section.
(2) Election review and effective date. The Commission shall review the applicant’s Subpart C Election Form as part of the Commission’s review of its application for registration pursuant to § 39.3(a). The Commission may permit the applicant’s election to take effect at the time it approves the applicant’s application for registration by providing written notice thereof to the applicant. The Commission shall not approve any application for registration filed pursuant to § 39.3(a) for which a Subpart C Election Form is pending, if the Commission determines that the applicant’s election to become subject to this subpart should not become effective because the applicant has not demonstrated its ability to comply with the applicable provisions of this subpart.
(3) Submission of supplemental information. The filing of a Subpart C Election Form does not create a presumption that the Subpart C Election Form is materially complete or that supplemental information will not be required. At any time during the Commission’s review of the Subpart C Election Form, the Commission may request that the applicant submit supplemental information in order for the Commission to process the Subpart C Election Form and the applicant shall file such supplemental information with the Commission.
(4) Amendments. An applicant for registration as a derivatives clearing organization shall promptly amend its Subpart C Election Form if it discovers a material omission or error in, or if there is a material change in, the information provided to the Commission in the Subpart C Election Form or other information provided in connection with the Subpart C Election Form.
(5) Withdrawal of election. An applicant for registration as a derivatives clearing organization may withdraw an election to become subject to the provisions of this subpart by filing with the Commission a notice of the withdrawal of its Subpart C Election Form at any time prior to the date that the Commission approves its application for registration as a derivatives clearing organization. The applicant may withdraw its Subpart C Election Form without withdrawing its Form DCO.
(d) Public information. The following portions of the Subpart C Election Form will be public: The Elections and Certifications and Disclosures in the Subpart C Election Form, the rules of the derivatives clearing organization, the regulatory compliance chart, and any other portion of the Subpart C Election Form not covered by a request for confidential treatment complying with the requirements of § 145.9 of this chapter.
(e) Rescission of election. (1) Notice of intent to rescind. A subpart C derivatives clearing organization may rescind its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart and terminate its status as a subpart C derivatives clearing organization by filing with the Commission a notice of its intent to rescind such election. The notice of intent to rescind the election shall include:
(i) The effective date of the rescission; and
(ii) A certification signed by the relevant duly authorized representative of the subpart C derivatives clearing organization, as specified in paragraph three of the General Instructions to the Subpart C Election Form, stating that the subpart C derivatives clearing organization:
(A) Has provided the notice to its clearing members required by paragraph (e)(3)(i)(A) of this section;
(B) Will provide the notice to its clearing members required by paragraph (e)(3)(i)(B) of this section;
(C) Has provided the notice to the general public required by paragraph (e)(3)(ii)(A) of this section;
(D) Will provide notice to the general public required by paragraph (e)(3)(ii)(B) of this section; and
(E) Has removed all references to the organization as a subpart C derivatives clearing organization and a qualifying central counterparty on its Web site and in all other material that it provides to its clearing members and customers, other market participants or members of the public, as required by paragraph (e)(3)(ii)(C) of this section.
(2) Effective date. The rescission of the election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart shall become effective on the date set forth in the notice of intent to rescind the election filed by the subpart C derivatives clearing organization pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section, provided that the rescission may become effective no earlier than 180 days after the notice of intent to rescind the election is filed with the Commission. The subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall continue to comply with all of the provisions of this subpart until such effective date.
(3) Additional notice requirements. (i) A subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall provide the following notices, at the following times, to each of its clearing members and shall have rules in place requiring each of its clearing members to provide the following notices to each of the clearing member’s customers:
(A) No later than the filing of a notice of its intent to rescind its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart, written notice that it intends to file such notice with the Commission and the effective date thereof; and
(B) On the effective date of the rescission of its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart, written notice that the rescission has become effective.
(ii) A subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall:
(A) No later than the filing of a notice of its intent to rescind its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart, provide notice to the general public, displayed prominently on its Web site, of its intent to rescind its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart;
(B) On and after the effective date of the rescission of its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart, provide notice to the general public, displayed prominently on its Web site, that the rescission has become effective; and
(C) Prior to the filing of a notice of its intent to rescind its election to become subject to the provisions of this subpart, remove all references to the derivatives clearing organization’s status as a subpart C derivatives clearing organization and a qualifying central counterparty on its Web site and in all other materials that it provides to its clearing members and customers, other market participants, or the general public.
(iii) The employees and representatives of a derivatives clearing organization that has filed a notice of its intent to rescind its election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart shall refrain from referring to the organization as a subpart C derivatives clearing organization and a qualifying central counterparty on and after the date that the notice of intent to rescind the election is filed.
(4) Effect of rescission. The rescission of a subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s election to be subject to the provisions of this subpart shall not affect the authority of the Commission concerning any activities or events occurring during the time that the derivatives clearing organization maintained its status as a subpart C derivatives clearing organization.
(f) Loss of designation as a systemically important derivatives clearing organization. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization whose designation of systemic importance is rescinded by the Financial Stability Oversight Council, shall immediately be deemed to be a subpart C derivatives clearing organization and shall continue to comply with the provisions of this subpart unless such derivatives clearing organization elects to rescind its status as a subpart C derivatives clearing organization in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section.
(g) All forms and notices required by this section shall be filed electronically with the Secretary of the Commission in the format and manner specified by the Commission.
§ 39.32 [Reserved]
§ 39.33 Financial resources requirements for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) General rule. (1) Notwithstanding the requirements of § 39.11(a)(1), each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization that, in either case, is systemically important in multiple jurisdictions or is involved in activities with a more complex risk profile shall maintain financial resources sufficient to enable it to meet its financial obligations to its clearing members notwithstanding a default by the two clearing members creating the largest combined financial exposure to the derivatives clearing organization in extreme but plausible market conditions.
(2) The Commission shall, if it deems appropriate, determine whether a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization is systemically important in multiple jurisdictions. In determining whether a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization is systemically important in multiple jurisdictions, the Commission shall consider whether the derivatives clearing organization:
(i) Is a systemically important derivatives clearing organization, as defined by § 39.2; or
(ii) Has been determined to be systemically important by one or more jurisdictions other than the United States pursuant to a designation process that considers whether the foreseeable effects of a failure or disruption of the derivatives clearing organization could threaten the stability of each relevant jurisdiction’s financial system.
(3) The Commission shall, if it deems appropriate, determine whether any of the activities of a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or a subpart C derivatives clearing organization, in addition to clearing credit default swaps, credit default futures, and any derivatives that reference either credit default swaps or credit default futures, has a more complex risk profile. In determining whether an activity has a more complex risk profile, the Commission will consider characteristics such as discrete jump-to-default price changes or high correlations with potential participant defaults as factors supporting (though not necessary for) a finding of a more complex risk profile.
(4) For purposes of this section, if a clearing member controls another clearing member or is under common control with another clearing member, such affiliated clearing members shall be deemed to be a single clearing member.
(b) Valuation of financial resources. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 39.11(d)(2), assessments for additional guaranty fund contributions (i.e., guaranty fund contributions that are not pre-funded) shall not be included in calculating the financial resources available to meet a systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s obligations under paragraph (a) of this section or § 39.11(a)(1).
(c) Liquidity resources—(1) Minimum amount of liquidity resources.
(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 39.11(e)(1)(ii), each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall maintain eligible liquidity resources, in all relevant currencies, that, at a minimum, will enable it to meet its intraday, same-day, and multiday obligations to perform settlements, as defined in § 39.14(a)(1), with a high degree of confidence under a wide range of stress scenarios that should include, but not be limited to, a default by the clearing member creating the largest aggregate liquidity obligation for the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization in extreme but plausible market conditions.
(ii) A systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization that is subject to § 39.33(a)(1) shall consider maintaining eligible liquidity resources that, at a minimum, will enable it to meet its intraday, same-day, and multiday obligations to perform settlements, as defined in § 39.14(a)(1), with a high degree of confidence under a wide range of stress scenarios that should include, but not be limited to, a default of the two clearing members creating the largest aggregate liquidity obligation for the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization in extreme but plausible market conditions.
(2) Satisfaction of settlement in all relevant currencies. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall maintain liquidity resources that are sufficient to satisfy the obligations required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section in all relevant currencies for which the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization has obligations to perform settlements, as defined in § 39.14(a)(1), to its clearing members.
(3) Qualifying liquidity resources. (i) Only the following liquidity resources are eligible for the purpose of meeting the requirement of paragraph (c)(1) of this section:
(A) Cash in the currency of the requisite obligations, held either at the central bank of issue or at a creditworthy commercial bank;
(B) Committed lines of credit;
(C) Committed foreign exchange swaps;
(D) Committed repurchase agreements; or
(E) (1) Highly marketable collateral, including high quality, liquid, general obligations of a sovereign nation.
(2) The assets described in paragraph (c)(3)(i)(E)(1) of this section must be readily available and convertible into cash pursuant to prearranged and highly reliable funding arrangements, even in extreme but plausible market conditions.
(ii) With respect to the arrangements described in paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization must take appropriate steps to verify that such arrangements do not include material adverse change conditions and are enforceable, and will be highly reliable, in extreme but plausible market conditions.
(4) Additional liquidity resources. If a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization maintains financial resources in addition to those required to satisfy paragraph (c)(1) of this section, then those resources should be in the form of assets that are likely to be saleable with proceeds available promptly or acceptable as collateral for lines of credit, swaps, or repurchase agreements on an ad hoc basis. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization should consider maintaining collateral with low credit, liquidity, and market risks that is typically accepted by a central bank of issue for any currency in which it may have settlement obligations, but shall not assume the availability of emergency central bank credit as a part of its liquidity plan.
(d) Liquidity providers. (1) For the purposes of this paragraph, a liquidity provider means:
(i) A depository institution, a U.S. branch or agency of a foreign banking organization, a trust company, or a syndicate of depository institutions, U.S. branches or agencies of foreign banking organizations, or trust companies providing a line of credit, foreign exchange swap facility or repurchase facility to a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization;
(ii) Any other counterparty relied upon by a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization to meet its minimum liquidity resources requirement under paragraph (c) of this section.
(2) In fulfilling its obligations under paragraph (c) of this section, each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall undertake due diligence to confirm that each of its liquidity providers, whether or not such liquidity provider is a clearing member, has:
(i) Sufficient information to understand and manage the liquidity provider’s liquidity risks; and
(ii) The capacity to perform as required under its commitments to provide liquidity to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization.
(3) Where relevant to a liquidity provider’s ability reliably to perform its commitments with respect to a particular currency, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization may take into account the liquidity provider’s access to the central bank of issue of that currency.
(4) Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall regularly test its procedures for accessing its liquidity resources under paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, including testing its arrangements under paragraph (c)(3)(ii) and its relevant liquidity provider(s) under paragraph (d)(1) of this section.
(5) A systemically important derivatives clearing organization with access to accounts and services at a Federal Reserve Bank, pursuant to section 806(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act, 12 U.S.C. 5465(a), shall use such accounts and services where practical.
(e) Documentation of financial resources and liquidity resources. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall document its supporting rationale for, and have appropriate governance arrangements relating to, the amount of total financial resources it maintains pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section and the amount of total liquidity resources it maintains pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section.
§ 39.34 System safeguards for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) Notwithstanding § 39.18(c)(2), the business continuity and disaster recovery plan described in § 39.18(c)(1) for each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall have the objective of enabling, and the physical, technological, and personnel resources described in § 39.18(c)(1) shall be sufficient to enable, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization to recover its operations and resume daily processing, clearing, and settlement no later than two hours following the disruption, for any disruption including a wide-scale disruption.
(b) To facilitate its ability to achieve the recovery time objective specified in paragraph (a) of this section in the event of a wide-scale disruption, each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization must maintain a degree of geographic dispersal of physical, technological and personnel resources consistent with the following for each activity necessary for the daily processing, clearing, and settlement of existing and new contracts:
(1) Physical and technological resources (including a secondary site), sufficient to enable the entity to meet the recovery time objective after interruption of normal clearing by a wide-scale disruption, must be located outside the relevant area of the physical and technological resources the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization normally relies upon to conduct that activity, and must not rely on the same critical transportation, telecommunications, power, water, or other critical infrastructure components the entity normally relies upon for such activities;
(2) Personnel, who live and work outside that relevant area, sufficient to enable the entity to meet the recovery time objective after interruption of normal clearing by a wide-scale disruption affecting the relevant area in which the personnel the entity normally relies upon to engage in such activities are located;
(3) The provisions of § 39.18(d) shall apply to these resource requirements.
(c) Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization must conduct regular, periodic tests of its business continuity and disaster recovery plans and resources and its capacity to achieve the required recovery time objective in the event of a wide-scale disruption. The provisions of § 39.18(e) shall apply to such testing.
(d) The Commission may, upon request, grant an entity, which has been designated as a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or that has elected to become subject to subpart C, up to one year to comply with any provision of this section.
§ 39.35 Default rules and procedures for uncovered credit losses or liquidity shortfalls (recovery) for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) Allocation of uncovered credit losses. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall adopt explicit rules and procedures that address fully any loss arising from any individual or combined default relating to any clearing members’ obligations to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization. Such rules and procedures shall address how the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization would:
(1) Allocate losses exceeding the financial resources available to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization;
(2) Repay any funds it may borrow; and
(3) Replenish any financial resources it may employ during such a stress event, so that the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization can continue to operate in a safe and sound manner.
(b) Allocation of uncovered liquidity shortfalls. (1) Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall establish rules and/or procedures that enable it promptly to meet all of its settlement obligations, on a same day and, as appropriate, intraday and multiday basis, in the context of the occurrence of either or both of the following scenarios:
(i) An individual or combined default involving one or more clearing members’ obligations to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization; or
(ii) A liquidity shortfall exceeding the financial resources of the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization.
(2) The rules and procedures described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall:
(i) Enable the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization promptly to meet its payment obligations in all relevant currencies;
(ii) Be designed to enable the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization to avoid unwinding, revoking, or delaying the same-day settlement of payment obligations; and
(iii) Address the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s process to replenish any liquidity resources it may employ during a stress event so that it can continue to operate in a safe and sound manner.
§ 39.36 Risk management for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) Stress tests of financial resources. In addition to conducting stress tests pursuant to § 39.13(h)(3), each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall conduct stress tests of its financial resources in accordance with the following standards and practices:
(1) Perform, on a daily basis, stress testing of its financial resources using predetermined parameters and assumptions;
(2) Perform comprehensive analyses of stress testing scenarios and underlying parameters to ascertain their appropriateness for determining the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s required level of financial resources in current and evolving market conditions;
(3) Perform the analyses required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section at least monthly and when products cleared or markets served display high volatility or become less liquid, when the size or concentration of positions held by clearing members increases significantly, or as otherwise appropriate, evaluate the stress testing scenarios, models, and underlying parameters more frequently than once a month;
(4) For the analyses required by paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, include a range of relevant stress scenarios, in terms of both defaulting clearing members’ positions and possible price changes in liquidation periods. The scenarios considered shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Relevant peak historic price volatilities;
(ii) Shifts in other market factors including, as appropriate, price determinants and yield curves;
(iii) Multiple defaults over various time horizons;
(iv) Simultaneous pressures in funding and asset markets; and
(v) A range of forward-looking stress scenarios in a variety of extreme but plausible market conditions.
(5) Establish procedures for:
(i) Reporting stress test results to its risk management committee or board of directors, as applicable; and
(ii) Using the results to assess the adequacy of, and to adjust, its total amount of financial resources; and
(6) Use the results of stress tests to support compliance with the minimum financial resources requirement set forth in § 39.11(a)(1) or § 39.33(a), as applicable.
(b) Sensitivity analysis of margin model. (1) Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall, at least monthly and more frequently as appropriate, conduct a sensitivity analysis of its margin models to analyze and monitor model performance and overall margin coverage. Sensitivity analysis shall be conducted on both actual and hypothetical positions.
(2) For the purposes of this paragraph (b), a sensitivity analysis of a margin model includes:
(i) Reviewing a wide range of parameter settings and assumptions that reflect possible market conditions in order to understand how the level of margin coverage might be affected by highly stressed market conditions. The range of parameters and assumptions should capture a variety of historical and hypothetical conditions, including the most volatile periods that have been experienced by the markets served by the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization and extreme changes in the correlations between prices. The parameters and assumptions should be appropriate in light of the specific characteristics, considered on a current basis, of particular products and portfolios cleared.
(ii) Testing of the ability of the models or model components to react appropriately using actual or hypothetical datasets and assessing the impact of different model parameter settings.
(iii) Evaluating potential losses in clearing members’ proprietary positions and, where appropriate, customer positions.
(3) A systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization involved in activities with a more complex risk profile shall take into consideration parameter settings that reflect the potential impact of the simultaneous default of clearing members and, where applicable, the underlying credit instruments.
