[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-1676] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: January 27, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34-33492; File No. SR-OCC-90-11] Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation; Order Approving a Proposed Rule Change Revising Its Market-Maker Account Structure January 19, 1994. I. Introduction On September 11, 1990, The Options Clearing Corporation (``OCC'') filed a proposed rule change (File No. SR-OCC-90-11) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') pursuant to Section 19(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934\1\ to revise OCC's market- maker account structure. Notice of OCC's proposal was published in the Federal Register on December 12, 1990.\2\ On July 10, 1991, and on March 13, 1992, OCC filed Amendment No. 1 and Amendment No. 2, respectively.\3\ Both amendments were technical in nature and did not require republication of notice of filing. No written comments were received. As discussed below, the Commission is approving OCC's proposal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\15 U.S.C. 78s(b). \2\Securities Exchange Act Release No. 28676 (December 4, 1990), 55 FR 51365. \3\Amendment No. 1 modified the filing by separately defining the term ``related person'' to simplify the definition of ``associated market-maker.'' Amendment No. 1 also added to the proposal and defined the term ``proprietary market professional.'' Amendment No. 2 modified the filing by amending the Associated Market-Maker Consent agreement, which an associated market-maker uses to elect to have its account treated as a proprietary market- maker's account. The agreement was amended in connection with the Commission's no-action letter from Michael A. Macchiaroli, Assistant Director, Division, Commission, to James R. McDaniel, Schiff Hardin & Waite [Counsel to OCC] (March 27, 1992) in response to a letter from James R. McDaniel, Shiff Hardin & Waite [Counsel to OCC], to Michael A. Macchiaroli, Assistant Director, Division, Commission (May 21, 1990). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Description A. In General The proposed rule change authorizes OCC to exclude from a clearing member's combined market-makers' account the exchange transactions and positions of market-makers, specialists, or registered traders that are directly or indirectly related to or associated with the carrying clearing member (``associated market-makers'').\4\ Positions excluded from the combined market-makers' account as a result of this proposal can be maintained by the clearing member either in a separate market- maker's account (that is specifically limited to the positions of the clearing member) or in a proprietary market-maker account under certain circumstances as described below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \4\The term associated market-maker is defined as a person maintaining an account with a clearing member as a market-maker, specialist, stock market-maker, stock specialist, or registered trader that is a ``related person'' of the clearing member and includes any participant in an account of which 10% or more is owned by an associated market-maker or an aggregate of 10% or more is owned by one or more associated market-makers. OCC By-Laws, Article I, Section 1.A(10). A person is a related person of the clearing member if such person (1) is a business affiliate that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the clearing member or any officer, director, or general or special partner of the clearing member, (2) is a spouse or minor living in the same household as the related person or any non-customer of the clearing member, or (3) is an employee who manages the business or funds of the clearing member. The term related person does not include a non-customer of the clearing member. Direct or indirect control of 10% or more of the equity of any entity is deemed to confer control of that entity. OCC By-Laws, Article I, Section 1.R(3). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Exclusion of Associated Market-Makers From the Combined Market- Makers' Account Section 3(c) of Article VI of OCC's By-Laws permits a clearing member to maintain a combined market-makers' account. A combined market-makers' account is confined to the exchange transactions and positions of market-makers who have consented to the commingling of their positions with those of other market-makers. Currently, section 3(c) specifically prohibits the carrying clearing member from participating in its combined market-makers' account, and OCC's market- makers' account agreement prohibits non-customers of the carrying clearing member from participating in the carrying clearing member's combined market-makers' account. ``Non-customer'' is defined in Article I, Section N(1) of OCC's By- Laws to include the clearing member, any general or special partner of the clearing member, any officer or director of the clearing member, or any participant, as such, in any joint, group, or syndicate account with the clearing member or with any partner, officer, or director of the clearing member. This definition was drafted to encompass, in addition to the clearing member itself, only those categories of persons who are specifically excluded from the definition of customer in the Commission's hypothecation rules.\5\ Because OCC's definition of non-customer is so narrowly drafted, OCC's rules currently permit a market-maker that is closely related to its carrying clearing member to commingle its positions with the positions of market-makers that are unrelated to the carrying clearing member in the carrying clearing member's combined market makers' account. