[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 146 (Monday, August 1, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-18579] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: August 1, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34-34430; File No. SR-OCC-90-10] Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation; Order Temporarily Approving Proposed Rule Change Relating to Put Margin Credit Program July 22, 1994. On September 5, 1990, The Options Clearing Corporation (``OCC'') filed a proposed rule change (File No. SR-OCC-90-10) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') pursuant to Section 19(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'').\1\ Notice of the proposal appeared in the Federal Register on December 6, 1990, to solicit public comment from interested persons.\2\ No comments were received. This order temporarily approves the proposed rule change through October 31, 1995. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\15 U.S.C. 78s(b) (1988). \2\Securities Exchange Act Release No. 28658 (November 29, 1990), 55 FR 50438. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Description of the Proposal The proposed rule change adds a new Paragraph (e) (``Put Margin Credit'') to OCC's existing Rule 604 (``Forms of Margin'') to implement OCC's Put Margin Credit (``PMC'') Program. The PMC program will maximize the margin credit that OCC can give to its clearing members where they hold long positions in put options on individual stocks\3\ and deposit the underlying stock with OCC. The proposed PMC Program combines such stock and option positions to generate greater clearing margin credits than either position could provide individually in either OCC's existing clearing margin system or in its valued securities program.\4\ Specifically, the PMC Program will allow clearing members who are carrying long put option positions in a market-maker's or specialist's account or in a stock market-maker's or stock specialist's account and who have deposited with and pledged to OCC the underlying securities with respect to such options to direct OCC to treat the options and underlying securities as a combined position for margin purposes.\5\ OCC then will pair such directing clearing members' long put option positions with the underlying stocks in an amount deliverable upon exercise of such put options. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \3\Only American-style options are eligible for the PMC Program. Letter from Stuart C. Harvey, Jr., OCC, to Thomas Etter, Staff Attorney, Commission, (October 26, 1990). \4\OCC Rule 604(d). \5\Clearing members deposit the underlying securities with OCC through its valued securities program. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because the combined option/stock position can never be worth less than the option's exercise price, which will be realized if the underlying stock is delivered pursuant to an exercise of the put option, OCC can prudently give clearing margin credit for the combined position equal to 100% of the exercise price. On the other hand, the combined position theoretically can be worth more than the exercise price if the market value of the stock substantially exceeds the exercise price of the option. Accordingly, OCC will give margin credit for the combined position equal to the greater of the exercise price of the option or the maximum loan value given to the stock alone under OCC's valued securities program.\6\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \6\Presently, the maximum loan value under the valued securities program is 60% of the stocks current market value. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In order to avoid any double counting, options that are included in the PMC Program will generate no margin credit pursuant to OCC Rule 601 in calculating the clearing margin requirement for the account. Similarly, the underlying securities that are included in the PMC Program will not receive any additional credit under the valued securities program during the time they are included in the PMC Program. Because under certain circumstances long put options can provide more margin credit if they are spread against short option positions than if they are included in the PMC Program, the decision as to whether or not to include long put option positions in the PMC Program will be made by the clearing members. Clearing members will be permitted to make this decision on a daily basis. Finally, underlying stocks that are included in the PMC Program will not be counted in the valued securities program's 10% concentration limitation.\7\ The 10% limitation is intended to prevent a clearing member from fulfilling a large percentage of its margin requirement with a concentration of any particular stock. This limitation is to protect OCC from loss should OCC be forced to convert stock margin deposits to cash at a time when the value of the stock is decreasing in value. Because a combined position in the PMC Program will never be worth less than the exercise price of the put option regardless of the market value of the underlying stock, OCC believes that application of the 10% limitation is unwarranted in the PMC Program. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \7\OCC Rule 604(d)(1) sets forth that equity issues of any one issuer shall not be valued at an amount in excess of 10% of the margin requirement for the account in which such securities are deposited. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Discussion The Commission believes the proposal is consistent with the purposes and requirements of Section 17A of the Act.\8\ In particular, the Commission believes the proposal meets the requirements of Sections 17A(b)(3) (A) and (F) which require, among other things, that a clearing agency's rules be designed to safeguard securities and funds in its custody or control or for which it is responsible.\9\ The Commission believes that OCC's PMC program, while structured to insure that OCC fulfills its statutory obligation to safeguard securities and funds in its custody or control, will enable OCC clearing members to reduce their financing needs through the margin credits given their long put option/underlying stock positions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \8\15 U.S.C. 78q-1 (1988). \9\15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3) (A) and (F) (1988). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the major problems that arose during the October 1987 and October 1989 market breaks was a generalized cash squeeze for OCC's clearing members. In particular, OCC clearing members that were utilizing OCC's pledge program\10\ to pledge long call option positions to banks as collateral for loans were faced with repaying the loans as the value of their long calls rapidly declined. At the same time, clearing members that had stocks pledged as collateral for loans and letters of credit or were lenders of such securities in stock loan transactions had to use substantial amounts of their cash to reduce outstanding loans or to pay for the return of loaned stock as the value of their collateral fell. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \10\OCC Rule 614(a). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- During these same periods, many of OCC's clearing members held in their market-maker's or specialist's accounts substantial long put positions that were rapidly increasing in value. At that time, many banks were reluctant to accept long put options as collateral for loans. Although clearing members received clearing margin credit from OCC for their long put positions, the clearing margin credit calculated by OCC's clearing margin system did not reflect the full value of put options that were held in combination with the underlying stocks. OCC believes the PMC Program will be helpful in addressing the liquidity squeeze that can occur in a declining market. OCC anticipates that in some situations clearing members will have reduced needs to borrow from commercial banks in order to meet their clearing margin requirements at OCC. The PMC program will allow OCC to internalize a portion of its clearing members' financing requirements by maintaining control over deposited margin collateral that has a known and fixed market value. Because OCC monitors the financial condition and portfolio risk of each of its clearing members through its risk reduction systems,\11\ the Commission believes that the PMC program could facilitate effective use of long put option and long stock positions deposited for margin purposes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \11\Among other risk reduction systems, OCC's Theoretical Intermarket Margin System (``TIMS'') and Concentration Monitoring System (``ConMon'') are designed to evaluate and manage the market risks and to set margin requirements for equity and non-equity option positions of OCC's clearing members. TIMS uses the Cox- Rubenstein binomial options pricing model to determine the liquidating value of an option portfolio given a theoretical ``worst case'' market scenario. ConMon is designed to address risks resulting from concentrated, undiversified portfolios of options that may not be covered by OCC's margin methodology. Essentially, the ConMon system uses TIMS methodology to analyze the theoretical values of each members's positions in the event of an abnormally large market movement and relates the resulting theoretical gain or loss to the member's net worth and capital. A member's margin requirement may be increased as a result. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the first twelve months of the temporary approval period, OCC will monitor such things as the number of participants in the PMC Program, such participants' margin savings and the average percentage of participants' total margin requirements reduced by the program. In addition, OCC will review its risk reduction systems, specifically TIMS and ConMon, to insure that OCC is able to determine and protect against any undue risk arising from the PMC program. Before the end of the temporary approval period, OCC will submit a written report to the Commission setting forth the results of its review of the PMC Program. III. Conclusion For the reasons discussed in this order, the Commission finds that the proposed rule change is consistent with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act, that the above-mentioned proposed rule change (File No. SR-OCC-90-10) be, and hereby is, temporarily approved through October 31, 1995. For the Commission, by the Division of Market Regulation pursuant to delegated authority.\12\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \12\17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Margaret H. McFarland, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. 94-18579 Filed 7-29-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8010-01-M