(c) Stress tests of liquidity resources. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall conduct stress tests of its liquidity resources in accordance with the following standards and practices:
(1) Perform, on a daily basis, stress testing of its liquidity resources using predetermined parameters and assumptions;
(2) Perform comprehensive analyses of stress testing scenarios and underlying parameters to ascertain their appropriateness for determining the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s required level of liquidity resources in current and evolving market conditions;
(3) Perform the analyses required by paragraph (c)(2) of this section at least monthly and when products cleared or markets served display high volatility or become less liquid, when the size or concentration of positions held by clearing members increases significantly, or as otherwise appropriate, evaluate its stress testing scenarios, models, and underlying parameters more frequently than once a month;
(4) For the analyses required by paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section, include a range of relevant stress scenarios, in terms of both defaulting clearing members’ positions and possible price changes in liquidation periods. The scenarios considered shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Relevant peak historic price volatilities;
(ii) Shifts in other market factors including, as appropriate, price determinants and yield curves;
(iii) Multiple defaults over various time horizons;
(iv) Simultaneous pressures in funding and asset markets; and
(v) A range of forward-looking stress scenarios in a variety of extreme but plausible market conditions.
(5) For the scenarios enumerated in paragraph (c)(4) of this section, consider the following:
(i) All entities that might pose material liquidity risks to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization, including settlement banks, permitted depositories, liquidity providers, and other entities,
(ii) Multiday scenarios as appropriate,
(iii) Inter-linkages between its clearing members and the multiple roles that they may play in the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s risk management; and
(iv) The probability of multiple failures and contagion effect among clearing members.
(6) Establish procedures for:
(i) Reporting stress test results to its risk management committee or board of directors, as applicable; and
(ii) Using the results to assess the adequacy of, and to adjust its total amount of liquidity resources.
(7) Use the results of stress tests to support compliance with the liquidity resources requirement set forth in § 39.33(c).
(d) Margin model assessment. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall conduct, on at least an annual basis (or more frequently if there are material relevant market developments), an assessment of the theoretical and empirical properties of its margin model for all products it clears.
(e) Independent validation. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall perform, on an annual basis, a full validation of its financial risk management model and its liquidity risk management model.
(f) Custody and investment risk. Custody and investment arrangements of a systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s and subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s own funds and assets shall be subject to the same requirements as those specified in § 39.15 for the funds and assets of clearing members, and shall apply to the derivatives clearing organization’s own funds and assets to the same extent as if such funds and assets belonged to clearing members.
(g) Settlement banks. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall:
(1) Monitor, manage, and limit its credit and liquidity risks arising from its settlement banks;
(2) Establish, and monitor adherence to, strict criteria for its settlement banks that take account of, among other things, their regulation and supervision, creditworthiness, capitalization, access to liquidity, and operational reliability; and
(3) Monitor and manage the concentration of credit and liquidity exposures to its settlement banks.
§ 39.37 Additional disclosure for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
In addition to the requirements of § 39.21, each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall:
(a) Complete and publicly disclose its responses to the Disclosure Framework for Financial Market Infrastructures published by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions;
(b)(1) Review and update its responses disclosed as required by paragraph (a) of this section at least every two years and following material changes to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s system or the environment in which it operates. A material change to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s system or the environment in which it operates is a change that would significantly change the accuracy and usefulness of the existing responses; and
(2) Provide notice to the Commission of updates to its responses required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section following material changes no later than ten business days after the updates are made. Such notice shall be accompanied by a copy of the text of the responses that shows all deletions and additions made to the immediately preceding version of the responses;
(c) Publicly disclose relevant basic data on transaction volume and values consistent with the standards set forth in the Public Quantitative Disclosure Standards for Central Counterparties published by the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures and the International Organization of Securities Commissions;
(d) Publicly disclose rules, policies, and procedures concerning segregation and portability of customers’ positions and funds, including whether each of:
(1) Futures customer funds, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter;
(2) Cleared Swaps Customer Collateral, as defined in § 22.1 of this chapter; or
(3) Foreign futures or foreign options secured amount, as defined in § 1.3 of this chapter is:
(i) Protected on an individual or omnibus basis or
(ii) Subject to any constraints, including any legal or operational constraints that may impair the ability of the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization to segregate or transfer the positions and related collateral of a clearing member’s customers.
§ 39.38 Efficiency for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) General rule. In order to meet the needs of clearing members and markets, each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization should efficiently and effectively design its:
(1) Clearing and settlement arrangements;
(2) Operating structure and procedures;
(3) Scope of products cleared; and
(4) Use of technology.
(b) Review of efficiency. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization should establish a mechanism to review, on a regular basis, its compliance with paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Clear goals and objectives. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization should have clearly defined goals and objectives that are measurable and achievable, including in the areas of minimum service levels, risk management expectations, and business priorities.
(d) Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall facilitate efficient payment, clearing and settlement by accommodating internationally accepted communication procedures and standards.
§ 39.39 Recovery and wind-down for systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
(1) General business risk means any potential impairment of a systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s financial position, as a business concern, as a consequence of a decline in its revenues or an increase in its expenses, such that expenses exceed revenues and result in a loss that the derivatives clearing organization must charge against capital.
(2) Wind-down means the actions of a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization to effect the permanent cessation or sale or transfer of one or more services.
(3) Recovery means the actions of a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization, consistent with its rules, procedures, and other ex–ante contractual arrangements, to address any uncovered credit loss, liquidity shortfall, capital inadequacy, or business, operational or other structural weakness, including the replenishment of any depleted pre-funded financial resources and liquidity arrangements, as necessary to maintain the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s viability as a going concern.
(4) Operational risk means the risk that deficiencies in information systems or internal processes, human errors, management failures or disruptions from external events will result in the reduction, deterioration, or breakdown of services provided by a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization.
(5) Unencumbered liquid financial assets include cash and highly liquid securities.
(b) Recovery and wind-down plan. Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall maintain viable plans for:
(1) Recovery or orderly wind-down, necessitated by uncovered credit losses or liquidity shortfalls; and, separately,
(2) Recovery or orderly wind-down necessitated by general business risk, operational risk, or any other risk that threatens the derivatives clearing organization’s viability as a going concern.
(c)(1) In developing the plans specified in paragraph (b) of this section, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall identify scenarios that may potentially prevent it from being able to meet its obligations, provide its critical operations and services as a going concern and assess the effectiveness of a full range of options for recovery or orderly wind-down. The plans shall include procedures for informing the Commission, as soon as practicable, when the recovery plan is initiated or wind-down is pending.
(2) A systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall have procedures for providing the Commission and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with information needed for purposes of resolution planning.
(d) Financial resources to support the recovery and wind-down plan. (1) In evaluating the resources available to cover an uncovered credit loss or liquidity shortfall as part of its recovery plans pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization may consider, among other things, assessments of additional resources provided for under its rules that it reasonably expects to collect from non-defaulting clearing members.
(2) Each systemically important derivatives clearing organization and subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall maintain sufficient unencumbered liquid financial assets, funded by the equity of its owners, to implement its recovery or wind-down plans pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section. In general, the financial resources required by § 39.11(a)(2) may be sufficient, but the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall analyze its particular circumstances and risks and maintain any additional resources that may be necessary to implement the plans. In allocating sufficient financial resources to implement the plans, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization shall comply with § 39.11(e)(2). The plan shall include evidence and analysis to support the conclusion that the amount considered necessary is, in fact, sufficient to implement the plans.
(3) Resources counted in meeting the requirements of §§ 39.11(a)(1) and 39.33 may not be allocated, in whole or in part, to the recovery plans required by paragraph (b)(2) of this section. Other resources may be allocated, in whole or in part, to the recovery plans required by either paragraphs (b)(1) or (2) of this section, but not both paragraphs, and only to the extent the use of such resources is not otherwise limited by the Act, Commission regulations, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s or subpart C derivatives clearing organization’s rules, or any contractual arrangements to which the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization is a party.
(e) Plan for raising additional financial resources. All systemically important derivatives clearing organizations and subpart C derivatives clearing organizations shall maintain viable plans for raising additional financial resources, including, where appropriate, capital, in a scenario in which the systemically important derivatives clearing organization or subpart C derivatives clearing organization is unable, or virtually unable, to comply with any financial resources requirements set forth in this part. This plan shall be approved by the board of directors and be updated regularly.
(f) The Commission may, upon request, grant an entity, which has been designated as a systemically important derivatives clearing organization or that has elected to become subject to subpart C, up to one year to comply with any provision of this section or of § 39.35.
§ 39.40 Consistency with the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures.
This subpart C is intended to establish standards which, together with subparts A and B of this part, are consistent with section 5b(c) of the Act and the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures published by the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions and should be interpreted in that context.
For purposes of enforcing the provisions of Title VIII of the Dodd-Frank Act, a systemically important derivatives clearing organization shall be subject to, and the Commission has authority under the provisions of subsections (b) through (n) of section 8 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1818) in the same manner and to the same extent as if the systemically important derivatives clearing organization were an insured depository institution and the Commission were the appropriate Federal banking agency for such insured depository institution.
A systemically important derivatives clearing organization shall provide notice to the Commission in advance of any proposed change to its rules, procedures, or operations that could materially affect the nature or level of risks presented by the systemically important derivatives clearing organization, in accordance with the requirements of § 40.10 of this chapter.
§§ 39.43-39.49 [Reserved]
Subpart D—Provisions Applicable to Derivatives Clearing Organizations Subject to Compliance with Core Principles Through Compliance with Home Country Regulatory Regime
§ 39.50 Scope.
The provisions of this subpart D apply to any derivatives clearing organization that is registered through the process described in § 39.3(a)(3) of this part or as otherwise provided by order of the Commission.
§ 39.51 Compliance with the core principles through compliance with home country regulatory regime.
(a) Eligibility. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall be eligible for registration for the clearing of swaps subject to compliance with this subpart if:
(i) The Commission determines that compliance by the derivatives clearing organization with its home country regulatory regime constitutes compliance with the core principles set forth in section 5b(c)(2) of the Act;
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization is in good regulatory standing in its home country;
(iii) The Commission determines the derivatives clearing organization does not pose substantial risk to the U.S. financial system; and
(iv) A memorandum of understanding or similar arrangement satisfactory to the Commission is in effect between the Commission and the derivatives clearing organization’s home country regulator, pursuant to which, among other things, the home country regulator agrees to provide to the Commission any information that the Commission deems appropriate to evaluate the initial and continued eligibility of the derivatives clearing organization for registration or to review its compliance with any conditions of such registration.
(2) To the extent that the derivatives clearing organization’s home country regulatory regime lacks legal requirements that correspond to those core principles less related to risk, the Commission may, in its discretion, grant registration subject to conditions that would address the relevant core principles.
(b) Conditions. A derivatives clearing organization subject to compliance with this subpart shall be subject to any conditions the Commission may prescribe including, but not limited to:
(1) Applicable requirements under the Act and Commission regulations. The derivatives clearing organization shall comply with: The core principles set forth in section 5b(c)(2) of the Act through its compliance with applicable legal requirements in its home country; and other requirements applicable to derivatives clearing organizations as specified in the derivatives clearing organization’s registration order including, but not limited to, section 4d(f) of the Act, parts 1, 22, and 45 of this chapter, subpart A of this part and § 39.15.
(2) Open access. The derivatives clearing organization shall have rules with respect to swaps to which one or more of the counterparties is a U.S. person that:
(i) Provide that all swaps with the same terms and conditions, as defined by product specifications established under the derivatives clearing organization’s rules, submitted to the derivatives clearing organization for clearing are economically equivalent within the derivatives clearing organization and may be offset with each other within the derivatives clearing organization, to the extent offsetting is permitted by the derivatives clearing organization’s rules; and
(ii) Provide that there shall be non-discriminatory clearing of a swap executed bilaterally or on or subject to the rules of an unaffiliated electronic matching platform or trade execution facility.
(3) Consent to jurisdiction; designation of agent for service of process. The derivatives clearing organization shall:
(i) Consent to jurisdiction in the United States;
(ii) Designate, authorize, and identify to the Commission, an agent in the United States who shall accept any notice or service of process, pleadings, or other documents, including any summons, complaint, order, subpoena, request for information, or any other written or electronic documentation or correspondence issued by or on behalf of the Commission or the United States Department of Justice to the derivatives clearing organization, in connection with any actions or proceedings brought against, or investigations relating to, the derivatives clearing organization or any of its U.S. clearing members; and
(iii) Promptly inform the Commission of any change in its designated and authorized agent.
(4) Compliance. The derivatives clearing organization shall comply, and shall demonstrate compliance as requested by the Commission, with any condition of its registration.
(5) Inspection of books and records. The derivatives clearing organization shall make all documents, books, records, reports, and other information related to its operation as a derivatives clearing organization open to inspection and copying by any representative of the Commission; and in response to a request by any representative of the Commission, the derivatives clearing organization shall, promptly and in the form specified, make the requested books and records available and provide them directly to Commission representatives.
(6) Representation of good regulatory standing. On an annual basis, within 60 days following the end of its fiscal year, a derivatives clearing organization shall request and the Commission must receive from a home country regulator a written representation that the derivatives clearing organization is in good regulatory standing.
(7) Other conditions. The Commission may condition compliance with this subpart on any other facts and circumstances it deems relevant.
(c) General reporting requirements. (1) A derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission the information specified in this paragraph and any other information that the Commission deems necessary, including, but not limited to, information for the purpose of the Commission evaluating the continued eligibility of the derivatives clearing organization for compliance with this subpart, reviewing compliance by the derivatives clearing organization with any conditions of its registration, or conducting oversight of U.S. clearing members, and the swaps that are cleared by such persons through the derivatives clearing organization. Information provided to the Commission under this paragraph shall be submitted in accordance with § 39.19(b).
(2) Each derivatives clearing organization shall provide to the Commission the following information:
(i) A report compiled as of the end of each trading day and submitted to the Commission by 10 a.m. U.S. central time on the following business day, containing with respect to swaps:
(A) Total initial margin requirements for all clearing members;
(B) Initial margin requirements and initial margin on deposit for each U.S. clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin, and by each individual customer account; and
(C) Daily variation margin, separately listing the mark-to-market amount collected from or paid to each U.S. clearing member, by house origin and by each customer origin, and by each individual customer account.
(ii) A report compiled as of the last day of each fiscal quarter of the derivatives clearing organization and submitted to the Commission no later than 17 business days after the end of the derivatives clearing organization’s fiscal quarter, containing a list of U.S. clearing members, with respect to the clearing of swaps, as of the last day of the fiscal quarter.
(iii) Prompt notice regarding any change in the home country regulatory regime;
(iv) As available to the derivatives clearing organization, any examination report or examination findings by a home country regulator, and notify the Commission within five business days after it becomes aware of the commencement of any enforcement or disciplinary action or investigation by a home country regulator;
(v) Immediate notice of any change with respect to the derivatives clearing organization’s licensure, registration, or other authorization to act as a derivatives clearing organization in its home country;
(vi) In the event of a default by a clearing member, with such event of default determined in accordance with the rules of the derivatives clearing organization, immediate notice of the default including the amount of the clearing member’s financial obligation; provided, however, if the defaulting clearing member is a U.S. clearing member, the notice shall also include the name of the U.S. clearing member and a list of the positions held by the U.S. clearing member; and
(vii) Notice of action taken against a U.S. clearing member by a derivatives clearing organization, no later than two business days after the derivatives clearing organization takes such action against a U.S. clearing member.
(d) Modification of registration upon Commission initiative. (1) The Commission may, in its discretion and upon its own initiative, modify the terms and conditions of an order of registration subject to compliance with this subpart if the Commission determines that there are changes to or omissions in facts or circumstances pursuant to which the order was issued, or that any of the terms and conditions of its order have not been met, including, but not limited to, the requirement that:
(i) Compliance with the derivatives clearing organization’s home country regulatory regime satisfies the core principles set forth in section 5b(c)(2) of the Act;
(ii) The derivatives clearing organization is in good regulatory standing in its home country; or
(iii) The derivatives clearing organization does not pose substantial risk to the U.S. financial system.
(2) The Commission shall provide written notification to a derivatives clearing organization that it is considering whether to modify an order of registration pursuant to this paragraph and the basis for that consideration.
(3) The derivatives clearing organization may respond to the notification in writing no later than 30 business days following receipt of the notification, or at such later time as the Commission permits in writing.
(4) Following receipt of a response from the derivatives clearing organization, or after expiration of the time permitted for a response, the Commission may:
(i) Issue an order requiring the derivatives clearing organization to comply with all requirements applicable to derivatives clearing organizations in the Act and this chapter, effective as of a date to be specified therein. The specified date shall be intended to provide the derivatives clearing organization with a reasonable amount of time to come into compliance with the Act and Commission regulations or request a vacation of registration in accordance with § 39.3(f);
(ii) Issue an amended order of registration that modifies the terms and conditions of the order; or
(iii) Provide written notification to the derivatives clearing organization that the order of registration will remain in effect without modification to its terms and conditions.