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \5\Commission Rules 8c-1 and 15c2-1 [17 CFR 240.8c-1 and 240.15c2-1]. Hypothecation is the pledging of securities as collateral for loans made to purchase securities or to cover short sells. Generally, the Commission's hypothecation rules prohibit hypothecating or arranging for the hypothecation of securities carried for the account of a customer under circumstances that permit: (1) the commingling without written consent of a customer's securities with the securities of any other customer; (2) the commingling of a customer's securities with the securities of any person other than a bona fide customer; or (3) the hypothecation of customers' securities for a sum in excess of the aggregate indebtedness of all such customers with respect to such securities. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In light of its experience during the 1989 market break, OCC believes that the commingling of positions of associated market-makers with those of unrelated market-makers significantly increases the risks to unrelated market-makers, OCC, and the options markets.\6\ Such associated market-makers may be financially dependent upon the carrying clearing member or may be under common direction with respect to trading strategies and risk management. In the event of the failure of the clearing member, the conditions which led to such failure may also lead to the insolvency of the associated market-maker. If the associated market-maker's positions are carried in a combined market- makers' account, OCC may be unable to separate the collateral supporting the positions in the combined market-makers' account from the collateral supporting the carrying clearing member's proprietary positions. As a result, OCC may have difficulty in transferring the unrelated market-makers' positions and supporting collateral even though those positions continue to be viable. OCC believes that prohibiting the commingling of the positions of associated market- makers with the positions of unrelated market-makers will facilitate OCC's ability to transfer expeditiously viable accounts of the unrelated market-makers to other clearing members in the event of a failure of the carrying clearing member. Consequently, OCC's and the unrelated market-makers' risk of loss should be decreased. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \6\See supra note 17 and accompanying text. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accordingly, OCC is amending its By-Laws by adding definitions of ``associated market-maker''\7\ and ``proprietary market-maker''\8\ and by including language to prohibit associated market-makers and proprietary market-makers from participating in the combined market- makers' account.\9\ An associated market-maker so excluded can maintain its positions in a separate market-maker's account.\10\ Because each separate market-maker's account is restricted to the transactions of a single market-maker, the positions of an associated market-maker that are maintained in such an account will not be commingled with the positions of other market-makers or with the positions of the clearing firm.\11\ Under OCC rules, a clearing member that maintains a separate market-maker's account for its proprietary market-maker positions (``proprietary market-maker account'') may elect to have the positions in that account combined with the positions in its firm account for purposes of margin calculations\12\ as a clearing member may elect to have its associated market-makers' positions treated as proprietary positions so that the associated market-makers' positions are combined with firm positions for purposes of margin calculation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \7\OCC By-laws, Article I, Section 1.A(10). \8\Under the proposal, Article I, Section 1.P(5) of OCC By-Laws defines proprietary market-maker as a market-maker, specialist, stock market-maker, stock specialist, or registered trader that is (A) a non-customer of the carrying clearing member or (B) a related person of the clearing member that (1) is not a customer of the clearing member for purposes of Commission Rule 15c3-3 [17 CFR 240.15c3-3], (2) does not carry the accounts of persons who are customers for purposes of Commission Rule 15c3-3, and (3) has consented to be treated as a proprietary market-maker. Thus, a proprietary market-maker account can be maintained by not only the clearing member itself but also by any non-customer of the clearing member. See also OCC's Amendment No. 2, discussed supra note 3. \9\OCC By-laws, Article VI, Section 3(c). A parallel change is made to Article VI, Section 3(e) with respect to combined registered traders' accounts. \10\OCC By-Laws, Article VI, Section 3(b). In the case of a registered trader, positions can be maintained in a separate registered trader's account established under paragraph (e). \11\It is generally advantageous to a clearing member to maintain positions in a combined market-makers' account rather than in a separate market-maker's account. Market-makers' positions in the combined market makers' account can be used as offsets or hedges against each other which may result in a lower margin requirement for the clearing member. \12\OCC Rules 601(c)(3) and 602(c)(4). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. Discussion Section 17A of the Act provides that a clearing agency must be organized and its rules designed to assure the safeguarding of funds and securities which are in the custody or control of the clearing agency or for which it is responsible.\13\ As discussed below, the Commission believes that OCC's proposal is consistent with these objectives. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \13\15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3) (A) and (F). