[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 25, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38072-38073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-18218]



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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-35982; File No. SR-OCC-95-03]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Options Clearing Corporation; 
Order Approving a Proposed Rule Change Relating to OCC's Exercise-by-
Exception Procedures Applicable to Expiring Index Options

July 18, 1995.
    On February 16, 1995, The Options Clearing Corporation (``OCC'') 
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') a 
proposed rule change (File No. SR-OCC-95-03) pursuant to Section 
19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'').\1\ Notice of 
the proposal was published in the Federal Register on April 11, 
1995.\2\ No comment letters were received. For the reasons discussed 
below, the Commission is approving the proposed rule change.

    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1) (1988).
    \2\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 35566 (April 5, 1995), 
60 FR 18435.
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I. Description of the Proposal

    The purpose of the proposed rule change is to modify the exercise 
threshold for expiring index option contracts, including American,\3\ 
European,\4\ and Capped \5\ Quarterly Index Expiration option 
contracts, carried in a clearing member's customer account in 
connection with OCC's exercise-by-exception (``ex-by-ex'') processing 
procedures. The ex-by-ex exercise threshold used for flexibility 
structured index options is not effected by the rule change.

    \3\ OCC defines the term ``American'' option to mean an option 
contract that may be exercised at any time from its commencement 
time until its expiration.
    \4\ OCC defines the term ``European'' option to mean an option 
contract that may be exercised only on its expiration date.
    \5\ OCC defines the term ``Capped'' option to mean an option 
contract in a series which has a cap price at which all options in 
such series will be automatically exercised and which otherwise may 
only be exercised on its expiration date.
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    Ex-by-ex processing presumes that clearing members desire to 
exercise all options that are in-the-money by a specified threshold 
immediately prior to expiration. Accordingly, all options subject to 
ex-by-ex processing are identified as being in-the-money, at-the-money, 
or out-of-the-money in a report provided to each clearing member 
through OCC's Clearing/Management and Control System (``C/MACS'') \6\ 
or by hard copy on each expiration date. After receipt and review of 
its report, each clearing member resubmits its report to OCC reflecting 
that the clearing member is instructing OCC to exercise all options 
that are in-the-money by the certain threshold amount. However, the 
clearing member can issue contrary instructions (``Contrary Exercise 
Advice'') to OCC by notating on the report additional contracts it 
desires to exercise and contracts that are in the money by the 
threshold amount that it does not want exercised.

    \6\ C/MACS is an on-line, menu-driven system that allows OCC 
member firms to access or input trade information directly from or 
to OCC's clearing systems.
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    OCC's Rules currently specify two ex-by-ex processing thresholds 
for index options.\7\ The first threshold applies to index options 
carried in clearing members' customers' accounts, and the second 
threshold applies to index options carried in all other clearing 
members' accounts.\8\ The current aggregate price threshold for 
customer positions is $25.00 per index option contract, and the 
aggregate price threshold for all other positions is $1.00 per index 
option contract. OCC's rule change reduces the aggregate price 
threshold for customer positions to $1.00 per index option contract. 
Now, any index option contract position, whether carried in clearing 
members' customers' accounts or in any of their other accounts, in-the-
money by that amount or more, will be exercised immediately prior to 
expiration unless the clearing member submits a timely, contrary 
instruction to OCC. The proposed change to the threshold for ex-by-ex 
processing of certain index options carried in customers' accounts will 
not affect clearing members' obligations to their customers or 
correspondent brokers, which are determined by contract and by 
generally applicable principles of law.

    \7\ Different ex-by-ex thresholds are applied to equity options.
    \8\ OCC Rule 1804(a) and (b).
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II. Discussion

    Section 17A(b)(3)(F) requires that the rules of a clearing agency 
be designed to promote the prompt and accurate clearance and settlement 
of securities transactions.\9\ As discussed below, the Commission 
believes that OCC's proposed rule change is consistent with this 
obligation because it should facilitate the prompt and accurate 
clearance and settlement of index options transactions by providing 
promptness and precision in the exercise of certain in-the-money index 
options.

    \9\ 15 U.S.C. 78q-1(b)(3)(F) (1988).
    The rule change should assure that certain customer-held index 
option contracts that are in-the-money by $1 or more will not go 
unexercised unless the clearing member provides contrary exercise 
advice. By lowering the ex-by-ex threshold for index option contracts 
carried in customer accounts from $25 to $1, OCC has reduced the burden 
placed on clearing members to provide exercise advice on index options 
in-the-money by $1 or more that are due to expire. Reducing the ex-by-
ex processing threshold to $1 per index option contract will mean that 
clearing members will have to manually identify for exercise only those 
customer-held index option contracts that are in-the-money by less than 
$1.00 per contract; therefore, the cost associated with manually 
exercising customer-held index option contracts should be reduced. The 
proposal also should reduce the risk that a clearing member will fail 
to exercise a customer-held index option because under the new lower 
threshold only those options that are in-the-money by less than $1.00 
will not be exercised.\10\

    \10\ As discussed earlier, clearing members can issue Contrary 
Exercise Advice instructions to exempt specified customer-held index 
option contracts from ex-by-ex processing.
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    Originally, the $25 threshold was established because of the 
anticipation of transaction costs related to the exercise and 
settlement of index option contracts. Because index options are cash 
settled and the exercise fees for such options either do not exist, are 
waived, or are not expected to exceed the exercise proceeds, OCC 
believes that a lower ex-by-ex threshold can be applied and that its 
clearing members will not charge a fee for the cash settlement of an 
index option where a customer will be left with a loss.

III. Conclusion

    On the basis of the foregoing, the Commission finds that the 
proposal is consistent with the requirements Section 17A(b)(3)(F) of 
the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
    It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Act, 
that the proposed rule change (File No. SR-OCC-95-03) be, and hereby 
is, approved.


[[Page 38073]]

    For the Commission by the Division of Market Regulation, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\11\

    \11\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12) (1994).
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Margaret H. McFarland,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-18218 Filed 7-24-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-M