Appendix A to Part 39—Form DCO Derivatives Clearing Organization Application for Registration
Appendix B to Part 39—Subpart C Election Form
Appendix C to Part 39—Daily Reporting Data Fields
| Field name | Description | House &
customer origin | Individual
customer account |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Message Count | The total number of reports included in the file | M | M |
| FIXML Message Type | Financial Information eXchange Markup Language (FIXML) account summary report type | M | M |
| Sender ID | The CFTC-issued derivatives clearing organization (DCO) identifier | M | M |
| To ID | Indicate “CFTC” | M | M |
| Message Transmit Datetime | The date and time the file is transmitted | M | M |
| Report ID | A unique identifier assigned by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to each clearing member report | M | M |
| Report Date | The business date of the information being reported | M | M |
| Base Currency | Base currency referenced throughout report; provide exchange rate against this currency | M | M |
| Report Time (Message Create Time) | The report “as of” or information cut-off time | M | M |
| DCO Identifier | CFTC-assigned identifier for a DCO | M | M |
| Clearing Participant Identifier | DCO-assigned identifier for a particular clearing member | M | M |
| Clearing Participant Name | The name of the clearing member | M | M |
| Fund Segregation Type | Clearing fund segregation type | M | M |
| Clearing Participant LEI | Legal entity identifier (LEI) for a particular clearing member per International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17442 | C | C |
| Clearing Participant LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the clearing member LEI | C | C |
| Customer Position Identifier | Proprietary identifier for a particular customer position account | C | N/A |
| Customer Position Name | The name associated with the customer position identifier | M | N/A |
| Customer Position Account Type | Type of account used for reporting | C | N/A |
| Customer LEI | LEI for a particular customer; provide if available | N/A | C |
| Customer LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the customer position LEI | N/A | C |
| Margin Account | Margin account identifier | M | N/A |
| Customer Margin Name | The name associated with the customer margin identifier | N/A | C |
| Unique Margin Identifier | A single field that uniquely identifies the margin account. This field is used to identify associated positions | M | M |
| Customer Margin Identifier | Proprietary identifier for a particular customer | N/A | M |
| Customer Margin Account Type | Account type indicator | N/A | M |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Concentration Risk | Risk factor component to capture costs associated with the liquidation of a large position | C | C |
| Delivery Margin | Margin collected to cover delivery risk | C | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M | M |
| Liquidity Risk | Risk component to capture bid/offer costs associated with the liquidation of a large portfolio. | C | C |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The total margin requirement for the origin. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | N/A |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Market Move Risk | Margin amount associated with market move risk | C | C |
| Margin Savings | The margin savings amount for the clearing member where there is a cross-margining agreement with another DCO | C | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | C |
| Net Option Value | The credit or debit amount based on the long or short options positions | C | C |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The profit and loss (P&L) attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date | O | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark-to-market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L) | M | N/A |
| Customer Margin Omnibus Parent | The margin identifier for the omnibus account associated with the customer margin identifier. (Conditional on reported customer position being part of a separately reported omnibus account position.) | N/A | C |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M | M |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The total margin requirement for the origin. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | M |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | N/A |
| Net Cash Flow | Net cash flow recognized on report date (with actual settlements occurring according to the currency’s settlement conventions). E.g., profit/loss, price alignment interest, cash payments (fees, coupons, etc.) | C | N/A |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date | C | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark to market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L) | M | N/A |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Concentration Risk | Risk factor component to capture costs associated with the liquidation of a large position | C | C |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M | M |
| Liquidity Risk | Risk component to capture bid/offer costs associated with the liquidation of a large portfolio. | C | C |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The total margin requirement for the origin. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | C |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Spread Response Risk | Risk factor component associated with credit spread level changes and credit term structure shape changes | C | C |
| Systemic Risk | Risk factor component to capture parallel shift of credit spreads | C | C |
| Curve Risk | Risk factor that captures curve shifts based on portfolio | C | C |
| Index Spread Risk | Risk factor component associated with risks due to widening/tightening spreads of credit default swap (CDS) indices relative to each other | C | C |
| Sector Risk | Risk factor component to capture sector risk | C | C |
| Jump to Default Risk | Risk factor component to capture most extreme up/down move of a reference entity | C | C |
| Basis Risk | Risk factor component to capture basis risk between index and index constituent reference entities | C | C |
| Interest Rate Risk | Risk factor component associated with parallel shift movements in interest rates | C | C |
| Jump to Health Risk | Risk factor component to capture extreme narrowing of credit spreads of a reference entity; also known as “idiosyncratic risk” | C | C |
| Other Risk | Any other risk factors included in the margin model | C | C |
| Recovery Rate Sensitivity Risk | Risk factor component to capture fluctuations of recovery rate assumptions | C | C |
| Wrong Way Risk | Risk that occurs when exposure to a counterparty is adversely correlated with the credit quality of that counterparty. It arises when default risk and credit exposure increase together | C | C |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | N/A |
| Initial Coupon | Amount of coupon premium amount accrued from the start of the current coupon period through the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | O | N/A |
| Upfront Payment | The difference in market value between the standard coupon and the market spread as well as the coupon accrued through the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | O | N/A |
| Trade Cash Adjustment | Additional cash amount on trades. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | C | N/A |
| Quarterly Coupon | Regular payment of quarterly coupon premium amounts. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | O | N/A |
| Credit Event Payments | Cash settlement of credit events. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | C | N/A |
| Accrued Coupon | Coupon obligation from the first day of the coupon period through the current clearing trade date. The sum of accrued coupon for each position in the clearing member’s portfolio (by origin). | M | N/A |
| Final Mark to Market | Determined by marking the end-of-day position from par (100%) to the end-of-day settlement price | M | N/A |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date | C | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark-to-market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L) | M | N/A |
| Previous Accrued Coupon | Previous day’s accrued coupon | M | N/A |
| Previous Mark to Market | Previous day’s mark to market | M | N/A |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M | N/A |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons. | M | M |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The total margin requirement for the origin. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | M |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Other Payments | Includes any upfront and/or final/settlement payments made/received for the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | M | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | N/A |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M | N/A |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date | C | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark-to-market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L) | M | N/A |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M | M |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The total margin requirement for the origin. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | M |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Cross-Margined Products Profit/Loss | P&L resulting from changes in value due to changes in the futures price. This P&L should only include changes to the cross-margined futures in the account | C | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Other Payments | Includes any upfront and/or final/settlement payments made/received for the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | C | N/A |
| Net Coupon Payment | Net amount of any coupon cash flows recognized on report date but actually occurring on currency’s settlement convention date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | M | N/A |
| Net Present Value | Net present value (NPV) of all positions by currency | M | N/A |
| Net Present Value Previous | Previous day’s NPV by currency | M | N/A |
| PV of Other Payments | Includes the present value of any upfront and/or final/settlement payments that will be settled after the report date. Only include amounts that are affecting the NPV of current trades | M | N/A |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M | N/A |
| Accrued Coupon | Coupon obligation from the first day of the coupon period through the current clearing trade date. The sum of accrued coupon for each position in the clearing member’s portfolio (by origin) | M | N/A |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date | C | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark-to-market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L). | M | N/A |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons resulting from liquidity/concentration charges | M | M |
| Liquidity Risk | Risk component to capture bid/offer costs associated with the liquidation of a large portfolio | C | C |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date. | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The total margin requirement for the origin. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | N/A |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin. | M | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | N/A |
| Net Option Value | The credit or debit amount based on the long or short options positions | C | C |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date. | C | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark to market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L) | M | N/A |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M | N/A |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The consolidated non-U.S. margin requirement for the origin. The consolidated non-U.S. margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | N/A |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C | N/A |
| Backdated Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to positions added that were novated on a prior date | C | N/A |
| Day Trading Profit and Loss | The P&L attributed to the day’s trades | C | N/A |
| Position Profit and Loss | The P&L of the previous day’s position with today’s price movement | C | N/A |
| Total Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark-to-market value of position(s) including change in mark to market (Total P&L = Position P&L + Day Trading P&L + Backdated P&L) | M | N/A |
| Additional Margin | Any additional margin required in excess of initial margin. For example, this figure should include any liquidity/concentration charge if the charge is not included in the initial margin | M | N/A |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M | N/A |
| Margin Calls | Any outstanding margin call that has been issued but not collected as of the end of the trade date | M | N/A |
| Total Margin | The U.S. person margin requirement for the origin by currency contribution. If the traded currency’s swaps (i.e., JY) offset risk of other currencies, include an amount of zero for that currency. This margin requirement should include the initial margin requirement plus any additional margin required by the DCO | M | N/A |
| Variation Margin | Variation margin should include the net sum of all cash flows between the DCO and clearing members by origin | M | N/A |
| Collateral on Deposit | The collateral on deposit for an origin. This amount should include all collateral after all haircuts that have been deposited to cover the total margin requirement | M | N/A |
| Mark-to-Market | Determined by marking the end of day position(s) from par (100%) to the end of day settlement price | M | N/A |
M = mandatory C = conditional O = optional.
| Field name | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Total Message Count | The total number of reports included in the file | M |
| FIXML Message Type | FIXML account summary report type | M |
| Sender ID | The CFTC-issued DCO identifier | M |
| To ID | Indicate “CFTC” | M |
| Message Transmit Datetime | The date and time the file is transmitted | M |
| Report ID | A unique identifier assigned by the CFTC to each clearing member report | M |
| Report Date | The business date of the information being reported | M |
| Base Currency | Base currency referenced throughout report; provide exchange rate against this currency | M |
| Report Time (Message Create Time) | The report “as of” or information cut-off time | M |
| Message Event | The event source being reported | M |
| Market Segment ID | Market segment associated with the position report | M |
| DCO Identifier | CFTC-assigned identifier for a DCO | M |
| Clearing Participant Identifier | DCO-assigned identifier for a particular clearing member | M |
| Clearing Participant Name | The name of the clearing member | M |
| Fund Segregation Type | Clearing fund segregation type | M |
| Clearing Participant LEI | LEI for a particular clearing member | C |
| Clearing Participant LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the clearing member LEI | C |
| Customer Position Identifier | Proprietary identifier for a particular customer position account | C |
| Customer Position Name | The name associated with the customer position identifier | M |
| Customer Position Account Type | Type of account used for reporting | C |
| Customer Position LEI | LEI for a particular customer; must be provided when available | C |
| Customer Position LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the Customer Position LEI | C |
| Customer Margin Identifier | Proprietary identifier for a particular customer | C |
| Customer Margin Name | The name associated with the customer margin identifier | C |
| Unique Margin Identifier | A single field that uniquely identifies the margin account. This field is used to identify associated positions | M |
| Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | M |
| Cross-Margin Entity | Name of the entity associated with a cross-margined account | C |
| Exchange Commodity Code | Contract commodity code issued by the exchange; | M |
| Clearing Commodity Code | Registered commodity clearing identifier. The code is for the contract as if it was traded in the form it is cleared. For example, if the contract was traded as a spread but cleared as an outright, the outright symbol should be used | M |
| Product Type | Indicates the type of product with which the security is associated | C |
| Security Type | Indicates type of security | M |
| Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Asset Subtype | Provides a more specific description of the asset type | C |
| Security Group (Sector) | A name assigned to a group of related instruments which may be concurrently affected by market events and actions | C |
| Unit Leverage Factor | The multiplier needed to convert a change of one point of the quoted index into local currency P&L for a 1-unit long position | M |
| Units | Unit of measure | M |
| Settlement Method | Method of settlement | C |
| Exchange Identifier (MIC) | Exchange where the instrument is traded, per ISO 10383 | M |
| Security Description | Used to provide a textual description of a financial instrument | M |
| Unique Product Identifier | A single field that uniquely identifies a given product. All positions with this identifier will have the same price | M |
| Alternate Product Identifier—Spread Underlying Long | When a contract represents a differential between two products, the product code that represents the long position in the spread for long position in the combined contract | C |
| Alternate Product Identifier—Spread Underlying Short | When a contract represents a differential between two products, the product code that represents the long position in the spread for short position in the combined contract | C |
| Last Trading Date | The last day of trading in a futures contract | M |
| First Notice Date | The first date on which delivery notices are issued | C |
| Position (Long) | Long position size. If a position is quoted in a unit of measure (UOM) different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Position (Short) | Short position size. If a position is quoted in a UOM different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Settlement FX Info | Settlement price foreign exchange conversion rate | M |
| Change in Settlement Price | The quoted price change between the prior trading day’s settlement and today’s settlement | M |
| Unit Currency P&L | The local currency P&L between the prior trading day’s settlement and today’s settlement for a 1-unit long position | M |
| Outright Initial Margin | Initial margin for the position as if it were a stand-alone outright position | C |
| Option Exercise Style | Exercise style | C |
| Option Strike Price | Option strike price | C |
| Option Put/Call Indicator | Option type | C |
| Underlying Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | C |
| Underlying Exchange Commodity Code | Underlying Contract code issued by the exchange | C |
| Underlying Clearing Commodity Code | Registered commodity clearing identifier. The code is for the contract as if it was traded in the form it is cleared. For example, if the contract was traded as a spread but cleared as an outright, the outright symbol should be used | C |
| Underlying Product Type | Indicates the type of product the security is associated with | C |
| Underlying Security Type | Indicator which identifies the underlying derivative type | C |
| Underlying Security Group (Sector) | A name assigned to a group of related instruments which may be concurrently affected by market events and actions | C |
| Underlying Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | C |
| Underlying Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Underlying Asset Class | The underlying broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | C |
| Underlying Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Underlying Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Underlying Asset Subtype | Provides a more specific description of the asset type. | C |
| Underlying Exchange Code (MIC) | Exchange where the underlying instrument is traded | C |
| Underlying Security Description | Textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| Unique Underlying Product Code | A single field that is the result of concatenating relevant fields that create a unique product ID that is associated with a unique price | C |
| Primary Options Exchange Code—Implied Volatility Quote | This field identifies the main options chain for the future that provides the implied volatility quote | C |
| DELTA | Delta is the measure of how the option’s value varies with changes in the underlying price | C |
| Implied Volatility | The implied volatility and quotation style for the contract, typically in natural log percent or index points | C |
| Customer Margin Omnibus Parent | The margin identifier for the omnibus account associated with the customer margin identifier. (Conditional on reported customer position being part of a separately reported omnibus account position) | C |
| Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | M |
| Exchange Commodity Code | Contract commodity code issued by the exchange; | M |
| Clearing Commodity Code | Registered commodity clearing identifier. The code is for the contract as if it was traded in the form it is cleared. For example, if the contract was traded as a spread but cleared as an outright, the outright symbol should be used | M |
| Product Type | Indicates the type of product with which the security is associated | C |
| Security Group (Sector) | A name assigned to a group of related instruments which may be concurrently affected by market events and actions | C |
| Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Unit Leverage Factor | The multiplier needed to convert a change of one point of the quoted index into local currency P&L for a 1-unit long position | C |
| Minimum Tick | Minimum price tick increment | C |
| Units | Unit of measure | M |
| Settlement Method | Swap settlement method | C |
| Exchange Identifier (MIC) | Exchange where the instrument is traded | M |
| Security Description | Used to provide a textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| Security Type | Indicates type of security | M |
| Position (Long) | Long position size. If a position is quoted in a UOM different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Position (Short) | Short position size. If a position is quoted in a UOM different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Net Cash Flow | Net cash flow recognized on report date (with actual settlements occurring according to the currency’s settlement conventions). | C |
| Settlement FX Info | Settlement price foreign exchange conversion rate | M |
| Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier | Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier (USI) namespace and USI. The USI namespace and the USI should be separated by a pipe “|” character | M |
| Option Exercise Style | Exercise style | C |
| Option Put/Call Indicator | Option type | M |
| Option Strike Price | Option strike price | M |
| Underlying Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | M |
| Underlying Exchange Commodity Code | Underlying Contract code issued by the exchange | C |
| Underlying Clearing Commodity Code | Registered commodity clearing identifier. The code is for the contract as if it was traded in the form it is cleared. For example, if the contract was traded as a spread but cleared as an outright, the outright symbol should be used | M |