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- OCC's proposal responds to the events surrounding the default of an OCC clearing member on October 13, 1989.\14\ The defaulting clearing member carried in a combined market-makers' account the positions of an associated market-maker and the positions of approximately 160 unaffiliated market-makers. One person owned 100% of both the defaulting clearing member and the associated market-maker. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \14\For a detailed discussion of the events surrounding the clearing member default, refer to Market Analysis of October 13 and 16, 1989, A Report by the Division of Market Regulation, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (December 1990), 158-60 and 164- 66. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because of the precipitous decline in the markets on Friday, October 13, 1987, OCC issued an intraday margin call to the defaulting clearing member whose settlement bank informed OCC that it would neither honor OCC's intraday margin call nor extend further credit to the defaulting clearing member. In an effort to cure the default, OCC directed the defaulting clearing member to transfer the positions in its accounts, particularly positions that were carried for unaffiliated market-makers and customers, to another OCC clearing member. Because the associated market-maker's positions were commingled with those of unaffiliated market-makers in a combined market-makers' account, OCC was unable to distinguish the collateral relating to the associated market-maker's positions from the collateral relating to the unaffiliated market-makers' positions in the account. Consequently, OCC was required to direct the defaulting clearing member to transfer all of the positions in its combined market-makers' account. Although this did not preclude the transfer, it did make the transfer of the non- proprietary positions more difficult. The Commission believes that OCC's proposal will enhance OCC's clearing member monitoring and risk management capabilities in several respects. As an initial matter, the Commission notes that OCC's current market-maker account structure permits clearing members to mask proprietary activity by forming associated market-makers and combining the positions of such market-makers with those of unaffiliated market- makers in a combined market-makers' account. Although OCC can separate the positions of the associated market-makers from those of unaffiliated market-makers, the present account structure can complicate OCC's monitoring of clearing member positions. Currently, before OCC can assess the positions under a clearing member's control, OCC must separate associated market-makers' positions from unaffiliated market-makers' positions and then must combine the associated market- makers' positions with the clearing member's positions. By requiring the associated market-makers' positions to be maintained apart from the unaffiliated market-makers' positions, OCC's proposal should enhance its ability to monitor the positions of its clearing members. The proposal also should enhance OCC's risk management capabilities by providing OCC with a more accurate representation of clearing members' financial condition. Generally, there are two levels of capital supporting the trading and positions of a clearing member's market-maker.\15\ However, as the above-described clearing member default illustrates, this may not be the case when a clearing member carriers the account of an associated market-maker because the clearing member and the associated market-maker may be relying on the same sources of financing to support their trading activities. Thus, by requiring that associated market-maker hold their positions either in a separate account or is a proprietary market-maker's account, OCC's proposal should provide OCC with a more accurate picture of its sources of exposure and the financial ability of a particular firm to cover such exposure in the event of a clearing member default. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \15\I.e., the capital of the clearing member and the capital of the market-makers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The proposal also should enhance OCC's ability to administer a clearing member's account in the event of the clearing member's default. If the financial or operational condition of a clearing member makes it necessary or advisable for the protection of OCC or other clearing members, OCC has the authority to direct a clearing member to transfer some or all of its accounts to another clearing member.\16\ However, if associated market-maker's positions are held with the positions of unaffiliated market-makers in a combined market-makers' account, as in the situation described above, OCC may experience difficulty in separating the collateral supporting the associated market-maker's positions from the collateral supporting the positions of the unaffiliated market-makers' positions thereby making the transfer of unaffiliated market-makers' positions difficult if not impossible. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \16\OCC Rule 305. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Conclusion For the reasons stated above, the Commission finds that the proposed rule change is consistent with Section 17A. It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b) (2) of the Act, that the proposed rule change (File No. SR-OCC-90-11) be, and hereby is, approved. For the Commission by the Division of Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated authority.\17\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \17\17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12) (1992). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [FR Doc. 94-1676 Filed 1-26-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8010-01-M