| Underlying Product Type | Indicates the type of product the security is associated with | C |
| Underlying Security Group (Sector) | A name assigned to a group of related instruments which may be concurrently affected by market events and actions | C |
| Underlying Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | M |
| Underlying Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Underlying Asset Class | The underlying broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Underlying Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Underlying Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Underlying Exchange Code (MIC) | Exchange where the underlying instrument is traded | M |
| Underlying Security Type | Indicates type of security | M |
| Underlying Security Description | Textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| DELTA | Delta is the measure of how the option’s value varies with changes in the underlying price | C |
| Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | M |
| Exchange Security Identifier | Contract code issued by the exchange | O |
| Redcode | The code assigned to the CDS by Markit that identifies the referenced entity or the index, series and version. (Underlying instrument is required for Security Type = SWAPTION.) | M |
| Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to Commission regulation 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Security Type | Indicator which identifies the derivative type | M |
| Restructuring Type | This field is used if the index has been restructured due to a credit event | M |
| Seniority Type | The class of debt | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Reference Entity Type (Sector) | Specifies the type of reference entity for first-to-default CDS basket contracts. The Markit sector code should be provided when available | M |
| Coupon Rate | The coupon rate associated with this CDS transaction stated in Basis Points | M |
| Security Description (Reference Entity) | Name of CDS index or single-name or sovereign debt | M |
| Recovery Factor | The assumed recovery rate used to determine the CDS price | O |
| Position (Long) | Long position size. If a position is quoted in a UOM different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Position (Short) | Short position size. If a position is quoted in a UOM different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| 5 YR Equivalent Notional | The five-year equivalent notional amount for each risk factor/reference entity CDS contract | M |
| Accrued Coupon | Coupon obligation from the first day of the coupon period through the current clearing trade date | M |
| Profit and Loss | Unrealized P&L or mark to market value of position(s) including change in mark to market plus change in accrued coupon plus change in unsettled upfront fees. Does not include cash flows related to quarterly coupon payments, credit event payments, or price alignment interest | M |
| Credit Exposure (CS01) | The credit exposure of the swap at a given point in time. CS01 = Spread DV01 = “dollar” value of a basis point = In currency (not percentage) terms, the change in fair value of the leg, transaction, position, or portfolio (as appropriate) commensurate with a 1 basis point (0.01 percent) instantaneous, hypothetical increase in the related credit spread curves. CS01/Spread DV01 may refer to non-dollar currencies and related curves. From the DCO’s point of view: positive CS01 = gain in value resulting from 1 basis point increase, negative CS01 = loss of value resulting from 1 basis point increase | C |
| Mark to Market | Determined by marking the end of day position(s) from par (100%) to the end of day settlement price | M |
| Price Value of a Basis Point (PV01) | Change in P&L of a position given a one basis point move in CDS spread value. May also be referred to as DV01, Sprd DV01 | M |
| Previous Accrued Coupon | Previous day’s accrued coupon | M |
| Previous Mark to Market | Previous day’s mark to market | M |
| Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier | Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier (USI) namespace and USI. The USI namespace and the USI should be separated by a pipe “|” character | O |
| Option Strike Price | Option strike price | C |
| Settlement Method | Method of settlement | C |
| Option Exercise Style | Exercise style | C |
| Option Put/Call Indicator | Option type | C |
| Option Type | Specifies the option type | C |
| Option Start Date | The option adjusted start date | C |
| Option Expiration Date—Adjusted | The CDS option adjusted expiration date | C |
| Underlying Exchange Security Identifier | The underlying contract alias used by outside vendors to uniquely identify the contract | O |
| Underlying Clearing Security Identifier (Red Code) | The underlying code assigned to the CDS by Markit that identifies the referenced entity or the index, series and version | C |
| Underlying Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to Commission regulation 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Underlying Security Type | Indicator which identifies the underlying derivative type | C |
| Underlying Restructuring Type | This field is used if the underlying index has been restructured due to a credit event | C |
| Underlying Seniority Type | The underlying class of debt | C |
| Underlying Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Underlying Asset Class | The underlying broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | C |
| Underlying Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Underlying Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Underlying Reference Entity Type (Sector) | Specifies the type of underlying reference entity for first-to-default CDS basket contracts | C |
| Underlying Coupon Rate | The underlying coupon rate associated with this CDS transaction stated in basis points | C |
| Underlying Security Description | Textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| Underlying Recovery Factor | The assumed recovery rate used to determine the underlying CDS price | C |
| DELTA | Delta is the measure of how the option’s value varies with changes in the underlying price | M |
| GAMMA | Gamma is the rate of change for delta with respect to the underlying asset’s price | M |
| RHO | Rho measures the sensitivity of an option’s price to a variation in the risk-free interest rate | M |
| THETA | Theta is the rate at which an option loses value as time passes | M |
| VEGA | Vega is the measurement of an option’s sensitivity to changes in the volatility of the underlying asset | M |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C |
| Option Premium Date | Date swaption premium is paid | C |
| Settle Date | Settle date of the position | M |
| Settlement Price/Fixing Currency | Settlement price of the position | M |
| Discount Factor | Discount factor for the position. Use the factor for the Mark to Market (MTM) currency | M |
| Valuation Date | Valuation date of the position | M |
| Delivery Date | Delivery date of the position | M |
| Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for a particular contract | M |
| Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to Commission regulation 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Security Type | Registered commodity clearing identifier. (Underlying instrument is required for Security Type = FXOPT | FXNDO.) | M |
| Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | C |
| Maturity Date (Expiration) | Specifies date of maturity (a calendar date). Used for FXFWD/FXNDF. For non-deliverable forwards (NDFs), this represents the fixing date of the contract | C |
| Maturity Time (Expiration) | The contract expiration time. (Used for FXFWD/FXNDF.) | C |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Valuation Method | Specifies the type of valuation method applied | C |
| Security Description | Used to provide a textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| Foreign Exchange Type | Identifies the type of FX contract. Use Typ = 7 for direct FX ( | M |
| Currency One | Specifies the first or only reference currency of the trade | M |
| Currency Two | Specifies the second reference currency of the trade | M |
| Quote Basis | For foreign exchange quanto option feature | M |
| Fixed Rate | (FXFWD or FXNDF only). Specifies the forward FX rate alternative | C |
| Spot Rate | Specifies the FX spot rates the first or only reference currency of the trade | C |
| Forward Points | (FXFWD or FXNDF only) The interest rate differential in basis points between the base and quote currencies in a forward rate quote. May be a negative value. (The number of basis points added to or subtracted from the current spot rate of a currency pair to determine the forward rate for delivery on a specific value date.) | C |
| Delivery Type Indicator | Delivery type indicator | M |
| Position—Long | Gross long position. An affirmative zero value should be reported for the long position. (Both long and short positions are required.) For FXNDF use Typ = DLV for settlement currency | M |
| Position—Short | Gross short position. An affirmative zero value should be reported for the short position. (Both long and short positions are required.) For FXNDF use Typ = DLV for settlement currency | M |
| Final Mark to Market | Mark to market which includes the discount factor | M |
| Dollar Value of a Basis Point (DV01)—Long Currency | The dollar value of a one basis point change (DV01) in the yield of the underlying security and that of the hedging vehicle | M |
| Dollar Value of a Basis Point (DV01)—Short Currency | The dollar value of a one basis point change (DV01) in the yield of the underlying security and that of the hedging vehicle | M |
| Net Cash Flow | Net cash flow recognized on report date (with actual settlements occurring according to the currency’s settlement conventions). | M |
| Undiscounted Mark to Market | Mark to market, which does not include the discount factor | M |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M |
| Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier | Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier (USI) namespace and USI. The USI namespace and the USI should be separated by a pipe “|” character | M |
| Option Put/Call Indicator | Option type | C |
| Strike Rate | Option strike rate | C |
| Option Exercise Style | Exercise style | C |
| Option Cut Name | The code by which the expiry time is known in the market | C |
| Underlying Settlement Price/Fixing Currency | Settlement price for the position. (Underlying settlement is required for FXOPT, FXNDO.) | C |
| Underlying Exchange Security Code | Security code issued by the exchange; | C |
| Underlying Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for the underlying contract | C |
| Underlying Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to Commission regulation 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Underlying Security Type | Indicator which identifies the underlying derivative | C |
| Underlying Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | C |
| Underlying Maturity Date (Expiration) | For FXFWD/FXNDF, the date on which the principal amount becomes due. For NDFs, this represents the fixing date of the contract | C |
| Underlying Exchange Identifier (MIC) | Exchange where the underlying instrument is traded | C |
| Underlying Security Description | Textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| Option Long/Short Indicator | Indicates whether the option is short or long | C |
| Option Expiration | Adjusted option expiration date | C |
| Notional Long/Short | FX currency notional long or short | M |
| Implied Volatility | The implied volatility and quotation style for the contract, typically in natural log percent or index points | C |
| DELTA | Delta is the measure of how the option’s value varies with changes in the underlying price | M |
| GAMMA | Gamma is the rate of change for delta with respect to the underlying asset’s price | M |
| RHO | Rho measures the sensitivity of an option’s price to a variation in the risk-free interest rate | M |
| THETA | Theta is the rate at which an option loses value as time passes | M |
| VEGA | Vega is the measurement of an option’s sensitivity to changes in the volatility of the underlying asset | M |
| Option Premium MTM | Premium mark to market, which includes the discount factor | C |
| Cleared Date | Date on which the trade was cleared at the DCO | M |
| Position Status | Position status: active, or terminated. Terminated positions should only be reported on the day of termination | M |
| DCO Pays Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the DCO pays | M |
| DCO Receives Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the DCO receives | M |
| Clearing Participant Pays Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the clearing member pays | M |
| Clearing Participant Receives Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the clearing member receives | M |
| Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for a particular contract | M |
| Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to Commission regulation 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Security Type | Registered commodity clearing identifier | M |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Swap Class | The classification or type of swap | M |
| Swap Subclass | The sub-classification or notional schedule type of the swap | C |
| Security Description | Used to provide a textual description of a financial instrument | M |
| Leg Type | Identifies if the leg is fixed or floating | M |
| Leg Notional | Notional amount associated with leg | M |
| Leg Notional Currency | Currency of the leg’s notional amount | M |
| Leg Start Date Adj Bus Day Conv | If start date falls on a weekend or holiday, value defines how to adjust actual start date | C |
| Leg Start Date | Leg’s effective date | M |
| Leg Maturity Date Adj Bus Day Conv | If the maturity date falls on a weekend or holiday, value defines how to adjust actual maturity date | C |
| Leg Maturity Date | The date on which the leg’s principal amount becomes due | M |
| Leg Maturity Date Adj Calendar | Regarding the maturity date, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Calculation Period Adjusted Business Day Convention | If a date defining the calculation period falls on a holiday, this adjusts the actual dates based on the definition of the input | C |
| Leg Calculation Frequency | Calculation frequency, also known as the compounding frequency for compounded swaps | M |
| Leg First Reg Per Start Date | If there is a beginning stub, this indicates the date when the usual payment periods will begin | C |
| Leg Last Reg Per End Date | If there is an ending stub, this indicates the date when the usual payment periods will end | C |
| Leg Roll Conv | Indicates the day of the month when the payment is made | C |
| Leg Calc Per Adj Calendar | Regarding the calculation period, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Daycount | Defines how interest is accrued/calculated | C |
| Leg Comp Method | If payments are made on one timeframe but calculations are made on a shorter timeframe, this describes how to compound interest | C |
| Leg Pay Adj Bus Day Conv | If cash flow pay or receive date falls on a weekend or holiday, value defines actual date payment is made | C |
| Leg Pay Frequency | Frequency at which payments are made | M |
| Leg Pay Relative To | Payment relative to the beginning or end of the period | C |
| Leg Payment Lag | Number of business days after payment due date on which the payment is actually made | C |
| Leg Pay Adj Calendar | Regarding dates on which cash flow payments/receipts are scheduled, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Reset Relative To | Specifies whether reset dates are determined with respect to each adjusted calculation period start date or adjusted calculation period end date | C |
| Leg Reset Date Adj Bus Day Conv | Business day convention to apply to each reset date if the reset date falls on a holiday | C |
| Leg Reset Frequency | Frequency at which resets occur. If the Leg Reset Frequency is greater than the calculation per frequency, more than 1 reset date should be established for each calculation per frequency and some form of rate averaging is applicable | C |
| Leg Fixing Date Bus Day Conv | Business day convention to apply to each fixing date if the fixing date falls on a holiday | C |
| Leg Fixing Date Offset | Specifies the fixing date relative to the reset date in terms of a business days offset | C |
| Leg Fixing Day Type | The type of days to use to find the fixing date ( | C |
| Leg Reset Date Adj Calendar | Regarding reset dates, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Fixing Date Calendar | Regarding the fixing date, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Fixed Rate or Amount | Only populate if Leg1 is Type “Fixed”. This should be expressed in decimal form ( | C |
| Leg Index | If Stream is floating rate, this gives the index applicable to the floating rate | C |
| Leg Index Tenor | For the floating rate leg, the tenor of the leg. For the fixed rate leg, NULL | C |
| Leg Spread | Describes if there is a spread (typically an add-on) applied to the coupon rate | C |
| Leg Pmt Sched Notional | Variable notional swap notional values | C |
| Leg Initial Stub Rate | The interest rate applicable to the Initial Stub Period in decimal form ( | C |
| Leg Initial Stub Rate Index 1 | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg Initial Stub Rate Index 2 Tenor | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg Final Stub Rate | The interest rate applicable to the final stub period in decimal form ( | C |
| Leg Final Stub Rate Index 1 | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg Final Stub Rate Index 2 Tenor | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Accrued Coupon (Interest) | Net accrued coupon amount since the last payment in the leg currency. If reported by leg, indicate the associated stream (leg) description ( | M |
| Profit/Loss | Profit/loss resulting from changes in value due to changes in underlying curve movements or floating index rate resets. This should exclude impacts to NPVs from extraneous cash flows (price alignment interest, fees, and coupons) | M |
| Leg Current Period Rate | If leg is a floating leg, this indicates the current rate used to calculate the next floating Leg coupon in decimal form ( | M |
| Leg Coupon Payment | Coupon amount for T + 1 in the leg currency. This should reflect the net cash flow that will actually occur on the following business day. Negative number indicates that a payment was made | M |
| Dollar Value of Basis Point (DV01) | Change in value in USD if the relevant pricing curve is shifted up by 1 basis point. DV01 = “dollar” value of a basis point in currency (not percentage) terms, the change in fair value of the leg, transaction, position, or portfolio (as appropriate) commensurate with a 1 basis point (0.01 percent) instantaneous, hypothetical increase in the related zero-coupon curves. DV01 may refer to non-dollar currencies and related curves. From the DCO’s point of view: positive DV01 = profit/gain resulting from 1 basis point increase, negative DV01 = loss resulting from 1 basis point increase | M |
| Net Cash Flow | Net cash flow recognized on report date (with actual settlements occurring according to the currency’s settlement conventions). | M |
| Net Present Value | Net present value (NPV) of all positions by currency | M |
| Present Value of Other Payments | Includes the present value of any upfront and/or final/settlement payments that will be settled after the report date. Only include amounts that are affecting the NPV of current trades | M |
| Net Present Value Previous | Previous day’s NPV by currency | C |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M |
| Other Payments | Includes any upfront and/or final/settlement payments made/received for the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | C |
| Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier | Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier (USI) namespace and USI. The USI namespace and the USI should be separated by a pipe “|” character | C |
| Leg Initial Exchange | Amount of any exchange of cash flow at initiation of trade being cleared | C |
| Leg Initial Exchange Date | Date that the initial exchange is set to occur | C |
| Leg Final Exchange | Amount of any exchange of cash flow at maturity of trade | C |
| Leg Final Exchange Date | Date that the final exchange is set to occur | C |
| Option Exercise Style | Exercise style | C |
| Option Type | Specifies the option type | C |
| Option Start Date | The option adjusted start date | C |
| Option Adjusted Expiration Date | The IRS swaption adjusted expiration date | C |
| Option Buy/Sell Indicator | Indicates the buyer or seller of a swap stream | C |
| Underlying Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for the underlying contract | C |
| Underlying Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to 17 CFR 45.7 | C |
| Underlying Security Type | Indicator which identifies the underlying derivative | C |
| Underlying Asset Class | The underlying broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | C |
| Underlying Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Underlying Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Underlying Swap Class | The classification or type of swap | C |
| Underlying Swap Subclass | The sub-classification or notional schedule type of the swap | C |
| Underlying Security Description | Textual description of a financial instrument | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Type | Identifies if the leg is fixed or floating | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Notional | Notional amount associated with leg | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Currency | Currency of this leg’s notional amount | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Index | If stream is floating rate, this gives the index applicable to the floating rate | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Index Tenor | For the floating rate leg, the tenor of the leg. For the fixed rate leg, NULL | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Fixed Rate Or Amount | Only populate if Leg1 is type “Fixed”. This should be in decimal form ( | C |
| Underlying Security Leg Spread | Indicates whether there is a spread (typically an add-on) applied to the coupon rate | C |
| DELTA | Delta is the measure of how the option’s value varies with changes in the underlying price | M |
| GAMMA | Gamma is the rate of change for delta with respect to the underlying asset’s price | M |
| RHO | Rho measures the sensitivity of an option’s price to a variation in the risk-free interest rate | M |
| THETA | Theta is the rate at which an option loses value as time passes | M |
| VEGA | Vega is the measurement of an option’s sensitivity to changes in the volatility of the underlying asset | M |
| Option Premium | Premium registered on the given trading date. The amount of money that the options buyer must pay the options seller | C |
| Option Premium Date | Date option premium is paid | C |
| Trade Date | Date a transaction was originally executed, resulting in the generation of a new USI. For clearing swaps, the date when the DCO accepts the original swap | M |
| Event Description | Description for each position record | C |
| Previous Business Date | Previous business date | M |
| Position Status | Position status: active or terminated. Terminated positions should only be reported on the day of termination | M |
| DCO Pays Indicator | Indicates which cash flow the DCO pays | M |
| DCO Receives Indicator | Indicates which cash flow the DCO receives | M |
| Clearing Participant Pays Indicator | Indicates which cash flow the clearing member pays | M |
| Clearing Participant Receives Indicator | Indicates which cash flow the clearing member receives | M |
| Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for a particular contract | M |
| Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Security Type | Registered commodity clearing identifier | M |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| FRA Type | Type of swap stream | M |
| Notional Amount | Stream notional amount | M |
| Notional Currency | Currency of leg notional amount | M |
| Start Date | Date the position was established | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | M |
| Payment Day Count Convention | Defines how interest is accrued/calculated | M |
| Payment Accrual Days | Number of accrual days between the effective date and maturity date | M |
| First Payment Date | Date on which the payment is made. Always report the adjusted date | C |
| Reset Date Bus Day Convention | Business day convention to apply to each fixing date if the fixing date falls on a holiday | M |
| Reset Date Fixing Date | Date on which the payment is fixed. Always report the adjusted date | M |
| Fixed Rate | The fixed amount in decimal terms | M |
| Float Index | The index for the floating portion of the Forward Rate Agreement (FRA) | M |
| Float First Tenor | First tenor associated with the index | M |
| Float Second Tenor | Second tenor associated with the index | C |
| Float Spread | In basis point terms | M |
| Float Reference Rate | The fixed floating rate in decimal terms | M |
| PV01 | Change in value in native currency if the relevant pricing curve is shifted up by 1 basis point | M |
| Dollar Value of Basis Point (DV01) | Change in value in USD if the relevant pricing curve is shifted up by 1 basis point. DV01 = “dollar” value of a basis point in currency (not percentage) terms, the change in fair value of the leg, transaction, position, or portfolio (as appropriate) commensurate with a 1 basis point (0.01 percent) instantaneous, hypothetical increase in the related zero-coupon curves. DV01 may refer to non-dollar currencies and related curves. From the DCO’s point of view: positive DV01 = profit/gain resulting from 1 basis point increase, negative DV01 = loss resulting from 1 basis point increase | M |
| Net Present Value | Net present value (NPV) of all positions by currency | M |
| Settlement FX Info | Settlement price foreign exchange conversion rate | M |
| Net Present Value Previous | Previous day’s NPV by currency | M |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M |
| Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier | Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier (USI) namespace and USI. The USI namespace and the USI should be separated by a pipe “|” character | C |
| Settlement Amount | The amount paid/received on the Payment Date. Always report adjusted date. (The position pays on a negative amount.) | M |
| Other Payments | Includes any upfront and/or final/settlement payments made/received for the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | C |
| Net Cash Flow | Net cash flow recognized on report date (with actual settlements occurring according to the currency’s settlement conventions). | C |
| Profit/Loss | Profit/Loss resulting from changes in value due to changes in underlying curve movements or floating index rate resets. Should exclude impacts to NPVs from extraneous cash flows (price alignment interest, fees, and coupons) | C |
| Present Value of Other Payments | Includes the present value of any upfront and/or final/settlement payments that will be settled after the report date. Only include amounts that are affecting the NPV of current trades | C |
| Trade Date | Actual trade date for each position record (including specifically, the cleared date and the trade date) | M |
| Event Description | Description for each position record | C |
| Cleared Date | Date on which the trade was cleared at the DCO | M |
| Position Status | Position’s status: active or terminated. Terminated positions should only be reported on the day of termination | M |
| DCO Pays Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the DCO pays | M |
| DCO Receives Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the DCO receives | M |
| Clearing Participant Pays Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the clearing member pays | M |
| Clearing Participant Receives Indicator | Indicate which cash flow the clearing member receives | M |
| Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for a particular contract | M |
| Unique Product Identifier | A unique set of characters that represents a particular swap. The Commission will designate a UPI pursuant to 17 CFR 45.7 | O |
| Security Type | Registered commodity clearing identifier | M |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Swap Class | The classification or type of swap | M |
| Swap Subclass | The sub-classification or notional schedule type of the swap | C |
| Security Description | Used to provide a textual description of a financial instrument | M |
| Leg Type | Identifies if the leg is fixed or floating | M |
| Leg Notional | Notional amount associated with leg | M |
| Leg Notional Currency | Currency of the leg’s notional amount | M |
| Leg Start Date Adj Bus Day Conv | If start date falls on a weekend or holiday, value defines how to adjust actual start date | C |
| Leg Start Date | Leg’s effective date | M |
| Leg Maturity Date Adj Bus Day Conv | If the maturity date falls on a weekend or holiday, value defines how to adjust actual maturity date | C |
| Leg Maturity Date | The date on which the leg’s principal amount becomes due | M |
| Leg Maturity Date Adj Calendar | Regarding the maturity date, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Calc Per Adj Bus Day Conv | If a date defining the calculation period falls on a holiday, this adjusts the actual dates based on the definition of the input | C |
| Leg Calc Frequency | Calculation frequency, also known as the compounding frequency for compounded swaps | M |
| Leg Roll Conv | Describes the day of the month when the payment is made | C |
| Leg Calc Per Adj Calendar | Regarding the calculation period, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Stream Daycount | Defines how interest is accrued/calculated | M |
| Payment Stream Comp Method | If payments are made on one timeframe but calculations are made on a shorter timeframe, this describes how to compound interest | C |
| Payment Stream Business Day Conv | If cash flow pay or receive date falls on a weekend or holiday, value defines actual date payment is made | C |
| Payment Stream Frequency | Frequency at which payments are made | M |
| Payment Stream Relative To | Specifies the anchor date when the payment date is relative to that date | C |
| Payment Stream First Date | The unadjusted first payment date | C |
| Payment Stream Last Regular Date | The unadjusted last regular payment date | C |
| Payment Leg Calendar | Regarding dates on which cash flow payments/receipts are scheduled, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Reset Date Bus Day Conv | Business day convention to apply to each reset date if the reset date falls on a holiday | C |
| Leg Reset Date Relative To | Specifies the anchor date when reset date is relative to that date | C |
| Leg Reset Frequency | Frequency at which resets occur. If the Leg Reset Frequency is greater than the calculation per frequency, more than 1 reset date should be established for each calculation per frequency and some form of rate averaging is applicable | C |
| Leg Reset Fixing Date Offset | Specifies the fixing date relative to the reset date in terms of a business days offset | C |
| Leg Fixing Day Type | The type of days to use to find the fixing date ( | C |
| Leg Reset Date Calendar | Regarding reset dates, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Leg Fixing Date Bus Day Conv | Business day convention to apply to each fixing date if the fixing date falls on a holiday | C |
| Leg Fixing Date Calendar | Regarding the fixing date, this specifies which dates are considered holidays | C |
| Fixed Leg Rate or Amount | Only populate if Leg1 is Type “Fixed”. This should be expressed in decimal form ( | C |
| Floating Leg Inflation Index | If leg is floating rate, this gives the index applicable to the floating rate | C |
| Floating Leg Spread | Describes if there is a spread (typically an add-on) applied to the coupon rate | C |
| Floating Leg Payment Inflation Lag | Number of business days after payment due date on which the payment is actually made | C |
| Floating Leg Payment Inflation Interpolation Method | The method used when calculating the inflation index level from multiple points. The most common is the linear method | C |
| Floating Leg Inflation Index Initial Level | Initial known index level for the first calculation period | C |
| Floating Leg Inflation Index Fallback Bond Ind | Indicates whether a fallback bond as defined in the 2006 International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Inflation Derivatives Definitions, sections 1.3 and 1.8, is applicable or not. If not specified, the default value is “Y” (True/Yes) | O |
| Leg Pmt Sched Notional | Variable notional swap notional values | C |
| Leg Stub Type | Stubs apply to initial or ending periods that are shorter than the usual interval between payments | C |
| Leg Initial Stub Fixed Rate | The interest rate applicable to the Initial Stub Period in decimal form ( | C |
| Leg Final Stub Fixed Rate | The interest rate applicable to the final stub period in decimal form ( | C |
| Leg Initial Stub Floating Rate Index 1 Tenor | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg Initial Stub Floating Rate Index 2 Tenor | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg Final Stub Floating Rate Index 1 Tenor | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg Final Stub Rate Floating Index 2 Tenor | Stub rate can be a linear interpolation between two floating rate tenors. | C |
| Leg First Reg Per Start Date | If there is a beginning stub, this describes the date when the usual payment periods will begin | C |
| Leg Last Reg Per End Date | If there is an ending stub, this describes the date when the usual payment periods will end | C |
| Leg Accrued Interest (Coupon) | The net accrued coupon amount since the last payment in the leg currency. If reported by leg, indicate the associated stream (leg) description ( | M |
| Profit/Loss | Profit/Loss resulting from changes in value due to changes in underlying curve movements or floating index rate resets. This should exclude impacts to NPVs from extraneous cash flows (price alignment interest, fees, and coupons) | M |
| Leg Coupon Amount | Coupon amount for T + 1 in the leg currency. This should reflect the net cash flow that will actually occur on the following business day. A negative number indicates payment was made | M |
| Leg Current Period Coupon Rate | If leg is a floating leg, this indicates the current rate used to calculate the next floating leg coupon in decimal form ( | M |
| I01 | Change in value in native currency if the relevant pricing curve is shifted up by 1 basis point | M |
| Dollar Value of Basis Point (DV01) | Change in value in native currency of the swap/swaption/floor/cap if relevant pricing curve is shifted up by 1 basis point. DV01 = “dollar” value of a basis point in currency (not percentage) terms, the change in fair value of the leg, transaction, position, or portfolio (as appropriate) commensurate with a 1 basis point (0.01 percent) instantaneous, hypothetical increase in the related zero-coupon curves. DV01 may refer to non-dollar currencies and related curves. From the DCO’s point of view: positive DV01 = profit/gain resulting from 1 basis point increase, negative DV01 = loss resulting from 1 basis point increase | M |
| Net Cash Flow | Net cash flow recognized on report date (with actual settlements occurring according to the currency’s settlement conventions). | M |
| Net Present Value | Net present value (NPV) of all positions by currency | M |
| Present Value Of Other Payments | Includes the present value of any upfront and/or final/settlement payments that will be settled after the report date. Only include amounts that are affecting the NPV of current trades | M |
| Net Present Value Previous | Previous day’s NPV by currency | C |
| Price Alignment Interest | To minimize the impact of daily cash variation margin payments on the pricing of swaps, the DCO will charge interest on cumulative variation margin received and pay interest on cumulative variation margin paid | M |
| Universal or Unique) Swap Identifier | Universal (or Unique) Swap Identifier (USI) namespace and USI. Enter the USI Namespace and the USI separated by a pipe “|” character. | C |
| Stream Initial Exchange | Amount of any exchange of cash flow at initiation of trade being cleared | C |
| Stream Initial Exchange Date | Date that the initial exchange is set to occur | C |
| Stream Final Exchange | Amount of any exchange of cash flow at maturity of trade | C |
| Stream Final Exchange Date | Date that the final exchange is set to occur | C |
| Other Payments | Includes any upfront and/or final/settlement payments made/received for the trade date. (Indicate gross pay/collect amounts.) | C |
| Trade Date | Actual trade date for each position record (including specifically, the cleared date and the trade date) | M |
| Event Description | Description for each position record | C |
| Exchange Security Identifier | Contract code issued by the exchange | M |
| Clearing Security Identifier | Code assigned by the DCO for a particular contract | M |
| Product Type | Indicates the type of product the security is associated with | C |
| Security Type | Indicates type of security | M |
| Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due. For NDFs, this represents the fixing date of the contract | C |
| Asset Class | The broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | M |
| Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Security Description | Used to provide a textual description of a financial instrument | M |
| Position (Long) | Long position size. If a position is quoted in a unit of measure (UOM) different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Position (Short) | Short position size. If a position is quoted in a UOM different from the contract, specify the UOM. If a position is measured in a currency, specify the currency | M |
| Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | M |
| Option Strike Price | Option strike price | C |
| Option Put/Call Indicator | Option type | C |
| Underlying Exchange Commodity Code | Underlying Contract code issued by the exchange | C |
| Underlying Clearing Commodity Code | Registered commodity clearing identifier. The code is for the contract as if it were traded in the form it is cleared. For example, if the contract was traded as a spread but cleared as an outright, the outright symbol should be used | C |
| Underlying Product Type | Indicates the type of product the security is associated with | C |
| Underlying Security Type | Indicator which identifies the underlying derivative | C |
| Underlying Maturity Month Year | Month and year of the maturity | C |
| Underlying Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | C |
| Underlying Asset Class | The underlying broad asset category for assessing risk exposure | C |
| Underlying Asset Subclass | The subcategory description of the asset class | C |
| Underlying Asset Type | Provides a more specific description of the asset subclass | C |
| Underlying Settlement Price/Currency | Settlement price, prior settlement price, settlement currency, and final settlement date | C |
M = mandatory C = conditional O = optional.
| Field name | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Total Message Count | The total number of reports included in the file | M |
| FIXML Message Type | FIXML account summary report type | M |
| Sender ID | The CFTC-issued DCO identifier | M |
| To ID | Indicate “CFTC” | M |
| Message Transmit Datetime | The date and time the file is transmitted | M |
| Report ID | A unique identifier assigned by the CFTC to each clearing member report | M |
| Report Date | The business date of the information being reported | M |
| Base Currency | Base currency referenced throughout report; provide exchange rate against this currency | M |
| Report Time (Message Create Time) | The report “as of” or information cut-off time | M |
| Message Event | The event source being reported | M |
| Ladder Indicator | Indicator that identifies the type of risk metric ladder | M |
| DCO Identifier | CFTC-assigned identifier for a DCO | M |
| Clearing Participant Identifier | DCO-assigned identifier for a particular clearing member | M |
| Clearing Participant Name | The name of the clearing member | M |
| Fund Segregation Type | Clearing fund segregation type | M |
| Clearing Participant LEI | LEI for a particular clearing member | M |
| Clearing Participant LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the clearing member LEI | M |
| Customer Identifier | Proprietary identifier for a particular customer position account | C |
| Customer Name | The name associated with the customer position identifier | C |
| Customer Account Type | Type of account used for reporting | C |
| Customer LEI | LEI for a particular customer; provide if available | C |
| Customer LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the customer position LEI | C |
| Unique Margin Identifier | A single field that uniquely identifies the margin account. This field us used to identify associated positions | C |
| Currency | ISO 4217 currency code | M |
| FX Rate | Rate used to convert the currency to USD | M |
| Curve Name | Name of the reference curve | M |
| Tenor | Number of days from the report date | M |
| Sensitivity | Theoretical profit and loss with a single upward basis point shift | M |
| Currency | ISO 4217 currency code | M |
| FX Rate | Rate used to convert the currency to USD | M |
| Curve Name | Name of the reference curve | M |
| Tenor | Number of days from the report date | M |
| Sensitivity | Theoretical profit and loss with a single upward basis point shift | M |
| Currency | ISO 4217 currency code | M |
| FX Rate | Rate used to convert the currency to USD | M |
| Curve Name | Name of the reference curve | M |
| Tenor | Number of days from the report date | M |
| Sensitivity | Theoretical profit and loss with a single upward basis point shift | M |
M = mandatory C = conditional O = optional.
| Field name | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Total Message Count | The total number of reports included in the file | M |
| FIXML Message Type | FIXML account summary report type | M |
| Sender ID | The CFTC-issued DCO identifier | M |
| To ID | Indicate “CFTC” | M |
| Message Transmit Datetime | The date and time the file is transmitted | M |
| Report ID | A unique identifier assigned by the CFTC to each clearing member report | M |
| Report Date | The business date of the information being reported | M |
| Base Currency | Base currency referenced throughout report; provide exchange rate against this currency | M |
| Report Time (Message Create Time) | The report “as of” or information cut-off time | M |
| Message Event | The event source being reported | M |
| DCO Identifier | CFTC-assigned identifier for a DCO | M |
| Curve | Reference curve name | M |
| Currency | ISO 4217 currency code | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | M |
| Par Rate | Rate such that the maturity will pay in order to sell at par today | M |
| Currency | ISO 4217 currency code | M |
| Curve | Reference curve name | M |
| Maturity Date | The date on which the principal amount becomes due | M |
| Offset | The difference in days between the maturity date and reporting date | M |
| Accrual Factor | The difference in years between the maturity date and reporting date | M |
| Discount Factor | Value used to compute the present value of future cash flows values | M |
| Zero Rate | Averages of the one-period forward rates up to their maturity | M |
M = mandatory C = conditional O = optional.
| Field name | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Total Message Count | The total number of reports included in the file | M |
| FIXML Message Type | FIXML account summary report type | M |
| Sender ID | The CFTC-issued DCO identifier | M |
| To ID | Indicate “CFTC” | M |
| Message Transmit Datetime | The date and time the file is transmitted | M |
| Report ID | A unique identifier assigned by the CFTC to each clearing member report | M |
| Report Date | The business date of the information being reported | M |
| Base Currency | Base currency referenced throughout report; provide exchange rate against this currency | M |
| Report Time (Message Create Time) | The report “as of” or information cut-off time | M |
| Message Event | The event source being reported | M |
| Breach Indicator | Indicates the breach file | M |
| DCO Identifier | CFTC-assigned identifier for a DCO | M |
| Clearing Participant Identifier | DCO-assigned identifier for a particular clearing member | M |
| Clearing Participant Name | The name of the clearing member | M |
| Fund Segregation Type | Clearing fund segregation type | M |
| Clearing Participant LEI | LEI for a particular clearing member | M |
| Clearing Participant LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the clearing member LEI | M |
| Customer Identifier | Proprietary identifier for a particular customer position account | C |
| Customer Name | The name associated with the customer position identifier | C |
| Customer Account Type | Type of account used for reporting | C |
| Customer LEI | LEI for a particular customer; provide if available | C |
| Customer LEI Name | The LEI name associated with the customer position LEI | C |
| Unique Margin Identifier | A single field that uniquely identifies the margin account. This field us used to identify associated positions | C |
| Initial Margin | Margin requirement calculated by the DCO’s margin methodology. Unless an integral part of the margin methodology, this figure should not include any additional margin add-ons | M |
| Backtesting Metric | Indicates the type of profit and loss calculation used for backtesting:
• VM—Variation Margin • STATIC—Static Portfolio P/L (Clean P/L) • DIRTY—Dirty P/L • MTMA—Mark to Market P/L • MTMO—Mark to Model P/L • OTHER | M |
| Backtesting Metric Amount | Amount on the positions for which Initial Margin is computed | M |
| Breach Amount | Difference between the Initial Margin and Backtesting Metric Amount | M |
| Margin Period of Risk | Holding period for which the Backtesting Metric is calculated in days | M |
| Total Instance | Total number of testing dates for the account | M |
| Number of Breaches | Total number of breaches in the testing period | M |
| Test Range Start | Beginning date of the test | M |
| Test Range End | End date of the test | M |
M = mandatory C = conditional O = optional.
| Field name | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Total Message Count | The total number of reports included in the file | M |
| FIXML Message Type | FIXML account summary report type | M |
| Sender ID | The CFTC-issued DCO identifier | M |
| To ID | Indicate “CFTC” | M |
| Message Transmit Datetime | The date and time the file is transmitted | M |
| Filenames | List of files to be sent | M |
M = mandatory C = conditional O = optional.
PART 40—PROVISIONS COMMON TO REGISTERED ENTITIES
§ 40.1 Definitions.
As used in this part:
(a) Business day means the intraday period of time starting at the business hour of 8:15 a.m. and ending at the business hour of 4:45 p.m.; business hour means any hour between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Business day and business hour are Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Savings Time, whichever is currently in effect in Washington, DC, on all days except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays in Washington, DC.
(b) Dormant contract or dormant product means:
(1) Any agreement, contract, transaction, instrument, swap or any such commodity futures or option contract with respect to all future or option expiries, listed on a designated contract market, a swap execution facility or cleared by a registered derivatives clearing organization, that has no open interest and in which no trading has occurred for a period of twelve complete calendar months following a certification to, or approval by, the Commission; provided, however, that no contract or instrument under this paragraph (b)(1) initially and originally certified to, or approved by, the Commission within the preceding 36 complete calendar months shall be considered to be dormant; or
(2) Any commodity futures or option contract, swap or other agreement, contract, transaction or instrument of a dormant designated contract market, dormant swap execution facility or a dormant derivatives clearing organization; or
(3) Any commodity futures or option contract or other agreement, contract, swap, transaction or instrument not otherwise dormant that a designated contract market, a swap execution facility or a derivatives clearing organization self-declares through certification to be dormant.
(c) Dormant designated contract market means any designated contract market on which no trading has occurred during the period of twelve consecutive calendar months, preceding the first day of the most recent calendar month; provided, however, no designated contract market shall be considered to be dormant if its initial and original Commission order of designation was issued within the preceding 36 consecutive calendar months.
(d) Dormant derivatives clearing organization means any derivatives clearing organization registered pursuant to Section 5b of the Act that has not accepted for clearing any agreement, contract or transaction that is required or permitted to be cleared by a derivatives clearing organization under Sections 5b(a) and 5b(b) of the Act, respectively, for a period of twelve complete calendar months; provided, however, no derivatives clearing organization shall be considered to be dormant if its initial and original Commission order of registration was issued within the preceding 36 complete calendar months.
(e) Dormant swap data repository means any registered swap data repository on which no data has resided for a period of twelve consecutive calendar months, preceding the most recent calendar month.
(f) Dormant swap execution facility means any swap execution facility on which no trading has occurred for a period of twelve consecutive calendar months, preceding the first day of the most recent calendar month; provided, however, no swap execution facility shall be considered to be dormant if its initial and original Commission order of registration was issued within the preceding 36 consecutive calendar months.
(g) Dormant rule means:
(1) Any registered entity rule which remains unimplemented for twelve consecutive calendar months following a certification with, or an approval by, the Commission; or
(2) Any rule or rule amendment of a dormant designated contract market, dormant swap execution facility, dormant swap data repository or dormant derivatives clearing organization.
(h) Emergency means any occurrence or circumstance that, in the opinion of the governing board of a registered entity, or a person or persons duly authorized to issue such an opinion on behalf of the governing board of a registered entity under circumstances and pursuant to procedures that are specified by rule, requires immediate action and threatens or may threaten such things as the fair and orderly trading in, or the liquidation of or delivery pursuant to, any agreements, contracts, swaps or transactions or the timely collection and payment of funds in connection with clearing and settlement by a derivatives clearing organization, including:
(1) Any manipulative or attempted manipulative activity;
(2) Any actual, attempted, or threatened corner, squeeze, congestion, or undue concentration of positions;
(3) Any circumstances which may materially affect the performance of agreements, contracts, swaps or transactions, including failure of the payment system or the bankruptcy or insolvency of any participant;
(4) Any action taken by any governmental body, or any other registered entity, board of trade, market or facility which may have a direct impact on trading or clearing and settlement; and
(5) Any other circumstance which may have a severe, adverse effect upon the functioning of a registered entity.
(i) Rule means any constitutional provision, article of incorporation, bylaw, rule, regulation, resolution, interpretation, stated policy, advisory, terms and conditions, trading protocol, agreement or instrument corresponding thereto, including those that authorize a response or establish standards for responding to a specific emergency, and any amendment or addition thereto or repeal thereof, made or issued by a registered entity or by the governing board thereof or any committee thereof, in whatever form adopted.
(j) Terms and conditions means any definition of the trading unit or the specific commodity underlying a contract for the future delivery of a commodity or commodity option contract, description of the payments to be exchanged under a swap, specification of cash settlement or delivery standards and procedures, and establishment of buyers’ and sellers’ rights and obligations under the swap or contract. Terms and conditions include provisions relating to the following:
(1) For a contract for the purchase or sale of a commodity for future delivery or an option on such a contract or an option on a commodity (other than a swap):
(i) Quality and other standards that define the commodity or instrument underlying the contract;
(ii) Quantity standards or other provisions related to contract size;
(iii) Any applicable premiums or discounts for delivery of nonpar products;
(iv) Trading hours, trading months and the listing of contracts;
(v) The pricing basis, minimum price fluctuations, and maximum price fluctuations;
(vi) Any price limits, no cancellation ranges, trading halts, or circuit breaker provisions, and procedures for the establishment of daily settlement prices;
(vii) Speculative position limits, position accountability standards, and position reporting requirements, including an indication as to whether the contract meets the definition of a referenced contract as defined in § 150.1 of this chapter, and, if so, the name of either the core referenced futures contract or other referenced contract upon which the new referenced contract submitted under this part 40 is based.
(viii) Delivery points and locational price differentials;
(ix) Delivery standards and procedures, including fees related to delivery or the delivery process; alternatives to delivery and applicable penalties or sanctions for failure to perform;
(x) If cash settled; the definition, composition, calculation and revision of the cash settlement price or index;
(xi) Payment or collection of commodity option premiums or margins;
(xii) Option exercise price, if it is constant, and method for calculating the exercise price, if it is variable;
(xiii) Threshold prices for an option contract, the existence of which is contingent upon those prices; and
(xiv) Any restrictions or requirements for exercising an option; and
(2) For a swap:
(i) Identification of the major group, category, type or class in which the swap falls (such as an interest rate, commodity, credit or equity swap) and of any further sub-group, category, type or class that further describes the swap;
(ii) Notional amounts, quantity standards, or other unit size characteristics;
(iii) Any applicable premiums or discounts for delivery of nonpar products;
(iv) Trading hours and the listing of swaps;
(v) Pricing basis for establishing the payment obligations under, and mark-to-market value of, the swap including, as applicable, the accrual start dates, termination or maturity dates, and, for each leg of the swap, the initial cash flow components, spreads, and points, and the relevant indexes, prices, rates, coupons, or other price reference measures;
(vi) Any price limits, trading halts, or circuit breaker provisions, and procedures for the establishment of daily settlement prices;
(vii) Speculative position limits, position accountability standards, and position reporting requirements, including an indication as to whether the contract meets the definition of economically equivalent swap as defined in § 150.1 of this chapter, and, if so, the name of either the core referenced futures contract or referenced contract, as applicable, to which the swap submitted under this part 40 is economically equivalent.
(viii) Payment and reset frequency, day count conventions, business calendars, and accrual features;
(ix) If physical delivery applies, delivery standards and procedures, including fees related to delivery or the delivery process, alternatives to delivery and applicable penalties or sanctions for failure to perform;
(x) If cash settled, the definition, composition, calculation and revision of the cash settlement price, and the settlement currency;
(xi) Payment or collection of option premiums or margins;
(xii) Option exercise price, if it is constant, and method for calculating the exercise price, if it is variable;
(xiii) Threshold prices for an option, the existence of which is contingent upon those prices;
(xiv) Any restrictions or requirements for exercising an option; and
(xv) Life cycle events.
§ 40.2 Listing products for trading by certification.
(a) A designated contract market or a swap execution facility must comply with the submission requirements of this section prior to listing a product for trading that has not been approved under § 40.3 of this part or that remains dormant subsequent to being submitted under this section or approved under § 40.3 of this part. A submission shall comply with the following conditions:
(1) The designated contract market or the swap execution facility has filed its submission electronically in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission with the Secretary of the Commission;
(2) The Commission has received the submission by the open of business on the business day preceding the product’s listing; and
(3) The submission includes:
(i) A copy of the submission cover sheet in accordance with the instructions in appendix D to this part;
(ii) A copy of the product’s rules, including all rules related to its terms and conditions;
(iii) The intended listing date;
(iv) A certification by the designated contract market or the swap execution facility that the product to be listed complies with the Act and Commission regulations thereunder;
(v) A concise explanation and analysis of the product and its compliance with applicable provisions of the Act, including core principles, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder. This explanation and analysis shall either be accompanied by the documentation relied upon to establish the basis for compliance with applicable law, or incorporate information contained in such documentation, with appropriate citations to data sources;
(vi) A certification that the registered entity posted a notice of pending product certification with the Commission and a copy of the submission, concurrent with the filing of a submission with the Commission, on the registered entity’s Web site. Information that the registered entity seeks to keep confidential may be redacted from the documents published on the registered entity’s Web site but must be republished consistent with any determination made pursuant to § 40.8(c)(4);
(vii) A request for confidential treatment, if appropriate, as permitted under § 40.8.
(b) Additional information. If requested by Commission staff, a registered entity shall provide any additional evidence, information or data that demonstrates that the contract meets, initially or on a continuing basis, the requirements of the Act or the Commission’s regulations or policies thereunder.
(c) Stay. The Commission may stay the listing of a contract pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section during the pendency of Commission proceedings for filing a false certification or during the pendency of a petition to alter or amend the contract terms and conditions pursuant to Section 8a(7) of the Act. The decision to stay the listing of a contract in such circumstances shall not be delegable to any employee of the Commission.
(d) Class certification of swaps. (1) A designated contract market or swap execution facility may list or facilitate trading in any swap or number of swaps based upon an “excluded commodity,” as defined in Section 1a(19)(i) of the Act, not including any security, security index, and currency other than the United States Dollar and a “major foreign currency,” as defined in § 15.03(a), or an “excluded commodity,” as defined in Section 1a(19)(ii)-(iv) of the Act, provided the designated contract market or swap execution facility certifies, under § 40.2(a)(1)-(2), § 40.2(a)(3)(i), § 40.2(a)(3)(iv), and § 40.2(a)(3)(vi), each of the following:
(i) That each particular swap within the certified class of swaps is based upon an excluded commodity specified in § 40.2(d)(1); and
(ii) That each particular swap within the certified class of swaps is based upon an excluded commodity with an identical pricing source, formula, procedure, and methodology for calculating reference prices and payment obligations; and
(iii) That the pricing source, formula, procedure, and methodology for calculating reference prices and payment obligations in each particular swap within the certified class of swaps is identical to a pricing source, formula, procedure, and methodology for calculating reference prices and payment obligations in a product previously submitted to the Commission and certified or approved pursuant to § 40.2 or § 40.3;
(iv) That each particular swap within the certified class of swaps is based upon an excluded commodity involving an identical currency or identical currencies.
(2) The Commission may in its discretion require a registered entity to withdraw its certification under § 40.2(d)(1) and to submit each individual swap or certain individual swaps within the submission for Commission review pursuant to § 40.2 or § 40.3
§ 40.3 Voluntary submission of new products for Commission review and approval.
(a) Request for approval. Pursuant to Section 5c(c) of the Act, a designated contract market, a swap execution facility, or a derivatives clearing organization may request that the Commission approve a new or dormant product prior to listing the product for trading or accepting the product for clearing, or if a product was initially submitted under § 40.2 of this part or § 39.5 of this chapter, subsequent to listing the product for trading or accepting the product for clearing. A submission requesting approval shall:
(1) Be filed electronically in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission with the Secretary of the Commission;
(2) Include a copy of the submission cover sheet in accordance with the instructions in appendix D to this part;
(3) Include a copy of the rules that set forth the contract’s terms and conditions;
(4) Include an explanation and analysis of the product and its compliance with applicable provisions of the Act, including core principles, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder. This explanation and analysis shall either be accompanied by the documentation relied upon to establish the basis for compliance with the applicable law, or incorporate information contained in such documentation, with appropriate citations to data sources;
(5) Describe any agreements or contracts entered into with other parties that enable the registered entity to carry out its responsibilities;
(6) Include the certifications required in § 41.22 for product approval of a commodity that is a security future or a security futures product as defined in Sections 1a(44) or 1a(45) of the Act, respectively;
(7) Include, if appropriate, a request for confidential treatment as permitted under § 40.8;
(8) Include the filing fee required under appendix A to this part;
(9) Certify that the registered entity posted a notice of its request for Commission approval of the new product and a copy of the submission, concurrent with the filing of a submission with the Commission, on the registered entity’s Web site. Information that the registered entity seeks to keep confidential may be redacted from the documents published on the registered entity’s Web site but must be republished consistent with any determination made pursuant to § 40.8(c)(4);
(10) Include, if requested by Commission staff, additional evidence, information or data demonstrating that the contract meets, initially or on a continuing basis, the requirements of the Act, or other requirement for designation or registration under the Act, or the Commission’s regulations or policies thereunder. The registered entity shall submit the requested information by the open of business on the date that is two business days from the date of request by Commission staff, or at the conclusion of such extended period agreed to by Commission staff after timely receipt of a written request from the registered entity.
(b) Standard for review and approval. The Commission shall approve a new product unless the terms and conditions of the product violate the Act or the Commission’s regulations.
(c) Forty-five day review. All products submitted for Commission approval under this paragraph shall be deemed approved by the Commission 45 days after receipt by the Commission, or at the conclusion of an extended period as provided under paragraph (d) of this section, unless notified otherwise within the applicable period, if:
(1) The submission complies with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section; and
(2) The submitting entity does not amend the terms or conditions of the product or supplement the request for approval, except as requested by the Commission or for correction of typographical errors, renumbering or other non-substantive revisions, during that period. Any voluntary, substantive amendment by the submitting entity will be treated as a new submission under this section.
(d) Extension of time. The Commission may extend the 45 day review period in paragraph (c) of this section for:
(1) An additional 45 days, if the product raises novel or complex issues that require additional time to analyze, in which case the Commission shall notify the registered entity within the initial 45 day review period and shall briefly describe the nature of the specific issues for which additional time for review is required; or
(2) Any extended review period to which the registered entity agrees in writing.
(e) Notice of non-approval. The Commission at any time during its review under this section may notify the registered entity that it will not, or is unable to, approve the product. This notification will briefly specify the nature of the issues raised and the specific provision of the Act or the Commission’s regulations, including the form or content requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, that the product violates, appears to violate or potentially violates but which cannot be ascertained from the submission.
(f) Effect of non-approval. (1) Notification to a registered entity under paragraph (e) of this section of the Commission’s determination not to approve a product does not prejudice the entity from subsequently submitting a revised version of the product for Commission approval or from submitting the product as initially proposed pursuant to a supplemented submission.
(2) Notification to a registered entity under paragraph (e) of this section of the Commission’s refusal to approve a product shall be presumptive evidence that the entity may not truthfully certify under § 40.2 that the same, or substantially the same, product does not violate the Act or the Commission’s regulations thereunder.
§ 40.4 Amendments to terms or conditions of enumerated agricultural products.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this part, a designated contract market must submit for Commission approval under the procedures of § 40.5, prior to its implementation, any rule or dormant rule that, for a delivery month having open interest, would materially change a term or condition, as defined in § 40.1(j), of a contract for future delivery in an agricultural commodity enumerated in Section 1a(9) of the Act, or of an option on such a contract or commodity.
(b) The following rules or rule amendments are not material and should not be submitted under this section:
(1) Changes that are enumerated in § 40.6(d)(2) may be implemented without prior approval or certification if implemented pursuant to the notification procedures of § 40.6(d);
(2) Changes that are enumerated in § 40.6(d)(3)(ii) may be implemented without prior approval or certification or notification as permitted pursuant to § 40.6(d)(3);
(3) Changes in no cancellation ranges and trading hours may be implemented without prior approval if implemented pursuant to the procedures of § 40.6(a);
(4) Changes required to comply with a binding order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or a rule, regulation or order of the Commission or of another Federal regulatory authority, may be implemented without prior approval if implemented pursuant to the procedures of § 40.6(a);or
(5) Any other rule:
(i) The text of which has been submitted for review at least ten business days prior to its implementation and that has been labeled “Non-Material Agricultural Rule Change;”
(ii) For which the designated contract market has provided an explanation as to why it considers the rule “non-material,” and any other information that may be beneficial to the Commission in analyzing the merits of the entity’s claim of non-materiality; and
(iii) With respect to which the Commission has not notified the contract market during the review period that the rule appears to require or does require prior approval under this section, may be implemented without prior approval if implemented under the procedures of § 40.6(a).
§ 40.5 Voluntary submission of rules for Commission review and approval.
(a) Request for approval of rules. Pursuant to Section 5c(c) of the Act, a registered entity may request that the Commission approve a new rule, rule amendment or dormant rule prior to implementation of the rule, or if the request was initially submitted under §§ 40.2 or 40.6 of this part, subsequent to implementation of the rule. A request for approval shall:
(1) Be filed electronically in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission with the Secretary of the Commission;
(2) Include a copy of the submission cover sheet in accordance with the instructions in appendix D to this part;
(3) Set forth the text of the rule or rule amendment (in the case of a rule amendment, deletions and additions must be indicated);
(4) Describe the proposed effective date of the rule or rule amendment and any action taken or anticipated to be taken to adopt the proposed rule by the registered entity or by its governing board or by any committee thereof, and cite the rules of the entity that authorize the adoption of the proposed rule;
(5) Provide an explanation and analysis of the operation, purpose, and effect of the proposed rule or rule amendment and its compliance with applicable provisions of the Act, including core principles, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder, including, as applicable, a description of the anticipated benefits to market participants or others, any potential anticompetitive effects on market participants or others, and how the rule fits into the registered entity’s framework of self-regulation;
(6) Certify that the registered entity posted a notice of pending rule with the Commission and a copy of the submission, concurrent with the filing of a submission with the Commission, on the registered entity’s Web site. Information which the registered entity seeks to keep confidential may be redacted from the documents published on the registered entity’s Web site but must be republished consistent with any determination made pursuant to § 40.8(c)(4);
(7) Provide additional information which may be beneficial to the Commission in analyzing the new rule or rule amendment. If a proposed rule affects, directly or indirectly, the application of any other rule of the registered entity, the pertinent text of any such rule must be set forth and the anticipated effect described;
(8) Provide a brief explanation of any substantive opposing views expressed to the registered entity by governing board or committee members, members of the entity or market participants that were not incorporated into the rule, or a statement that no such opposing views were expressed;
(9) Identify any Commission regulation that the Commission may need to amend, or sections of the Act or the Commission’s regulations that the Commission may need to interpret, in order to approve the new rule or rule amendment. To the extent that such an amendment or interpretation is necessary to accommodate a new rule or rule amendment, the submission should include a reasoned analysis supporting the amendment to the Commission’s regulation or the interpretation;
(10) As appropriate, include a request for confidential treatment as permitted under the procedures of § 40.8.
(b) Standard for review and approval. The Commission shall approve a new rule or rule amendment unless the rule or rule amendment is inconsistent with the Act or the Commission’s regulations.
(c) Forty-five day review. (1) All rules submitted for Commission approval under paragraph (a) of this section shall be deemed approved by the Commission under section 5c(c) of the Act 45 days after receipt by the Commission, or at the conclusion of such extended period as provided under paragraph (d) of this section, unless the registered entity is notified otherwise within the applicable period, if:
(i) The submission complies with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section;
(ii) The registered entity does not amend the proposed rule or supplement the submission, except as requested by the Commission, during the pendency of the review period other than for correction of typographical errors, renumbering or other non-substantive revisions. Any amendment or supplementation not requested by the Commission will be treated as the submission of a new filing under this section.
(2) The Commission shall commence the review period in paragraph (c) of this section for a compliant submission under § 40.4(b)(5) ten business days after its receipt.
(d) Commencement and extension of time for review. The Commission may further extend the review period in paragraph (c) of this section for any approval request for:
(1) An additional 45 days, if the proposed rule raises novel or complex issues that require additional time for review or is of major economic significance, the submission is incomplete or the requestor does not respond completely to Commission questions in a timely manner, in which case the Commission shall notify the submitting registered entity within the initial forty-five day review period and shall briefly describe the nature of the specific issues for which additional time for review shall be required; or
(2) Any period, beyond the additional 45 days provided in § 40.5(d)(1), to which the registered entity agrees in writing.
(e) Notice of non-approval. Any time during its review under this section, the Commission may notify the registered entity that it will not, or is unable to, approve the new rule or rule amendment. This notification will briefly specify the nature of the issues raised and the specific provision of the Act or the Commission’s regulations, including the form or content requirements of this section, with which the new rule or rule amendment is inconsistent or appears to be inconsistent with the Act or the Commission’s regulations.
(f) Effect of non-approval. (1) Notification to a registered entity under paragraph (e) of this section does not prevent the registered entity from subsequently submitting a revised version of the proposed rule or rule amendment for Commission review and approval or from submitting the new rule or rule amendment as initially proposed in a supplemented submission; the revised submission will be reviewed without prejudice.
(2) Notification to a registered entity under paragraph (e) of this section of the Commission’s determination not to approve a proposed rule or rule amendment of a registered entity shall be presumptive evidence that the entity may not truthfully certify that the same, or substantially the same, proposed rule or rule amendment under § 40.6(a) of this section.
(g) Expedited approval. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section, changes to a proposed rule or a rule amendment, including changes to terms and conditions of a product that are consistent with the Act and Commission regulations and with standards approved or established by the Commission may be approved by the Commission at such time and under such conditions as the Commission shall specify in the written notification, provided, however, that the Commission may, at any time, alter or revoke the applicability of such a notice to any particular product or rule amendment.
§ 40.6 Self-certification of rules.
(a) Required certification. A registered entity shall comply with the following conditions prior to implementing any rule, other than a rule delisting or withdrawing the certification of a product with no open interest and submitted in compliance with §§ 40.6(a)(1)-(2) and § 40.6(a)(7), that has not obtained Commission approval under § 40.5 of this part, that remains dormant subsequent to being submitted under this section or approved under § 40.5 of this part, or that is submitted under § 40.10 of this part, except as otherwise provided by § 40.10(a):
(1) The registered entity has filed its submission electronically in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission with the Secretary of the Commission.
(2) The registered entity has provided a certification that the registered entity posted a notice of pending certification with the Commission and a copy of the submission, concurrent with the filing of a submission with the Commission, on the registered entity’s Web site. Information that the registered entity seeks to keep confidential may be redacted from the documents published on the registered entity’s Web site but it must be republished consistent with any determination made pursuant to § 40.8(c)(4).
(3) The Commission has received the submission not later than the open of business on the business day that is 10 business days prior to the registered entity’s implementation of the rule or rule amendment.
(4) The Commission has not stayed the submission pursuant to § 40.6(c).
(5) The rule or rule amendment is not a rule or rule amendment of a designated contract market that materially changes a term or condition of a contract for future delivery of an agricultural commodity enumerated in section 1a(4) of the Act or an option on such a contract or commodity in a delivery month having open interest.
(6) Emergency rule certifications. (i) New rules or rule amendments that establish standards for responding to an emergency must be submitted pursuant to § 40.6(a);
(ii) Rules or rule amendments implemented under procedures of the governing board to respond to an emergency as defined in § 40.1, shall, if practicable, be filed with the Commission prior to the implementation or, if not practicable, be filed with the Commission at the earliest possible time after implementation, but in no event more than twenty-four hours after implementation. Such rules shall be subject to the certification and stay provisions of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.
(7). The rule submission shall include:
(i) A copy of the submission cover sheet in accordance with the instructions in appendix D to this part (in the case of a rule or rule amendment that responds to an emergency, “Emergency Rule Certification” should be noted in the Description section of the submission coversheet);
(ii) The text of the rule (in the case of a rule amendment, deletions and additions must be indicated);
(iii) The date of intended implementation;
(iv) A certification by the registered entity that the rule complies with the Act and the Commission’s regulations thereunder;
(v) A concise explanation and analysis of the operation, purpose, and effect of the proposed rule or rule amendment and its compliance with applicable provisions of the Act, including core principles, and the Commission’s regulations thereunder;
(vi) A brief explanation of any substantive opposing views expressed to the registered entity by governing board or committee members, members of the entity or market participants, that were not incorporated into the rule, or a statement that no such opposing views were expressed;
(vii) As appropriate, a request for confidential treatment pursuant to the procedures provided in § 40.8; and
(8) The registered entity shall provide, if requested by Commission staff, additional evidence, information or data that may be beneficial to the Commission in conducting a due diligence assessment of the filing and the registered entity’s compliance with any of the requirements of the Act or the Commission’s regulations or policies thereunder.
(b) Review by the Commission. The Commission shall have 10 business days to review the new rule or rule amendment before the new rule or rule amendment is deemed certified and can be made effective, unless the Commission notifies the registered entity during the 10-business day review period that it intends to issue a stay of the certification under paragraph (c) of this section.
(c) Stay—(1) Stay of certification of new rule or rule amendment. The Commission may stay the certification of a new rule or rule amendment submitted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section by issuing a notification informing the registered entity that the Commission is staying the certification of the rule or rule amendment on the grounds that the rule or rule amendment presents novel or complex issues that require additional time to analyze, the rule or rule amendment is accompanied by an inadequate explanation or the rule or rule amendment is potentially inconsistent with the Act or the Commission’s regulations thereunder. The Commission will have an additional 90 days from the date of the notification to conduct the review. The decision to stay the certification of a rule in such circumstances shall be delegable pursuant to § 40.7 of this part.
(2) Public comment. The Commission shall provide a 30-day comment period within the 90-day period in which the stay is in effect as described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. The Commission shall publish a notice of the 30-day comment period on the Commission Web site. Comments from the public shall be submitted as specified in that notice.
(3) Expiration of a stay of certification of new rule or rule amendment. A new rule or rule amendment subject to a stay pursuant to this paragraph shall become effective, pursuant to the certification, at the expiration of the 90-day review period described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section unless the Commission withdraws the stay prior to that time, or the Commission notifies the registered entity during the 90-day time period that it objects to the proposed certification on the grounds that the proposed rule or rule amendment is inconsistent with the Act or the Commission’s regulations.
(4) Stay of effectiveness of rules or rule amendments already implemented. The Commission may stay the effectiveness of an implemented rule during the pendency of Commission proceedings for filing a false certification or during the pendency of a petition to alter or amend the rule pursuant to section 8a(7) of the Act. The decision to stay the effectiveness of a rule in such circumstances shall not be delegable to any employee of the Commission.
(d) Notification of rule amendments. Notwithstanding the rule certification requirement of Section 5c(c)(1) of the Act and paragraph (a) of this section, a registered entity may place the following rules or rule amendments into effect without certification to the Commission if the following conditions are met:
(1) The registered entity provides to the Commission at least weekly a summary notice of all rule amendments made effective pursuant to this paragraph during the preceding week. Such notice must be labeled “Weekly Notification of Rule Amendments” and need not be filed for weeks during which no such actions have been taken. One copy of each such submission shall be furnished electronically in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission; and
(2) The rule governs:
(i) Non-substantive revisions. Corrections of typographical errors, renumbering, periodic routine updates to identifying information about registered entities and other such non-substantive revisions of a product’s terms and conditions that have no effect on the economic characteristics of the product;
(ii) Delivery standards set by third parties. Changes to grades or standards of commodities deliverable on a product that are established by an independent third party and that are incorporated by reference as product terms, provided that the grade or standard is not established, selected or calculated solely for use in connection with futures or option trading and such changes do not affect deliverable supplies or the pricing basis for the product;
(iii) Index products. Routine changes in the composition, computation, or method of selection of component entities of an index (other than routine changes to securities indexes to the extent that such changes are not described in paragraph (d)(3)(ii)(F) of this section) referenced and defined in the product’s terms, that do not affect the pricing basis of the index, which are made by an independent third party whose business relates to the collection or dissemination of price information and which was not formed solely for the purpose of compiling an index for use in connection with a futures or option product;
(iv) Option contract terms. Changes to option contract rules, which may qualify for implementation without notice pursuant to paragraph (d)(3)(ii)(G) of this section, relating to the strike price listing procedures, strike price intervals, and the listing of strike prices on a discretionary basis;
(v) Fees. Fees or fee changes, other than fees or fee changes associated with market making or trading incentive programs, that:
(A) Total $1.00 or more per contract, and
(B) Are established by an independent third party or are unrelated to delivery, trading, clearing or dispute resolution.
(vi) Survey lists. Changes to lists of banks, brokers, dealers, or other entities that provide price or cash market information to an independent third party and that are incorporated by reference as product terms;
(vii) Approved brands. Changes in lists of approved brands or markings pursuant to previously certified or Commission approved standards or criteria;
(viii) Delivery facilities and delivery service providers. Changes in lists of approved delivery facilities and delivery service providers (including weigh masters, assayers, and inspectors) at a delivery location, pursuant to previously certified or Commission approved standards or criteria;
(ix) Trading months. The initial listing of trading months, which may qualify for implementation without notice pursuant to (d)(3)(ii)(H) of this section, within the currently established cycle of trading months; or
(x) Minimum tick. Reductions in the minimum price fluctuation (or “tick”).
(3) Notification of rule amendments not required. Notwithstanding the rule certification requirements of section 5c(c)(1) of the Act and paragraph (a) of this section, a registered entity may place the following rules or rule amendments into effect without certification or notice to the Commission if the following conditions are met:
(i) The registered entity maintains documentation regarding all changes to rules; and
(ii) The rule governs:
(A) Transfer of membership or ownership. Procedures and forms for the purchase, sale or transfer of membership or ownership, but not including qualifications for membership or ownership, any right or obligation of membership or ownership or dues or assessments;
(B) Administrative procedures. The organization and administrative procedures of a registered entity governing bodies such as a Board of Directors, Officers and Committees, but not voting requirements, Board of Directors or Committee composition requirements or procedures, decision making procedures, use or disclosure of material non-public information gained through the performance of official duties, or requirements relating to conflicts of interest;
(C) Administration. The routine, daily administration, direction and control of employees, requirements relating to gratuity and similar funds, but not guaranty, reserves, or similar funds; declaration of holidays, and changes to facilities housing the market, trading floor or trading area;
(D) Standards of decorum. Standards of decorum or attire or similar provisions relating to admission to the floor, badges, or visitors, but not the establishment of penalties for violations of such rules; and
(E) Fees. Fees or fee changes, other than fees or fee changes associated with market making or trading incentive programs, that:
(1) Are less than $1.00; or
(2) Relate to matters such as dues, badges, telecommunication services, booth space, real time quotations, historical information, publications, software licenses or other matters that are administrative in nature.
(F) Securities indexes. Routine changes to the composition, computation or method of security selection of an index that is referenced and defined in the product’s rules, and which is made by an independent third party.
(G) Option contract terms. For registered entities that are in compliance with the daily reporting requirements of § 16.01 of this chapter, changes to option contract rules relating to the strike price listing procedures, strike price intervals, and the listing of strike prices on a discretionary basis.
(H) Trading months. For registered entities that are in compliance with the daily reporting requirements of § 16.01 of this chapter, the initial listing of trading months which are within the currently established cycle of trading months.
§ 40.7 Delegations.
(a) Procedural matters. (1) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk and, separately, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by either Director, as appropriate, or by such employees of the Commission that either Director may designate from time to time, the following authorities, with the concurrence of the General Counsel or the General Counsel’s delegate:
(i) To request, pursuant to § 40.3(c)(2) or § 40.5(c)(1)(ii) of this part, that the registered entity requesting approval amend the proposed product, rule or rule amendment, or supplement the submission to the Commission;
(ii) To notify the registered entity, pursuant to § 40.3(e) or § 40.5(e) of this part, that the Commission is not approving, or is unable to approve, the proposed product, rule or rule amendment;
(iii) To make all determinations reserved to the Commission in § 40.10.
(2) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk and, separately, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by either Director, as appropriate, or by such employees of the Commission that either Director may designate from time to time, the following authorities, after consultation with the Office of General Counsel or the General Counsel’s delegate to notify a registered entity:
(i) Pursuant to § 40.3(d) of this part, that the time for review of the submission has been extended because the product raises novel or complex issues that require additional time for review;
(ii) Pursuant to § 40.5(d) of this part, that the time for review of the submission has been extended because the proposed rule or rule amendment raises novel or complex issues that require additional time for review or is of major economic significance;
(iii) Pursuant to § 40.6(c) of this part, that the proposed rule or rule amendment has been stayed because there exist novel or complex issues that require additional time to analyze, or there is potential inconsistency with the Act or the Commission’s regulations.
(3) The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk and, separately, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by either Director, as appropriate, or by such employees of the Commission that either Director may designate from time to time, the authority to notify a registered entity, pursuant to § 40.3(d) or § 40.5(d) of this part, that the time for review of the submission has been extended, or that a rule certified pursuant to § 40.6(c) has been stayed, because the submission is incomplete or provides an inadequate explanation.
(4) Emergency rules. The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight and, separately, to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk, to be exercised by either Director, as appropriate, or by such other employee or employees of the Commission that either Director may designate from time to time, authority to receive notification of emergency rules under § 40.6(a)(6)(ii) of this part.
(5) The Commission hereby delegates to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by the Director or by such employees of the Commission that the Director may designate from time to time, with the concurrence of the General Counsel or the General Counsel’s delegate, the authority to determine whether a rule change submitted by a designated contract market for a materiality determination under § 40.4(b)(5) of this part is not material (in which case it may be reported pursuant to the provisions of § 40.6(d) of this part), or is material, in which case he or she shall notify the registered entity that the rule change must be submitted for the Commission’s prior approval.
(b) Approval authority. The Commission hereby delegates, until it orders otherwise, to the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk and, separately, to the Director of the Division of Market Oversight, to be exercised by either Director, as appropriate, or by such employees of the Commission that either Director may designate from time to time, with the concurrence of the General Counsel or the General Counsel’s delegate, the authority to approve, pursuant to section 5c(c)(3) of the Act and § 40.5 of this part, rules or rule amendments of a registered entity that:
(1) Relate to, but do not substantially change, the quantity, quality, or other delivery specifications, procedures, or obligations for delivery, cash settlement, or exercise under an agreement, contract or transaction approved for trading by the Commission; daily settlement prices; clearing position limits; requirements or procedures for governance of a registered entity; procedures for transfer trades; trading hours; minimum price fluctuations; and maximum price limit and trading suspension provisions;
(2) Reflect routine modifications that are required or anticipated by the terms of the rule of a registered entity;
(3) Establish or amend speculative limits or position accountability provisions that are in compliance with the requirements of the Act and the Commission’s regulations;
(4) Are in substance the same as a rule of the same or another registered entity which has been approved previously by the Commission pursuant to section 5c(c)(3) of the Act;
(5) Are consistent with a specific, stated policy or interpretation of the Commission; or
(6) Relate to the listing of additional trading months of approved contracts.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the Director of the Division of Clearing and Risk and, separately, the Director of the Division of Market Oversight may submit to the Commission for its consideration any matter that has been delegated pursuant to this section.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the Commission, at its election, from exercising any of the authority delegated pursuant to this section.
§ 40.8 Availability of public information.
(a) The following sections of all applications to become a designated contract market, swap execution facility, derivatives clearing organization, or swap data repository shall be made publicly available: Transmittal letter and first page of the application cover sheet, proposed rules, narrative summary of the applicant’s proposed activities and regulatory compliance chart, documents establishing the applicant’s legal status, documents setting forth the applicant’s corporate and governance structure and any other part of the application not covered by a request for confidential treatment.
(b) [Reserved]
(c) A registered entity’s filing of new products pursuant to the self-certification procedures of § 40.2 of this part, new products for Commission review and approval pursuant to § 40.3 of this part, new rules and rule amendments for Commission review and approval pursuant to § 40.4 or § 40.5 of this part, and new rules and rule amendments pursuant to the self-certification procedures of § 40.6 and § 40.10 of this part shall be treated as public information unless accompanied by a request for confidential treatment. If a registered entity files a request for confidential treatment, the following procedures shall apply:
(1) A detailed written justification of the confidential treatment request must be filed simultaneously with the request for confidential treatment. The form and content of the detailed written justification shall be governed by § 145.9 of this chapter;
(2) All material for which confidential treatment is requested must be segregated in an appendix to the submission;
(3) The submission itself must indicate that material has been segregated and, as appropriate, an additional redacted version provided;
(4) Commission staff may make an initial determination with respect to the request for confidential treatment without regard to whether a request for the information has been sought under the Freedom of Information Act;
(5) All requests for confidential treatment shall be subject to the process provided by § 145.9 of this chapter.
(6) A submitter of information under this part may appeal an adverse decision by staff to the Commission’s Office of General Counsel. The form and content of such appeal shall be governed by § 145.9(g) of this chapter.
(7) The grant of any part of a request for confidential treatment under this section may be reconsidered if a subsequent request under the Freedom of Information Act is made for the information.
(d) Commission staff will not consider confidential treatment requests for information that is required to be made public under the Act. The terms and conditions of a product submitted to the Commission pursuant to §§ 40.2, 40.3, 40.5 and 40.6 of this part shall be made publicly available at the time of submission.
§ 40.9 [Reserved]
§ 40.10 Special certification procedures for submission of rules by systemically important derivatives clearing organizations.
(a) Advance notice. A registered derivatives clearing organization that has been designated by the Financial Stability Oversight Council as a systemically important derivatives clearing organization shall provide notice to the Commission not less than 60 days in advance of any proposed change to its rules, procedures, or operations that could materially affect the nature or level of risks presented by the systemically important derivatives clearing organization. A notice submitted under this section shall be subject to the filing requirements of § 40.6(a)(1) and the Web site publication requirements of § 40.6(a)(2).
(1) The notice of a proposed change shall provide the information required to be submitted under § 40.6(a)(7) and shall specifically describe:
(i) The nature of the change and expected effects on risks to the systemically important derivatives clearing organization, its clearing members, or the market; and
(ii) How the systemically important derivatives clearing organization plans to manage any identified risks.
(2) Concurrent with providing the Commission with the advance notice or any request or other information related to the advance notice, the systemically important derivatives clearing organization shall provide the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System with a copy of such notice, request or other information in the same format and manner as required by the Board of Governors for those designated financial market utilities for which it is the Supervisory Agency pursuant to section 803(8) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
(3) The systemically important derivatives clearing organization may request that the Commission expedite the review on the grounds that the change would materially decrease risk. The Commission, in its discretion, may expedite the review and, pursuant to paragraph (g) of this section, notify the systemically important derivatives clearing organization in less than 60 days from the date the Commission receives the notice of proposed change in writing that it does not object to the proposed change and authorizes implementation of the change on an earlier date.
(b) Materiality. The term “materially affect the nature or level of risks presented,” when used to qualify determinations on a change to rules, procedures, or operations of a systemically important derivatives clearing organization, means matters as to which there is a reasonable possibility that the change could affect the performance of essential clearing and settlement functions or the overall nature or level of risk presented by the systemically important derivatives clearing organization. Such changes may include, but are not limited to, changes that materially affect financial resources, participant and product eligibility, risk management (including matters relating to margin and stress testing), daily or intraday settlement procedures, default procedures, system safeguards (business continuity and disaster recovery), and governance. If a systemically important derivatives clearing organization determines that a proposed change is not material and therefore does not file an advance notice under this § 40.10, but the Commission determines that the change is material, the Commission may require the systemically important derivatives clearing organization to withdraw the proposed change and provide notice pursuant to this section.
(c) Further information. The Commission may require the systemically important derivatives clearing organization to provide any further information necessary to assess the effect the proposed change would have on the nature or level of risks associated with the systemically important derivatives clearing organization’s payment, clearing, or settlement activities and the sufficiency of any proposed risk management techniques.
(d) Notice of objection. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization shall not implement a change to which the Commission has an objection on the grounds that the proposed change is not consistent with the Act or the Commission’s regulations, or the purposes of the Dodd-Frank Act or any applicable rules, orders, or standards prescribed under Section 805(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act. The Commission will notify the systemically important derivatives clearing organization in writing of any objection regarding the proposed change within 60 days from the later of:
(1) The date that the notice of the proposed change was received; or
(2) The date the Commission received any further information it had requested for consideration of the notice.
(e) Implementation of change absent Commission objection. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization may implement a change if it has not received an objection to the proposed change within 60 days from the later of:
(1) The date that the Commission received the notice of proposed change; or
(2) The date the Commission received any further information it had requested for consideration of the notice.
(f) Extended review. The Commission may, during the 60-day review period, extend the review period if the proposed change raises novel or complex issues. A notification by the Commission pursuant to this paragraph will extend the review for an additional 60 days. Any extension under this paragraph will extend the time periods under paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section for an additional 60 days.
(g) Change allowed earlier if notified of no objection. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization may implement a change in less than 60 days from the date the Commission receives the notice of proposed change or the date the Commission receives any further information it has requested, if the Commission notifies the systemically important derivatives clearing organization in writing that it does not object to the proposed change and authorizes implementation of the change on an earlier date, subject to any conditions imposed by the Commission.
(h) Emergency changes. A systemically important derivatives clearing organization may implement a change that would otherwise require advance notice under this section if it determines that an emergency exists and immediate implementation of the change is necessary for the systemically important derivatives clearing organization to continue to provide its services in a safe and sound manner.
(1) The systemically important derivatives clearing organization shall provide notice of any such emergency change to the Commission as soon as practicable, which shall be no later than 24 hours after implementation of the change.
(2) The notice of an emergency change shall:
(i) Provide the information required for advance notice as set forth in paragraph (a) of this section;
(ii) Describe the nature of the emergency; and
(iii) Describe the reason the change was necessary for the systemically important derivatives clearing organization to continue to provide its services in a safe and sound manner.
(3) The Commission may require modification or rescission of the emergency change if it finds that the change is not consistent with the Act or the Commission’s regulations, or the purposes of the Dodd-Frank Act or any applicable rules, orders, or standards prescribed under Section 805(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act.
§ 40.11 Review of event contracts based upon certain excluded commodities.
(a) Prohibition. A registered entity shall not list for trading or accept for clearing on or through the registered entity any of the following:
(1) An agreement, contract, transaction, or swap based upon an excluded commodity, as defined in Section 1a(19)(iv) of the Act, that involves, relates to, or references terrorism, assassination, war, gaming, or an activity that is unlawful under any State or Federal law; or
(2) An agreement, contract, transaction, or swap based upon an excluded commodity, as defined in Section 1a(19)(iv) of the Act, which involves, relates to, or references an activity that is similar to an activity enumerated in § 40.11(a)(1) of this part, and that the Commission determines, by rule or regulation, to be contrary to the public interest.
(b) [Reserved]
(c) 90-day review and approval of certain event contracts. The Commission may determine, based upon a review of the terms or conditions of a submission under § 40.2 or § 40.3, that an agreement, contract, transaction, or swap based on an excluded commodity, as defined in Section 1a(19)(iv) of the Act, which may involve, relate to, or reference an activity enumerated in § 40.11(a)(1) or § 40.11(a)(2), be subject to a 90-day review. The 90-day review shall commence from the date the Commission notifies the registered entity of a potential violation of § 40.11(a).
(1) The Commission shall request that a registered entity suspend the listing or trading of any agreement, contract, transaction, or swap based on an excluded commodity, as defined in Section 1a(19)(iv) of the Act, which may involve, relate to, or reference an activity enumerated in § 40.11(a)(1) or § 40.11(a)(2), during the Commission’s 90-day review period. The Commission shall post on the Web site a notification of the intent to carry out a 90-day review.
(2) Final determination. The Commission shall issue an order approving or disapproving an agreement, contract, transaction, or swap that is subject to a 90-day review under § 40.11(c) not later than 90 days subsequent to the date that the Commission commences review, or if applicable, at the conclusion of such extended period agreed to or requested by the registered entity.
§ 40.12 Staying of certification and tolling of review period pending jurisdictional determination.
(a) Notice of novel derivative products. (1) A registered entity certifying, submitting for approval, or otherwise filing a proposal to list, trade, or clear a novel derivative product (other than a product subject to the provisions of § 1.8 of this chapter) having elements of both a security and a contract for the sale of a commodity for future delivery (or an option on such contract or an option on a commodity) may provide notice of its proposal to the Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission with a statement that written notice has been provided to both agencies through an appropriate means provided in each Commission’s regulations.
(2) If concurrent notice is not provided pursuant to § 40.12(a)(1), the Commission shall notify the Securities and Exchange Commission of the registered entity’s submission of a novel derivative product described in § 40.12(a)(1) and accompany such notice with a copy of the submission. The Commission shall determine whether a particular submission is a novel derivative product requiring notice to the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than five business days subsequent to the date that the registered entity submits the product for Commission review.
(b) Tolling of review period. Upon receipt of a request for a jurisdictional determination, pursuant to Section 718(a)(2) of the Dodd-Frank Act, by the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission, the product certification shall be stayed or the approval review period shall be tolled until a final determination order is issued.
(1) The Commission will provide the registered entity with a written notice of stay pending issuance of a final determination order by the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(2) The stay shall be withdrawn or the approval review period shall resume upon the Commission’s or the Securities and Exchange Commission’s issuance of a final determination order finding that the Commission has jurisdiction over the submission.
(3) Determination order. A final determination, for purposes of § 40.12(b) of this part, shall be a determination order issued by the Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 718(a)(3) of the Dodd-Frank Act.
(c) Judicial review of determination order. The filing of a petition by a complaining Commission, pursuant to Section 718(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act, shall operate as a stay of the agency order.
(1) The stay shall remain in effect until the date on which the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issues a final determination pursuant to Section 718(b)(4) of the Dodd-Frank Act, or until such date that there is a final disposition of an appeal of that determination.
(2) The submission review period shall resume upon issuance of a final determination, as described in § 40.12(c)(1), that the Commission has jurisdiction over the submission.
Appendix A to Part 40—Schedule of Fees
(a) Applications for product approval. Each application for product approval under § 40.3 must be accompanied by a check or money order made payable to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in an amount to be determined annually by the Commission and published in the
(b) Checks and applications should be sent to the attention of the Office of the Secretariat, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20581. No checks or money orders may be accepted by personnel other than those in the Office of the Secretariat.
(c) Failure to submit the fee with an application for product approval will result in return of the application. Fees will not be returned after receipt.
Appendixes B-C to Part 40 [Reserved]
Appendix D to Part 40—Submission Cover Sheet and Instructions
(a) A properly completed submission cover sheet shall accompany all rule and product submissions submitted electronically by a registered entity in a format and manner specified by the Secretary of the Commission to the Secretary of the Commission. A properly completed submission cover sheet shall include all of the following:
1. Identifier Code (optional)—A registered entity Identifier Code at the top of the cover sheet, if applicable. Such codes are commonly generated by registered entities to provide an identifier that is unique to each filing (e.g., NYMEX Submission 03-116).
2. Date—The date of the filing.
3. Organization—The name of the organization filing the submission (e.g., CBOT).
4. Filing as a—Check in the appropriate box indicating that the rule or product is being submitted by a designated contract market (DCM), derivatives clearing organization (DCO), swap execution facility (SEF), or swap data repository (SDR).
5. Type of Filing—An indication as to whether the filing is a new rule, rule amendment or new product. The registered entity should check the appropriate box to indicate the applicable category under that heading.
6. Rule Numbers—For rule filings, the rule number(s) being adopted or modified in the case of rule amendment filings.
7. Description—For rule or rule amendment filings, a description of the new rule or rule amendment, including a discussion of its expected impact on the registered entity, market participants, and the overall market. The narrative should describe the substance of the submission with enough specificity to characterize all material aspects of the filing.
(b) Other Requirements—A submission shall comply with all applicable filing requirements for proposed rules, rule amendments, or products. The filing of the submission cover sheet does not obviate the registered entity’s responsibility to comply with applicable filing requirements (e.g., rules submitted for Commission approval under § 40.5 must be accompanied by an explanation of the purpose and effect of the proposed rule along with a description of any substantive opposing views).
(c) Checking the box marked “confidential treatment requested” on the Submission Cover Sheet does not obviate the submitter’s responsibility to comply with all applicable requirements for requesting confidential treatment in § 40.8 and, where appropriate, § 145.9 of this chapter, and will not substitute for notice or full compliance with such requirements.